The Adoption of Japan's Experience in Asia: A Case Study of the Police System of Indonesia

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter examines Japan's interaction with Indonesia through a case of JICA’s assistance program for the Indonesian National Police (INP) Reform. In the 1990s, the paradigm of development aid shifted from economic development to people-centered development. The new Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), a comprehensive Official Development Assistance (ODA) implementing agency that deals with loan aid, grant aid, and technical cooperation, was established in 2008. In the post-Cold War environment, JICA's international cooperation projects have become increasingly diversified. The emergence of “governance” on the agenda symbolizes the new trend. Among the JICA projects, the police-related projects were unique. The police lie at the core of a country's administration. JICA's field offices could not make decisions, as is the case in the fields of agriculture and health. The program was initiated by a formal request by the Indonesian government to the Japanese government. The police were separated from the National Armed Force in 2000, which became a crucial component for democratization in Indonesia. The overall strategy of the program focused on a project to implement community policing in a model police force, and then to extend the results of that project nationwide across Indonesia. The implications of the above project will be considered from both the Indonesian and Japanese sides.KeywordsJapanIndonesiaNational PoliceReformAssistanceMutualityCommunity policingCivilian policePeacekeeping operations (PKO)