TOKYO—Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called on the United Nations to remove from its charter references to defeated World War II nations as “enemy states,” a term recently weaponized by China and Russia to put pressure on Tokyo over its plans to ramp up spending on defense .
Her request, in a speech Tuesday to the United Nations General Assembly, followed a brief summit with President Trump on the sidelines of the U.N. gathering ahead of Trump hosting Chinese leader Xi Jinping for a state visit in Washington.
General Assembly resolved to remove the enemy state clauses but has never been acted on, as changing the charter requires the approval of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, which include China and Russia. A 2005 resolution by the U.N. “In the 70 years since we became a U.N.
In addition to U.S.-Japan relations, Takaichi and Trump discussed economic security, according to Japanese officials, a term that encompasses 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. Tokyo has been the target of sustained pressure from Beijing for months, after Takaichi said late last year that Japan could get involved in any conflict over Taiwan, a self-ruled island democracy that Beijing says is part of China and has vowed to take by force, if necessary. In her maiden speech at the U.N., Takaichi said the charter was drafted 81 years ago and the clauses “must be deleted,” given Japan’s contributions to the U.N. over the past seven decades. 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.
