Japan's Current and Politics Term Paper

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Japan's Current And Politic

Japan's effort to become a permanent member of U.N. Security Council

The Security Council is the most powerful and crucial agency of United Nations. It is liable for maintenance of peace and security among the member countries. While the other organs of the United Nations has only advisory power of recommending to the member nations the Security Council has the authority to impose upon the member government to abide by its decisions in consonance with the United Nations Charter. The decision undertaken by the Council is known as UN Security Council Resolutions. There have been many deliberations for enhancing the number of permanent members. Among the nations those have strengthened claim for the permanent seats are Japan and German those respectively appear to be second and third largest funding nations. Germany also constitutes the second largest contributor of troops to UN mandated missions only next to the United States. (UN Security Council: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Japan has been pursuing the objective of having a Security Council Permanent seat ever since last three decades but without success. Ever since the year 1970, Japan has been pursuing to become a permanent member of the Security Council. In October 1992, Asahi Shimbun indicated that the Japanese Government expected to have the permanent membership in UN Security Council seat by 1995, on the eve of 50th anniversary of the origin of UN. On July 6, 1993, Japan put forth its claim to become a permanent member formally. And the nation established a special organization for that purpose. During 1994 the ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs Yohei Kono promised to the UN General Assembly that Japan was prepared to bear the liability of a permanent Security Council membership. Ever since assuming office in April 2001, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has fostered a revision of Article Nine of the Constitution. The Japanese Government has afterwards dispatched troops abroad to be inducted in multinational force in Iraq to point out that it is competent and a responsible nation in the international arena. Thus the Japanese government has strengthened diplomatic campaigns in this respect. (Expectation Too Great)

Tokyo is visualized to have planned another shot at a permanent Security Council membership. Thus the Japanese administration strengthened the diplomatic pursuance in this respect. Tokyo seems to have chalked out another shot at a permanent Security Council membership. In recent times the country enhanced its momentum with the latest bid. It has been aggressively expanding economic assistance to some developing countries. The Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka paid a visit to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, and made clear the inclination of investing in each of the four Central Asian countries. Japanese government has confessed that the investment was a step forwarded to supplement the scope of Tokyo in its latest bid for a permanent seat on the Security Council. The nation also has extended great strides towards winning support from some African states.

In 2004 Prime Minister Koizumi made his prolonged diplomatic journey since assuming office. He paid a visit to Brazil and discussed with Brazilian President Lula Da Silva about collaboration on UN reform. The prime minister also visited Mexico and signed the Japan-Mexico Free Trade Agreement with Mexican President Vicente Fox Quesada. Koizumi also sought the support of Mexico in the bid of Japan at UN. Afterwards Koizumi moved towards New York. He began a summit meeting there with leaders from Germany, India and Brazil on September 22. The four countries those have long been sought for permanent Security Council seats, assured to support each other's bid. The methodology adopted there was to increase the strength in numbers. On the same day Koizumi deliberated in his speech at UN General Assembly, emphasizing the part played by Japan in all of the challenges and tasks that the UN faces. (Expectation Too Great)

As per the latest Japanese government survey made in October about 67.1% of respondents in Japan are in favor of the UNSC bid of the nation while 9.9% are opposing it. The supporters however failed to initiate any massive drive to that end. For several years Japanese leaders have discovered to enhance the dignity of the nation in the international community by achieving a permanent seat in the U.N. body that takes charge of international peace and security and has the capacity to make conclusions binding to all 189 UN members. (Public Indifference Hampers Japan's UNSC Bid) Japan has faith that it has a considerable role in the maintenance of international peace and security.

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Japan has played an active and productive role in the continuance of international peace and security. Japan has played many roles supporting the international community in varied fields involving consolidation of peace and nation building, human security, disarmament and non-proliferation.

Japan is committed to take the responsibility as a permanent member of the Security Council, by fully applying the ability and experience achieved so far. Moreover, Japan is deporting its Self-Defense forces to the Indian Ocean to help the global fight against terrorism and to Iraq to back its reconstruction. Japan has deported its own troops to participate in eight UN peacekeeping operations- PKOs and in the five instances of international humanitarian relief operations. Japan has indicated that it pays great significance to peace-building and nation-building in the post-conflict stage. Japan had to take to itself about 20% of the costs of UN peace keeping operations. Japan is considered to be the second largest contributor to the UN regular budgets, its share constituting about 19.468% of the total assessed contributions. Japan also willingly contributed about U.S.$2.1 billion during 2001 to 2003 to the UN, its funds and programs and specialized agencies making it the second largest contributor. Japan has remained to be one of the largest donors in the world for over the decade spanning from 1991 to 2000. (UN Security Council: Why Japan should become a permanent member?)

Japan entailed a total of U.S.$8.9 billion of Official Development Assistance -- ODA in 2003 entailing it to be the second largest donor in the world. Japan is sincerely striving towards attaining the Millennium Development Objectives in the fields of education health, water and sanitation and agriculture. At last Japan is fostering the idea of Human Security that aims at safeguarding and empowering people against the critical and pervasive intimidation to the human life, livelihood and dignity and thus enhancing human fulfillment. Japan has instituted the Trust Fund for Human Security within the UN. At the end of December, 2004 the total grants constitute about $256 million. Japan is sustains the projects and programs that deal with varied threats inclusive of poverty, conflicts, refugees and internally displaced persons --IDPs problems and infectious diseases through the Trust Fund and other mode of ODA. Japan is initiating the African Village Initiative that aims to strengthen the local communities in Africa to cater to their own objectives as suitable to their own circumstances; by fostering education, environment and health services, providing safe water and developing agriculture. Japan has presently dedicated to provide 10 million bed-nets by 2007 to prevent malaria infection. (UN Security Council: Why Japan should become a permanent member?)

Japan has strived hard for accomplishing its objective. But as the country steps up its labors questions remain whether Japan can actually make it. Professor Zhou Yongsheng of the China Foreign Affairs University forecasted that the objective of Japan cannot be accessed in the short-term. His indications were reiterated by Yan Xuetong, Director of the Institute of International Studies with Tsinghua University. In the long run, Yan said it is harder to reveal, the aggression of Japan throughout Asia during the World War II has left a degree of mistrust among some neighbors towards it that remains at present. Japan presently is not willing to rethink the concerns of the past. To illustrate, Prime Minster Koizumi has paid his tribute to the Ysukuni Shrine that honors Class -- A war criminals for four consecutive years ever since his assumption of office in 2001. The textbooks that twist the aggressive traditions of Japan are adopted in some Japanese schools under the pressure of right-wing forces. This point out that Japan has not having a serious indication of the tradition. The political status of a permanent member of UN Security council seems too ambitious, as per the views of some analysts, particularly, for a country in absence of any backing from the neighbors. (Expectation Too Great)

The anxiety of Japan to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council confronts strong opposition from East Asian countries particularly China, South Korea and North Korea. (UN Security Council: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) China is not comfortable permitting Japan to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. This was transparent during the demonstration of China in Beijing. (Chinese protests against Japan becoming permanent member of UN Security Council) During March 2005, at the base level in China an Internet campaign was initiated that.....

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