Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is set to attend the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he is expected to urge sweeping reform of the UN Security Council, which Tokyo has long criticised as “dysfunctional” and unfit for today’s world order.
Ishiba left for New York on Tuesday morning, telling reporters just before his departure, “After reflecting on the 80 years since the founding of the United Nations, I would like to state that now is the time to carry out Security Council reform.”
He is scheduled to speak during the UN General Debate session on Wednesday morning, Tokyo time.
Analysts note that Ishiba’s push reflects a goal successive Japanese governments have pursued for nearly two decades and has backing from several other member states. But they caution it is unlikely to gain traction with the Security Council’s five permanent members – the United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia and China – who are determined to protect their veto power and broader influence.
Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba steps down
Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba steps down
“Japan has long harboured ambitions of reforming the Security Council and becoming a permanent member of an enlarged council, but I would say that aim is completely unrealistic at this point,” said Ben Ascione, an assistant professor of politics and international relations at Tokyo’s Waseda University.
“The present five permanent members do not want expansion because it is in their own interests to keep the council the way it is and to protect their power, but even if an agreement could be reached on expansion then I think there are a number of other countries – Germany, India and Brazil, among others – that have a better claim than Japan,” he told This Week in Asia.
AloJapan.com