Japan and UNSC permanent membership

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Japan and UNSC permanent membership
By: Imtiaz A. Chaudhry (President UMJ)
The UMJ Volume 2.1 (Opinion)

The president of the General Assembly, Mr. Razli Ismail who is also Malaysia's Ambassador to the United Nations, proposed expanding the 15 member UNSC by 9 members from next year. However, the new permanent members would not have the veto power that the other five permanent members, China, Great Britain, France, Russia, and the USA possess. The United Nations Charter would require an amendment that must be ratified by a two thirds vote in order to allow expansion of the Security Council.

Japan is eager to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and is using its local and international sources to get it. The Hashimoto administration also desires to participate with the United Nations on International Security matters.

A Bird's Eye View of the New Japan

The world's interest is shifting to South-East Asia, and China. Vehicles made by Hyundai and Daewoo of South Korea are catching up to Japanese cars in new car registration. Malaysian cars are now on the market and China will probably be a powerful car exporter in the 21st Century. The world is changing quickly. What will ensue over the next 10 years will equal what has happened over the last 50 years.

On the other hand, many Japanese are still day-dreaming that Japan is one of the most powerful countries in the world. Greed has made the political arena and the bureaucracy inflexible. Money politics, conspiracy, and irresponsibility of the government and the banking system generated the bubble economy and resulted in the Jusen scandal. There is corruption in the banking system, Securities firms, and Gangsters and Sokaiya are in the stock market. People have been infected with HIV through contaminated blood products, young & teen school girls are involved in prostitution, taxes are rising and salaries are stagnant. Many people, having become appalled at politicians, are no longer voting. Some people have lost their common sense and are getting involved with religious cults. Japan produces only 30% of its food and 17% of its energy resources.

Is Japan capable of this big deal?

Many members from Europe and Africa have said that Japan's permanent membership is unnecessary, because there is not any member from Latin America and Africa. In my view, any country that desires to become a permanent member should bring Internationalism to its home land before taking UNSC responsibility. Of course, Japan is a developed country in the World, but there is still not an International atmosphere here for legal non-Japanese residents. The word "Internationalism" is only in the government and law books; in daily life or in many Japanese government offices, bureaucrats and the public in general still cannot understand the true meaning of "Internationalism."

It's necessary for the Japanese government to look and to see its face in the mirror before becoming a UNSC permanent member; further it should learn more about how to distinguish Internationalism from Nationalism.