Japan might pull UN funding

Japan appears to say "screw you" to the UN, China, and the US. But, in the end, this only serves the US.

With its prospects for obtaining a permanent seat on the Security Council fading, Japan will seek to reduce its contribution to the United Nations by up to a quarter, a report said Monday.

Japan will propose an up to five percentage point cut in its contribution, currently 19.5 percent of the UN budget, when negotiations for countries' portions of 2007-2009 funding start next March, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun said...

A bid by Japan and its partners in the so-called G4 group -- Brazil, Germany and India -- to secure permanent council membership has stalled in the face of opposition from the United States and China and insufficient support from the 53-member African bloc.