In cooperation with the UN, Japan contributes to international peace and stability through exercising leadership in its areas of expertise, such as agenda-setting and rule-making for the international community. A case in point is human security. Japan has upheld human security as a guiding principle in international cooperation for the 21st century. This principle won the common understanding of the UN’s Member States in 2012, when the 66th Session of the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on human security under the leadership of Japan. The year 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the UN. Since its inception in 1945, the UN has nearly quadrupled
in membership, from 51 to 193 Member States, as the composition of the international community has changed substantially. The structure of the UN Security Council (UNSC), however, has remained virtually unchanged with the exception of its expansion to include ten non-permanent members in 1965. There is growing consensus in the international community that the Security Council must be urgently reformed into a body that better reflects the realities of the international community in the 21st century, in order to effectively address the recent surge of new challenges facing the world. In cooperation with many other countries, Japan will take the lead in promoting the reform of the UN, especially of the Security Council, so that it can better reflect these realities and provide a more effective way to cope with emerging challenges.