TOKYO, March 22 (UPI) -- Japan has welcomed U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's proposed reforms of the world body, especially on development aid and an expanded Security Council.
The Japanese ambassador to the United Nations, Kenzo Oshima, said his country approved of an expanded Security Council and wanted to see it reformed to reflect the 21st century political realities, the BBC reported Tuesday.
In a statement issued Monday, Minister for Foreign Affairs Nobutaka Machimura said that Japan, which has been shouldering nearly one-fifth of worldwide development aid over the last 10 years, welcomed the report's wide-ranging examination of development issues, including an increase in development aid to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
The Japanese government announced Friday it would offer $18.8 million in food aid, through the World Food Program, to nine African nations to assist refugees, internally-displaced persons and victims of natural disasters and poverty.
