Takaichi Urges UN to Delete 'Enemy State Clauses' Targeting Japan

[Financial News, Tokyo—Correspondent Hye-jin Seo] Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called for the deletion of the 'enemy state clauses' concerning countries that were defeated in World War II and remain in the UN Charter. Citing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, she also called for expanding both the permanent and non-permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) and other outlets on the 23rd, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on the 22nd (local time), "The United Nations General Assembly resolved in 2005 to delete the term 'enemy state' from the Charter," adding, "The clauses should be deleted in accordance with that resolution." Although the General Assembly adopted such a resolution, the relevant wording remains in the Charter.
The enemy state clauses are provisions of the UN Charter that set out measures that may be taken against countries that were enemy states during World War II. Japan maintains that the clauses have already lost their effect, but Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reiterated her call for their formal deletion in the speech.
She also pressed for reform of the UNSC. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pointed out that Russia, a permanent member, had invaded Ukraine and vetoed UNSC resolutions concerning its own actions. She said the Council cannot fulfill its role in maintaining international peace under the current system and called for increasing both the number of permanent and non-permanent members.
Regarding North Korea, she voiced concern about the proliferation of nuclear and missile technologies resulting from military cooperation between Russia and North Korea. She also said Japan was prepared to engage in dialogue with North Korea and take concrete action to resolve the issue of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea. As the only country to have suffered atomic bombings during wartime, she said Japan would lead efforts toward a world without nuclear weapons and called for maintaining and strengthening the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) regime.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reaffirmed Japan's support for the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the International Criminal Court (ICC), and other international institutions. She also emphasized the need for international cooperation to address the risks posed by artificial intelligence (AI) and expressed her intention to host an AI summit in Japan at an early date.
Bilateral diplomacy also continued on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi held her first meeting since taking office with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and said Japan would continue supporting Ukraine and imposing sanctions against Russia. President Zelenskyy asked Japanese companies to participate in Ukraine's postwar reconstruction and invited Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to visit Ukraine. With Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, she discussed the early conclusion of an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and cooperation in defense equipment.


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