TOKYO: A total of 196 billion yen of Japan International Cooperation Agency, or JICA, funds for grant aid was left unused as of the end of fiscal 2020, due partly to project delays in recipient countries, the Finance Ministry revealed Wednesday.

The figure, presented at a meeting of the subcommittee on expenditure reform under the Fiscal System Council, compares with the 162.8 billion yen that the agency spent on grant aid in the year that ended in March 2021.

At the meeting, the ministry called on the agency to take steps for the efficient use of its funds, such as returning some funds to the state coffers after a certain period.

JICA receives funds for grant aid from the Foreign Ministry and use them to make payments to project operators in response to progress in grant aid projects.

For a project to enhance security functions at the international airport in the Afghan capital of Kabul, JICA has been provided with around 4.4 billion yen since the Japanese government decided to support the project in fiscal 2013.

However, the agency is yet to spend most of the funds.

Meanwhile, JICA has returned some 5 billion yen to the state coffers following project cancellations, since Japan started grant aid through JICA in fiscal 2008.