Japan, 1993

I should like first of all to extend

my heartfelt congratulations to you, Mr. President, who also

serve as Guyana’s Ambassador to Japan, on your election

last week to the presidency of this session of the General

Assembly. Let me also express my deep appreciation to the

previous President, Mr. Ganev, for his achievements during

the past year, particularly in pursuing General Assembly

reforms.

I want to take this opportunity to commend

Secretary-General Boutros-Ghali for his selfless devotion to

the cause of global peace and for his bold efforts towards

United Nations reform.

Finally, I warmly welcome the representatives of the six

new Member States that have joined the United Nations over

the past year.

In Japan, the reins of government recently changed

hands for the first time in 38 years. The coalition

government that emerged has appointed me Prime Minister.

Political changes in Japan are part of the dramatic changes

in the international community since the end of the

East-West confrontation. The post-cold-war era has opened,

not just a new page, but a whole new chapter in Japanese

politics. This means an era of basic reform in three main

areas, namely, political, economic and administrative

reforms. I believe these reforms are vital in strengthening

Japan’s bonds with the international community.

As I devote my attention and energy to these domestic

reforms I have come to the United Nations General

Assembly on my first official visit abroad. I have done so

because Japan believes that the United Nations has a crucial

role to play in the maintenance of international peace and

security. I also wished personally to convey Japan’s

determination to contribute, both financially and in terms of

personnel, to various United Nations efforts.

Further, I wish to state again that Japan continues to

feel a sense of remorse over its past actions and that it is

firmly resolved to make further contributions to the goals of

world peace and prosperity.

As for the current situation in Russia, Japan continues

to support President Yeltsin in his reform efforts. Japan

strongly hopes that a political environment which reflects the

will of the Russian people will soon be created and that the

reforms will be further promoted.

Today, the primary objective of the United Nations and

its Member States is to establish world peace on the basis of

the universal principles of freedom, democracy and respect

for human rights.

There are four areas in which the international

community must direct its greatest efforts in pursuit of this

objective.

I shall begin with the issue of disarmament. The Treaty

on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is the

centre-piece of efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear

weapons. I wish to affirm that Japan supports the indefinite

extension of that Treaty beyond 1995. It is critically

important that countries which have not yet acceded to the

Treaty do so to enhance its universality. At the same time,

the indefinite extension of the NPT should not mean the

perpetuation of the possession of nuclear weapons by the

nuclear-weapon States.

Japan thus welcomes the progress made towards nuclear

disarmament by the United States and Russia and

emphasizes that all nuclear-weapon States must work in

earnest to achieve further progress in nuclear disarmament.

We hail the decision to commence substantive negotiations

aimed at a comprehensive nuclear test-ban. For its part,

Japan will work actively to help reduce world stockpiles of

nuclear weapons. For example, we are ready to assist in the

dismantling of nuclear weapons in the former Soviet Union.

We also strongly urge North Korea to dispel international

concern about its development of nuclear weapons by, for

example, fully implementing the safeguards agreement with

the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

On the transfer of conventional arms, the effective

implementation of the United Nations Register of

Conventional Arms is essential. I strongly urge all nations

to participate in this endeavour. In extending its official

development assistance, Japan continues to pay full attention

to such trends as military expenditures in recipient nations.

The second point I wish to make is the importance of

diplomatic efforts in the prevention of conflicts. The value

of regional security arrangements and bilateral or multilateral

political and security dialogue is undeniable in preventing or

settling armed conflicts.

In this connection, I was deeply moved by and heartily

welcome the historic signing of the declaration of principles

for Palestinian interim self-government by the Israelis and

the Palestinians. I pay a sincere tribute to their political

leaders for taking this courageous step. It is essential that

the international community support this agreement actively

and promptly in order to realize peace in the region. Japan

will continue to play a constructive role in the multilateral

negotiations that are part of the peace process. I am pleased

on this occasion to announce Japan’s intention to extend

about $200 million in assistance to the Palestinians over the

coming two years. This assistance will include grant aid for

food and medicine and concessional loans for infrastructure.

Humanitarian considerations, particularly respect for

human rights, are inseparable from the issue of peace.

Where there is war, human rights are often neglected.

Conversely, in countries where respect for human rights has

been firmly established, hostilities are less likely to break

out. Japan must actively contribute to the solution of

humanitarian problems. I would like to see my fellow

countrymen and women roll up their sleeves and work side

by side with people from many other countries, whenever

and wherever humanitarian activities are called for.

The third area of focus is economic development as a

foundation for peace-building. Today, the market economy

has become a common language in most nations of the

world, including many of the former socialist States. The

development of the global economy based on principles of

market economy should be urgently promoted. Japan and

other industrialized nations must provide support to

developing countries in their development efforts, as well as

to former socialist countries in their political and economic

reform efforts. It goes without saying that assistance to

countries in transition must not come at the expense of aid

to developing countries.

Already the world’s top donor of official development

assistance in absolute terms, Japan recently established its

Fifth Medium-Term Target to further expand such

assistance. Japan intends to provide official development

assistance totalling between $70 billion and $75 billion over

the five-year period beginning in 1993. As part of its aid

efforts, two weeks ago Japan hosted, in Tokyo, the Third

Mongolia Assistance Group Meeting. Next week, in

cooperation with the United Nations, we will hold the

International Conference on African Development in Tokyo.

The fourth item I would like to address concerns global

issues such as the environment and population. The urgent

need to solve the problems of the global environment cannot

be overemphasized. Japan is willing to assume a leading

role in international efforts to tackle environmental problems.

In so doing, we will draw upon the experience and

know-how we have gained in overcoming serious pollution

problems at home. Not only is Japan developing new

technologies for environmental protection, it is taking the

lead in transferring such technologies to developing countries

through the International Environmental Technology Centre

of the United Nations Environment Programme, which was

set up in Japan last year. At the 1992 United Nations

Conference on Environment and Development, Japan

pledged approximately $7 billion to $7.7 billion in

environment-related official development assistance over the

five years beginning 1992. In fact, Japan has already

implemented more than one fourth of that amount.

Population problems often lead to poverty and famine.

Solving these problems is therefore crucial to the goal of

sustainable development and will require a broad-based

approach including education and public information efforts.

With these thoughts in mind, Japan will sponsor a meeting

of eminent persons on population and development next

January, prior to the International Conference on Population

and Development to be held in Cairo next year.

The year 1995 will mark the fiftieth anniversary of the

founding of the United Nations. Since the birth of this

Organization immediately following the Second World War,

the international climate has changed dramatically. In the

meantime, United Nations membership has grown from 51

States in 1945 to the present 184. Today, the international

community is placing ever- higher expectations on the

United Nations. But serious reform efforts are necessary if

the United Nations is to respond to these expectations and

meet the new demands awaiting us at the threshold of the

next century.

I would like to comment on three specific areas in

which reforms are necessary - namely, peace-keeping, the

structure of the Security Council, and United Nations

administration and finance.

Last year, Japan enacted the International Peace

Cooperation Law enabling it to contribute personnel to

United Nations peace-keeping operations. Since then, it has

dispatched Japanese personnel to Angola, Cambodia and

Mozambique. Japan intends to continue to promote such

cooperation in the future.

Among recent United Nations peace-keeping operations,

the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia

(UNTAC) stands out as a major achievement. I would like

to take this opportunity to express my deep respect for the

efforts of UNTAC personnel and all the countries concerned.

The success of the operation in Cambodia owes much to the

comprehensive framework for peace that was put in place

and the support it received from the international

community. I am convinced that its experience in Cambodia

will provide the United Nations with useful insights for its

future activities.

Ensuring the security of the personnel engaged in

United Nations peace-keeping operations is a task of high

priority to the international community, and I hope this issue

will be the subject of thorough debate at the current session

of the General Assembly. Other issues demanding our

attention are the need to determine a so-called "sunset" for

each peace-keeping operation to evaluate each operation

properly and to review strictly the activities of an existing

operation in deciding whether to extend its mandate. Japan

also strongly hopes that the Peace-keeping Reserve Fund,

which was established last year, will be fully funded and

used effectively.

The sharp increase in the number of regional conflicts

has meant a dramatic expansion of the role of the Security

Council. Accordingly, it is necessary that the functions of

the Council, which has the primary responsibility for

maintaining international peace and security, be strengthened.

It is important that those countries having both the will and

the adequate capacity to contribute to world prosperity and

stability be actively engaged in that effort. The views

expressed by many Member States, including our own, in

response to a General Assembly resolution on this subject

last year, generally indicate the need to expand the

membership of the Security Council, while ensuring that its

effectiveness is maintained. Japan intends to participate

constructively in the discussion on Security Council reform.

Today the United Nations finds itself in extremely

serious financial straits. In particular, the rapid expansion of

peace-keeping operations has made it increasingly difficult

for this Organization to meet its financial needs promptly.

Without adequate financial resources, the United Nations

Forty-eighth session - 27 September l993 19

would be powerless to engage in any activity, no matter how

meaningful it may be. I would like to remind all United

Nations Member States how important it is that they face

this reality and fulfil their obligations.

At the same time, I note with concern the frequent

allegations of inefficiency or wastefulness at the United

Nations. I hope the United Nations will make the utmost

efforts to meet the need for greater financial discipline and

effective budgetary control.

Japan is prepared to do all it can to discharge its

responsibilities in a United Nations reformed with the

previous three points taken into account.

When the forerunner of the United Nations, the League

of Nations, was established in 1920, the renowned Japanese

educator Mr. Inazo Nitobe was appointed as one of its

Deputy Secretaries-General. Mr. Nitobe, who had sought to

introduce Japan’s philosophical traditions to the world,

remarked that the Japanese place great value on moral

principles. I would like to conclude my address by offering

a quote from one of Mr. Nitobe’s lectures which reflects my

own view on the evolving bonds between Japan and the

international community:

"An international mind is not the antonym of a

national mind ... The international mind is an

expansion of the national mind, just as

philanthropy or charity ... should begin at home."