Rediff.com reports that, according to the Sankei Shimbun, Japan is giving up on its bid to gain a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council:
FOLLOW-UP:
More reports here and here.
Japan will give up its bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the time being since it had failed to win enough support from the international community, a Japanese newspaper reported on Sunday.If true, this hardly comes as a surprise. A lack of robust support from other nations certainly didn't help matters, but, as I've noted before, Japan's hopes were unrealistic so long as a hostile China could veto its bid.
However, a spokesman for the prime minister said he was unaware of any such decision.
Japan, Brazil, Germany and India, the Group of 4, proposed the expanding the council to 25 seats, adding 6 permanent seats without veto power.
The 4 countries hoped to get permanent seats, with the two remaining seats reserved for Africa. They had proposed the addition of 4 non-permanent seats, including one for Africa.
But the Sankei Shimbun newspaper reported on Sunday that Japan will soon hold talks with the three other countries to confirm that they are giving up their group of 4 bid. The report did not cite sources.
FOLLOW-UP:
More reports here and here.
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