A/11/PV.623 General Assembly

I need scarcely say that the admission of Japan to membership of the United Nations will be a source of deep satisfaction to us all; indeed, it is sometPing to which we have looked forward with anticipation-in the knowledge that the positive action of the Assembly would certainly result in a further enhancement of the United Nations by the inclusion of an influential and highly respected State among its Members. 2. I amplea,sed to draw your attention to the letter I have received from the President of the SecurityCouncli transmitting the resolution unanimously.adopted by the Council recommending that Japan be admitted to membership of the United Nations [A/3447]. 3. lam also pleased to place before the Assembly a draft resolution on this question sponsored by fifty-one Members, namely, Afghanistan, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Canada, Ceylon, China, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Fgypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, France, Haiti, Iceland, India, Indonesia, . Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Luxembourg, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Philip-: pines, Poland, Saudi Arabia,. Spain, Sudan,. Syria, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Sweden~ Syria, Thailand" Tunisia, Turkey, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America, Uruguay, Venezuela, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Albania, Arg~ ',dna, Australia, Austria, Be1gium~ Bolivia, Bul- garia, Burma, Brazil, Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Cambodia, Canada, Ceylon, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czeohoslovakia,.Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland. Against: N~ne. The draft resolution was adopted unanimously. The delegation of Jaf'an was escorted to' its place ;.", the General Assembly hall. 5. The PRESIDENT: It is with particular pleasure that I welcome the representative of a great Asian nation, Japan; who will now share our common efforts in promoting world peace and fundamental human rights, justice and the economic·and social advancement of all peoples. Japan and the Japanese people are well qualifies! by their national strength to make a great contribution to the work of the United Natiol~s. They have developed their ancient culture into the modern ' civilization of an industrial Power, and they are thus in a position to play an important part in promoting social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom, and in furthering the maintenance of interna- tional peace ana securibJ. 6. From my own experience,. I know that the delib- erations of the General Assembly will gain by the participation of the representative of Japan, who will give' us the benefit of his wise 'counsel and states- manship. lam sure I am expressing the unanimous sentiment of all my fellow representatives when I 'offer 0l1r sincere congratulations and good wishes to him and to his country. 7. I shall now call on ,the Vice-Presidents of the eleventh session. ' 8. Mr. TSIANG (Ohina): The admission of Japan make3 this day a happy one for the United Nations. It is, I am sure, also a day of.rejoicing in Japan. 14. Japan should have been admitted a year ago, on 14 December 1955, when, after unremitting' efforts over a long period of time, all members of the Security Council, permanent and non-permanent, at last ageeed to facilitate the admission ofa large number of States whose applications had not previously been approved by the Council, either because they had not received the requisite number of votes, or on account of the persistent opposition of one of the permanent members, expressed through the immoderate use of the anti- democratic privilege of the veto, whioh had unfor- tunately been proposed and accepted at the Yalta Conference, then reaffirmed in the Dumbarton Oaks proposals and later e:ildorsed at ,the San Francisco Conference when the voting procedure of the Security Council was jaid down in. the Charter. 15. Owing to political interests which are no secret, Japan had to continue to wait for an invitation to enter this Organization as a Member, while sixteen other States were admitted in the last few days of the tenth session of the General Assembly. 16. With the admission of Japan, which has at last become a fact this morning through .the impressive .unanimous vote of the Members of this Assembly, and the admission of Morocco, TU1;1isia, and the Sudan,. whichtook place barely a month ago, and that of sixteen States in December 1955, the number of Members of the United Nations has risen to eighty, which means 29. With the admission of Japan as a Member or the United Nations, we are beginning a new period for that country, which, on the fateful and unfortunate day of 27 May 1933, left the comity of nations by its withdrawal from the League of ,Nations. This is a signal, therefore, for a more united world, a world in, which a great country of Asia, in the space of less than half a century, has emerged from an earlier civilization into all the equipment of modernity, with great indus- tries, and developed its economic life and made itself a great Power. Asia looks to Japan for its contribution to its own territorial neighbourhood as well as to the whole world in the technical, economic and other fields. 30. The countries of A.sia and Africa were particularly glad t,? we~comt:; '.1e Japanese delegation at Bandung tn IndoneSIa last year, where that delegation played an important part. 31. We were unanimous in expressing OUT' sympathy and our feelings in regard to the atomic bombing of Japan during the war, the only country that suffered from ,. this particular form of war punishment. Our sympathies also go out to the Japanese people, who today are more exposed than any other people in the world to the effects of atomic radiation in their neighbourhood. 32. The Government of India will use its best en- deavours to co-operate with the Japanese delegation in the General Assembly and in the work of the United Nations. We have no doubt that, whether in its bilateral relations or in our multilateral relations, as in the Colombo Plan or in the various, technical and other operations in which Member States of the United ~rtifici!111y raised by certain Western Powers and will become a truly universal organization. 47. The Soviet delegation welcomes the Ja.panese representatives who. are present .and hopes that the United Nations will receive fhe support of Japan in its efforts to maintain peace. 48. Sir Pierson PIXON (United Kingdom) : It is a great pleasure for me to join in welcoming theemi~ent FClreign .•M:nisterof Japan and the distinguished dele- e:ation which· accompanies hitnJ.as they take their seats here.among us today. 49. Justice has at .last been done to theGQvf;..:""met1.t and people of JapanJand it is a privilege for us 1.0 be here. to· wifuess •.tIns event. It will give great pleasure to my Government and the British people to know that Japan has taken its.rightful place in.this Organization. be~t .solution to our population problem is to be found in internal economic development and in the promotion of foreign trade through increas~d produ~tion. Hence we are extremely sensitive to obstructions to inter- national trade. 78. Japa1i, therefore, welcomes any efforts of the United Nations to promote the freer flow of people and goods. acro'""> national boundaries as an ,effective policy of peace. In this respect, all of us would be building a firm basis for peace and justice by develop- ing the unexploited resources of the world and making life 1I!ore abundant for .peoples everywhere. 79~ Japan is a country that has a world-wide interest in trade and commerce. At the same time, it is a country with the history and traditions' of an Asian nation. Herein is to be found the reason for our participation in the Asian-African Conference at Bandung last year. We whole-heartedly support the ten principles of peace adopted by that Conference, which are .in complete accord with the spirit of the United Nations Charter. Peace is one and indivisible. Japan believes that the United Nations is the world's central driving force for peace. 80. The substance of Japan~s political, economic and cultural life is the product of the fusion within the last century of the civilizations of the Orient and the Occident; In a way, Japan may well be regarded as a bridge between the East and the West. It is fully conscious of the great responsibilities of such a position. REPORTS OF THE SIXTH COMMITTEE (Aj34Z7 AND CORR.l) AND THE FIFTH COMMITTEE (Aj3461) AGENDA IT.EM 18 Election of the members of the International Law , . Commission 84: The PRESIDENT: May :i: draw the attention of the representatives to two notes by the Secretary- General: one containing the list of candidates nominated by Member .States· for membership of the International Law Commission [Aj3155jRev.l] ; the other outlining the method of election of members of the Commission [Aj3459]. 8S. In accordance with rule' 94 of the rules of pro- cedure, the election will be held by secret ballot. 86, I recognize the representative of Paraguay on a p01ntof .order. 87. Mr. MONTERO DE VARGAS (Paraguay) (translated from Spanish) : On behalf of the de1egation~ of EI.Salvador and Uruguay, who do me much honour, and of my own .delegation, I request the President and the .represen~atives to the General Assembly to agree to the postponement of this item until tomorrow after- noon, because for weighty reasons we are not yet able to state our positions with respect to this election. I therefore hope that the President. will agree to my request, with the concurrence of the Assembly, and that tbis item will be postponed until tomorrow after- noon, 19 December. 88. Mr. QUIROGA GALDO (Bolivia) (translated from Spanish): The Bolivian delegation opposes the postponement of the election of the members of the International Law Commission which is scheduled for today. We consider that there are no reasons that could ;justify a postponement. All the repr.esentatives present here are ready ,to vote, and for at least a hlonth the Foreign Ministries of all the countries have been com- mitted to positions with which we are all famiIi~r; these