INTERVIEW: Japan Ambassador Views U.N. Funding Woes as Reform Chance

New York, Feb. 21 (Jiji Press)--The United Nations' current serious financial difficulties, caused in part by the United States' failure to make some contribution payments, also present a good opportunity for U.N. reform, Kazuyuki Yamazaki, Japan's ambassador to the world body, has said in a recent interview with Jiji Press.

"Unless we engage in reform with a sense of crisis, we won't be able to promote streamlining," Yamazaki said. "Japan wants to play a constructive role in creating an efficient and effective United Nations."

In the wake of its worsening financial condition, the United Nations has scaled down its regular budget for 2026 by about 10 pct from the previous year.

Yamazaki suggested that the United States has stopped some payments to the United Nations due to its strong concerns that U.N. operations have expanded too much.

Washington's previous huge payments to the international organization, including voluntary contributions, "should not be taken for granted, and it is unreasonable to ask any single country" to bear so much financial burden, he added.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]