UNITED BY THE IDEA

Japan seeks to secure balanced sustainable growth in the world economy by investing in the future.

Background:

Under the notion "Investments in the Future", Japan has been spearheading a program of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for developing as much as the developed nations. The purpose sought is to maintain stability and development across the world and build relationships based on commonly shared universal values like human rights, democracy, market economy and the rule of law.

The ODA envisages that Japan provides assistance to countries in their transition to market economy, in advancing the economic infrastructure and addressing environmental issues.

In each country, the priority areas may be determined by the Embassy of Japan in accordance with the needs of the former. For example, in Belarus, the program aims to help people affected by the consequences of the Chernobyl catastrophe. In Uzbekistan, Japan has streamlined all the available channels to promote the country’s smooth transition to a market economy.

The question "Why Uzbekistan?" is addressed by the Japanese side as follows: The sustainable development of Central Asia’s most populous nation, wielding pivotal position fr om a geopolitical point of view, is extremely critical to maintain the stability of the entire region.

To experience the results of ODA programs in Uzbekistan firsthand, the Embassy of Japan has organized a special media tour around the facilities made possible with the help of Japanese grant funds, such as the Tashkent Heat Power Plant, Tashkent Maternity Complex №2, Tashkent State Institute of Oriental Studies, the Center for the Study of Japanese Law at the Tashkent Law University, Alisher Navoi State Academic Grand Theater, the Aikido Federation, and Talimarjan Heat Power Plant.

Journalists did not only see wh ere the foreign funds are invested, but also have been able to find out from experts how the new equipment has improved their working conditions and what the real benefit from the grant and loan assistance has been to the population.

For example, as explained by the chief doctor of the Tashkent Maternity Complex №2 Nodir Kadyrov, as part of grant aid from the Japanese government to small-scale social projects, the hospital was outfitted with medical equipment in the amount of 44 thousand US dollars. Thanks to the artificial lung ventilation device provided, a total of 1,500 surgeries were carried out in 2016. In addition, the facility was granted five boxes with tools for emergency obstetric care.

Among the infrastructure projects in the energy sector, the journalists were demonstrated the work of Talimarjan Heat Power Plant, which was refitted owing to the allocated loan of about 240 million US dollars. The TPP director Abdusalim Normuminov has told us about how these funds were realized. "The loan was used for the acquisition of two Japanese high-efficiency combined cycle power plants with a total capacity of 900 MW. Installation of the equipment provided, first and foremost, for the reliability of power supply and, secondly, the natural gas savings to be used to generate electricity. Finally, it has helped reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

Lining out the ties in the education sector, we would like to tell about the Japanese assistance for small-scale cultural projects. A scheme worth more than $100 thousand was realized at the Tashkent State Institute of Oriental Studies. Details about what the grant aid were unveiled by the chair of the Japanese language department Elyor Matchanov: "The Japanese side has provided Uzbek students with audiovisual and computer equipment to outfit the language laboratory class. Today our students can sit in the room to watch live broadcasts of news channels from Japan. If necessary, they can record the necessary news shows for training and watch them on their computer. Our school is the main institution for the study of the Japanese language, and the equipment provided certainly has effect on the quality of student knowledge.

To be sure, one article is hardly enough to cover the entire volume of the Japanese assistance. It is been invested in a number of socially important and infrastructure projects in the spheres of health, education, energy, transport, telecommunications and other areas. The good news is that the declared Uzbek-Japanese cooperation aimed at boosting the welfare of the population is not just high-sounding words, but real action in the interests of the people.

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