Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivered a historic address at the United Nations, questioning whether the UN still fulfills its founding mission of safeguarding international peace and security.

He emphasized:
• The Security Council’s dysfunction, especially its failure to prevent Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which undermines the very foundation of global order.
• The urgent need for UN reform, including Security Council expansion with a proposal from the G4 nations to freeze new veto powers for 15 years.
• Japan’s unwavering commitment to peace in the Middle East, strongly condemning the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and reaffirming support for a two-state solution.
• The call for a world free of nuclear weapons, stressing Japan’s unique role as the only country to have suffered atomic bombings, while urging practical progress through the NPT framework.
• A reaffirmation of human dignity and democracy, standing against authoritarianism, extremism, and intolerance, while fostering tolerance, dialogue, and cooperation.

PM Ishiba reminded the world that Hiroshima must remain the first and Nagasaki the last cities ever to suffer nuclear attacks. He urged global leaders and future generations to visit the atomic-bombed cities and see the truth with their own eyes.

Japan, he declared, will continue to stand at the forefront of efforts to achieve UN reform, global cooperation, and a lasting peace.

This is the collective will of the Japanese people.

石破茂首相は、国連の存在意義を問い直し、今なお機能不全に陥る安全保障理事会の改革を訴えました。

主な要点は次の通りです。
• 安保理改革の緊急性：ロシアによるウクライナ侵略を阻止できなかった現実を踏まえ、常任理事国・非常任理事国の拡大と拒否権制限の必要性を強調。
• 中東和平への関与：ガザの人道危機を強く非難し、二国家解決の実現に向けて日本が積極的役割を果たす決意を表明。
• 核兵器廃絶への道：唯一の被爆国として「長崎を最後の被爆地に」と訴え、NPT体制の下で核兵器なき世界を目指す姿勢を明確化。
• 人間の安全保障と民主主義：人権尊重、健全な民主主義、寛容の精神を基盤に国際社会の分断を乗り越える必要性を強調。

石破首相は「日本は世界から必要とされる国であり続ける」と述べ、国際社会と共に恒久平和と繁栄を築いていく決意を示しました。

これは日本国民の総意です。