What did Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan say at the UN General Assembly (UNGA 81)?
In her first General Assembly speech, Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced a plan to strengthen the Gulf states’ economies and energy, called for free passage through the Strait of Hormuz, proposed an AI summit in Japan, and demanded that the UN Charter’s “enemy States” clauses be deleted.
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She addressed the general debate on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, as the fourteenth speaker of the afternoon session.
The speech in brief
- The Gulf. Japan is drawing up a plan to make the Gulf states’ economies and energy more resilient.
- Hormuz. Free and safe passage for all ships, without added costs, matters to the whole world economy.
- AI. Building on the Hiroshima AI Process, Japan will host an AI Summit “at the earliest opportunity”.
- Disasters. Japan wants to lead the world in disaster prevention, has named a new minister for it, and will host an Asia-Pacific conference in Sendai next October.
- The Security Council. Reform is urgent: a permanent member, Russia, attacked Ukraine and vetoed resolutions on its own actions.
- “Enemy States”. The Charter still contains clauses aimed at the Second World War’s defeated powers. A 2005 UN resolution said they should go, and she said they must be deleted.
In her own words
Reform of the Security Council is urgently needed.
“The international order is experiencing a period of great instability.”
“Ensuring free and safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz for all vessels without additional costs, as has been the case, is extremely important not only for the security of the Middle East, but for the stability of the global economy as a whole.”
“To accelerate these efforts, we intend to host an AI Summit in Japan at the earliest opportunity.”
“The catastrophic consequences of nuclear weapons must never be repeated.”
The reaction
The “enemy States” demand drew pushback from China. A China Daily opinion piece answered:
“Honor is not obtained by deleting inconvenient clauses. It is earned by facing inconvenient history.”
- This year marks 70 years since Japan joined the UN.
Watch and read the full speech
The UN’s own video of the whole Day 1 session:
Watch Day 1 of the UNGA 81 general debate on the UN’s YouTube channel
UN Web TVWatch Day 1 of the general debate on UN Web TV
Read the full text on the Prime Minister’s Office of Japan.
The UN posts the statement on its general debate website.
Every Day 1 speaker, in order: What happened on Day 1 of UNGA 81.
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