Global Policy Forum

The Japanese government will run for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council in 2004, a Japanese Foreign Ministry official said Monday. Japan, which previously held the rotating two-year membership in 1997-1998, decided to vie for the Asian spot for the 2005-2006 term after considering its chances of winning the election, normally scheduled in the fall, the official said.

While sounding out prospective candidates from the region in the coming years, Japan found that Papua New Guinea, which indicated in 1996 it would stand for election in 2004, had lost its vigor after power transfers and offered instead to support Japan's candidacy should it decide to run, the official said.

Japanese Ambassador to the United Nations Yukio Sato submitted a letter Friday to his counterpart from the Philippines, which holds the U.N.'s rotating Asian group this month, indicating Japan's intention to become a candidate, the official said. On the same day, Papua New Guinea's permanent representative to the world body submitted a letter to the ambassador from the Philippines, saying the country will back down from the 2004 race and support Japan's bid, the official added.

The official emphasized that Japan's decision to seek a non-permanent seat in the near future does not mean it is slowing down or giving up on its effort to reform the U.N. council with a view to seeking its enlargement and winning a permanent seat for itself.

The Security Council has 15 members, five of which are permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States. It rotates half of the 10 non-permanent members every year.