Sadako Ogata, president of the Japan International Cooperation Agency, is urging the government to boost its official development assistance and regain its status as a major donor.
The former U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees also told a news conference Monday that JICA will study whether it can provide support for the growing number of people who have become internally displaced in recent weeks due to civil strife in Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
In 2008, Japan ranked fifth on the list of major donors. The United States topped the rankings, followed by Germany, Britain and France, according to the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.