New bid for U.N. Security Council seat relies on U.S.

January 6, 2006
The Asahi Shimbun 
Original Source: http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200601060128.html

Following its abysmal failure last year, the Foreign Ministry has embarked on another attempt to gain permanent membership on the U.N. Security Council, this time by focusing on U.S. desires. 
The ministry has compiled the basic framework for a new draft resolution on expanding the Security Council in a way that is more compatible with the U.S. position on who should be allowed to join, sources familiar with the plan said. 
Tokyo hopes Washington will back Japan's renewed bid to become a permanent member by leaving room for the United States to wield its influence on other U.N. members concerning who should be given seats on the council. 
But one government official said the ministry's new plan will probably not appease the United States, which does not want an expanded Security Council in the first place because that could dilute its power in the world body. 
The United States is not likely to agree to the new plan as long as there remains the possibility of a nation it does not want on the council becoming a permanent member, a government official said. 
Critics also say that simply proposing a change in the way to expand membership and trying to curry favor with Washington could backfire. They said Tokyo should know by now that it needs the solid support from Asian nations. 
The ministry last year failed to win the backing of U.N. members for a proposal compiled by the so-called G-4 nations--Japan, Germany, Brazil and India--all of which want permanent seats on the Security Council. 
Their plan was to add six permanent members. 
But the G-4 proposal was scrapped, partly because the United States strongly opposed the idea of allowing Germany and Brazil to become permanent members. In addition, China, which supported the entry of Germany, lobbied extensively to prevent Japan from gaining permanent membership. 
The ministry's new plan not only might increase Beijing's opposition to Japanese membership, but it could also raise criticism from the other G-4 members as well as developing nations, the critics say. 
Still, the Foreign Ministry wants to revive debate on expanding the Security Council while the topic is still fresh. It aims to submit a draft of its plan to the United Nations in spring, the sources said. 
Currently, the Security Council consists of five permanent members with veto power--the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China--and 10 nonpermanent member nations, which are chosen every two years and cannot serve consecutive terms. 
The Foreign Ministry's new plan would increase the Security Council's membership to 21. 
But in a shift from the G-4 proposal, the ministry's plan would give more leeway in deciding which of the six nations should become permanent or nonpermanent members, the sources said. 
According to the ministry's plan, a nation can become a permanent member if it wins the support of at least 128 nations, or two-thirds of the 191 members of the United Nations. 
But if a nation fails to reach that support level, it can still become a nonpermanent member if it gains a certain number of votes, according to the ministry's plan. 
A new category of semi-permanent members is also expected to be proposed for members without veto power. They would be allowed to serve two straight terms, the sources said. 
Ministry officials are considering requiring the semi-permanent members to have gained the votes of at least 100 nations. That would clearly differentiate them from ordinary nonpermanent members, the sources said. 
The idea is that the increased options would give Washington more leeway in urging other U.N. members not to vote for nations it deems inappropriate for permanent membership, the sources said. For example, the United States might agree on semi-permanent status for certain countries instead of giving them permanent seats. 
But the plan, even if it is tinkered with, might not be enough to gain U.S. backing. 
Washington is not really serious about reforming the Security Council anyway, a senior Foreign Ministry official recently admitted.