Japan's United Nations anniversary

On this day, December 18th, in 1956, Japan's proposal to join the United Nations was passed unanimously, and Japan was approved as a member of the United Nations. It was the 80th member to join and Japan joined eleven years after the United Nations (UN) was founded, which was at the end of World War II.

Japan had also been a member of the predecessor to the United Nations, the League of Nations. But it withdrew in March 1933 in protest of the League of Nations condemnation of the Mukden Incident in Manchuria. This withdrawal was a significant step in Japan increasing militarism as well as expansionist ambitions leading up to World War II.

Since joining the United Nations in 1956, cooperation with the UN has been a cornerstone of Japan's foreign policy. Moreover, Japan has served the UN Security Council more times than any other member state. It has had a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for a record 12 terms. Japan is also a major financial contributor to the organization.