Global Policy Forum

By Mari Yamaguchi

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori urged U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Tuesday to speed reforms that could give Japan a permanent seat on an expanded Security Council.

Mori told Annan, on his fourth official visit to Japan, that the world body needs to be changed in order to address global issues more efficiently, a Foreign Ministry official said on condition of anonymity.

Mori promised continued support for the United Nations, including additional contributions to a development fund established at Japan's initiative, despite the nation's slow economic recovery, the official said.

The prime minister also urged Annan to hire more Japanese to reflect the size of Japan's financial contribution to the United Nations, the official said. In the last several years Japan has been campaigning for changes to the world body, particularly an expansion of the Council from 15 to 24 members, with Japan becoming a permanent member.

The Security Council, the only U.N. body with power to enforce its decisions militarily or economically, has five permanent members the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China _ while 10 non-permanent members rotate every two years.

The General Assembly has been negotiating an increase in the number of both permanent and non-permanent members but has been stymied by disputes over the choice of members and whether to give them veto power.

For Japan, seeking an enlarged role used to be a sensitive topic because of opposition from Asian countries that suffered under its wartime aggression.

But because of easing enmity and Japan's financial contributions to the world body, many countries now support Japan's bid for a permanent seat on the Council.

Responding to Japan's recent move to slash development aid spending, Annan expressed hopes that the cut would be no more than 3 percent as reported.

Earlier Tuesday, he paid a courtesy call on Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko at the imperial palace. Annan was scheduled to meet separately with Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa and Foreign Minister Yohei Kono later Tuesday. On Thursday, he was to leave Tokyo for the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.