Since the second half of the 1990s, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has implemented technical cooperation to develop institutional and personnel capacity in education governance and improve school-based management (SBM). The aim of these cooperation has been to make education development more effectively and sustainably. One of the characteristics of Japan's ODA for enhancing government capacity is its "hands-on approach," in which technical cooperation for institutional improvement and development of policy recommendations are done through collaborative work and mutual knowledge sharing between Japanese experts and central and local government officials in partner countries. When supporting the improvement of SBM, the "hands-on approach" and "beneficiary-first policy" are particularly emphasized. Various changes have been observed among beneficiaries of Japan-assisted SBM projects through the realization of democratic elections of school management committees (SMC), ensuring thorough information sharing, and producing visible results in a short period of time. However, in terms of the implementation of this approach, some issues have arisen, such as sustainability and equity issues, because the target areas and groups are limited, while the community resource availability is different from one community to another. As aid coordination and harmonization have intensified in the global education aid landscape, it is necessary to review and discuss the role and objectives of Japan's technical cooperation in the field of education governance and to find effective ways of maximizing its unique strengths based on a bottom-up and "hands-on" approach. [For the complete volume, "Japan's International Cooperation in Education: History and Prospects. Education in the Asia-Pacific Region: Issues, Concerns and Prospects. Volume 63," see ED675739.]