Japan said on Friday, it will continue to support wider expansion of the UN Security Council despite US backing for it to be included in a limited two-member enlargement of the UN organ.Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura said he had received a telephone call from US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice after Washington said it favoured adding two permanent members to the Security Council including Japan, the Jiji Press news agency said.‘‘We cannot say ‘that’s right’ and jump on to the US proposal as we have been in the G-4 campaign,’’ Machimura was quoted as saying in reference to the so-called Group of Four—Japan, Brazil, India and Germany.The Minister made the comment at a meeting of lawmakers about UN reforms early today, Jiji Press said.The United States yesterday announced that it favoured limited expansion of the Security Council, saying it would next week propose specific criteria for candidate countries.Washington rejected as unwieldy a proposal by Japan, Brazil, India and Germany to enlarge the council from 15 to 25 members, and opposed giving a veto to newcomers. —PTI
