While trying to push their country into the United Nations (UN) Security Council, Tokyo's decision-makers have not been aware that their biggest obstacle may be in Japan rather than other countries. 

On Tuesday, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said he will try to get a permanent seat for Japan on the Security Council under the framework of the country's current pacifist constitution.

Koizumi is scheduled to give a speech at the UN General Assembly next month to formulate Japan's precise viewpoints on the initiative.

"I would like to mention the Japanese idea that there could be permanent Security Council members other than the current five, and that Japan could be one of them," he said.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda also expressed identical views on the same day.

Japan's pacifist constitution, the foundation for the country's postwar political structure, clearly stipulates that Tokyo only has power for a Japan-based, limited self-defense force and cannot develop an army.

More specifically, Article 9 states that Japan renounces the use of force as a means to settle international disputes.

UN Security Council membership means that member nations shoulder responsibility for maintaining world peace and security, even by force, if necessary.

How is Japan eligible for such a role under its existing constitutional framework?

In fact, Japan has several times broken its peaceful constitution, such as in the passage of the "three bills on emergency" and its dispatch of Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to Iraq, causing serious concerns both at home and abroad.

On different occasions, Japanese high-level officials expressed the position that the country contributing the second largest amount in fees to the United Nations means it deserves a permanent seat on the world body's Security Council.

It is understandable that Japan wants to parallel its political status internationally with its economic strength -- second in the world after the United States.

But how could Japan solve the contradictions between its responsibilities and its pacifist constitution?

That the Japanese government has put constitutional revision on its agenda is no secret.

Does this mean Japan will rewrite its constitution after it joins the UN Security Council?

(China Daily August 27, 2004)