Section 4. Cooperation in U.N. Activities
I. The United Nations Today
The United Nations is the most universal organization dedicated to enhancing international cooperation in maintaining world peace and security, and in promoting better standards of life of peoples.
The United Nations was founded about 30 years ago by 51 original members. Today it comprises 154 nations and has assumed a character much different from the one originally envisaged. For example, "peace-keeping operations" have virtually replaced the compulsory dispute settlement function envisaged in the U.N. Charter. The weight of the North-South problem has sharply grown in the social and economic fields and the U.N. is playing an increasingly important role in this area. This is because international reality is directly reflected on the U.N. What the U.N. is able to do in accordance with actual political, economic, and social conditions of the world depends to a great extent on its members' determination and cooperation. The climate has grown among the members in recent years to make the best use of the world body although there are certain limits to its capacity.
Because of the increase in the number of member countries and in the complexity of what the U.N. deals with, the U.N. today, with the help of various specialized agencies and affiliated organizations, provides a basic framework for international cooperation in various fields, including the maintenance of peace and security, disarmament, aid and trade, society, human rights, culture, population, environment, science and technology, and the sea.
II. Japan and the U.N.
(1) Japan's Basic Attitude
Since its admission in 1956 to the United Nations, Japan has consistently and positively supported the aims and activities of the United Nations, including the maintenance of international peace and security. At the same time, in order to meet the growing expectations placed on Japan by the international community in keeping with its rising international position, Japan has more actively than ever participated in and cooperated with various activities of the United Nations aimed at promoting international cooperation in various fields. This is one of the basic policies of Japan's diplomacy.
(2) Japan in the United Nations in 1979
In line with this basic policy, Japan engaged actively in United Nations diplomacy in 1979. The main events were as follows:
(a) The United Nations General Assembly is a multilateral diplomatic stage suitable for propounding a country's viewpoint to the international community and winning its understanding. With the top diplomatic officials of all nations assembled together, it also provides a valuable opportunity for exchanging views and promoting mutual understanding at a high level. Foreign Minister Ito, who attended the 35th session of the U.N. General Assembly, made a speech in the general debate and also vigorously exchanged views with top diplomatic officials of many countries including the Soviet Union, China, West Germany, as well as the U.N. Secretary General. (He also met with the American Secretary of State in Washington D.C.)
(b) In his general debate speech before the 35th session of the U.N. General Assembly, Foreign Minister Ito stated that Japan would continue efforts to establish relations of mutual trust with other countries from the basic standpoint of actively contributing to world peace and prosperity. Mentioning the Soviet military buildup in the Northern Territories, Foreign Minister Ito directly took up the Northern Territorial issue, which remains the biggest problem pending between Japan and the U.S.S.R., and appealed to the world for understanding of Japan's basic stand on this issue.
From the standpoint of promoting world peace, security, and justice, Foreign Minister Ito also clarified, in his speech, Japan's way of dealing with and its basic lines of thinking about the major problems that confront the international community, such as the Cambodian situation, the Afghanistan problem, the Indochinese refugee problem, the seizure of the American Embassy and the hostages in Tehran, the Iran-Iraq war, the Korean Peninsula, the Middle East, and South Africa.
On the Cambodian issue, while making specific proposals, Japan endeavored to promote cooperative ties with ASEAN over the resolutions concerning Cambodian representation at the U.N. and the Cambodian situation.
From the standpoint of contributing more positively to world peace and security, Japan ran for the post of a non-permanent member of the Security Council and was elected to the post with the highest vote on October 20. Japan won 141 of the 147 effective votes. Japan will serve as a non-permanent member of the Security Council during 1981 and 1982.
During the 5th term of the Ad Hoc Committee on Charter Reexamination and in the general debate speech before the General Assembly, Japan made specific proposals for bolstering the U.N. peace-keeping function, particularly its fact-finding function, which won high approval from other countires.
During 1980, the Middle East was the focus of attention at the U.N. Japan took part actively in the special emergency sessions of the U.N. General Assembly on Afghanistan and Palestine, as well as in the Security Council meetings on the Iran-Iraq dispute, and emphasized a peaceful settlement of these disputes in the spirit of the U.N. Charter.
(c) In view of the growing interdependence of the world economy, Japan has actively participated in various economic activities through the U.N. (See Section 2 2. of this Chapter for Japan's effort to solve the North-South problem through the U.N)
(d) Talks on disarmament remained generally stagnant during 1980 since mutual trust among the nations concerned, which is essential to disarmament, was hurt by the Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan in late 1979.
In the belief that, in the linking of international efforts toward peace and security, disarmament and arms control should play an increasingly important role and that it is imperative to promote disarmament by implementing workable programs step by step in accordance with world realities, Japan co-sponsored various resolutions at the U.N. General Assembly, including one for acceleration to a comprehensive ban on nuclear testing.