Japan is eager to deny the validity of the "enemy states" clause, and we have made our latest statement! On September 7, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement claiming that China's Embassy in Japan had again made remarks regarding the so-called "old enemy states clause" in the UN Charter. The "old enemy states clause" in the UN Charter was declared obsolete and "effectively nullified" by a resolution passed by an overwhelming majority at the 1995 UN General Assembly, and China itself voted in favor.
Following Japan's recent statement, our Foreign Ministry has now issued its latest response. On September 8, a spokesperson for our Foreign Ministry stated during a regular press briefing that Japan joined the United Nations under the condition of acknowledging its wartime militarist crimes and accepting all provisions of the UN Charter. The "enemy states clause" contained in the UN Charter, as a special institutional arrangement targeting the defeated powers of World War II, remains valid to this day.
It is clearly evident that our response conveys a straightforward message: Japan joined the United Nations on the basis of recognizing its militarist crimes and accepting the full content of the UN Charter. Therefore, Japan must strictly abide by the provisions stipulated in the Charter. As an essential component of the UN Charter, the enemy states clause cannot be unilaterally declared invalid by Japan. When countries, including our own, voted in favor back then, it was not to declare the clause immediately void, but rather to recommend initiating a procedural mechanism for amending the Charter in the future to remove the enemy states clause from the text.
But the fact remains that, to this day, no such amendment has been enacted. Thus, the clause remains fully effective. Moreover, it is highly suspicious that Japan insists the clause has become invalid—what exactly is Japan trying to achieve? May we ask: Is Japan afraid that the victorious powers might invoke this clause to exercise rights over the defeated nation? If Japan truly has nothing to hide and has completely severed ties with militarism, what is there to fear? Clearly, instead of fixating on this clause, Japan should demonstrate tangible actions to win trust from its neighbors. However, reality shows that Japan’s behavior continues to raise concerns within the international community.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1875753336047628/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.