Management of Contributions: It Must Be Recognized That These Funds Come from Taxes

Editorial

14:00 JST, October 27, 2025

The sloppy management of contributions intended to support the smooth operations of various international organizations has been left unchecked.

It cannot be denied that there was a lack of recognition that these funds are financed by taxpayers.

The ministries, agencies and other government bodies that have been identified as having problems in this regard should engage in serious self-reflection. They must verify how these massive expenditures were used and reform their management practices.

The Board of Audit of Japan examined the management status of 426 voluntary contributions made by ministries and agencies to international organizations between fiscal 2018 and 2021. The results revealed lax management, mainly with expenditures deemed questionable, in 145 cases, which is more than 30% of the cases examined.

Contributions paid by the state include mandatory expenditures based on treaties and other obligations and voluntary contributions made at the discretion of ministries and agencies when projects are deemed beneficial. Japan’s total contributions from fiscal 2018 to 2023 totaled ¥5 trillion, with voluntary contributions accounting for 60% of this total.

According to the board, the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry spent a total of ¥25.8 billion over a six-year period through fiscal 2023 on the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, which studies economic integration in East Asia, but the ministry only received partial accounting reports.

Following the board’s findings, the ministry checked with the institute and found that ¥9.6 billion, nearly 40% of the total contributions, had been carried over as of the end of fiscal 2023. This raises questions about whether the massive funding was appropriate.

Additionally, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry provided the International Labor Organization with a total of ¥118.3 million on what were labeled Japanese interpretation costs for its general meetings. However, the income and expenditure for this item were not calculated in detail, and the grounds for the spending were insufficient.

There are also cases where ministries and agencies failed to disclose changes in the use of contributions.

In 2020, the health ministry contributed ¥17.2 billion to an international framework for jointly purchasing and distributing COVID-19 vaccines. However, Japan subsequently secured a way to procure vaccines directly from U.S. pharmaceutical companies without using this framework.

Consequently, Japan agreed to use the majority of its contribution for developing countries within this framework, but it did not announce this domestically. It is necessary to verify how the funds were ultimately used. Fundamentally, if the purpose of the funds has changed, it is only proper to announce it publicly.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has significantly reduced its foreign aid. For many international organizations, the significance of Japan’s contributions is likely increasing. Each ministry and agency must rectify their inappropriate management practices and continue providing support while gaining the understanding of the public.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 27, 2025)