Japan's official development assistance of $15.32 billion in 1999 made it the world's top donor to developing countries for the ninth consecutive year, according to an annual report on ODA endorsed Friday by Cabinet.
Dollar-denominated ODA made a record year-on-year rise of 44 percent, due mainly to the $3.3 billion contributed to the Asian Development Bank to help Asian countries recover from their economic crisis, the report says.
The yen's sharp rise in the currency market also helped boost the value of ODA in dollar terms. In yen terms, the ODA amounted to 1.745 trillion yen, up 25.3 percent.