Japan and the United Nations

1. Prime Minister Abe expressed his congratulations on Mr. Lykketoft’s election as President of the General Assembly, and welcomed him to Japan. In addition, Prime Minister Abe stated that, in this milestone year of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the UN, the UN must be reformed into an entity that befits the new era of the 21st century, and he expressed his intention to work closely together with President Lykketoft.

2. In response, President Lykketoft expressed gratitude for the invitation from the Government of Japan, and explained that, as the next President of the UN General Assembly, he hopes to cooperate with Japan and proactively address the various issues facing the international community, including UN Security Council reform, the revitalization of the General Assembly, the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, and the COP21. Furthermore, President Lykketoft stated that his visit to Hiroshima on the same day had renewed his awareness of the importance of advancing the debate on disarmament and non-proliferation.

3. Additionally, Prime Minister Abe stated that Japan will proactively contribute to resolving global issues, including the development agenda, climate change, disarmament and non-proliferation, and peacebuilding, and he also noted the importance of achieving UN Security Council reform. In response, President Lykketoft expressed gratitude for Japan’s contribution, and stated that he intends to undertake the results of the discussions on Security Council reform in the previous UN General Assembly and promote further discussion in the next General Assembly.