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Japan wants ‘permanent UNSC membership’

The file photo shows a meeting of the United Nations Security Council. (AFP photo)

Japan’s envoy to the United Nations (UN) has once again raised Tokyo’s demands for becoming a permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC).

In remarks published late Monday, Motohide Yoshikawa said Japan’s relatively large contribution to the UN should secure a permanent seat for Tokyo at the UNSC.

“Japan is a country that provides the second largest support to the United Nations,” Yoshikawa said in an interview with Kyodo News, adding, “It’s only logical (for Japan) to fulfill its duty by taking up a place in the most important organ called the Security Council and constantly taking part in decision-making processes.”

Japan provides the UN with about 11 percent of its finances.

Along with Germany, Brazil and India, Japan has been pushing the UN to increase the number of the permanent and non-permanent members of the Security Council. The group, known as G-4, has called for an expansion of the Council’s membership to 25-26 countries, up from the current 15, which includes five permanent and 10 non-permanent members.

Discussions are currently underway about the proposed reforms in the UNSC, with the UN General Assembly launching a debate on the subject.

A similar proposal was put forward in 2005, but the resolution failed to gain the yes vote due to fierce opposition from the US and China, with the latter expected to oppose Japan’s new bid due to the increasing regional rivalry between the two East Asian nations.

Japan’s Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Motohide Yoshikawa

Yoshikawa said that Japan is “not” desperately seeking to gain the permanent membership at the UNSC, but as a leading member, the country feels it a “duty” to be part of the decisions made in the powerful UN council.

“That’s not an easy task but it is a responsibility for a country commensurate with its clout in such a position,” he said, adding, “If we join the Security Council, we would be forced to make difficult decisions every day.”

MS/HSN/HJL


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