Japan, 2006

I wish to congratulate Her

Excellency Sheikha Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa on her

assumption of the presidency of the sixty-first session

of the General Assembly, and I wish her every success.

I would also like to pay high tribute to the past

President, His Excellency Mr. Jan Eliasson, for his

outstanding leadership during the last session. Japan’s

sincere thanks also go to Secretary-General Kofi

Annan for his dedication and many achievements in

leading the work of the Organization over the past

decade.

Japan congratulates the Republic of Montenegro

on its accession to the United Nations as its 192nd

Member.

Fifty years ago, in December 1956, from this very

podium, the then Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan,

Mamoru Shigemitsu, expressed the nation’s great

honour and delight at becoming the eightieth Member

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of the United Nations and declared Japan’s firm

determination to contribute to the high goals of this

Organization.

Since then, Japan, as a nation committed to

peace, has worked hard in promoting disarmament and

the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction,

supporting the undertakings of the United Nations for

peace and stability in the world such as the

peacekeeping operations, and contributing to world

development and prosperity. The Japanese people take

pride in the contributions they have made over the

years to the United Nations.

The challenges we face today differ significantly

from those of 50 years ago. Yet, the common goals of

humanity that the United Nations has strived for —

peace, development and human rights — remain

unchanged. Japan reaffirms the commitment it made at

the time of its accession, and, building on its

experiences since then, will rededicate its efforts to

achieve those goals.

As Member States, we are responsible, not only

for the actions we take, but also for our inaction.

Within the United Nations, it is the Security Council

that bears the responsibility of delivering swift and

decisive action in the face of a crisis. This summer, the

ability of the international community to mount a

collective response through the Security Council was

tested on several occasions. Let me cite three major

events on which the Council acted: the ballistic missile

launches by the Democratic People’s Republic of

Korea, Iran’s nuclear-related problem and the conflict

in Lebanon.

After the launch of ballistic missiles by the

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on 4 July, the

Security Council, in a unanimous decision in resolution

1695 (2006), sent a firm message, on behalf of the

entire international community, condemning that

reprehensible act. In accordance with that resolution,

all Member States are now required to take concrete

action as specified therein, and call strongly on the

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to implement

the resolution, fully and without delay. In that

connection, Japan introduced on 19 September a set of

measures for the prevention of the transfer of financial

resources to the Democratic People’s Republic of

Korea, in addition to the long-standing strict export

control measures.

Furthermore, Japan will continue to make its

utmost efforts so that the nuclear issue of the

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and the

abduction issue will be resolved comprehensively and

in accordance with the Pyongyang Declaration of 2002.

With regard to Iran’s nuclear issue, it is our belief

that the adoption of resolution 1696 (2006) will serve

as an important step towards a peaceful settlement of

the issue through diplomatic negotiations. Japan

strongly urges Iran to comply fully with the resolution

by promptly suspending all enrichment-related

activities, and to return to the negotiation process.

Concerning the recent crisis in Lebanon, Japan

welcomes the adoption of resolution 1701 (2006) by

the Security Council and supports the efforts under

way for its implementation. At the same time, the

protracted negotiating process for that resolution

reminded us once again of the importance of the ability

of the Council to respond, swiftly as well as

comprehensively, in such a crisis situation. That is

never an easy task, but one we must always strive to

fulfil.

In response to some of the recent events affecting

international peace and security, the Council succeeded

in arriving at concrete decisions for the Member States

to act upon. Japan is pleased to have played a proactive

role in that process as a member of the Council, and we

intend to cooperate closely with other Member States

in following up on those resolutions.

In countries and regions emerging from conflict,

the key to realizing sustainable peace and prosperity

lies in the consolidation of peace and laying the

foundations for nation-building. It is encouraging to

see the ongoing, concerted efforts of the international

community towards peace consolidation and nation-

building in a number of countries and regions.

Iraq is one such country. Though currently still in

the grip of great hardship, we have every confidence

that Iraq will overcome the difficulties and develop as

a democratic and stable State, and prosper as a

responsible member of the international community.

The International Compact for Iraq, which aims at

forging a new mode of partnership between Iraq and

the international community, will help accelerate the

country’s reconstruction. Japan intends to fully take

part in those international endeavours.

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In Afghanistan, Japan has also been an active

supporter and a leading donor for its reconstruction and

development. We have led the disarmament,

demobilization and reintegration (DDR) efforts in

collaboration with the United Nations, and, upon the

successful completion of the DDR process, are now

taking the lead in the projects for the disbanding of

illegal armed groups.

With regard to Timor-Leste, Japan hopes that the

newly established United Nations mission will

effectively support the country’s nation-building

efforts. As the lead country on Timor-Leste in the

Security Council, Japan will continue to take the

initiative to promote peace and stability and achieve

the early restoration of law and order in that country.

In Africa, as a whole, we begin to see the

situation on the continent moving towards less conflict

and greater peace. The ministerial conference on the

consolidation of peace, that was held under the

framework of the Tokyo International Conference on

African Development (TICAD) in February this year,

not only made an intellectual contribution to the

understanding of peace consolidation, but also

strengthened the will and solidarity of the African

States for peacebuilding. Japan, for its part, has been

expanding assistance for the consolidation of peace in

Africa, with particular focus on the Sudan, the Great

Lakes region and West Africa.

Against such a backdrop, the establishment of the

Peacebuilding Commission represents a significant

milestone in the history of the United Nations. We

must ensure that the Commission’s work is translated

into tangible, practical value-added support to

peacebuilding efforts in countries recovering from

conflict and that it thus helps to make a difference on

the ground. Burundi and Sierra Leone, the first two

countries on the agenda of the Commission, will

provide test cases, in which we must not fail. Japan has

contributed $20 million to the Peacebuilding Fund and

intends to contribute actively to the work of the

Commission.

Post-conflict peacebuilding requires knowledge

and expertise in a wide range of fields, including

ceasefire monitoring, refugee assistance, administrative

and judicial institution-building, and reconstruction

and development. Our experts have been working in

Asian countries to assist their peacebuilding efforts,

such as the establishment of legal and judicial systems.

In order to strengthen our cooperation in this area even

further, we are now considering concrete measures to

train civilians not only from Japan but also from other

Asian countries. We envisage that, one day, civilian

practitioners who have been trained in my country will

find themselves working side by side as fellow Asian

peacebuilders, including, for example, in Africa.

Regional conflicts continue to pose serious

challenges. In addition, the Secretary-General, as he

pointed out earlier from this rostrum, is concerned

about “those who seem eager to foment a new war of

religion” (). While poverty remains the

main scourge in many developing countries,

globalization has also brought to the fore transnational

issues such as terrorism, infectious diseases and

environmental degradation. It is clear that the

international community still has a long way to go to

achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

In tackling these issues, a spirit of tolerance,

compassion and closer international cooperation is

indispensable, and a strengthened United Nations must

be at the centre of the concerted efforts of the

international community. At the same time, new

concepts should also propel these efforts. Japan has

advocated the importance of human security as a

concept that stresses the protection of individuals from

threats to their life and dignity, as well as the value of

their individual empowerment. Together with other

interested countries, we will promote human security

and the approach based on it during this General

Assembly session.

Along with human security, respect for the

ownership of developing countries, based on good

governance, should be a pillar underpinning the

strategy for reducing poverty through economic

growth. Given these principles, Japan intends to

enhance its development assistance to achieve the

MDGs, by faithfully implementing the commitments

made last year to increase the volume of its official

development assistance (ODA) by $10 billion over a

period of five years and to double its ODA to Africa

over a period of three years. On trade, Japan will do its

utmost to bring about the early resumption and

successful conclusion of the WTO Doha Development

Round negotiations.

Close international cooperation is vital in our

fight against terrorism. In this regard, Japan welcomes

the adoption by the General Assembly of the United

Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (resolution

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60/288) and calls for the early conclusion of

negotiations on a comprehensive convention on

international terrorism.

Health is another area in which Japan has worked

extensively in cooperation with the international

community, including efforts against avian and

pandemic influenza and HIV/AIDS. Japan recognizes

the importance of the activities of the World Health

Organization and will further strengthen its

cooperation with that organization, particularly in

Africa.

As is often emphasized, peace, development and

human rights are linked and complement one another.

Japan’s own experience in the 60 years since the

Second World War is eloquent testimony to this fact.

We have high expectations for the newly created

Human Rights Council and look to it to open a new

page in the promotion of respect for human rights. As a

member, Japan will play a constructive role in the

Council. Japan also supports the early adoption of the

draft conventions on enforced disappearance and on

the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities.

The United Nations has heavy responsibilities, in

today’s and tomorrow’s world, as an indispensable

global instrument for resolving conflicts, building

peace, addressing emerging global threats and laying

the foundation for prosperity. To fulfil such a mission,

it must be efficient and effective, as well as

accountable and broadly representative in its decisions

and operations. Reform of the Organization’s structure

and the manner in which it functions is, therefore,

critically important. In September last year, leaders

expressed their resolve to achieve comprehensive

reform of this universal body. One year on, some

encouraging progress has been made, including the

establishment of the Peacebuilding Commission and

the Human Rights Council. However, reform of the

Security Council remains outstanding on the

institutional reform agenda.

Perhaps a limited few may find it in their interest

to leave the Security Council configured in the way it

was in 1945. It is clear, however, that no one stands to

gain from the waning credibility that failure to reform

could entail. The call for a more effective,

representative and transparent Council that can meet

the demands of the new century is not mere rhetoric; it

is real and urgent. An overwhelming majority of the

Member States, including Japan, agree that the

international community should approach and carry out

reform with a sense of urgency, and Japan is

determined to continue to take the initiative in this

critical endeavour. The Member States now need a new

proposal on Security Council reform — one that is

both creative and persuasive — in order to take an

early decision during the current session of the General

Assembly. At the same time, other important areas for

reform must also be addressed. We need concrete

results in management reform if we are to demonstrate

that the United Nations is capable of reforming itself.

It is also our hope that there will be a constructive

dialogue on the question of United Nations system-

wide coherence, based on the report of the High-level

Panel to be issued later this year.

In this connection, I would also remind the

Member States that world leaders resolved last year to

delete the long-obsolete “enemy State” clauses from

the United Nations Charter. This is another indication

that the United Nations is ready to step out of the past

and into the new era.

Having made a significant contribution to the

activities of the United Nations since its inception,

Japan has an exemplary record with regard to the

fulfilment of its duties as a Member State, including

assessed contributions. Nevertheless, we strongly

believe that the United Nations needs a reformed scale-

of-assessments structure — one that is more equitable

and fair and duly takes into account the status and

responsibilities of each Member State. Japan will work

together with other Member States to formulate such a

structure, which will bring financial stability to this

Organization.

Our common task for the sixty-first session is to

continue our work and translate the decisions on

reform made at the World Summit into reality. Let us

join forces once again and create an efficient and

effective United Nations, so that Member States can

better respond to the aspirations and expectations of

the international community for a better future.