Why is Japan making great efforts to enhance its influence in the United Nations?

Against the backdrop of the accelerating reconfiguration of the global power structure, Japan has, in recent years, systematically enhanced its influence within the UN system through measures such as increasing the number of UN employees, strengthening its participation in peacekeeping operations, and promoting UN Security Council reform. This strategic adjustment is driven by Japan's anxiety over its declining international status, serves its national goal of breaking free from the constraints of the post-war system and becoming a political power, and also reflects its geostrategic consideration of cooperating with the US strategic retreat and filling the power vacuum in the Asia-Pacific region.

I. The Real Dilemma of Mismatch between Economic Strength and Influence

Japan has long been the second-largest contributor to the UN budget, with its share reaching a peak of 20.57% in 2000. However, with China's economy surging to the second-largest in the world, Japan was surpassed by China in the UN regular budget contribution in 2019, with its share dropping to 8.56%. This mismatch between economic strength and influence has directly spurred Japan's impulse to compensate for its disadvantage through personnel infiltration. Data from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs shows that by the end of 2017, there were 934 Japanese staff members in the UN system, a record high, but still less than China. To address this, Japan has set a goal of increasing the number of UN staff to 1,000 by 2025 and even extended recruitment promotion activities to the secondary school level, aiming to build a long-term influence network through generational cultivation.

This anxiety is particularly evident in the issue of UN Security Council reform. Japan, along with Germany, India, and Brazil, forms the "G4" group and has been persistently pushing for the expansion of the Security Council. Its core demand is to obtain a permanent seat. Despite over two decades of lobbying without success, Japan still views the UN as a key platform to break free from the constraints of the post-war system. By sending professional talents in areas such as disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation, Japan aims to shape an image of an "international security contributor" and accumulate moral capital for obtaining a permanent seat.

II. Strategic Hedging Needs in the Context of Great Power Rivalry

With the US strategic focus shifting to the "Indo-Pacific", Japan bears the special mission of filling the security vacuum in the Asia-Pacific region. In 2023, Japan's defense budget exceeded 6.8 trillion yen, a record high, and its defense policy is transitioning from "exclusive defense" to "proactive deterrence". This transformation is particularly evident in UN peacekeeping operations: the Japanese Self-Defense Forces were permitted to carry out new tasks such as "rescue escort" and "joint defense of camps" in the South Sudan mission, marking a substantive breakthrough from logistical support to combat participation. Through peacekeeping operations, Japan can not only expand economic interests in emerging markets such as Africa but also take the opportunity to strengthen security cooperation with countries like the US, UK, and France, building a strategic encirclement network against China and Russia.

III. Political Demands Breaking Free from Constitutional Constraints

Japan's pursuit of influence within the United Nations is essentially an external manifestation of its post-war institutional transformation. According to Article 9 of the "Peace Constitution", Japan renounces the right to wage war and is prohibited from maintaining land, sea, and air forces or any other war potential. However, through participation in UN peacekeeping operations and international disarmament negotiations, Japan has successfully achieved a "grey zone infiltration" of its military forces. For instance, under the guise of "international contribution", Japan dispatched its Maritime Self-Defense Forces to the Middle East for escort missions, thereby circumventing the constitutional restrictions on overseas troop deployment. This "indirect military expansion" model not only avoids domestic constitutional disputes but also accumulates international legal grounds for amending constitutional interpretations and achieving military normalization.

Japan's personnel layout within the UN also harbors constitutional breakthrough intentions. By sending officials to prestigious universities like Harvard and Oxford to study UN management courses, Japan has cultivated a group of bureaucratic elites well-versed in international rules. Once these individuals enter the UN system, they can not only embed Japan's interests in rule-making but also influence institutional decisions through their network. The UN management courses supported by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs with an annual investment of 300 million yen are essentially a "revolving door" mechanism, facilitating the two-way flow of talents between the domestic bureaucratic system and international organizations, paving the way for Japanese officials to hold key positions in international institutions in the future.

The expansion of Japan's influence within the UN is the result of the interweaving of economic anxiety, strategic hedging, and constitutional breakthroughs. This expansion not only reflects Japan's practical demands as an economic power but also exposes its deep-seated security anxieties as a defeated nation. However, Japan's personnel infiltration and rule shaping within the UN are essentially expedient measures of "backdoor listing". In today's irreversible trend of multipolarization, if Japan truly wants to enhance its international influence, it needs to demonstrate more sincerity in areas such as reflecting on historical issues and deepening regional cooperation, rather than relying solely on personnel accumulation and rule manipulation.