Ban Ki-moon expressed “boundless gratitude” for Japan’s decades as a top UN funder and political ally, recalling that without Japanese backing “the United Nations could not function well.” He urged parliamentarians to keep that mantle by contributing “even more than China,” citing Japan’s role in Myanmar mediation and Haiti disaster relief as proof of its ability to combine principled diplomacy with practical field support. Reported by Koki Imon. (15/5/2023)