AbstractAlthough Japan has been the biggest donor in terms of development assistance since 1989, library aid projects to the Third World have not been numerous, because of the low priority given to them. However, some ministries and agencies inaugurated aid programs to libraries in need of assistance. This article introduces two grant programs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the overseas volunteer program of the Japan International Cooperation Agency; and the unique program of the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, based on the deposit system. It reviews major achievements of those library aid projects to the Third World which were financedwithin the framework of Japan’s ODA policy.
1. Characteristics of ODA of the Japanese Government
Since 1954 Japan has given assistance to the Third World, in order to develop social and economic infrastructure, through its Official Development Assistance (ODA). Between 1978 and 1980, Japan dramatically increased its ODA grants to international cooperation activities with Third World countries, with the introduction of the ODA Medium–Term Plan.
In 1998 Japan was the biggest donor to the Third World, in terms of development assistance. Nevertheless, its ODA policy and implementation have become the target of severe criticism, with the allegation that the government has scattered grants without careful planning and follow–up. Scholars and NGOs viewed some of the government–imposed projects as wasteful and unnecessary. Yet these objections will not have the effect of reducing the large ODA budget. It is generally perceived that the number of Third World countries in need of official assistance for economic and social welfare has been increasing.
Most of the funds for overseas aid projects financed by the government come from the ODA budget. Planning and execution are under the control of three ministries and three governmental agencies, namely, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), Ministry of Finance (MOF), Economic Planning Agency (EPA), Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund (OECF), and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
These ministries and official agencies have paid attention mainly to strengthening the economic infrastructure of the Third World. Since 1990, attention has been paid to strengthening the social infrastructure of these countries. Aid for libraries is included in the framework for strengthening the social infrastructure, as the development of human resources and medical care, and improvement of the environment.
Aid from Japanese ODA is generally provided when requests are received from recipient countries. As for aid to libraries, there are not many official requests from the Third World. This situation has steered Japanese ODA policy into choosing other development projects.
Generally speaking, Japan’s official aid to libraries is focused on such measures as donating library materials and equipment, rather than on providing a consultancy. This is because governmental agencies find it much easier to provide funds and equipment than to dispatch their own personnel.
Although library aid projects through Japanese ODA have not been numerous and remain small in scale, I shall try to review the past and present Japanese contribution to Third World libraries.
2. Aid for Libraries by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA)
Among these ministries and official agencies, MOFA has a grant aid program open to Third World libraries, which is the biggest financial resource for them. MOFA has awarded grants, because projecs of this type are considered to be non–profit. For its grant aid program in FY 1997, MOFA targeted those LLDC whose per capita GNP was below US$1,465 in FY 1995, based on World Bank statistics. The targeted regions and countries have been slightly changed, since some Asian countries have been achieving rapid economic growth. MOFA now estimates that grant aid to sub–Saharan countries will be on the rise.
2.1. Cultural Grant Aid for Libraries
A “Cultural Grant Aid” scheme has been implemented since 1975, as part of international cooperation for cultural exchange. The First Cultural Affairs Division of MOFA has administered it. Each grant is worth less than 50 million yen. The standard for providing this grant is different from that used for other ones. In FY 1997, targeted countries are LLDC whose FY 1995 per capita GNP totaled less than US$5,295, based on World Bank statistics. THe purpose of Cultural Grant Aid is to preserve and utilize cultural properties, heritage, theatrical performances, and exhibitions related to culture,, and to promote education and research.
The Division provides these grants to Third World countries for the purchase of materials in the following three categories: the promotion of education and research projects carried out by universities and other educational institutions; the conservation and utilization of cultural properties and cultural artifacts; and the holding of cultural events and exhibitions.
Its budget amounts to 25 billion yen per year and this was expended for fifty–three projects in FY 1996. every fiscal year, approximately 20 percent of this grant goes to education and research projects, inclduing aid to libraries. Within this framework, the funds mostly go towards book donations, and the purchase of bookmobiles, computers, and audio–visual equipment. There is no financing of the construction of libraries and information centers. the donated equipment is all manufactured in Japan. Governments wishing to obtain a grant must apply to the Japanese Embassy in their country.
Each applicant is asked to rank projects in order of priority. After these applications are submitted to the Japanese Embassy, they are carefully examined. Financial assistance for libraries and archives was given to twenty–five countries from FY 1980 to FY 1996, and the sum expended for this purpose was 1,590,500 thousand yen. this amount corresponds to approximately 4 percent of the total grants financed in the same period. Looking back on past recipients, most of the libraries aided were national or governmental. The recipient countries were India, Indonesia, Thailand, Bhutan, China, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Philippines, Jordan, Syria, Tunisia, Egypt, Western Samoa, Fiji, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, Jamaica, Zimbabwe, and Botswana.
Recently the number of library aid projects has grown less numerous compared with the aid for cultural and sports facilities. This means that Third World governments are not asking for much library aid. It is recommended that public libraries and university libraries specify their financial needs and appeal to their governments in order to be included in the aid priorities. At present, as was said above, MOFA is the largest source of Japanese grant aid available to Third World libraries for obtaining equipment and supplies.
MOFA publishes an “Annual evaluation project concerning international cooperation,” which releases the results of follow–up investigations made by the inquiry commission. Every year MOFA dispatches commission members to several countries that received grants. The commission usually consists of university faculty members and government officials. It should be noted that it is not a comprehensive investigation. It examined only five library aid projects from FY 1998 to FY 1995. It is regrettable that neither professional librarians nor the faculty of library schools have participated in the commission until now. These visits would offer a good opportunity to discover why some projects are unsuccessful. That would make grant aid for libraries more effective.
2.2. General Assistance for Grassroots Projects (GGP) for Libraries
Beginning with FY 1989, MOFA introduced a scheme entitled “Small–Scale Grant Assistance.” In FY 1995 its name was changed to “General Assistance for Grassroots Projects” (GGP). The idea was originally advocated by the Primary Administrative Inpsection Report on Economic Cooperation, which took account of the fact that other donor countries had already achieved efficient smll grant aid projects in Third World countries. This scheme aims at supporting relatively small projects are not suitable for other grant aid schemes.
GGP attempts to meet the various needs of the Third World by responding promptly and appropriately to requests from local governments, educational and research institutions, hospitals, NGOs, and other organizations acting in the Third World. To obtain this grant, the applicants are requested to submit their application directly to the Japanese Embassy in their country. After submission, Japanese Embassy officials make an on–the–spot investigation in order to provide the aid as early as possible.
When this scheme was inaugurated, projects were eligible for non–refundable grants of 5 million yen or less. Since FY 1994, MOFA has agreed to provide grants up to 10 million yen. For a few exceptional cases, the maximum grant amount may be as high as 20 million yen — however, the procedure becomes complicated in those cases, and it takes time to obtain approval from MOFA. At present ninety–five countries and the Palestinian self–rule area are allowed to apply for this grant. The number of projects financed by GGP jumped from ninety–five (worth 300 million yen) in FY 1989 to 969 (worth 4.5 billion yen) in FY 1996. This means that the total budget for GGP has increased by a factor of fifteen during eight years.
GGP targets the following five fields of aid projects: health and medical care; education and literacy; improvement of the environment; relief; and economic improvement for local people.
Aid to generally libraries is generally provided within the framework of education and literacy. Until FY 1996, GGP financed thirty–two library aid projects in these nineteen countries: Cambodia, Central Africa, Thailand, India, Laos, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Peru, Nepal, Mongolia, Mauritania, Colombia, Palestinian self–rule area, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Western Samoa. Owing to a favorable reception for the grant recipients, the total expenditure for GGP in FY 1996 amounted to approximately 4.5 billion yen and the budget for FY 1997 amount to 5 billion yen. During FY 1989 and FY 1996 GGP grant amounts totaled 9,778,000 thousand yen. The amount for financed for library aid projects totaled approximately 95,838 thousand yen. This accounts for less than 1 percent of GGP total amounts. Inasmuch as library aid is closely linked to literacy, book production, inculation of reading habits, and library development, libraries in need of financial assistance should establish contacts with Japanese NGOs and local NGOs active in library aid.
3. Grant Aid Projects by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
JICA was founded in 1974 and has a special status for executing aid activities in the Third World. It is within the jurisdiction of MOFA. JICA partly takes charge of expediting execution of these three types of grant aids: general grant aid, grant aid for fisheries, and grant aid for increased food production. All of them are closely related to technical cooperation. Among them, general grant aid provides funds for the construction and equipping of facilities relating to health, education, research and experiment, agriculture, welfare, environmental improvement, transportation, and communication.
By this general grant aid scheme, JICA engaged in two large–scale projects for the construction of library and documentation centers in Thailand and the Philippines. In Thailand, JICA invested 960 million yen in the construction of the Documentation Center in the Asian Institute of Technology in FY 1978. In the Phillipines, a grant of 1.37 billion yen was provided for the reconstruction of the Library of Normal College in FY 1983 and FY 1984. In addition to these projects, JICA provided 60 million yen to purchase library supplies for the Library of South Pacific University in Fiji, in FY 1985.
JICA also offers technical training and accepts approximately 7,000 annual participants from the Third World. This technical training covers a broad spectrum, ranging from agriculture to construction engineering. Technical training is provided mainly at JICA’s training centers in several cities in Japan. Training is also provided through the cooperation of national and regional public bodies, private research/training centers, universities, and other institutions. The training period varies from one month to one year. However, only a few Third World librarians have participated in this training, because there are not many suitable programs available.
4. Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) for Libraries
JOCV started in 1965 as part of JICA’s technical cooperation with the Third World, and it was modeled on the American Peace Corps. It has already dispatched more than 11,000 volunteers, who were strongly motivated young people under age thirty–nine with specific skills, who wished to assist in the economic and social development of local communities in the Third World.
Selected volunteers have been active in fifty–four countries in 160 types of activities. They are dispatched overseas upon request from the recipient countries, and stay for two years working with the local people. JOCV assigns its volunteers to the posts specified in bilateral agreements with the recipient countries. Volunteers are paid local salaries of up to US$700 per month. The amount varies with the cost of living in each country. Volunteers are recruited nationwide, twice a year. The selection process includes a written examination, interview, and medical checkup.
JOCV dispatched thirty–eight Japanese librarians and archivists to fourteen countries from 1967 through 1995. The recipient countries were Bangladesh, Bhutan, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Fiji, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Malaysia, Malawi, Nepal, Paraguay, and the Solomon Islands. In order to participate in the JOCV program, librarians are usually required to have at least three years’ working experience in a library or information center. A certain amount of money is available to them to buy materials and supplies for their overseas libraries. However, many applicants find it difficult to obtain a lengthy leave of absence because of the inflexible employment system in their workplace. Consequently, some of them are obliged to resign from their present posts, and this accounts for the relatively small number of JOCV librarians.
JOCV librarians are generally involved in fields such as the education and training of local librarians, the preparation of cataloguing and indexing systems, and the creation of new libraries. JOCV volunteers, including librarians, usually receive pre–assignment language instruction, which is available in fifteen languages. Nevertheless, JOCV librarians find themselves hampered in their work by insufficient language abilities. Most Japanese librarians deal mainly with Japanese–speaking patrons, so it takes them some time to become accustomed to working in an intercultural environment, and to maintaining good communications with local librarians and patrons.
Other problems they may face include the difference between Japanese librarians and the local libraries. Some ex–JOCV librarians have pointed out the low level of literacy of local patrons, the lack of financial resources for acquiring library materials and supplies, the existence of censorship (which made book selected complicated), the problems of conserving and preserving historical materials, and the low status accorded to local librarians. These crucial problems have been mentioned repeatedly elsewhere. However, they are not really understood fully in Japan.
This scheme gives an important opportunity to young Japanese librarians who wish to participate in volunteer work in Third World libraries, and thus it is worth continuing. It should result in a better understanding of the needs of Third World libraries. The volunteers’ suggestions should be reflected in future assistance given by JOCV.
5. The Postal Savings for International Voluntary Aid from the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications (MPT)
Since FY 1991, the MPT has had a deposit system entitled “Postal Savings for International Voluntary Aid.” This is for Japanese citizens who agree to give 20 percent of the accrued interest on their ordinary deposits to assist Japanese NGOs and their programs in the Third World. Since it was inaugurated, the number of account holders who applied for this deposit system has reached more than twenty million (as of June 1996). The contributions amounted to 12.7 billion yen by FY 1995.
Applications from Japanese NGOs are carefully examined and selected. Fourteen NGOs undertook thirty library aid projects between FY 1991 and FY 1995 through this fund. Most of the projects were carried out in Asian countries, where donated books were valued at 1.02 million yen during the same period. Funds were also allocated for audio–visual materials and bookmobiles. In FY 1995 Japanese NGOs undertook other library aid projects, such as bookmobiles for rural areas of Laos and South Africa; the establishment of libraries for children and the blind in Thailand, Nepal, and Cambodia; the training of local librarians in Thailand; book production and distribution to children in Laos; and the holding of seminars to promote libraries for the blind in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Bangladesh.
However, funds have been tight since the end of FY 1995. The rate of interest on deposits declined to 0.25 percent, compared with 3.48 percent in 1990 and 1991. In FY 1995 the contribution amounted to less than 1.5 billion yen, which resulted in the MPT’s cutting down the voluntary fund available in FY 1996. This corresponds to nearly half the amount of 2.8 billion yen allocated in FY 1995. Since the provision of voluntary aid funds in FY 1996 has decreased, MPT has no alternative but to refuse many applications for projects. Consequently, there is a tendency among certain NGOs to seek funds from other sources, such as MOFA’s GGP.
6. Considerations for Better Library Aid
The provision of grant aid by the Japanese government is generally a short–term agreement, available for only a year or two at most. However, some aid projects require several years’ operation. For instance, it is often suggested that many university libraries in the Third World need financial investment to develop sufficient book and journal collections and support their academic programs. Unfortunately, the present condition of Japanese grant aid cannot meet those needs.
There is another obstacle to implementing effective aid projects. Most of the funded projects are based on bilateral agreements, and the Japanese government seems to be reluctant to finance cooperative regional projects for Third World libraries. Relevant programs, such as IFLA’s ALP, have not drawn much attention. However, library cooperation and networking among Third World countries are crucial. Taking into account the sparse collections of libraries in certain countries, aid for sharing resourceson a regional basis would be quite appropriate.
The number of grant aid projects has been increasing, and so has the amount of money provided. However, according to a recent survey conducted by the Foundation for Advanced Studies on International Development (FASID), 25 percent of Japanese NGOs who applied for official grants still felt that the government should provide grants in more efficient ways, so as to reflect the needs of local people. They criticized official grant aid projects as biased towards certain specific purposes. The government is concerned mainly with urgent relief aid, such as food and medical supplies, because that more easily attracts public endorsement. Educational aid, including aid to libraries, is inconspicuous ad still given a low priority.
Lastly, it is a pity that there is no professional body in Japan to channel assistance for library aid projects toward the Third World. Few professional associations and librarians have been aware of the importance of library access in those countries. Although they have not yet formed a pressure group to influence official aid policy, they can work with Japanese NGOs actively engaged in library aid abroad. They can give professional advice or ask their members to collaborate in NGO library projects, most of which are run by non–professional staff.
Japanese ministries and offical agencies have taken just the first steps towards library aid, and there is much to learn from the experience of other donor countries. I do hope that the Japanese government and professional librarians will pay more attention to the importance of libraries in the Third World in order to make the aid project more effective.
1. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan. Wagakuni no seihu kaihatsu enjo (Japan’s ODA 1997). (Brief information on ODA is also available in the MOFA’s home page in English: http://www.mofa.go.jp/.
2. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan. Keizai kyoryoku hyoka houkokusho (Annual evaluation report concerning international economic cooperation), 1988–95.
3. Japan International Cooperation Agency. Kokusai kaihatsu kyouroku jigyodan nenpo (Annual report of Japan International Cooperation Agency), 1978–96.
4. Ministry of Post and Telecommunication, Japan. Kokusai volunteer chokin report (Annual report of the Post Savings for International Voluntary Fund), 1991–96.
5. Foundation for Advanced Studies on International Development (FASID). Kaihatsu enjo ni kansuru NGO no ishiki chosa (The survey based on the questionnaire from Japanese NGOs who are active in development assistance in the Third World and who receive GGP). Tokyo: FASID, 1996.
Ikuyo Fukuda is Assistant Professor, teaching librarians’ courses, Hokkai–Gakuen University, Sapporo, Japan.
© 1998, Ikuyo Fukuda.