Koizumi to push for Security Council seat

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TOKYO, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will head for Brazil and Mexico Monday to seek support for a permanent seat for Japan on the U.N. Security Council.

He will arrive in New York on Sept. 18, where the U.N. General Assembly will be in session. Koizumi expects to meet with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Sept. 20 and with U.S. President George W. Bush on Sept. 21, the Asahi Shimbun reported Thursday.

He also hope to attend an unprecedented four-nation meeting with Brazilian President Lula da Silva, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and German Vice Chancellor Joschka Fischer. All four nations hope to attain seats on the U.N. Security Council.

On Sep. 21 Koizumi is scheduled to meet with former Thai Prime Minister Anand Panyarachun, who heads a panel on U.N. reforms.

Koizumi has decided to seek the U.N. seat without introducing changes in Japan's pacifist Constitution. He told reporters Tuesday, "It would be better to get a say as a permanent council member in order to reflect in the international community Japan's own ideas that are different from other countries," the Asahi Shimbun reported.