27 November 2024
Thank you, Madam President.
And I also thank the United Kingdom for convening this meeting and thank ASG Jenca for his informative briefing.
Madam President,
It has not been long since the Council members, at the meeting on 18 November, once again clearly condemned Russia’s aggression. Japan, represented by State Minister FUJII, emphasized our commitment to the UN Charter and our solidarity with Ukraine.
However, Russia ignored the repeated calls of the international community, and once again carried out a large-scale missile attack on Ukraine, which caused the casualties of innocent civilians. We must not look away from this new worsening situation.
Russia is continuously attacking Ukraine using weapons supplied by DPRK, violating the relevant Security Council resolutions. North Korea’s troops have been deployed to Russia and they are now engaged in combat against Ukraine. This constitutes a clear violation of international law, including the UN Charter.
We condemn in the strongest terms this unlawful, unjustified, and unacceptable military cooperation between Russia and DPRK, which only further exacerbates the tension in the region and beyond. We also reiterate our deep concern about military cooperation between Iran and Russia.
Moreover, the Security Council should not overlook Russia’s revision of its nuclear policy last week. Russia has repeatedly made remarks and taken actions indicating the use of nuclear weapons as its aggression. Japan, as the only country that has ever suffered atomic bombings during war, will never tolerate Russia’s nuclear threats, let alone its use of nuclear weapons.
Madam President,
The members of the Security Council should not seek peace in a way that ignores Ukraine’s sovereignty, nor should they demand equal de-escalation from both sides, which would only reward the aggressor. Nor should we confuse the defender with the aggressor.
There must be a just and lasting peace consistent with the UN Charter. This goal has been repeatedly affirmed by an overwhelming majority of the UN General Assembly, leaving no room for doubt. We would like to repeat what is worth repeating: Ukraine is not ‘waging a war of choice.’ Ukraine was forced to fight and is defending itself. It is Russia that launched an unprovoked war of aggression.
Madam President,
Attempts to change the status quo by force should never succeed. Allowing such actions would have worldwide repercussions, affecting everyone in the future.
The international community must act to stop the aggressor—not to seek a false peace or to reward the aggressor. This is not a matter of choosing sides between Ukraine or Russia. It is a question of either upholding or disregarding the UN Charter.
Japan once again strongly demands that Russia withdraw from Ukraine immediately and unconditionally. Japan continues to stand with Ukraine.
I thank you.