Enhancement of National Innovation Capacity in ASEAN: Key Determinants and Prospects of Japanese Official Development Assistance in the Science, Technology and Innovation Field

There are considerable debates concerning the effectiveness of foreign aid, and a research gap exists in innovation capacity building in the context of development assistance. Thus, this paper specifically focuses on the ASEAN region and investigates the effectiveness of Japanese Official Development Assistance (ODA) in the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) field. The purpose is to identify key determinants of enhancing the national innovation capacity by STI ODA and to develop new approaches for a better quality of Japan ODA. In order to do so, the expert interviews (7 experts) and literature review incorporating items of a systematic review are employed as research methodologies. After exploring the progress of STI Japan ODA from a historical perspective and research implementation, the paper identified three major determinants: 1. human-centred approach, 2. the Japanese approach of capacity building, and 3. STI development with SDGs. Based on the result, the paper proposes four policy recommendations: a human-rights based approach, a transdisciplinary approach, an improvement of the evaluation process of STI ODA, and active involvement of the local private sector in the STI field. These findings and policy recommendations shed new light on the significance of inclusive and sustainable development targeting innovation creation through foreign assistance in the ASEAN region.