The Japanese government provided a total of $19 billion in official development assistance (ODA) for Vietnam by end-2009, Ambassador Tanizaki Yasuaki told the Tuoi tre newspaper late Nov 15. Japan pledges $1.2 billion in ODA for Vietnam per year, Yasuaki said, adding that the government will raise the assistance for Vietnam by 30% per year to become the biggest donor for the Southeast Asian country. The ODA will focus on infrastructure projects, including roads, seaports and metro routes, the official noted. Earlier, Deputy President of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Kenzo Oshima said Japan pledged over JPY100 billion ($1.22 billion) in ODA for Vietnam in the first half of 2010 fiscal year and the figure will increase in the second half. (tuoitre.vn Nov 15)
