World News Koizumi makes case for seat on UNSC

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NEW YORK (Kyodo) - Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi voiced Japan's desire Sept. 21 to become a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, making his first strong pitch before the U.N. General Assembly and indicating the Constitution will not be revised to this end.

"We believe that the role that Japan has played provides a solid basis for its assumption of permanent membership on the Security Council," Koizumi said in an address to the annual General Assembly session.

Koizumi, speaking in English, cited the deployment of Self-Defense Forces troops in East Timor and Iraq as examples of Japanese contributions toward global peace.

He said both the permanent and nonpermanent members of the Security Council should be expanded as part of efforts to make the United Nations more capable of coping with challenges including the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism and poverty reduction.

This represented Koizumi's first speech before the U.N. General Assembly since 2002. In a shift from his previous position, Koizumi made it clear that Japan will seek permanent Security Council membership without revising the war-renouncing Constitution.

小泉首相が国連総会で演説

小泉純一郎首相は21日、国連総会で演説し、日本が国連安全保障理事会の常任理事国入りを目指す考えを表明した。

Shukan ST: Oct. 1, 2004

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