Japan Mishap Jolts US, Europe

The destruction of nuclear establishments after the recent earthquake in Japan has not only created problems for Japan but has also troubled several other countries having such establishments. It is said that nuclear energy is an unavoidable necessity. It provides maximum energy needs. That is why every country worth of it is floundering to have this facility. Today, nuclear reactors are spread across the world. Currently, there are around 441 working nuclear reactors across the world. This does not include many more under construction reactors. Until January 2010, there were 60 reactors under construction.

Security Reasons
There are 30 countries in which nuclear plants are working. There are over 100 plants that have been closed down for many reasons. In the United States, there are over 150 nuclear plants, half of which are over 30 years old. In the United States, certain plants were created for security reasons, on which work was started in 1950's.

The first nuclear power plant of the United States started in 1955, which was closed down in 1974. The reason for its closure was lack of emergency cooling system. In Europe also, over 150 nuclear plants are working, whereas dozens more European countries are planning to establish new plants.

Corrosive Process
In addition to the above, there are hundreds of laboratories where experimental work on nuclear energy is under way. Apart from the United States and Europe, Russia is one such country having numerous plants. From geographical viewpoint, Russia comes under Europe but in power block it is counted separately as an axis power. China and Japan also have constructed dozens of plants for getting energy. Although all such countries have made concrete arrangements for their safety and there are guidelines from the United Nations, still doubts persist on their safety.

Nuclear energy, which on one side has been made an unavoidable necessity, carries dangerous proportions as it is secured through a corrosive process. It is such a deadly process that even a minor fault can endanger the existence of the earth. Human beings have experienced its deadly effects still the work is going on.

The powers who have invented this dangerous technology have used it for anti-human and suppression purposes as well. When the victims of such suppression tried to develop this technology to contain the oppression, they were restrained. All this created an uneasy situation. This way the process of oppression and counter oppression kept on going.

Steps Toward Safety
Now the occurrence of Japan has cautioned all that they have invited plethora of problems for themselves. The United States and Europe made it a business by developing such technology for third world countries. Today, the plants existing in the third world are their gift of death. They invited risk not only for themselves but for others also.

Now after the Japan incident, the United States and Europe are aghast of it. The US citizens and Europeans are now emphasizing their respective governments to take prophylactic steps toward safety of these plants.

Japan Seeks UN Security Council Permanent Membership

The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) -- the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, and Russia -- have one thing in common, i.e., all of them are nuclear-capable countries. In this way, it would not be wrong to liken the United Nations to a nuclear club.
No doubt, many disagreements are visible in the thinking of the members of this club because of their regional interests. Because of privilege of veto, mutual differences emerge on a number of issues. And as every member country has a button of the destruction of the world, the possibility of any clash as a result of disagreement over any issue is making this world an insecure place.

Lingering Problems of World
It is on the record that the right to veto has always increased the lingering problems of the world. Although the UNSC is an organization that should take decisions on most of the issues keeping in view international interests, the decisions taken on the basis of regional affairs, political conflicts, and interests of big powers have adversely affected the credibility of this forum.
The vetoes of United States and Russia on the Kashmir and Palestine issues in southwestern Asia are examples toward this end. Because of these decisions, the Kashmiri people have been deprived of their right to self-determination and Palestinians are the victims of the Israeli aggression even in their own country.
It is surprising that the permanent members of the UNSC do not seem to be willing with regard to accommodating any other country in their group. It would not be surprising if they were just indifferent to a backward country of the Third World on this issue, but a country like Japan is remonstrant of being ignored by these countries (five permanent UNSC members) in spite of his economic power.
Japan, which spends more than the fund, jointly allocated by Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and China for the United Nations, is not considered eligible for the permanent seat of the United Nations, although Japan's permanent membership as a nonatomic, democratic country can boost the credibility of the Security Council's image in Asia and throughout the entire world.

Independent Thinking
Japan expressed its desire to join of the United Nations in 1952. However, it was formally given the UN membership in 1956, and ever since it has been seeking the permanent membership of the Security Council on permanent basis. Behind this desire is the Japan leadership thinking that they developed after the Second World War in order to remove the impression about the country with regard to the Second World War and Pacific War; the country's leadership wants to have an independent thinking about various issues of the world and to cooperate and participate in the resolution of the prevailing issues as a peace-loving country.
This natural desire of Japan is not inappropriate because it has a more moderate attitude when compared to other candidates for the Security Council permanent seat, including Germany, Brazil, and India.
In the past, Russia and China had been opposing Japan's permanent membership; it is due to the sour diplomatic relations between China and Japan in the past and the issue of Russian occupation of certain Japanese islands.
To this end, Japan has already presented a good formula, which calls for inclusion of two new members each from Asia and Africa, and one member each from Latin America and Europe in the Security Council.
In addition, Japan has also offered the option in the formula that the countries, nominated by the General Assembly by two-thirds votes, will be able to become permanent members of the Security Council.

Tangible Measures
In this respect, the double standard of the United States are also meaningful because it is Japan's ally on one hand and has set up military bases in Japan, while on the other, the United States avoids taking tangible measures and just gives a lip service to the issue of Japan's permanent membership issue. This is a deplorable aspect of the US policy.
The recent change in Japan's foreign policy with reference to the United States may convince the latter on some breakthrough to do something practical in this regard. Set aside political and diplomatic aspects, a moderate country like Japan -- which is the second largest donor of the United Nations voluntary operations throughout the world -- deserves to be given a permanent seat in the Security Council even on moral grounds.