Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi calls for reform of UN Security Council

The UN Security Council does not meet modern realities and needs to be reformed as soon as possible, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said at the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.

The head of the Japanese government stressed that there is a need to increase the number of permanent and non-permanent members of the body. “The need for urgent reform of the UN Security Council is a crucial issue,” she added.

Japan’s position is that the current structure of the Security Council reflects the international situation at the end of World War II, but does not correspond to the current situation. Representatives of the country have been insisting on this for the past decades, seeking to get away from the status of the losing side and gain influence on world politics.

The UN Security Council consists of five permanent members (Russia, China, the United States, France and the United Kingdom) and 10 non-permanent members, five of which are elected annually. The latter are elected by secret ballot for a two-year term, for election must receive at least two-thirds of the votes of the present delegates of the UN General Assembly. The procedure shall respect the principle of equitable geographical representation. Five countries represent Africa and Asia, two each represent Latin America and Western Europe, and one represents Eastern Europe. Non-permanent members of the current Security Council are Greece, Denmark, Pakistan, Panama, Bahrain, DR Congo, Colombia, Latvia and Liberia.

Ernest Philippowski