Japan PM demands U.N. reforms following Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Sept. 20 (UPI) -- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called for reforms at the United Nations during his speech Tuesday after blasting the U.N. Security Council for failing to respond to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"The foundation of the international order is violently shaken right now," Kishida said in his speech to world leaders at the 77th session of the U.N. General Assembly.

"We must face the reality that the integrity of the United Nations is at risk because of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, which is a U.N. Security Council member," Kishida said. "What we need is action toward reforms, not just talk."

Kishida called on member countries to "reform the United Nations including the Security Council to return to the vision and principles of the U.N. Charter," in addition to promoting the "rule of law in the international community."

"We stand at a historic, watershed moment. Seventy-seven years have passed since the establishment of the United Nations yet we are still witnessing the devastation in Ukraine and around the world," Kishida said. "What would the founders of the United Nations, who were determined to not repeat the scourge of the world wars, think if they saw the challenges to the international order that we are facing?"

"We see today the United Nations' foundations being gravely shaken. Russia's aggression against Ukraine is an act that tramples on the principles and vision of the U.N. Charter," Kishida warned. "All countries must be under the rule of law, not the rule of force which we absolutely cannot allow."

"We must face the fact that the credibility of the United Nations is at stake due to the aggression against Ukraine by Russia, a permanent member of the Security Council," Kishida said. "We, the member states of the U.N., must act to restore this organization's credibility."

Besides reforming the U.N., Kishida pledged Japan will work to rid the world of nuclear weapons.

"As a prime minister from Hiroshima, I am immensely dedicated to the realization of a world without nuclear weapons," Kishida said. "As the only nation to ever have suffered atomic bombings during war, Japan has a unique historic role and we renew our resolve to realize a world without nuclear weapons."

In closing, Kishida promised to help restore "human security" to the world because "people deserve to enjoy a high quality life free from anxiety and fear."

"In addition to global pandemics, the use of force and coercion against other countries, food and energy insecurity, inflation and climate change are all interconnected and threaten the safety of people now more than ever," he said.