Japan’s Humanitarian Aid to Jordan and the Transformation of Aid Identities and Practices in New Security Challenges

Abstract

This study measures the changing nature of humanitarian, economic, and development assistance from Japan to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan since the 20th century. First, the research summarises the history of Japanese aid to Jordan from the 1970s. Secondly, we explain how the transformation of Japan’s foreign policy since the 1990s has affected its assistance in Jordan. The following sections detail how the concept of human security has been infused into Japanese foreign policy, how changes in Japan’s post–Cold War security environment in East Asia have led to the incorporation of security-related issues in the aid provided to Jordan, and which assistance also needed to respond to a rapidly deteriorating regional security environment. Finally, concerning a recent case study, we detail the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on Japan’s development assistance in Jordan. Another factor noted here is the rapid rise of China’s presence in the Middle East and its influence on Official Development Assistance (ODA) in Jordan. Interestingly, these new issues emanating from outside the region have had little impact on Japan’s aid to Jordan.