Japan, 2007

First, let me

join other speakers in congratulating you, Sir, on your

assumption of the presidency of the General Assembly

at its sixty-second session. I should also like to pay

high tribute to Her Excellency Sheikha Haya Rashed

Al-Khalifa for her leadership during the previous

session. My great appreciation goes as well to

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his dedication and

initiative in addressing the many challenges

confronting the United Nations.

In the face of new challenges, the United Nations

needs to transform itself from forum to actor. The

demands of the twenty-first century call for the

creation of a United Nations that is proactive. I

commend the Secretary-General’s determination to

bring about this change. It is no coincidence that, given

the current international environment, Japan also has

embarked on a proactive foreign policy. With our

approaches thus in harmony, Japan and the United

Nations can and must work together. In my remarks

this evening I will emphasize two areas in which the

cooperation between the two actors may be optimized:

climate change and African development. I will also

touch on the need for United Nations reform, notably

the reform of the Security Council, so that the United

Nations may address those missions effectively.

In the era of globalization, the international

community has come to face new challenges that reach

across borders. In particular, climate change will be a

crisis for all humanity, not only the people of today but

also the generations of the future. Now is the time for

all of us to take action for future generations, giving

special consideration to vulnerable countries. Let us

leave behind discord and division among nations and

shift gears to combine our efforts in order to face this

common challenge. The Intergovernmental Panel on

Climate Change (IPCC) has indicated that the fact of

global warming is unequivocal, so world leaders have

the responsibility to make bold new political decisions

to address this growing challenge. With such

responsibility in mind, Japan presented a new proposal

on climate change in May and has proposed that we

collectively embrace a long-term vision for developing

innovative technologies and building a low-carbon

society. Japan has also called for a mid-term strategy

for a new framework that includes all major emitters of

greenhouse gases.

We need to tackle climate change without pause

up to and beyond 2012. In this regard, I highly

commend the political commitment expressed by world

leaders at the high-level event held on 24 September

under the initiative of the Secretary-General. Japan for

its part will contribute to the negotiations for an

international agreement through the Group of Eight

(G-8) Hokkaido-Toyako Summit to be held next year,

and will feed the results back into the United Nations

process.

Japan has gained in international competitiveness

by improving energy efficiency and decreasing oil

consumption during a period in which its gross

domestic product (GDP) doubled. We are ready to

share our technologies and experience, which hold the

key to achieving environmental preservation, energy

security and economic growth in tandem. At the same

time, each and every one of us needs to move forward

from mere ideas and reconfigure our own way of life.

Japan is promoting a new national campaign aimed at

reducing the carbon dioxide emissions of individual

households, in addition to the introduction of the Cool

Biz casual dress code initiative. The spirit of

mottainai rejecting wastefulness and the Three

Rs initiative to reduce, reuse and recycle waste also

contribute to this aim. It is my intention to globally

broaden the campaign to restructure our lifestyles. To

that end, my Government values exchanges with

corporations, academics, non-governmental

organizations and various other actors in public

forums, while at the same time cooperating with the

United Nations Global Compact.

Another priority area for Japan is African

development. Africa as a whole is now undergoing

positive change. Peace is being consolidated in several

former conflict areas. Meanwhile, many countries, both

with and without natural resources, are growing

robustly.

For Africa to become a more vibrant continent, a

continent of greater hope and opportunity, three things

are particularly important in addition to the prevention

and resolution of conflicts. First and foremost,

economic growth must be enhanced and sustained.

Secondly, human security needs to be ensured through

the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals

(MDGs), the consolidation of peace and the

establishment of democratic governance. Finally, the

issues of the environment and climate change must be

addressed.

Japan will host the fourth Tokyo International

Conference on African Development (TICAD IV) in

Yokohama in May 2008. TICAD, whose first meeting

was held in 1993, is a process open to all. The TICAD

process places particular importance on African

ownership and true partnership with the international

community. The three areas that I have just mentioned

will be the focus of the discussion at TICAD IV, which

will be a fresh opportunity to mobilize the knowledge

and resources of the international community for

African development. South-South cooperation

between Asia and Africa will remain a key feature in

the TICAD process.

Without peace in Africa, the world at large will

not enjoy peace and prosperity. Japan cannot ignore the

situation in Darfur. Faced with the world’s worst

humanitarian crisis, Japan has provided assistance

amounting to approximately $85 million. Japan also

welcomes the establishment of the African Union-

United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur and looks

forward to its early deployment as well as to steady

progress in the political process in Darfur. Japan

intends to further enhance its contribution for the

consolidation of peace and stability in Africa.

Peace paves the way for development and human

security. However, achieving peace is not an easy task.

Iraq, for example, is struggling to achieve security and

reconciliation, and the foundation for peace remains

weak. Japan has been assisting the reconstruction

efforts of the Iraqi people by measures such as

dispatching its Self-Defence Forces and providing

official development assistance of up to $5 billion.

To help in the reconstruction of Afghanistan,

Japan has played a leading role in the field of

disarmament, demobilization and reintegration and the

disbandment of illegal armed groups, working in close

cooperation with the United Nations Assistance

Mission in Afghanistan. Japan hosted the Conference

on Disbandment of Illegal Armed Groups in Tokyo in

June this year to contribute to the rebuilding of

Afghanistan through joint efforts with the United

Nations.

To build peace, it is essential for the international

community to ensure a seamless and comprehensive

effort to fulfil tasks ranging from resolving conflicts to

assisting reconstruction. As current Chair of the

Peacebuilding Commission, Japan is resolved to make

a significant contribution to such international efforts.

One concrete measure that has been taken is the launch

of the Hiroshima Peacebuilders Centre to train civilian

experts in Asia to better respond to various needs on

the ground.

Free and fair elections and democracy are also

essential for the consolidation of peace. Japan spares

no effort to provide assistance in order to promote

democratization. Japan has dispatched election

observer missions to a number of countries, including

Timor-Leste and Sierra Leone. Japan has also provided

election-related support and dispatched arms monitors

to Nepal.

It is extremely regrettable that the crackdown on

the demonstrations in Myanmar has caused casualties,

including the death of a Japanese citizen. Japan calls

on the Government of Myanmar to exercise utmost

restraint and to refrain from the use of oppressive

force. Japan demands that the Government of Myanmar

make every effort to resolve the situation through

dialogue.

Along with democracy, the rule of law helps to

lay the groundwork for peace and prosperity. To

promote the rule of law in the international community,

Japan will accede to the Statute of the International

Criminal Court next month, and is helping to improve

legal systems in developing countries. In February, in

order to give proactive support to the norm-setting role

of the United Nations, Japan signed the International

Convention for the Protection of All Persons from

Enforced Disappearance and today I have signed the

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Behind those endeavours lies the conviction that

the international community must cooperate in

addressing international challenges based on such

fundamental principles as freedom, human rights,

democracy and the rule of law. The primary pillar of

such fundamental values is respect for human dignity.

The issue of abductions by the Democratic People’s

Republic of Korea poses a serious challenge to human

dignity. It is essential that the international community

send a strong message calling for the earliest resolution

of the abduction issue so that the victims and their

families may be reunited and have an opportunity to

recapture their former happiness. Japan will continue

to work towards the resolution of this issue as well as

the settlement of the issues of the unfortunate past

through dialogue in accordance with the Pyongyang

Declaration. With hope for an improvement of the

human rights situation, Japan will also pursue the

adoption of a draft resolution on the situation of human

rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea at

this session of the General Assembly.

The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction

and their means of delivery is another challenge that

requires the undivided attention of humankind. From

that point of view I welcome the Security Council’s

adoption by consensus of a series of resolutions on the

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Iran. It is

now up to all of us to translate the will of the

international community into concrete action through

full implementation of the relevant resolutions. Japan

will continue its efforts to achieve the denuclearization

of the Korean peninsula through the Six-Party Talks.

Japan will also continue to urge Iran to heed the

unanimous voice of the international community and

suspend its enrichment-related activities.

Nuclear disarmament should receive no less

attention. I reiterate here the determination of my

country to reinforce international efforts for nuclear

disarmament, as the only country in the world that has

suffered nuclear devastation. Japan will again submit a

draft resolution at this session of the General Assembly

to map out concrete measures towards the total

elimination of nuclear weapons.

The issue of terrorism also requires sustained

efforts as it becomes increasingly complex. In that

regard, Japan welcomes the adoption of Security

Council resolution 1776 (2007). For our own part, we

will make efforts to continue our refuelling activities in

the Indian Ocean to fulfil our role as a responsible

member of the international community. Japan also

supports the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism

Strategy (resolution 60/288). Furthermore, to

strengthen the legal counter-terrorism framework I call

upon every State to exercise the utmost flexibility for

an early conclusion of the negotiations on a draft

comprehensive convention on international terrorism.

In the face of a variety of threats to international

peace and security, the Security Council has come to

play a more relevant role than ever before. For the

Security Council to live up to its expected

responsibilities, we need to make it more

representative and effective. I therefore renew Japan’s

determination to pursue early reform of the Security

Council, with the expansion of both the permanent and

non-permanent membership. As has been reiterated

time and time again, no reform of the United Nations

will be complete without reform of the Security

Council. The momentum for such reform, renewed by

former Assembly President Al-Khalifa, must be

strengthened as we enter the sixty-second session. All

Member States must work together so that we can

achieve concrete results through intergovernmental

negotiations during this session.

What is required today is not to wait for change,

but to bring it about. The question is not what to expect

of the United Nations, but how we may revitalize the

Organization. We need to enhance the capacity of the

United Nations to deal with new challenges.

In addition to striving to implement Security

Council reform, Japan will actively engage in efforts to

strengthen the ability of the United Nations to maintain

international peace and security. Japan also supports

the ongoing endeavours to enable the United Nations

system to work more coherently and effectively in the

areas of development, humanitarian assistance, the

environment and human rights. At the same time, we

need to achieve concrete results in management

reform.

In connection with reform, let me remind

Member States that world leaders took a major step

forward in 2005 by resolving to delete the long-

obsolete “enemy States” clauses from the United

Nations Charter at the earliest opportunity (see

resolution 60/1, para. 177). Next year, Japan will take

centre stage in international efforts. At TICAD IV in

Yokohama and the G-8 Summit at Tokyo, Japan will

set forth principles for dealing with imminent

international challenges. I hope to bring back solid

results to New York a year from now.

Let me conclude my remarks by renewing Japan’s

unwavering commitment to work, in close cooperation

with the United Nations, to change the world for the

better.