1. The Need for Security Council Reform

(1) Historical Development of the Security Council

The United Nations was established with 51 Member States in 1945. With the independence of formerly colonized states and the dissolution of nations at the end of the Cold War, the membership of the UN grew to 192 by mid-2007.

The composition of the Security Council, however, has remained essentially the same over time, with the exception of a one-time expansion in 1965, whereby the non-permanent membership increased from six to ten, while the number of permanent members continued unchanged since the time of the establishment of the United Nations.

The Security Council needs to be reformed in such a way as to reflect more accurately the realities of the international community, which has experienced dramatic change over the past 60 years, and to bring about improvement in the representation of the Member States.

(2) Expansion of the Scope of Work of the Security Council to Counter New Threats

Since the end of the Cold War, the Security Council has taken a variety of measures for the maintenance of international peace and security, including 1) deciding on sanctions measures, 2) approving multinational forces, 3) establishing peacekeeping operations (PKOs) and 4) establishing the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), the committee on non-proliferation and other organs.

The scope of peacekeeping operations has been enlarged from their traditional activities of monitoring ceasefires (as in the Golan Heights and Ethiopia-Eritrea conflicts) to include promoting democratic governance, peacebuilding, and post-war reconstruction (as in Cambodia and Timor-Leste). Moreover, the Security Council is expected to enhance its functions in order to counter effectively the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and other threats including terrorism. In order to adequately address the wide range of today ’ s challenges, the composition of the Security Council must be reformed to permit Member States with the requisite capabilities to participate continuously in the Council’s decision-making process. The Outcome Document of the 2005 World Summit held at the United Nations in September of that year also recognizes the necessity of early reform of the Security Council as an indispensable element of reform of the United Nations as a whole.

3) Enhancing Representation and Efficiency

It is a matter of urgency for the international community to strengthen the United Nations by enlarging the membership of the Security Council in two aspects: first, to improve representation by reflecting the current structure of the international community and thereby regain the confidence of the Member States; and second, to enhance efficiency in order to ensure the successful implementation of the decisions of the Council.

2. Actions Undertaken by Japan

(1) 59 th Session of the UN General Assembly (September 2004)

In his address at the 59 th Session of the UN General Assembly, then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi called for early realization of Security Council reform and stated that “ the role that Japan has played provides a solid basis for its assumption of permanent membership on the Security Council. ” He also reaffirmed the mutual support for achieving permanent membership among Japan and three other strong candidates, namely, Brazil , India and Germany .

In March 2005, then Secretary-General Kofi Annan issued a report entitled “ In Larger Freedom. ” In his report, the Secretary-General recommended that the Member States consider the following options proposed by a High-level Panel established by him as an advisory council: (1) Plan A, which would expand the membership of the Council by six permanent seats and three non-permanent seats; (2) Plan B, which would expand the Council by one permanent seat and eight non-permanent seats with four-year terms and eligibility for reelection; and (3) alternative models based on either of the aforementioned plans.

In response, Japan , together with Brazil , Germany and India , submitted to the UN General Assembly a concrete reform resolution known as the “ G4 Resolution, ” a proposal along the lines of Plan A. However, in light of the lack of foreseeable support from a two-thirds majority of the Member States, a requirement for the resolution’s adoption, it was never put to a vote. Nonetheless, this proposal raised the momentum for Security Council reform to an unprecedented level.

(2) 60 th Session of the UN General Assembly (September 2005)

In the Outcome Document of the 2005 World Summit held during the 60 th Session of the UN General Assembly, world leaders agreed upon the necessity of early reform of the Security Council as an indispensable element of overall United Nations reform.

Then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi reiterated Japan ’ s position, stating that “ the world has changed dramatically over the last sixty years ” and that Japan , which has resolutely pursued a course of development as a peace-loving nation, “ is ready to play a larger role as a permanent member, ” and calling for action for the early implementation of Security Council reform.

(3) 61 st Session of the UN General Assembly (September 2006)

At the 61 st Session of the UN General Assembly, Ambassador Kenzo Oshima, then Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations, made the point that there is a real and urgent need for a more effective, representative and transparent Security Council, stating that “ the Member States now need a new proposal – one that is both creative and persuasive. ”

In December 2006, a “ facilitator process ” was initiated by Ms. Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, President of the 61 st Session of the UN General Assembly. In this process, Security Council reform was divided into five themes, under which the respective facilitators conducted discussions among the Member States. Japan expressed its readiness to contribute to this process.

The Report of the Facilitators was submitted to the President of the General Assembly on 20 April 2007 , and in May the Open-ended Working Group on Security Council reform was convened. Ambassador Oshima reiterated former Secretary-General Annan’s oft-repeated statement that “ No reform of the United Nations can be complete without the reform of the Security Council. ” At the same time, he expressed Japan ’s belief that the time was ripe to begin intergovernmental negotiations on Security Council reform and indicated that Japan , which was making active efforts to find a solution capable of garnering wider support among the Member States, stood ready to participate in such discussions and negotiations with flexibility.

Later, two new facilitators were appointed, and they submitted a report to the President of the General Assembly on 26 June 2007 . The report proposed an “ intermediary approach, ” calling for early implementation of Security Council reform and providing Member States with elements for future consideration.

On 19 July 2007, an informal meeting of the Open-ended Working Group was again convened, during which Ambassador Oshima reaffirmed Japan ’ s commitment to the early implementation of Security Council reform, with expansion of both the permanent and non-permanent categories, and called for concrete results to be achieved during the 62 nd Session of the General Assembly.

(4) 62 nd Session of the UN General Assembly (September 2007)

In September 2007, Foreign Minister Masahiko Koumura delivered his address at the General Debate of the 62 nd Session of the UN General Assembly, stating, “ All Member States must work together so that we can achieve concrete results through intergovernmental negotiations during this session. ” In November 2007, Ambassador Yukio Takasu, Permanent Representative of Japan to the UN, made a statement at the Plenary Meeting of the UN General Assembly, in which he stressed the necessity to achieve concrete results during the current session and confirmed that Japan would actively participate in intergovernmental negotiations in a flexible manner.

In December 2007, Mr. Srgjan Kerim, President of the 62 nd Session of the General Assembly, appointed a task force comprised of three Permanent Representatives. Currently, active discussions are under way among Member States on this issue. Japan , committed to achieving early Security Council reform with a view to expanding both the permanent and non-permanent memberships, is actively engaged in the discussions.

3. Resources

United Nations Reform

Major Statements on United Nations Reform

Japan ’ s Efforts for Reform of the UN

Secretary-General’s Report “ In larger freedom ”

Report of the High-level Panel