Japan's official development assistance totaled about $20.3 billion (¥2.3 trillion) in 2020, the second highest figure on record, as loans to developing nations grew due to the coronavirus pandemic, the government said Friday.
The annual white paper on development cooperation issued by the Foreign Ministry showed ODA in 2020 rose 7.3% from the previous year. After $22.4 billion in 2013, the figure was the highest for any year since 1960, when comparable data became available.
Calculated by international standards under the "grant equivalent" method, Tokyo's aid amounted to $16.3 billion. Japan's ODA includes grant aid, yen loans and technical cooperation.