"Japan's Quest for a Permanent Seat on the United Nations Security Council Japan 2012"

Within the framework of the United Nations (UN), particularly with respect to an UN Security Council reform, Japan, one of the main financiers of the UN, is often considered of major importance and a candidate for future permanent membership of the Security Council. Japan, together with Germany, Brazil and India, is part of the G4 initiative. However, the UN receives scant attention in Japanese foreign policy. The author, a former Principal Officer of the UN, critically analyzes Japanese policy towards the United Nations and the possibility of Japan becoming a permanent member of the Security Council.