The government needs to establish a training facility to nurture the skills of Japanese who want to work for the United Nations, according to Hitoki Den, a former senior political affairs officer with the global body.

"Japan is the second-largest contributor to the U.N. budget with, 10.83 percent, after the United States with 22.0 percent," the 61-year-old said in a recent interview with The Japan Times.

But the number of Japanese working for the U.N. Secretariat falls well short, based on the principle of geographical distribution, which takes into account a member nation's financial contributions, Den said.