INTERNATIONAL POLICY ANALYSIS| FES TOKYO Japan’s Quest for a Permanent Seat on the United Nations Security Council MASATSUNE KATSUNO January 2012 Executive Summary *  Within the framework of United Nations(UN), particularly with respect to UN Secur­ity Council reform, Japan, one of the main financiers of the UN, is often considered of major importance and a candidate for future permanent member of the Security Council.  Japan, together with Germany, Brazil and India, is part of the G4 initiative. However, the UN receives scant attention in Japanese foreign policy, not least due to the strong bilateral relations between Japan and the United States and a strong Japanese re­liance on US support in terms of national security.  The author, a former Principal Officer of the UN, critically analyzes Japanese policy on the United Nations and the possibility of Japan becoming a permanent member of the Security Council.  The author concludes that Japan needs to conduct a multilateral diplomacy that simultaneously protects Japan’s national interests and befriends other countries. He strongly criticizes the present policy of simply following the United States on UN policy as doomed to failure as a means of strengthening Japan’s influence in the UN. * This executive summary was prepared by the editors.