Soft power vs hard leverage: Japan, US diverge on foreign aid strategy

WASHINGTON -- At the end of this year, Japan is expected to become the world's top provider of foreign aid. It is not so much a result of Tokyo's efforts to help other countries, but because the U.S., Germany, and the U.K. -- the top donors in 2024 -- are pulling back, leaving Japan to inherit a mantle it never aggressively sought.