Module manager: Kweku Ampiah
Email: k.ampiah@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
This module is approved as a discovery module
Japan's contribution to international development gripped world attention in the latter part of the 1980s when Japan emerged in 1989 as the leading aid donor, surpassing the United States. Since then, the implications of Japan's Official Development Assistance (ODA) have been part of the discourse about international development. The genesis of Japan's involvement in International Development was the reparations it had to pay to its neighbours following the end of WWII. Reparations evolved to a framework for economic cooperation, and subsequently to ODA within the construct of post-war Japanese foreign policy. While development assistance to Japan's neighbours was devised as a diplomatic gesture to appease them, it was also designed and projected with Japan's economic interests firmly in mind. ‘Aid’ was therefore seen as a form of 'foreign direct investment' to Southeast Asia, which was expected to bring economic benefits to Japan’s bedraggled post-war economy. Japan's ODA was orchestrated through the medium of the apparatus of 'the developmental state' whereby the state and private businesses worked in close collaboration to maximise development outcomes both in Japan and in the recipient countries. As Japanese ODA evolved and expanded in its geographical reach it showed striking inconsistencies in Tokyo's approaches to International Development. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s the principles according to which Japan's economic assistance to the African countries were based were markedly different from those it applied in relation to its assistance to the countries in Southeast Asia, although since the latter part of the 1990s ODA to Africa seems to be operating on principles which in places evoke those applied to Southeast Asia in earlier years. Taking its cue from Japan's modern history the module would begin with a discussion of the modernization of the structures for development in 19th century Japan. It also interrogates the differences in the Japanese approach to development with those lead by the proponents of the 'Washington Consensus'. Please note this is an optional module and runs subject to enrolments. If a low number of students choose this module, then the module may not run and you may be asked to choose another module.
- Improve students' understanding of the origin and evolution of Japanese Official Development Assistance (ODA).
- Alert students to the principles and technique of Japanese ODA.
- Explore the institutional architecture and structures (the bureaucracy) of Japanese ODA.
- Explore Japanese ODA as a function of Japanese foreign policy.
- Investigate the differences between Japan's approach to development and those of the major Western donors.
- Discuss the trajectory and evolution of Japanese development assistance in the developing world.
- Discuss the dynamics of Japanese development assistance to Africa
On successful completion of the module students should be able to:
1. Discuss the origins of Japanese development assistance.
2. Recognise and interpret key concepts and analytical frameworks used in the discourse of Japanese ODA and apply them to the study of Japan’s International Development
3. Explain the nature and operations of Japan's 'development assistance' compared with those of the leading donors of the West.
4.Appraise the especially significant impact Japanese ODA has had on East Asia.
5. Demonstrate understanding of the forms and nature of Japan's contributions to the discourse about the development of Africa.
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes
6. Seek out information or evidence from different sources as needed to understand and address a problem or task.
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 11 | 1 | 11 |
| Seminar | 11 | 1 | 11 |
| Independent online learning hours | 22 | ||
| Private study hours | 156 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 22 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
Engaging with students during the seminars will allow teaching staff to assess students’ progress and provide feed-back. Students will receive individual formative feedback on their academic progress during module contact hours, especially during seminar sessions. I will use my office hours to provide feedback to student prior to submitting their essay, and the comments on their final essay would be submitted to them in advance of the OTLA to help them improve their work if necessary.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Essay | 50 |
| Coursework | Online Time-Limited Assessment - 2 hour exam | 50 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 25/04/2025
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team