Japan should double foreign aid in 10 years, panel proposes

Japan should double the budget for its official development assistance over the next decade to help it protect its national interests and contribute more to building a world based on the rule of law, a panel of experts said Friday.In a set of proposals presented to Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, the government-commissioned panel said Japan should "set a clear deadline for achieving" the target, such as increasing the ODA budget to 0.7 percent of gross national income from the current 0.34 percent in the next 10 years.The proposals were made as the country prepares to revise its foreign…READ FULL ARTICLE