Asahi article on Koizumi's UN Address
NEW YORK--Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, stressing Japan's peace efforts but withholding mention of its restrictive pacifist Constitution, urged the United Nations General Assembly to give Tokyo a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council.
"We believe that the role that Japan has played provides a solid basis for its assumption of permanent membership on the Security Council,'' Koizumi said in his speech, delivered in English, on Tuesday.
Asahi: Big push:Japan thinks it has the plan--and the timing--to gain a permanent Security Council seat.
Despite Japan's efforts--its strongest push yet for permanent membership--entry into the exclusive club is not a simple process.
China, a permanent member with veto power, opposes Tokyo's entry. And Japan's proposal for full-scale U.N. reform would require approval from U.N. members already split over Iraq.
The U.N. Security Council currently has 15 members--five permanent and 10 elected for two-year terms. Japan has proposed expanding the council to 24 members--10 permanent and 14 elected from regional blocs. The logic is that if the number of permanent members increases, Japan would likely be one of the candidates for inclusion.
But a huge obstacle in Japan's proposal is that expansion of the Security Council would require a revision to the U.N. Charter. Tokyo, of course, has no qualms about changing the U.N. Charter, especially the enemy-nation clause that approves the use of force against the losing nations in World War II--Japan, Germany and Italy.
But any revision of the U.N. Charter must gain approval of all five permanent members, as well as at least two-thirds of all U.N. members. It will not be easy to gain widespread support within the United Nations, especially with the tangled nature of interests among member nations.
Japan does have the support from one permanent member--the United States. At a June meeting, U.S. President George W. Bush told Koizumi that Japan should become a permanent member of the Security Council.
Still, some Foreign Ministry officials consider U.S. support for Japan's bid nothing but ``lip service.''
