By Shannon Tiezzi
In his speech before the UN General Assembly, Abe made the case for Japan to join the UN’s major decision-making body.
The United Nations General Assembly’s general debate headed into its second day Tuesday. After speeches by U.S. President Barack Obama, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Monday, it was Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s turn today. In his speech [PDF], Abe presented Japan’s vision for the United Nations, ending with a plea for Tokyo to take up a seat on the Security Council (UNSC).
“Japan seeks to become a permanent member of the Security Council and make a contribution commensurate with that stature,” Abe declared.
Indeed, much of Abe’s speech read like a cover letter for Japan’s bid to gain permanent membership in the UNSC. “Japan has a history of supporting nation-building in a variety of places,” Abe said. “Now more than ever, Japan wishes to offer that wealth of experience, unstintingly.”
Abe noted that Japan had been an active donor of humanitarian assistance. He also pledged hundreds of millions of dollars to support assistance projects across the world, from helping Serbia and Macedonia deal with the current refugee crisis in Europe to building water and sewage systems in Iraq. As a specific example of Japan’s impact on the personal level, Abe cited the case of a mother who, when fleeing the violence in Syria, brought with her a notebook provided by Japan for recording her infant’s health information.
Read the full story at The Diplomat