Based on its economic power and performance, Japan steadily expanded its role in the World Bank, the IMF, and other international financial institutions. Investment and trade flows made Japan by far the dominant economic nation in Asia. Japanese aid and investment became widely sought after in other parts of the world, and it appeared to be only a matter of time before such economic power would translate into greater political influence.
In the multilateral development banks, Japan's financial and policy positions become more prominent. Tokyo had assumed a leading role at the Asian Development Bank for a number of years. At the World Bank, Japan's voting share represented about 9.4 percent, compared with 16.3 percent for the United States. Japan also made several "special" contributions to particular World Bank programs that raised its financial status but did not alter its voting position. Japan planned to participate in the East European Development Bank, making a contribution of 8.5 percent, the same as the United States and major West European donors. Japan also displayed a growing prominence in IMF deliberations, helping ease the massive debt burdens of developing countries, and generally supported efforts in the early 1990s at the GATT Uruguay Round of trade negotiations to liberalize world trade and investment.
Data as of January 1994