Press Releases

1. On October 15 (EST), Japan was elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) at the elections held during the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York. As a result, Japan will serve a two-year term in the UNSC starting from January 1 of next year.

2. Japan presented its candidature for this election with a view to making further contribution to international peace and security. The result of the election shows that the international community highly values Japan’s long-standing commitment and enthusiasm regarding the goals of the UN, and that it expects Japan can make further contributions to this end. With this successful election, Japan will assume non-permanent membership in the Security Council for the 11th time, which is more than any other UN Member State.

3. Japan will contribute to make proactive contributions on a wide range of issues concerning international peace and security while on the Security Council. In particular, Japan will make proactive contributions to UN Peacekeeping Operations (PKO) and the UN’s efforts for peace-building in the Middle East and Africa which contribute to the peace and safety of these regions, as well as helping to deal with the situations concerning North Korea which directly impacts the peace and security of Japan.

4. With regard to Security Council reform, it is an urgent task to expand and reform the UNSC in a way which reflects the current international situation where the number of UN Member States has significantly increased. Japan’s 11th election as a non-permanent member of the UNSC, more than any other UN Member State, and its contributions to international peace and security give it an opportunity to show other countries that Japan is suitable as a candidate to be a new permanent member of the UNSC. Japan will strengthen its cooperation with reform-oriented countries to further enhance its efforts towards realizing reform.