Japanese Democracy Assistance to Malaysia
Since 2011, the polemic of democracy assistance – generally referred to as foreign funding – has always been stirred up by the UMNO-BN regime in Malaysia. Critics argue that democracy assistance channeled to political parties and civil society organizations triggers activities that can destabilize the government. Despite the growing awareness of high-profile democracy promoters such as the United States and Open Society Foundation, there is still a lack of attention towards low-profile democracy promoters such as Japan. This project is a preliminary attempt to analyze the democracy assistance channeled by Japan. Apart from focusing on regime-compatible programs and prioritizing cooperation with the government, Japan is also not keen in engaging with civil society organizations. Japan’s reluctance towards non-regime compatible programs is also helped by other factors such as the relatively stable position of Malaysia's democracy; request-based policy; alignment with the priorities set by the Malaysian government, as well as the good bilateral relationship in the context of the Look East Policy. In line with the regime change that recently took place, Japan can seize the opportunity to play a more active role in assisting democratic transition in Malaysia
- Main Cities of Activity
- Japan: Kunitachi（Tokyo）
- Host Institution(s) / Individual(s)
- ICHIHARA Maiko/Associate Professor,Graduate School of Law,Hitotsubashi University
