How does Japanese aid influence the allocation of government expenditures and the raising of government revenues? Using a non-linear model with an asymmetric loss function the case of Japanese aid to Indonesia is examined at the macroeconomic level. It turns out that Japanese aid led to proportionately more development expenditures than other aid. It also might have been positively related to an increased effort by the Indonesian government to raise taxes. Economic explanations based on a bounded rationality models are advanced. Econometric and institutional explanations are also offered. The three sets of explanations can be seen as overlapping and complementary.