On April 1, 2022, Tanaka Akihiko, former President of the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), was appointed President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). President Tanaka served as JICA’s President for approximately three and half years from April of 2012, and this appointment marks his second term as President. This is planned to be a five-year term.
At a press conference held at JICA headquarters in Tokyo on April 8, President Tanaka stated that he was honored to take on this job once again. According to President Tanaka, he visited 57 countries during his previous term, and said that he had the opportunity to speak with many people, including the heads of state and his counterparts in each country, Japanese JICA staff members working at local offices, and Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers. During this new term, he stated that he wishes to visit as many locations as possible where JICA projects are being implemented, strengthen relations with the people of different countries, and work to realize the JICA vision of “Leading the world with trust.”
JICA President Tanaka Akihiko at a press conference held at JICA headquarters in Tokyo on April 8 JAPAN JOURNAL PHOTO
JICA has established a Medium-term Plan for the five-year period from April 2022 to March 2026. In this Plan, the following four areas were given as priorities: (1) realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific, (2) developing leaders who have strong ties to Japan and are well-versed in Japan, (3) strengthening climate-change and environmental measures, and (4) contributing to the revitalization of Japanese socioeconomics and internal internationalization. President Tanaka stated that he would implement this plan steadily and effectively.
In regards to COVID-19 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he also indicated that the pandemic and conflict have delivered a massive blow to the most vulnerable parts of developing areas. He also stated that support for people (in vulnerable positions) has become an urgent matter of international cooperation.
The Japanese government decided to offer emergency humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and neighboring countries on March 11 and April 5 as a form of support for Ukraine. Humanitarian support totaling $200 million will be offered in the fields of health, medicine, food, refugee support, and more through the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), the WFP (World Food Programme), other international organizations, and a Japanese non-governmental organization.
In addition to this support, JICA is considering an ODA loan of about $100 million as emergency financial support for the Ukrainian government. JICA also dispatched a needs assessment survey team for humanitarian and medical assistance to Moldova to extend assistance for Ukrainian refugees and the neighboring countries. President Tanaka stated that JICA will carry out necessary assistance based on this assessment survey.
JICA also established the JICA Initiative for Global Health and Medicine in July of 2020 to address fears of growing poverty and disparity in developing countries due to the effects of COVID-19. This initiative supports the strengthening of health systems, including the spread of vaccines, development of testing systems, and other COVID-19 measures. President Tanaka stated that he would further promote these initiatives. He also indicated that the strengthening of health systems was one of the major themes of the Eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD8) planned to be held in Tunisia in August 2022.
BY Sawaji Osamu
==============
Profile of JICA President Tanaka Akihiko
Dr. Tanaka Akihiko is President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Before assuming the present post, he was President of the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), Japan. He has previously served as Professor of International Politics at the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, the University of Tokyo (1998–2012, 2015–2017), President of JICA (2012–2015), Executive Vice President of the University of Tokyo (2009–2012), and Professor of Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies, the University of Tokyo (2000–2012).
Dr. Tanaka’s specialty is international politics. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in International Relations at the University of Tokyo in 1977 and Ph.D. in Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1981.
He has written numerous books and articles on world politics and security issues in Japanese and English including The New Middle Ages: The World System in the 21st Century (Tokyo: The International House of Japan, 2002) and Japan in Asia: Post-Cold-War Diplomacy (Tokyo: Japan Publishing Industry Foundation for Culture, 2017) (both in English translation).
He has received many honors and awards including the Medal with Purple Ribbon for his academic achievements in 2012.
Source: JICA Website
