NHK reported at noon that although the UNSC convened a closed-door urgent meeting on Wednesday in response to North Korea’s missile launch, the members failed to reach an agreement on whether to issue a press statement condemning North Korea due to reluctance on the part of China and other nations. The network said that although the U.S. is planning to….Read more

Mikiko Otani has been elected as the first Japanese member of a United Nations committee tasked with monitoring situations in signatory nations to the Convention of the Rights of the Child. She will come up with recommendations for improvement together with 17 members from other countries over the next four years starting next March. At college, Otani majored in international….Read more

NHK reported at noon that following North Korea’s latest missile launch, the UN Security Council held a closed-door emergency meeting in New York on Wednesday, saying that while the U.S., Japan, and South Korea stressed the need to take a tougher stance against the North, China maintained its position that the issue should be resolved through dialogue. The network added….Read more

NHK reported that Foreign Minister Kishida attended a foreign ministerial meeting of ASEAN Plus Three in Laos this morning, during which he stressed the importance of increasing pressure on North Korea in view of its repeated nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches, and called on the members to urge North Korea to refrain from any provocative actions.

All Monday papers reported that the UN Security Council issued a press statement on Sunday strongly denouncing the Dhaka terrorist attack as “heinous and cowardly.” Nikkei wrote that as the UNSC chair for the month of July, Japan spearheaded efforts to draft the statement without delay ahead of the Independence Day holiday in the U.S. Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga emphasized….Read more

Saturday morning’s Nikkei wrote that Japan assumed the presidency of the UN Security Council on Friday, noting that Foreign Minister Kishida will chair a council meeting on peace in Africa in New York in late July.

NHK reported at noon that the UN Security Council released a press statement on Wednesday condemning North Korea over a failed launch of what appears to be a mid-range Musudan missile on May 31. The statement reportedly says: “North Korea continues to develop nuclear weapons delivery systems and increase tension in violation of the UNSC resolutions.” The statement also says….Read more

Mr. Obama’s message used many well-thought out expressions, which were the fruit of his long-held philosophy.

The government is working to stipulate the need for UN Security Council reform in a statement that the leaders of the G7 nations will issue when they meet for the Ise-Shima Summit on May 26-27. If it succeeds, the reform vision will be incorporated into the leaders’ statement for the first time in 16 years. As Japan aspires to become….Read more

Today’s Mainichi reported that visiting Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the DPRK Marzuki Darusman met with Minister in charge of the Abduction Issue Kato on Monday. The UN official reportedly voiced a strong desire for Japan to maintain dialogue with the reclusive state despite its recent nuclear test. The visitor said continued dialogue would be conducive….Read more