Addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reiterated Japan’s commitment to a rule-based international order and called for an overhaul of the nature of the U.N. Security Council.
As the world approaches the halfway point on its path toward achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals — targets for which are set for 2030 — Kishida stressed the importance of prioritizing human security in the face of rampant division and polarization.
“We need a common language that resonates to all of us,” Kishida said in his roughly 20-minute speech in front of the assembly. “By shedding a new light on 'human dignity,' I believe the international community can overcome differences in regimes or values, and steadily advance 'human-centered international cooperation.'”
In January, Japan started a two-year term as a nonpermanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 12th time since it joined the body in 1956 — more than any other member state.
In his second address to the General Assembly since he took office in October 2021, Kishida alluded to the increasing dysfunction of the U.N. Security Council caused by Moscow's vetoing power. Russia is one of the five permanent members.
After criticizing Moscow’s aggression of Ukraine as a "violation of the international law," Kishida advocated for the establishment of a security council that "reflects the world today."
“Japan will also continue its efforts to increase the transparency of discussions in the Security Council, including by improving access to deliberations in the Security Council for member states other than the permanent members,” he said, expressing Japan’s support for a larger representation of African members in the Council.
Following World War II, permanent membership in the Council was granted to the five winners of the conflict — the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Russia and China.
However, the emergence of a multipolar world order has prompted some countries to ask for a reassessment of the role played by international institutions such as the Council and for the establishment of a balance of governance.
On Thursday, Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa is slated to take part in a multilateral summit with her Brazilian, German and Indian counterparts — members of a group called "the G4" that backs a revision of the Security Council — to review the current state of negotiations and maintain momentum for reform.
Japan has been seeking to reform the Security Council for decades, but despite wide-reaching efforts and outreach to countries in Asia, Africa and Oceania the Council’s structure has largely remained unchanged since its foundation.
Ahead of next year’s Summit of the Future — a multilateral summit centered on future generations— and the 80th anniversary of the foundation of the United Nations, in 2025, now is the time for action, Kishida said.
Amid growing tension between Tokyo’s lofty goals and a deteriorating security environment, Kishida has sought to follow up on the Hiroshima Action Plan, the country’s blueprint for a world free of nuclear weapons, attending a meeting on the revision of negotiations of the Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty on Tuesday morning.
In his speech, Kishida, who represents Hiroshima as a lawmaker in parliament, underscored his dedication to a nuke-free world and the necessity of “overcoming the divisive debate among academia and government over whether we should be choosing deterrence or disarmament.”
As part of that approach, Japan will contribute ¥3 billion for further research on a nuclear-free world at research institutes overseas, Kishida said.
The disarmament debate should involve nuclear powers, Kishida added, as he condemned the wide-reaching effects of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Taking the stage earlier in the day for his first address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy drew the assembly’s attention to the far-reaching impact of the war. Appealing to a global audience, he lambasted Russia for its weaponization of food and energy supply chains and called for solidarity in fighting Moscow's aggression.
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