Japan has welcomed UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's resolve for the world body to adopt sweeping reforms but insisted that an expansion of the Security Council bring new permanent members such as Tokyo.
Annan, presenting a report Monday to the General Assembly, pressed world leaders to agree on wide-ranging changes, including rules on when nations could go to war, when they meet in September to mark the UN's 60th anniversary.
The UN chief called for an expansion of the Security Council but left open two options: one to create six new permanent members and the second to add a third tier of semi-permanent members.
"Japan, along with many countries, has insisted that it is important to realize reform of the Security Council in line with Model A, which is based on the idea of expanding both the permanent and non-permanent categories," Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura said in a statement Monday.
"As the report of the secretary general gives momentum toward the realization of the reform in line with Japan's position, the government of Japan welcomes and supports the report," Machimura said.
"Japan is resolved to further strengthen its efforts to realize reform of the United Nations and its Security Council toward the summit in September," he said.
Japan is in a joint bid with Brazil, Germany and India for permanent seats on the Security Council, where five nations -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- currently have veto power in a set up dating from the aftermath of World War II.