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On March 16, DPJ President Katsuya Okada met with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon at party headquarters. Following the meeting, Okada gave a summary of the meeting to reporters.
Okada explained that after he had welcomed the Secretary General, Ban had expressed pleasure at being able to meet with him again, and the two had gone on to discuss the significance and results of the 3rd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, being held in Sendai Japan that month, the new post-2015 development agenda which will succeed the MDGs, and climate change.
Okada said, “In a sense, the DPJ places more emphasis on the United Nations than the ruling parties. He touched on proposed reforms to the UN Security Council, and efforts he had spearheaded when serving as Japan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, stating, “This is a landmark year, the 70th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. Security Council reform is extremely important, and I would like to ask for your cooperation in this matter.” Ban also agreed that Security Council reforms are important.
The Secretary General expressed his gratitude for Japan’s cooperation with UN peace-keeping operations in South Sudan. Okada responded, “At the time of the DPJ administration we made the decision to participate in two peace-keeping operations in Haiti and South Sudan. This is a great honor for us.”
Okada also commented, “The Ukraine has become an extremely significant issue, and has engendered a stand-off between Russia and the other permanent members which seems to have cast a damper on debate in the Security Council.” Ban responded that the Security Council was divided on a variety of fronts with regard to both the Ukraine and to Syria, and they were left with a situation where it was difficult to produce new resolutions or decisions.
Okada also referred to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty review conference scheduled for this year, and exchanged views with Ban regarding the prospects for the Conference on the establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all other WMDs. Okada said he was “concerned” about the success of the Conference and the efforts being made by the Japanese government regarding this issue.
The meeting was also attended by Acting President Renho, Policy Research Committee Chair Goshi Hosono, International Department Director-General Yukihisa Fujita and Executive Office Director-General Yosuke Kondo for the DPJ.
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