Japan vows more efforts on N. Korea, other Asia issues as UNSC member

TOKYO, Dec. 1 Kyodo - Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone expressed Japan's determination Monday to step up efforts and play a leading role in tackling global security issues, especially North Korea, Afghanistan and East Timor, when its two-year term of nonpermanent membership on the U.N. Security Council begins in January.
''As a Security Council member elected from Asia, we would like to take
initiative in dealing with issues in this region,'' Nakasone said at a
symposium on peace and security. ''We also hope to be more proactively involved
beyond Asia, such as the Middle East peace process, conflicts in Africa,
terrorism, nonproliferation and peacebuilding.''
In an opening speech at the symposium hosted by the Foreign Ministry, Nakasone
also officially announced that he will head for Oslo on Tuesday to sign an
international accord to ban the use of cluster bombs, noting the humanitarian
concerns over such munitions.
''This treaty is a meaningful one in that it bans the use of such weapons which
cause suffering to civilians even after the conflicts are over and require
disposal of the stockpiles,'' the minister said.
Nakasone is scheduled to arrive in Oslo Tuesday evening to attend the Oslo
Conference on Cluster Munitions, better known as the Oslo Process, the
following day, Foreign Ministry officials said. Japan will be among about 100
countries expected to attend the conference.
Nakasone is also expected to meet bilaterally with Norwegian Foreign Minister
Jonas Gahr Store on Wednesday morning ahead of the ceremony, according to the
officials.
In a speech after the ceremony, Nakasone is set to unveil a $6 million
contribution for relief aid to cluster bomb victims and education programs to
prevent civilian injuries, as well as emphasize Japan's experience in demining
and disposing of duds, government sources said earlier.
The minister is scheduled to leave Oslo on Wednesday afternoon and arrive back
in Japan on Thursday.
Close U.S. ally Japan had earlier advocated only a partial ban and claimed the
bombs are effective in barring an enemy landing on the Japanese archipelago's
long coastlines. But then Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's administration agreed
to the draft accord in May for an immediate ban on all use in principle of
cluster bombs.
Japan, the second largest financial contributor to the United Nations, defeated
Iran in winning the nonpermanent seat allocated for Asian members for the
2009-2010 term. It will sit on the Security Council for the 10th time, the most
of any U.N. member.
Tokyo continues to seek permanent membership on the council and advocates U.N.
reforms.
''Amid the increasing needs for close international cooperation in handling
global peace and security issues, the U.N. Security Council itself must reform
in order to be better able to tackle (the issues),'' Nakasone said.
==Kyodo