The Prime Minister's Office of Japan in Tokyo (Photo:Yomiuri Shimbun)

The white paper on development cooperation said building a peaceful, stable and prosperous international community is directly linked to Japan's national interests, and the role that development assistance should play has become increasingly more important.

In the paper, Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said Tokyo will use foreign aid as one of its most important diplomatic tools, aiming to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific.

The white paper pledged to persistently improve the official development assistance system by combining the more proactive aid approach with its traditional request-based method.