Japan, 1994

Allow me to begin my

address by offering my congratulations to Mr. Amara

Essy on the assumption of his new office. I should also

like to express my respect for the excellent diplomatic

skills demonstrated by his predecessor, Ambassador

Insanally, during a period of momentous change. I am

also pleased to convey my sincere congratulations to the

Republic of South Africa, which, having renounced

apartheid, was reinstated as a full Member of the United

Nations at the previous session of the General Assembly.

The United Nations is now expected to play a

greater role than ever before. Recalling the blessings

bestowed upon Japan by the international community at

the time of its admission into this Organization, I intend

to conduct a proactive foreign policy that will enable

Japan to contribute, on a level commensurate with its

political and economic status, to the future well-being of

humankind.

At the outset, I should like to discuss Japan’s basic

philosophy regarding its international contributions. Japan

is engaged in economic assistance and various other

efforts in order to eradicate poverty and achieve economic

development, as well as to prevent conflicts and remove

destabilizing factors.

Reflecting with remorse upon the Second World

War, Japan has never wavered from its commitment to

contribute to world peace and prosperity. Japan does not,

nor will it, resort to the use of force, prohibited by its

Constitution. Japan will remain resolutely a nation of

peace. Neither possessing nuclear arms nor exporting

weapons, Japan continues to be actively engaged in

disarmament and non-proliferation efforts. In accordance

with what I have just stated, Japan has dispatched

members of its Self-Defence Forces, as well as civilian

personnel, to several countries, including Cambodia and

Mozambique, in response to requests by the United

Nations. Japan intends to continue to cooperate actively

in such United Nations peace-keeping operations.

12

At the same time, Japan is determined to enhance its

contributions to efforts on global issues in economic and

social areas. These issues, whose importance is now

widely recognized, include development, the environment,

human rights, refugees, population, AIDS and narcotics.

Today, the first area on which the United Nations

should focus its efforts is the maintenance of international

peace and security; the second is the resolution of economic

and social problems. And if it is to carry out these two

very important tasks effectively, it must undertake a third:

the promotion of United Nations reform. I should like on

this occasion to outline my views as to the kind of

contributions Japan wishes to make in these areas.

In the maintenance of international peace and security,

which is the first area of concern to the United Nations,

Japan places great emphasis on disarmament and

non-proliferation, diplomatic efforts for the resolution of

conflicts, and peace-keeping operations.

As the only country to have suffered a nuclear attack,

and adhering firmly to its three non-nuclear principles,

Japan strives to achieve the ultimate goal of eliminating all

nuclear weapons. Toward this end, it urges all

nuclear-weapon States to redouble their efforts to reduce

their nuclear arsenals. Further, Japan supports the

indefinite extension of the nuclear non-proliferation Treaty,

and calls on all States that have not yet acceded to the

Treaty to do so at the earliest opportunity.

At the same time, I would urge, in particular, all

nuclear-weapon States to engage more actively in the

negotiations on a comprehensive test-ban treaty and to

strive to bring them to an early and successful conclusion.

I wish to propose that, once the negotiations on the treaty

are concluded, a ceremony for its signing by Heads of State

or Government be held in Japan, for example in the city of

Hiroshima, and that it be made a new starting-point for the

elimination of nuclear weapons once and for all.

In this connection, Japan strongly calls upon North

Korea to engage seriously in efforts to resolve the issue of

its development of nuclear weapons through international

dialogue, including its talks with the United States.

The unfettered transfer and excessive accumulation of

conventional weapons is another destabilizing factor in

many regions of the world today. In the civil wars we have

witnessed in certain regions of Africa and elsewhere, for

example, it has resulted in the escalation of combat and in

enormous loss of life. It is my belief that the international

community must seriously consider concrete measures to

solve this problem.

In this regard, the United Nations Register of

Conventional Arms, designed to improve the transparency

of arms transfers, has grown increasingly important as an

effective measure for building confidence at the global

level. More than 80 countries participate in the Register

at present, and we strongly hope that many more will

join. Japan will work together with other Member States

to amplify and strengthen the Register by, for example,

also including arms stockpiles in it.

The prevention and settlement of regional conflicts

requires a comprehensive approach which combines

diplomatic efforts, United Nations peace-keeping

operations, humanitarian aid, assistance for building social

institutions, and aid for peace-building, such as

rehabilitation and reconstruction assistance.

Convinced of the importance of taking measures

before conflicts become intractable, I am a strong

advocate of the vigorous promotion of preventive

diplomacy. From this viewpoint, I believe we should, in

cooperation with the countries concerned, actively

consider extending assistance for the stabilization of

social and political conditions in regions or countries

where there are elements of instability.

United Nations peace-keeping operations have

proved successful in Cambodia and many other regions,

and they are expected to play an increasingly important

role. Further improvement of the effectiveness of

peace-keeping operations will require closer examination

of, inter alia, their mandates, duration, scale of activities

and cost, as well as full consideration of the safety of

personnel. Strengthening the financial base of United

Nations peace-keeping operations is an urgent task. It is

necessary, in particular, that Member States that are in

arrears pay their assessed contributions. It is also

imperative that ways be sought to put peace-keeping

operations on a sounder financial basis.

Japan, for its part, will enhance its support for

democratization with a view to helping peace take root

after the fighting has ceased. It places particular

importance on assisting efforts to hold free and fair

elections.

Responding to the unspeakably tragic situation of the

Rwandan refugees, Japan has provided both financial

assistance and material support through the United

13

Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the United

Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda. The Government

of Japan has decided to dispatch more than 400 members

of its self-defence forces to the region to provide assistance

in such areas as medical treatment, water supply and air

transport. Some of these activities have already

commenced. Working together with the international

community - particularly with the countries of Africa -

Japan is determined to continue its efforts toward a solution

of the Rwandan issue.

With regard to the conflict in the former Yugoslavia,

Japan continues to support the efforts of the international

community to restore peace. It calls upon all the disputing

parties concerned to accept the peace plan for Bosnia and

Herzegovina devised by the Contact Group and to cooperate

with the activities of the United Nations there.

The second task of the United Nations is the solution

of problems in economic and social areas, including those

regarding development, the environment and human rights.

With the changing international circumstances, the

issue of development is now re-emerging as a global

concern; a new strategy for development is thus called for.

It is from this viewpoint that Japan has been advocating a

development strategy that entails a comprehensive

approach, combining assistance, trade, investment, and the

transfer of technology, as well as a differentiated approach,

tailored to the needs of developing countries according to

their respective stages of development.

The International Conference on African Development,

held in Tokyo last year, proved to be a worthwhile forum

for the discussion of how such a development strategy

might be realized. In an effort to build upon the results of

that Conference, an Asia-Africa seminar will be convened

in Indonesia this December.

In today’s world, South-South cooperation, where

more advanced developing countries share their experience

and technology with other developing countries, is of

increasing significance. Japan intends to suggest concrete

plans for the promotion of South-South cooperation around

the globe.

Moreover, as the world’s largest donor country, Japan

continues its efforts to expand its official development

assistance. In extending such assistance, it gives full

consideration to such factors as trends in the recipient

country’s military expenditures and in its development and

production of weapons of mass destruction, as well as its

efforts to promote democracy and to introduce a

market-oriented economy.

It is my hope that meaningful discussions of an

Agenda for Development will take place at the current

session of the General Assembly and that the points I

have just mentioned will be taken into account.

At this time of increasing global interdependence, all

humankind is confronted with new challenges, such as

environmental and population problems, which can be

overcome only through close cooperative efforts between

industrialized and developing countries.

Japan, for its part, is actively engaged in

environmental- protection efforts. For example, it is

working to strengthen the international framework for

such efforts, to transfer relevant technologies to

developing countries, and to expand and strengthen its

official development assistance in environmental areas.

With regard to population and AIDS, in February of this

year Japan launched its Global Issues Initiative, under

which it is greatly expanding assistance to developing

countries to address these problems. At the International

Conference on Population and Development, recently

convened in Cairo, I stressed the importance of finding a

solution to issues relating to population.

Japan is profoundly aware that human-resources

development and the further advancement of the status of

women, achieved through international cooperation, have

important implications for social stability. We therefore

eagerly anticipate the successful outcome of the World

Summit for Social Development and the Fourth World

Conference on Women, which will be convened next

year. By the same token, Japan actively participates in

the Women-in-Development programmes and other social-

development activities administered by the various United

Nations agencies.

Economic development and human rights may be

likened to the front and rear wheels of a vehicle: they

must work in tandem to advance the development of

democratic societies. In order to encourage respect for

human rights as universal values and to improve

effectively the human rights situation in every country, it

is important to make continuous efforts to establish legal

systems and to raise awareness of human rights, in

addition to promoting political, economic and social

stability. Toward this end, Japan will cooperate in every

way possible to assist the work of the United Nations

High Commissioner for Human Rights.

14

If it is to carry out effectively its two major tasks -

maintaining international peace and security and resolving

economic and social problems - the United Nations must

make a serious effort to adapt to the new era by

undertaking structural reform as well as administrative and

budgetary reform.

As the United Nations seeks to strengthen its activities

through reform, the restructuring of the Security Council is

of particular importance. Today the activities of the

Security Council span a wide range of issues relating to

world peace and stability. While the membership of the

United Nations has grown from 51 countries in 1945 to 184

countries at the present time, the composition of the

Council, which was intended to reflect the world situation

as it existed when the United Nations was established, has

remained virtually unchanged. In the interim, we have

witnessed the emergence of countries that are capable of

shouldering greater international responsibilities. It is

therefore necessary to restructure and strengthen the

Security Council, while ensuring its efficiency, so that it

may reflect world realities.

In keeping with Japan’s basic philosophy regarding

international contributions, which I outlined earlier, I wish

to state that Japan is prepared, with the endorsement of

many countries, to discharge its responsibilities as a

permanent member of the Security Council. It is my hope

that United Nations Member States will accelerate the

deliberations on this subject during the current session and

that an agreement will be reached on a reform plan in time

for the commemorative fiftieth session of the General

Assembly next year.

The Security Council is not the only organ requiring

reform. The General Assembly, in which 184 States

participate, also needs to be reinvigorated, and it must

coordinate its activities more closely with those of other

United Nations agencies. Recently, efforts have begun to

fine-tune United Nations activities in economic and social

fields, such as development, the environment and human

rights, and to establish clear priorities among them. In

addressing these issues, which have profound implications

for the future of humankind, it is necessary to continue to

work towards the functional and organizational

strengthening of the Economic and Social Council. The

Trusteeship Council, by contrast, has completed its historic

mission, and it is my view that it would be appropriate, in

the context of the reform of the United Nations as a whole,

to consider its abolishment. Building on the creation of the

Office of Internal Oversight Services at the last session of

the General Assembly, we must redouble our efforts to

promote administrative and budgetary reform.

The passage of a half century since the signing of

the United Nations Charter has rendered the so-called

"former enemy clauses" meaningless. Japan continues to

seek their deletion from the text of the Charter.

I have focused my remarks today on the three

challenges facing the United Nations: the maintenance of

international peace and security, the resolution of

economic and social issues and the need for the reform of

the Organization. If the United Nations pursues reform

to meet the changing needs of the times and supports and

expands cooperation among its Member States, I have

every confidence that it will enhance its legitimacy as a

universal organization and develop a capacity to respond

to new challenges even more effectively.

In closing, I would like to call upon all Member

States to cooperate to ensure that this will be remembered

as the historic session of the General Assembly that

ushered in a new era for the United Nations.