On 15 April 2026, UNU and the UN Association of Japan will co-host “An Eyewitness Account of Japan’s Entry into the United Nations ”, a special symposium with Yasushi Akashi, former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations. This event will begin at 15:00 in Elizabeth Rose Conference Hall at UNU Headquarters in Tokyo.
On 18 December 1956, the United Nations General Assembly voted to admit Japan as a Member State — a pivotal moment marking Japan's return to the international community following World War II. Nearly seven decades later, UNU and the UN Association of Japan invite the public to hear a firsthand account of that historic session from one of the few surviving witnesses.
For this symposium, UNU will welcome Mr. Yasushi Akashi, who was present in the General Assembly Hall as a young student on that December day in 1956. Mr. Akashi will deliver the keynote address, sharing his personal recollections and reflections on what Japan's membership has meant for international peace and security over the past seven decades.
Please note that this event will be in English. Advance registration (by 14 April at 15:00) is required.
Event programme
15:00 — Opening remarks
- Prof. Tshilidzi Marwala — Rector of the United Nations University and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations
- Representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (TBC)
15:15 — Keynote speech
“An Eyewitness Account of Japan's Entry to the United Nations”
- Yasushi Akashi — Former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations for Public Information, Disarmament Affairs, and Humanitarian Affairs; Former Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Cambodia and former Yugoslavia
16:00–16:45 — Question and answer session
- Moderator: Mr. Sukehiro Hasegawa, Vice-President of the UN Association of Japan
About the Speaker
Mr. Yasushi Akashi is one of the most distinguished Japanese international civil servants in United Nations history.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Tokyo in 1954, subsequently studied as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Virginia, and earned an advanced degree from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.
He joined the United Nations Secretariat in New York, where he rose through the ranks to serve as Under-Secretary-General for Public Information, Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs, and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.
He also served as Special Representative of the Secretary-General for both Cambodia and the former Yugoslavia, playing a central role in some of the most complex peacekeeping and peacebuilding operations of the post-Cold War era.
