The UN General Assembly attracted more attention than usual. Secretary-General António Guterres’ speech, in which he pointed out that “the world’s divisions continue to widen, and the cracks have become canyons,” garnered significant attention for its strong warning about the global situation.

It seems he was appealing for UN reform, arguing that the UN is no longer able to fulfill its role in the face of deepening global divisions.

The war between Russia and Ukraine has become a quagmire, with no end in sight. No avenue for dialogue has been found, and the situation remains tense and irreconcilable.

The future of the war between the United States and Iran is also uncertain.

Even within the UN, instability is increasing, with fierce competition for the succession of Secretary-General Guterres, whose term expires on December 31st.

In a multipolar world where China, Russia, and India are becoming major powers, the relative influence of the UN as a mediating force is undeniably declining. In particular, powers such as China and Russia are not only failing to hide their desire to break through the unipolar world centered on the United States, but are becoming increasingly enthusiastic.

Japan, which has already relinquished its status as an economic superpower and become a middle-ranking nation, how should it approach this new world? Can it truly survive by maintaining its traditional, all-out stance toward the United States?

From the perspective of acknowledging the diversification of values, multipolarity is not necessarily a bad thing. In Japanese society, there have been many instances where the external pressure of standardization brought about by globalization has forced us to reluctantly accept things that were not inherently suitable. If multipolarity can rectify these aspects, it could be an opportunity to create a more comfortable society for the Japanese people.

While Japanese society is incompatible with authoritarian values, the era of multipolarity requires shrewdness to flexibly interact with countries that hold such values. Perhaps Japan’s new path lies in demonstrating its presence in the world as a highly flexible mediator. (Kei Kitajima)

※Translating Japanese articles into English with AI