310.2/10–1352
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Director of the Office of Northeast Asian Affairs (Young)1
- Subject:
- Possible Arrangements for Non-Voting Participation by Japan in the General Assembly
- Participants:
- Minister Shinichi Kamimura, Embassy of Japan
- Mr. Kenneth T. Young, NA
- Mr. Franklin Hawley, NA
Mr. Kamimura called by appointment at 12:30 p.m., October 7, 1952, to discuss further the possibilities of Japan’s entry into the UN on a non-member or non-voting basis. (Mr. Young was guided in his remarks by the memorandum from UNP, Mr. Wainhouse to UNA, Mr. Hickerson entitled Japan’s Interest in Possible Arrangements for Non-Member Participation in the General Assembly, dated October 3, 1952, and kept his discussions of the subject to very general terms.)
In opening the conversation Mr. Young referred to the six specific questions handed in by Mr. Kamimura on September 2, 1952,2 and stated that in general the question of Japan’s non-voting participation in the UN was difficult because there were legal as well as political factors involved. On the legal side, for example, there were questions of procedure while during the course of its existence the UN had built up a body of traditional practices which were also difficult to assess in terms of consideration of a possible Japanese request for the admission by Japan into the GA on a non-voting basis; resolution of such considerations as had been raised by Mr. Kamimura would be dependent also on the views of all the other Delegations, of experts, and also of the UN Secretariat. As Japan’s possible non-member participation had not been discussed outside the Department, all these elements made it [Page 863] difficult to give definitive answers, and the Department was still unable to give any final position. Mr. Young stated that he hoped that the present conversation would be kept confidential and that no publicity would be given to it in Tokyo. Mr. Kamimura stated that he would respect the confidence of the conversation and indicated his regret that the Foreign Office had been indiscreet in allowing a leak with respect to their preliminary conversation, as a result of which Tokyo newspapers had reported that the United States had suggested to Japan the possibilities of Japan’s non-member admission into the UN.
With regard to Mr. Kamimura’s first question which related to the UN Charter, Mr. Young stated that the answer to this depended in the final analysis on the collective judgment of the members of the GA. He said that the Charter is vague on the point raised and that about all that could be said was that the Charter included no specific prohibition. Various countries had been permitted Ad Hoc participation upon particular issues, on a temporary basis. Much would depend upon how the members felt with respect to the scope of the participation which Japan was considering. Mr. Kamimura asked regarding the procedures under which Japan’s non-voting membership application would be introduced. Mr. Young stated his belief that considerable preparation would be necessary and suggested that the Japanese might be able to do much along these lines for themselves.
With respect to Japanese participation in ECOSOC and the Trusteeship Council, Mr. Young said that in his opinion the action of the GA in approving or in disapproving Japan’s non-voting participation would not necessarily determine the position of these two Councils and that each Council would probably determine this for itself. Conversation of a general nature ensued with respect to the participation of Japan and the extent or degree of such participation in ECOSOC or the Trusteeship Council and regarding Italy’s position on the Trusteeship Council.
Regarding the obligations which Japan might incur through the type of membership contemplated, about all that could be said, Mr. Young stated, was that this would depend to a considerable degree on the answer to the first question, i.e., the scope of participation agreed upon by the GA in its consideration of Japan’s non-member admission. Mr. Young went on to say that the Treaty of Peace with Japan (Article 5) provides that Japan accept the obligations of Article 2 of the Charter of the UN while Article 35 of the UN Charter presents other factors which Japan should consider. Going on to mention the fourth Japanese question, Mr. Young stated that the submittal of reports, resolutions, etc., would likewise depend on the answer to the first question and therefore require more study. The nature of the answer to the first question would also apply to Mr. Kamimura’s fifth question with [Page 864] regard to the financial contribution which Japan might be asked to make to the UN.
Mr. Kamimura suggested that as it was apparent that considerable information remained to be developed, it might be best for the Japanese Government to clarify its own thinking and determine first for itself the position that Japan wished to take or the function it expected to be able to perform within the scope of a non-voting participation in the UN. Mr. Young observed that it had not yet been established that it would be wise for Japan to request participation as a non-voting member, and that Japan’s application for admission might again be expected to come up before the Security Council. Mr. Kamimura stated that it was most doubtful that Russia would allow Japan’s entry as a regular member, although some faint possibility still remained under Ambassador Austin’s idea of liberalizing present admission procedures. He went on to say that the admission of Japan as a non-voting member might provoke the Soviets to walk out of the UN, while any question of the revision of the Charter would doubtless be vetoed by the USSR in the Security Council.