Japan, 2008

It is my great honour to stand

here as the new Japanese Prime Minister — brand new,

really, as I was designated by the National Diet

yesterday.

First, I would like to congratulate His Excellency

Mr. Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann on his assumption of

the presidency of the General Assembly. I extend my

heartfelt appreciation to His Excellency Mr. Srgjan

Kerim, former President of the General Assembly, for

his devoted efforts during his tenure. I wish also to

express my profound respect for the tireless leadership

demonstrated by His Excellency Secretary-General

Ban Ki-moon in the management of the United

Nations.

Being back in New York, I am reminded of an old

saying about bankers. It seems that there are only two

types of bankers in the world: bankers with short

memories and bankers with no memories. In finance,

market crazes and panics cling together in much the

same way that shadows follow objects. Crazes

invariably develop over time, which then give rise to

panic. It was 10 years ago, in September indeed, that

the world experienced a nightmare in which liquidity

suddenly dried up. For more than the last quarter

century, it seems almost as if crazes and panics have

performed a never-ending musical rondo every few

years, with a large number of countries and markets,

naturally including Tokyo, as their stage.

Tokyo stayed relatively clear-headed during the

most recent frenzy. However, that said, it could be

argued that that was due to little more than the

unusually long time we had suffered when our

hangover morphed into a debt overhang as a result of

the previous craze of the 1980s and 1990s.

That rondo continues without end, and so

certainly humankind will once again hear that very

same melody in the not-too-distant future. We simply

must advance inch by inch each time and resolve to

become more prudent. Vociferous arguments on the

international financial architecture are about to begin

once again. Japan is eager to contribute its experience

and its knowledge.

In Japan, May is the month for enjoying new

green growth, and 7 July is the day on which both

children and adults tie strips of paper bearing

handwritten wishes to bamboo branches hung from the

eaves and look to the night sky as they pray for their

dreams to come true.

This year in May, Japan held the Fourth Tokyo

International Conference on African Development, also

known as TICAD IV, bringing together some 3,000

participants in the port city of Yokohama.

Representatives of 51 nations from Africa gathered,

including 41 at the Head of State and Government

level. Enthusiastically advocating action “Towards a

Vibrant Africa”, that Conference called for support to

accelerate economic growth, to pursue the Millennium

Development Goals in a sustainable manner and to

foster health, water, sanitation and education in Africa

on the basis of human security, a concept that Japan

has carefully nurtured. Three thousand people renewed

their determination to achieve those goals. The

vibrancy of Japan’s fresh green leaves certainly

touched the heart of each participant.

Then, on 7 July, the day on which we pray for the

realization of our dreams for the future, the

Government of Japan moved the stage to Lake Toyako

on our northern island of Hokkaido, opening the G-8

Summit and a series of outreach meetings. Again,

Japan placed issues regarding development among the

main themes, and we invited a large number of African

participants. That was to ensure that the momentum

generated by TICAD IV would be firmly maintained.

By making climate change the theme of another

summit, we were able to agree to strive to adopt a

global long-term target of reducing emissions and to

seek to create, within the United Nations, an effective

framework, in which all major economies would

participate in a responsible way. That outcome of the

Toyako summit should be regarded as no small matter.

We aim to realize those goals by no later than the end

of 2009.

I believe that we all associate efforts to address

climate change with the name of Japan’s ancient

capital for 1,000 years, Kyoto. Japan has always felt

some pride on that score. Japan leads the globe in

requiring the least amount of energy to produce one

unit of gross domestic product. Our technological

creativity has helped to make that possible. We are

eager for the world to make much greater use of it. The

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sectoral approach also offers a channel through which

Japan aims to contribute to many other countries.

Such was the G-8 achievement just over two

months ago with Japan in the Chair. We are now

witnessing irregularities in the global economy. It is

my wish, and indeed, my belief, that the pledges of

May and the dreams of July will be impervious to the

strong and fast winds that now buffet them. There is an

important precondition for both making a vibrant

Africa even more vibrant and ending global

environmental degradation through the efforts of all

nations, namely, the stability of the global economy.

That being the case, the task ahead for Japan, as I

see it, is already quite clear: it must first invigorate its

own economy. In view of the size of the Japanese

economy, the second largest in the world, that would

certainly be the most immediately effective

contribution that Japan can make. I will work

determinedly to that end. Such is my pledge to the

President and members of this Assembly.

I should now like to change topic and recount a

small event that took place this past summer. It

happened in a small town on the outskirts of Tokyo.

Nine high-school students from abroad arrived there at

the end of August, setting foot in Japan for their first

time. There was nothing unusual about those very

typical-looking high-school student visitors, grimacing

at the unfamiliar food placed before them. However,

there was one aspect in which those young men and

women stood apart from participants in conventional

invitation programmes. Those high-school students,

four Palestinians and five Israelis, had all lost at least

one relative as a result of terrorism or another aspect of

the severe situation in the Middle East.

I have just described one of the ongoing efforts

by Japanese civil society to promote reconciliation.

Those high-school students may have no chance to

interact with each other when they are back home, but

for the several days that they are in a distant country,

travelling here and there across the beautiful, verdant

land of Japan in pairs comprising Israelis and

Palestinians, something changes inside them. Those

young people come to understand that religion and

ethnicity make no difference when it comes to the

sorrow felt at losing a parent, and they often shed tears

upon coming to that realization. Through those tears of

understanding they will come to see ties between their

futures.

For comprehensive peace in the Middle East,

what is necessary is the mental groundwork that will

make such peace possible. By investing in the young

minds of high-school students, Japanese civil society is

working to foster that groundwork.

As that example suggests, there is no doubt in my

mind that there are certain types of diplomacy that

Japan is uniquely able to undertake. If Israeli drip

irrigation technology were to be introduced in the West

Bank of the Jordan River, Palestinian youth would be

able to devote themselves to the production of

vegetables. However, the wall of distrust that separates

the two sides will not allow that in the immediate

future. Here, Japan wishes to act as a catalyst, serving

as a mediator between the two sides.

Japan is willing to bring its own technologies that

maximize the potential of drip irrigation. In time, as a

result of irrigation, the land of the West Bank will

become fertile. The agricultural products grown there

will be processed by Palestinians and transported

through Jordan to be laid out fresh in stores in

consumer regions around the Gulf. The Government of

Japan aims to bring about such a future through its

Corridor for Peace and Prosperity initiative. Here,

Japan continues to provide its technologies and

funding, but most of all, it aims to be a mediator,

fostering trust. Needless to say, trust is the scarcest

resource of all in the Middle East.

The Government of Japan is currently preparing

to submit a draft resolution on the total elimination of

nuclear weapons. I believe that there is no one who

questions the wholehearted commitment of the

Japanese people to that issue. In the same way, I

believe it would be superfluous to elaborate on the fact

that Japan values the activities of the International

Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Japan has fielded

Mr. Yukiya Amano, Ambassador to the International

Organizations in Vienna and former Chairman of the

Board of Governors of IAEA, as a candidate to be the

next Director-General of IAEA. I strongly urge

members to support his candidacy.

Just a moment ago, I touched briefly on the

significance of 7 July for Japan. The Heads of State

and Government and their spouses who gathered in

Toyako for the G8 Summit wrote their wishes on

bamboo leaves. While the words they chose varied,

there was not a single person who did not include a

wish for peace. Yet in the short space of time since

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then, there have been incidents at various locations

disturbing the peace, one after another.

First, regarding the situation in Georgia, I

strongly expect to see a peaceful resolution of the

issues, based on the principle of territorial integrity;

with the parties involved, including Russia, acting in a

responsible manner. And speaking of 7 July, that date

conjures up abhorrent memories in the United

Kingdom. We, here in this Assembly, have been newly

incensed at the cruel terrorist attack that took place in

Islamabad five days ago. It has also turned out to be

difficult to find the path towards improving the

situation in Afghanistan. There has been no change

whatsoever in the fact that terrorism constitutes the

greatest threat to peace and prosperity in the world.

I believe that the international community must

continue to be engaged in tenacious efforts to combat

terrorism. Japan has, from the start, been committed to

reconstruction assistance to Afghanistan and we have

maintained our refuelling activities in the Indian

Ocean. I would like to state here that Japan will

continue in the future to stand side by side with the

international community and participate proactively in

the fight against terrorism.

Among outstanding issues in the vicinity of

Japan, it goes without saying that the most pressing are

those concerning North Korea. North Korea has

abducted Japanese citizens, including an innocent

young girl named Megumi. Despite pledging to

relaunch an investigation into the abduction victims, it

has still not taken action towards fulfilling that pledge.

Regarding its commitment to abandon its nuclear

programmes, it is widely known that recently there has

been a conspicuous lack of progress. In parallel with

the action that North Korea would take, I am prepared

to take action towards the resolution of the outstanding

issues of concern between Japan and North Korea and

the settlement of the unfortunate past tensions between

us, moving Japan-North Korea relations forward. What

we are waiting for is action by North Korea. I will also

continue to pursue the abandonment of North Korea’s

nuclear capabilities and its nuclear weapons within the

framework of the Six-Party Talks.

That leads me to say that China and the Republic

of Korea are each important partners for Japan and

countries with which Japan must seek to increase

mutual benefits and shared interests. Japan must

promote multilayered cooperation with both of those

countries as well as with the Association of Southeast

Asian Nations. Together, we must enhance the peace

and prosperity of the East Asian region and beyond —

towards world peace and prosperity.

As I mentioned at the beginning of my remarks, I

have only recently become Japan’s Prime Minister. I

was designated Prime Minister by the Diet and

appointed by His Majesty the Emperor of Japan barely

24 hours ago, and this is my first engagement since

assuming office. I hope that through my remarks thus

far you can appreciate why I have taken such pains to

join you here today. There are numerous points I

wanted to raise.

Looking back, Japan has come a long way, with

the Japan-United States alliance as a permanent

cornerstone, while steadfastly enhancing relationships

with neighbouring Asian nations. And I believe that the

President of this Assembly and all the other dignitaries

gathered in this Hall will, without exception,

acknowledge that Japan attaches great importance to

the United Nations and has never once veered from the

path of international cooperation.

Even though they have suffered setbacks at times,

the citizens of Japan, who have so vigorously pursued

the building of the economy, have been guided by a

single philosophy until the present day, that peace and

happiness are most certainly within our grasp through

the pursuit of economic prosperity and democracy. I

am determined to work in solidarity with countries

holding fundamental values in common and to share

Japan’s experiences with nations strongly needing such

support. It is my unwavering view that this is a

responsibility incumbent on Japan.

It is for these reasons that, speaking on behalf of

the people of Japan, I must state and reiterate the

absolute necessity of United Nations Security Council

reform. We must bring about the early reform of the

Security Council through an expansion of both the

permanent and non-permanent memberships. Next

month, new non-permanent members of the Council

will be elected, and Japan is standing as a candidate.

Let me conclude my remarks today by expressing

my sincere wish for the support of Member States for

Japan’s candidacy.