Japan PM Kishida urges world to reaffirm rules-based order, reform U.N.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida urged the world Tuesday to reaffirm the importance of the rules-based international order amid ongoing war in Ukraine and criticized Russia for threatening possible use of nuclear weapons in the conflict.

Addressing the UN General Assembly in New York, Kishida also said that reforming the world body with specific actions will be vital in restoring the credibility of the Security Council, which has been further jeopardized after veto-wielding permanent member Russia invaded its neighboring country earlier this year.

Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has shaken “the foundation of the international order” stipulated in the UN Charter, said Kishida, the first Japanese leader to give a speech in-person at the assembly’s annual general debate session since 2019.

Now is the time to go back to the ideas and principles of the charter and “to gather our power and wisdom to ensure the rules-based international order,” Kishida said.

The weeklong session from Tuesday comes as the world sees no signs of an early end to the war in Ukraine. Kyiv has recently taken back many areas of the country from Russian control, aided by military support from the United States and some other Western countries, while Moscow continues to launch offensives.

The Japanese leader who represents a constituency in Hiroshima, one of the country’s two cities to suffer atomic-bombing near the end of World War II, said Moscow’s nuclear blackmailing is a “serious threat to the international community’s peace and safety” and called it ” totally unacceptable.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has made remarks that imply Moscow does not rule out using a nuclear weapon in the ongoing war if necessary, drawing criticism from many other world leaders.

The United Nations has failed to stop the war in Ukraine. Instead, its operations have shown a widening rift between members such as the United States and other Western countries imposing economic sanctions on Moscow and others refraining from fully or immediately joining them.

Kishida urged other leaders to take advantage of the UN Summit of the Future planned for 2024 to start full talks for reform of the world body.

Japan has long expressed its desire to become a permanent member of a reformed Security Council. The nation secured a nonpermanent seat on the 15-member council in June for a record 12th time, with its two-year term set to begin in January.

Earlier on Tuesday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the world is “in peril” as “colossal global dysfunction” challenges efforts to tackle the food crisis and climate change.

In August, Kishida became the first Japanese prime minister to attend a review conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and urged nuclear states to enhance the transparency of their arsenals.

During his Tuesday address, Kishida also said any “attempts of changing the status quo” of territories by force and coercion will never be forgiven, using a phrase often employed by Tokyo in an apparent criticism of Beijing’s growing maritime assertiveness in the East and South China seas.

Kishida referred to efforts toward the realization of a “free and open Indo-Pacific,” a vision advocated by Tokyo and Washington as well as other Asian and Pacific nations, to counter Beijing’s military clout in the region.

China held large-scale, live-fire military drills near Taiwan last month, days after a visit by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the self-ruled democratic island. Beijing views Taiwan as a breakaway to be reunified with the mainland province, by force if necessary.

Regarding North Korea’s missile and nuclear development as well as its abductions of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s, Kishida reiterated his willingness to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “without preconditions” to resolve the issues comprehensively.

Kishida, during a four-day stay in New York through Friday, plans to meet leaders of other nations on the sidelines of the UN event and join some multilateral meetings. He will also give a speech at the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday.

Kishida put off his departure from Japan, initially scheduled for Monday, to monitor damage caused by a strong typhoon in the country.

Related coverage:

PM Kishida leaves for NY to deliver speech at UN