Kishida: Biden Supports Japan Joining UN Security Council

The United Nations Security Council meets regarding the situation in Afghanistan at the United Nations in New York City, New York, US, August 16, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
The United Nations Security Council meets regarding the situation in Afghanistan at the United Nations in New York City, New York, US, August 16, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
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Kishida: Biden Supports Japan Joining UN Security Council

The United Nations Security Council meets regarding the situation in Afghanistan at the United Nations in New York City, New York, US, August 16, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
The United Nations Security Council meets regarding the situation in Afghanistan at the United Nations in New York City, New York, US, August 16, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Monday that US President Joe Biden supports Japan's bid to join a “reformed” UN Security Council.

If approved by the UN, Japan would join Britain, China, France, Russia, and the US as permanent members of the international body's security council.

Biden also gave his blessing for next year's Group of Seven summit to be held in Kishida's hometown of Hiroshima.

The comments came at a news conference after Biden and Kishida held face-to-face talks Monday in Tokyo.

Japan's desire to win a seat on the council is hardly a given, and comes amidst calls for reform of the Security Council.



Iran Police Commander Dismissed After Death in Custody

A view of the entrance to Evin prison in Tehran, Iran (Reuters)
A view of the entrance to Evin prison in Tehran, Iran (Reuters)
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Iran Police Commander Dismissed After Death in Custody

A view of the entrance to Evin prison in Tehran, Iran (Reuters)
A view of the entrance to Evin prison in Tehran, Iran (Reuters)

Iran's police force has dismissed the commander of a city in the northern province of Gilan after the death in custody of a detainee, state media said on Saturday.

Mohammad Mir Mousavi, 36, was arrested on July 22 after being involved in a fight in Lahijan, police said in a statement carried by the official news agency IRNA.

"The police commander... was dismissed due to insufficient oversight of the conduct and behaviour of staff," the police said, AFP reported.

"Due to the complexity of the matter, the final conclusion on the cause of Mohammad Mir Mousavi's death depends on the medical examiner's final report.

The police said the station commander and several officers involved in the incident had been suspended.

"The behaviour of some law enforcement officers was against the professional policy of the police and that is not acceptable in any way, so they were referred to the judicial authority," the statement added.

The Norway-based Kurdish human rights organization, Hengaw, on Wednesday said Mir Mousavi "was killed under torture in the detention center".

On Thursday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered an investigation into the case.

Dismissals of members of the security forces are rare in Iran.

In 2022, the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman who had been arrested in Tehran for an alleged breach of the country's strict dress code for women, sparked months of deadly nationwide protests.