Japan's Prime Minister, speaking at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), urged the UN to eliminate the "enemy state" clauses from the UN Charter. Japan says the provisions no longer reflect present realities, and the General Assembly itself has called them obsolete.
The UN Charter was drafted towards the end of World War II and came into force in October 1945. The victorious Allied Powers, including the US, UK, Soviet Union and China, built in mechanisms to prevent militarism or fascism from reviving in the defeated Axis Powers, mainly Japan, Germany, Italy and their allies. The enemy state clauses are an exception to Article 2(4), which generally prohibits the threat or use of force against states.
The term "enemy state" appears in three articles.
Japan joined the UN in 1956, after post-war reconstruction and reconciliation with the international community. The General Assembly described the clauses as "obsolete" in a 1995 resolution and adopted a resolution supporting their deletion in 2005.
The clauses still carry diplomatic weight. China and Russia are invoking them to criticise Japan's increased defence spending and to invalidate Japan's territorial claims over the southern Kuril Islands.
An amendment needs adoption by a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly and ratification by two-thirds of UN member states, including all the UN Security Council permanent members, each of which holds a veto. These members are hesitant to open the Charter for revision, because doing so could trigger wider demands for structural reform of the UNSC and an expansion of its membership. Japan strongly advocates such reform.
India is a member of the G4 with Japan, Germany and Brazil, and has long called for UN reform that reflects 21st-century geopolitical realities. The G4 supports a more representative, legitimate and effective multilateral system.
With reference to the 'enemy state' clauses of the UN Charter, consider the following statements:
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Consider the following pairs:
Provision of the UN Charter : Subject
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
Consider the following statements:
Statement-I: Deleting the 'enemy state' clauses from the UN Charter has stalled despite General Assembly resolutions supporting it.
Statement-II: An amendment needs ratification by two-thirds of member states, including all the permanent members of the UN Security Council, and these members are hesitant to open the Charter because it could trigger wider demands for UNSC reform and expansion.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
