III. Reform of the United Nations
 (Right) A Security Council meeting in 1999 ((c) UN/DPI) |
(Left) A Security Council meetng in 1945 ((c) UN/DPI)  |
Reform of the Security Council
In the post-Cold War world, the international community has been placing even greater expectations on the United Nations and, in particular, on the Security Council, which has the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security.
However, in view of changing international conditions, as demonstrated, for example by the dramatic increase in the number of UN Member States and the emergence of new powers which have attained levels of global influence equal to those of the current permanent members, the legitimacy and credibility of the Security Council cannot be ensured unless the Security Council is composed in such a way that it reflects the general will of the Member States. At the same time, the functions of the Security Council should be strengthened further. Thus, the objective of the United Nations' Open-Ended Working Group on the Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council, established in pursuance of the UN General Assembly resolution 48/26 of 3 December 1993, is to enhance the legitimacy and effectiveness of the Security Council, while maintaining its overall efficiency.
In the general debate of the UN General Assembly every year, a vast majority of speakers have referred to the question of the reform of the Security Council. This is clear evidence that this question remains of general concern to the international community.
Therefore, it is important that the Member States accelerate their deliberations and find a political solution acceptable to the majority of the Member States, in order to realize as early as possible the reform of the Security Council so that it can adapt itself to the new reality of today's world.
Japan believes that a reform of the Security Council should address the following points, with the aim of making it a more effective organ for carrying out its functions under the UN Charter:
- In addition to the five permanent members of the Security Council, new global powers having the capacity and willingness to assume global responsibilities have emerged. While recognizing that the current permanent members continue to be major players in global, political and economic matters, it is necessary to point out that there are now other countries that likewise play an important role in world affairs and now make significant contributions to the United Nations. Thus there is a need for a limited increase in the number of permanent seats. In this respect, Japan is of the view that the selection of the countries to be added should be made based on the capacity and willingness of the countries concerned to assume global responsibilities. At the same time, Japan is giving due consideration to the view that developing countries should also be included as permanent members of the Security Council.
- Even though UN membership has now risen to 188 (as of August 2000) from 51 countries, the number of seats in the Security Council was increased only once, from 11 to 15, in 1965. Therefore, opportunities to participate in the work of the Security Council as non-permanent members have become inequitable among regional groups. Such regions as Asia, Africa and Latin America are now underrepresented. Thus, it is the view of Japan that the number of non-permanent seats should also be appropriately increased.
- While ameliorating regional representation, the enlargement of the Security Council should not undermine the effectiveness of the Security Council. In this context, Japan supports the proposal that the number of seats in the reformed Security Council should be 24.
- Japan is not in support of any proposal to enlarge only the non-permanent membership of the Security Council, since such a proposal does not address the main objective of Security Council reform: without new members permanently assuming global responsibilities and without regional representation augmented by new members, the function of the Security Council will not be structually strengthened.
- Measures should be considered and implemented to further improve the working methods and procedures of the Security Council, including enhancement of the transparency of its work.
Since Japan joined the United Nations in 1956, cooperation with the United Nations has been a cornerstone of its foreign policy. Japan has the world's second largest economy, and based upon this national strength, it has the capacity to assume ever greater global responsibilities through various contributions to the efforts of the United Nations and particularly the Security Council. Furthermore, Japan is ready to take those greater responsibilities as a permanent member of the Council.
Number of Member States
by Region and Security Council Seats
| Region | Number of UN member states | Number of non-permanent Security Council members | Number of permanent Security Council members |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asia | 50 | 2 | 1 (China) |
| Africa | 53 | 3 | 0 |
| Latin America | 33 | 2 | 0 |
| Western Europe and other regions | 28 | 2 | 3 (U.S.A., U.K., France) |
| Eastern Europe | 21 | 1 | 1 (Russia) |
| Total | 183 | 10 | 5 |
Number of Security Council Seats
Japan's Contributions
Cooperation in terms of personnel
Since 1992, when the International Peace Cooperation Law was enacted, Japan has dispatched Japan Self-Defense Forces' contingents, cease-fire observers, civilian police officers and other election observers to six UN peacekeeping operations, two humanitarian relief operations, and two international election monitoring activities. Japanese personnel are also actively engaged as political affairs officers in the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), both of which were established in 1999.
Financial cooperation
Providing approximately 20.6% of the United Nations budget, Japan is second only to the United States in its financial support of the Organization. Leaving out the United States, Japan's financial contributions exceed the combined contributions of the four remaining permanent members of the Security Council.
Moreover, Japan's contributions constituted most of the Trust Fund which enabled developing countries to participate in the multinational force that was dispatched to East Timor.
Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation
Japan is committed to promoting international disarmament and non-proliferation while firmly maintaining its Three Non-Nuclear Principles - not possessing, not producing and not permitting the introduction of nuclear weapons into its territory. Since 1994, Japan has submitted draft resolutions on nuclear disarmament at the UN General Assembly, which have been adopted with overwhelming support. Japan actively contributed to the success of the 2000 NPT Review Conference by presenting the eight-item proposal, and has been taking the initiative in facilitating the entry-into-force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.
Moreover, Japan has been playing a leading role in disarmament of conventional arms, including small arms and landmines. It has provided substantial financial assistance for this purpose, and in 2000 established the Small Arms Fund within the United Nations.
Other
Japan has served as a non-permanent member of the Security Council for eight terms. During its 1992-93 term, for example, it actively contributed to the achievement of a peace agreement in Cambodia. During its most recent term in 1997-98, Japan helped shape the debate on various issues and regional situations, such as the sanctions against Iraq and the nuclear testing by India and Pakistan.
Assessments for Peace-keeping Operations Financed by Major Contributors (2000)
Financial Reform of the United Nations
Japan's Contributions to the UN Budget
UN activities are financed by assessed contributions from all Member States and by voluntary contributions. The UN budgets financed by assessed contributions are further divided into two categories: the regular budget and budgets for peacekeeping operations.
Since its accession to the United Nations in 1956, Japan has consistently honored its financial obligations by paying its assessed contributions in full. As for the regular budget, Japan's assessment amounts to US$ 216 million for the year 2000. Japan's assessment rate is 20.573% for the same year, exceeded only by the 25% share assessed to the United States. As to the peacekeeping budget, Japan paid US$ 242 million in 1999.
Financial Reform of the United Nations
The financial reform of the United Nations is one of the most serious issues that the Organization faces at present. Japan has actively engaged in discussions on UN financial reform, bearing three major questions in mind.
Firstly, the immediate issue of cash flow shortage should be resolved as soon as possible. Arrearages to the United Nations owed by Member States totaled US$ 1.76 billion at the end of 1999, an amount exceeding the UN regular budget for one year. It is important for Member States to fulfil their financial obligations under the Charter promptly. Second, based on the conceptual distinction between the short-term cash flow shortage and the systematic issue of financial reform, Japan has asserted that the UN budget itself needs to be more streamlined. As Member States are paying their assessed contributions under various economic and financial circumstances, the United Nations cannot avoid conducting its activities under limited availability of financial resources. Therefore it is essential for the United Nations to clarify and reappraise its priority issues and to move financial gravity onto such areas, and then to pursue rationality and efficacy in its expenses. Japan believes that more effective budgeting by the United Nations will win more confidence from Member States in its activities.
Another critical issue is how to achieve a fairer and more equitable distribution of the financial obligation borne by Member States. Japan believes that a sound financial basis of the United Nations should be backed by well-balanced financial burden-sharing among its members. For that purpose, scale of assessments should reflect the current "capacity to pay" of Member States as closely as possible. Japan also emphasizes that the status and responsibilities of Member States in the United Nations should be projected onto their financial obligation.
Reform of UN Development Activities
Activities by United Nations and its funds and programmes as well as some specialized agencies have been highly evaluated for their neutrality and universality. On the other hand, however, the wideness of UN development activities has sometimes caused duplication or ineffectiveness. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, after his inauguration in 1997, proposed the establishment of coordinating frameworks both at the headquarters and field level among related institutions within the UN system. Development is one of the areas of UN activities with the highest expectation from the world. Therefore it is crucial for the Organization to continue close partnership and exchange of views on each agency's priority area and then to enable the UN system as a whole to work towards the well-being of developing countries in a most effective and efficient manner.
For that purpose, Japan has been paying attention to the fact that it is indispensable for us to focus particularly on individuals to cope with rapidly diversifying and border-crossing threats. The essentiality is the aggregated involvement in development activities by state governments, international organizations and civil society - a global network of world bodies and grass-root expertise of NGOs, based on national safety and prosperity. Under this banner, Japan established a "Human Security Fund" at the United Nations to support such projects. Japan's contribution has amounted to US$ 84 million since its foundation in March 1999. Japan sincerely hopes that the Fund will facilitate UN activities to benefit individual people in developing countries directly and concretely.
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