China and Russia have invoked the clauses to criticize Japan’s defense buildup
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday that the clauses “must be deleted,” noting that the charter was drafted 81 years ago and that Japan has contributed to the United Nations as a peace-loving nation under its exclusively defense-oriented policy over the past seven decades.
“In the 70 years since we became a U.N. Member State, Japan has consistently contributed to the peace and prosperity of the international community as a peace-loving nation, under its exclusively defense-oriented policy,” Takaichi said, according to her speech text.
The “enemy state” clauses were drafted in the aftermath of World War II and refer to defeated Germany and Japan. A 2005 resolution by the U.N. General Assembly resolved to remove the provisions, but it has never been acted on. Amending the charter requires the approval of the five permanent members of the Security Council, including China and Russia, the two countries that have invoked the clauses against Japan in recent months.
China has claimed the clauses permit countries to take military action against Japan without seeking U.N. authorization. Russia has argued the clauses invalidate Japan’s territorial claims to the disputed southern Kuril Islands.
The pressure on Tokyo intensified after Takaichi said late last year that Japan could get involved in any conflict over Taiwan, a self-ruled island democracy that Beijing claims as its territory and has vowed to take by force if necessary. China has throttled Japanese firms’ access to rare-earth magnets essential for manufacturing and curtailed the number of tourist flights headed to Japan from China. The economic pressure has been matched by increasing forays by Chinese aircraft and warships close to Japan, and a stream of diplomatic invective invoking Japan’s wartime past. Russia has similarly stepped up military drills near Japan and joined China in exhuming the specter of Japan’s wartime militarism to criticize its current defense buildup.
Takaichi met briefly with Trump on the gathering’s sidelines, ahead of Trump’s hosting of Chinese leader Xi Jinping for a two-day state visit in Washington beginning Wednesday. According to Japanese officials, the two leaders discussed U.S.-Japan relations and economic security — a term covering efforts to reduce the two countries’ reliance on Chinese supply chains as Beijing increasingly exploits its control of critical minerals in pursuit of political goals.
Trump has raised doubts in Asian capitals about the strength of U.S. security commitments in the region, scolding allies for not spending more on defense and redeploying U.S. troops and munitions to the Middle East to fight Iran. Officials have expressed concern that Trump could be tempted to soften U.S. commitments in exchange for a trade bargain with Xi. U.S. officials have said American alliances in Asia are ironclad while calling on allies to take on a larger role in regional security.