[Title] Press Conference by Prime Minister ISHIBA Shigeru Following his Visit to the United States of America
[Opening statement by Prime Minister Ishiba]
Good morning to all. I appreciate your attendance today, even this early in the morning. I would like to share my thoughts with you after attending the United Nations General Assembly High-level Week.
The United Nations marks the 80th anniversary of its founding this year. In every country, many members of the generation that experienced World War II have moved away from center stage in society. Against that backdrop, many are now perishing with each passing day in both Ukraine and the Middle East, where the loss of life is now an everyday occurrence.
Troubling issues also affect Japan's home of East Asia. While East Asia is not suffering a high death toll, we recognize that the international community is once again moving towards division and confrontation. We are aware that the free and open international order based on the rule of law is now facing a historic challenge.
In the General Debate address I delivered last night, I looked back at the progress of the UN and raised the question of whether the United Nations is really fulfilling the role it was originally expected to play regarding peace and security issues. I then laid out Japan's way of thinking on that matter.
The Japanese word for "the United Nations" literally translates as "a joining together between nations" or "an international union." The principal role of the United Nations is, needless to say, maintaining international peace and security. I believe we cannot truly say that the Security Council has fully executed the role originally envisioned for it. We can see many cases in which the Security Council is unable to take necessary decisions because of the existence of the veto power.
In 1950, five years after the war ended, the General Assembly passed the resolution "Uniting for Peace," thereby empowering the General Assembly to take action. Since 2022, three years ago, a permanent member of the Council who exercised the veto is requested to speak at the General Assembly. In this way, a variety of systems have been contemplated over the years. And yet despite these efforts, we remain hard-pressed to say that the Security Council is functioning effectively.
The roster of UN Member States has expanded tremendously, increasing roughly fourfold, I believe. If I recall correctly, the UN had 51 Member States at the outset, becoming 193 today, meaning that the number of Member States nearly quadrupled. Despite that, Security Council reform has still not been achieved because various countries' individual interests are intertwined in complex ways. Merely engaging in discussions ultimately leads nowhere. We must not give up on this reform.
It is imperative that the UN expand the number of both permanent and non-permanent members of the Security Council without reducing the Council's effectiveness and that the UN become able to address the challenges it faces with greater legitimacy, while also keeping in mind the matter of the veto power held by the permanent members.
Based on that perspective, last night [in my General Debate speech] I strongly urged the international community to decisively implement Security Council reform. There is no solution that is ideal. But, as I remarked in yesterday's speech, it is important that we at least make the UN a better organization than it is now. I purposely used the wording that the organization would be 'better' than it is now.
Next, I spoke about Japan's perspective on the Middle East situation. The tragic and appalling humanitarian violations in Gaza are something we cannot possibly overlook. The Israeli ground operations currently underway in Gaza must cease immediately. Japan strongly urges their immediate cessation.
For Japan, the question is not whether to recognize a Palestinian state, but when. As I stated just now, the continued unilateral actions by the Government of Israel can never be accepted. I stated clearly that if Israel takes further actions that obstruct the realization of the two-state solution we aim to achieve, Japan will be compelled to take new measures in response.
What matters the most is that Palestine, which is under consideration for state recognition, will be able to exist in a sustainable manner, and exist in a sustainable manner living side by side in peace with Israel. I then stated my determination that, consistent with that thinking, Japan would play a realistic and proactive role in moving even a single step closer toward the goal of a two-state solution.
At the same time, as we invite Palestine to assume its role as a responsible member of the international community, the Palestinian side must establish a system of governance that ensures accountability. It is not enough simply to grant recognition. Hamas should release the hostages immediately and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority. Japan will continue to press forward in a concrete manner with assistance needed to support the establishment of economic independence and effective governance in Palestine -- that is, to support Palestinian state-building -- including our efforts thus far to strengthen the capability of more than 7,000 public officials over, if I recall correctly, the past 27 years. Japan will continue with its efforts to ensure that governance is implemented effectively. In line with this approach, we will participate alongside like-minded countries including France, Norway, Saudi Arabia, and Spain in carrying out new initiatives to address the financial crisis currently facing Palestine.
The Abraham Accords have been underway since the first Trump administration, and I voiced Japan's strong support for these accords as an initiative to promote peace and stability across the entire Middle East region. The Abraham Accords bear the name of the spiritual ancestor common to all three of the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic faiths and I underscored Japan's firm support for these accords.
With regard to nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, the current security environment concerning nuclear weapons is, needless to say, becoming increasingly severe. That is why I made an appeal for the international community to now embrace the spirit of dialogue and cooperation in working to realize a world without nuclear war and also a world without nuclear weapons, under the framework of the NPT -- the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty -- which brings together both nuclear weapon states and non-nuclear weapon states.
There is something that I read out in August on the day we remember the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, and I introduced it last night here in New York as well. It is a "tanka," or short Japanese poem, by the poet Ms. SHODA Shinoe that I read aloud on August 6.
"These big bones
Must be the teacher's.
Around them,
Gathering in a circle,
Little skulls are found."
People associate atomic bombings with the image of the mushroom cloud in the photo taken from the aircraft. So when people hear 'atomic bomb' a mushroom cloud comes to mind. But as the only country to have suffered the devastation of atomic bombings during war, Japan must broadly raise awareness of what actually happened beneath that mushroom cloud. Therefore, after introducing the tanka by Ms. SHODA Shinoe here in New York as well, I emphasized that I sincerely want leaders around the world and also the young leaders of the next generation to know the tragic realities of the atomic bombings.
The role of the United Nations includes actions in the economic and social spheres, which are of course vital. I also stated this at TICAD 9, the ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development, which was held in Yokohama last month. Japan considers it important to share both joys and sorrows and also work shoulder to shoulder with all countries in the international community and to work alongside other countries to craft solutions to the challenges facing the international community, based on the concept of human security. Japan will continue its efforts to bring about sustainable development.
No country can forge the path to a bright future unless it squarely faces history. We must never again repeat the devastation of war. On the anniversary of the war's end in August, I renewed my vow to engrave that in my heart. Although we have been striving for a free and open international order based on the rule of law, our efforts have been facing unprecedented challenges. I wish to reiterate that in the face of these challenges, it is crucial that we continue to protect our healthy and robust democracy. I made a strong plea for that last night.
I am in no way taking the position that the spread of democracy alone will bring peace to the world. We must reject totalitarianism and irresponsible populism and not fall into narrow-minded nationalism. We will not tolerate discrimination or exclusion. I firmly believe that it is precisely this kind of healthy and robust democracy that contributes significantly to maintaining and strengthening a free and open international order and promoting international peace and security. This is founded on the courage and integrity to squarely face the past, and on fostering a sense of human rights, healthy discourse, including mission-driven journalism, and classical liberalism that values the tolerance of listening humbly to the arguments of others. I have been placing emphasis on this thinking.
I ended my address by also speaking about Japan's postwar solidarity with the rest of Asia. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Bandung Conference, which was the first international conference that Japan participated in after its defeat in the war. Seventy years have now passed since that conference was held. The people of Asia showed a spirit of tolerance in accepting Japan after the war. I stated emphatically that while Asia must surely have had unfathomable emotional struggles in demonstrating this spirit of tolerance towards us, supported by this spirit of tolerance and under the pledge never to wage a war again, Japan has been striving to realize everlasting world peace. That ends the overview of the message I put forward.
On this occasion, during my visit to New York, I had the opportunity to converse or hold meetings with UN Secretary-General Guterres and President Trump, among other national leaders. Secretary-General Guterres told me during our meeting that he welcomes Japan's vigorous support for multilateralism. He also conveyed to me his appreciation for the contributions Japan has been making to peace and security. Moreover, he made the remark that Japan's support for development is support that adopts the perspective of the country receiving the cooperation.
During my term in office, I have had meetings with Secretary-General Guterres multiple times, and I want to reiterate that he has expressed strong support for Japan. From my side, I once again raised the matter of the urgency of Security Council reform, which I mentioned earlier. That is a point on which Secretary-General Guterres and I see eye to eye, and we affirmed we will continue to work in cooperation regarding the reform of the United Nations. I also requested that the employment of Japanese personnel be maintained or increased.
I also had the opportunity to speak with President Trump and the First Lady. A number of things crossed my mind during our conversation. President Trump and I both feel keenly and also confirmed that we are seeing steady, forward-looking progress that furthers the interests of both Japan and the United States. The Japan-U.S. alliance will continue to have absolutely unwavering importance in the future, and I conveyed that conviction to President Trump. Yesterday, I met with the Crown Prince of Kuwait. Today, after this press conference concludes, I am scheduled to exchange views with the leaders of Finland and the Netherlands before I depart the U.S. I have already met with both of these leaders in Tokyo. Building on those discussions, I expect that today we will again engage in candid talks on the current international situation, including Russia's aggression against Ukraine, the situation in Palestine, and a Free and Open Indo-Pacific.
I would also like to add that during this visit I attended an event promoting Japanese food exports here in the United States, the largest export market for Japan's agricultural, forestry, and fishery products. Japan is currently undergoing a major shift in agricultural policy, centered on increasing rice production. But it is meaningless simply to say that we will increase production. The key issue will be how to handle the increased amount of rice produced in the context of our population continuing to decline and age.
It is said that there are roughly 70,000 hamburger shops around the globe, whereas onigiri shops number about 1,400 worldwide. Now there may be some debate over whether we should even be comparing hamburger shops and onigiri shops, but for discussion's sake, if the number of onigiri shops in operation got to even one-tenth the number of hamburger places, it would mean we could have people all around the world eating tasty Japanese rice. Simply increasing production will not take us to where we want to go. The real issue lies in what to do with the increased amount we produce. In light of that, I feel that yesterday's event was highly meaningful. I sent out a strong message that what is important is further promoting Japan's exports to growing overseas markets.
Last night, the reception hosted by President Trump and the First Lady was an opportunity for me to reconnect with a number of people I had not seen for a while. I had the chance to talk with Treasury Secretary Bessent and Commerce Secretary Lutnick, among others. I am truly fortunate to have had the opportunity to speak with so many heads of state and government. I spoke with many people last night, and over this past year I also took advantage of such opportunities as TICAD and Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan. I spoke with a total of close to 90 national leaders and heads of international organizations, and on those occasions, I often felt keenly that the world truly needs Japan, and Japan must make further efforts accordingly. How Japan will respond to the world's expectations relies entirely upon Japan's own efforts.
Security Council reform must be implemented as soon as possible. We must work to bring about a world without nuclear war and a world without nuclear weapons. We must create a world that can overcome global challenges together. And we need solidary, not division; tolerance, not confrontation. I emphasized these points strongly at the end. Maintaining this stance going forward, Japan, working together with the international community, is fully determined to remain at the very forefront of the international community's various initiatives. Having now spoken at some length, I will end my opening statement here. Thank you very much.