But Japan's contributions are far from being only financial. Japan is strongly committed to multilateralism and has made the United Nations a central pillar of its foreign policy. In particular, it has organized two remarkable meetings on African development, and has been the driving force behind a very fruitful African-Asian dialogue. Japan eagerly shares its technical expertise with the developing world. Japan strongly supports the establishment of the International Criminal Court.
Japan promotes democratization and debt relief.
And, of course, Japan's is a key voice in the cause of nuclear non-proliferation and global disarmament. Japan rightly views all of this activity as part of a single, integrated effort to ensure human security in the broadest sense. Moreover, security, like peace, must be fought for, protected and defended. Prime Minister Obuchi himself has shown an extraordinary commitment to the idea, and has established a Human Security Fund. For all these reasons, there is a widespread sense in the international community that Japan would be a worthy permanent member of a reformed United Nations Security Council.