Shinichi Kitaoka, the newly appointed president of Japan International Cooperation Agency, said he wants to carefully study the needs of recipients and work to provide development aid effectively given the country's limited financial resources.
"I want to take a steady approach toward Japan's proactive contribution to peace," Kitaoka said in a news conference Friday following the Cabinet approval of his appointment earlier in the day.
Kitaoka, who now heads the body responsible for Japan's official development assistance, praised Tokyo's criteria for providing aid, including whether recipients respect democracy and the rule of law. But he said that sometimes "we cannot just force our values without knowing the realities" in recipient nations, emphasizing the need to understand local needs.