Editorial Roundup

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Excerpts of editorials from newspapers around the world:

Daily Yomiuri

Japan's U.N. role

TOKYO -- Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi intends to reiterate Japan's determination to gain a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council when he addresses a meeting of the U.N. General Assembly at the end of this month.

But questions can be raised over the prime minister's attitude on this issue. He recently said: "The P5 [five permanent U.N. Security Council members] are all nuclear powers. These nations are all ready to engage in combat overseas if an international dispute arises."

He has also said: "Japan can't always do what the P5 does. I'll tell [the United Nations] that Japan wants to be heard as a country that will act differently from the P5."

For years, the prime minister has maintained a passive stance on Japan's bid to become a permanent Security Council member, citing restrictions the [Japanese] Constitution's Article 9 imposes on this country with respect to its conduct overseas. Mr. Koizumi's latest statement apparently reflects his adherence to these restrictions.

Japan's desire to become a permanent Security Council member does not mean that this nation must possess nuclear weapons if it eventually joins the ... [council]. The P5's readiness to participate in combat overseas if an international conflict erupts constitutes an important obligation to be fulfilled by these nations. ... Sending Self-Defense Force troops overseas to create and maintain peace under a Security Council resolution does not mean waging war or using force.

Morning Herald