Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has called for international cooperation in tackling a range of complex problems the global community is facing in his speech at the UN General Assembly. He also urged reform of the United Nations.

Kishida delivered his speech at the UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday.

He referred to Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, and noted that the world is now facing multiple and complicated problems such as climate change, infectious diseases and challenges to the rule of law. He expressed concern that if the international community is divided, it cannot tackle those problems properly.

He said a peaceful and stable world is needed, where human dignity is ensured. The Japanese prime minister said in order to realize such a goal, it's not desirable to have divisions and conflict within the global community. He said it is important for the international community to join efforts to tackle the problems together, by overcoming differences in state structures and senses of value.

Kishida pointed out that one area in need of global cooperation is nuclear disarmament, which is his pet project. He said Japan will promote practical efforts to maintain and strengthen the framework of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, or NPT. He added that Japan will provide an additional 3 billion yen, or about 20 million dollars, to help install a forum for nuclear disarmament debate at research facilities abroad.

Kishida also said Japan will boost assistance to developing countries to help them tackle the food crisis and climate change, promote digitization and secure medical supplies to fight infectious diseases.

The Japanese prime minister also reiterated the importance of the rule of law. He criticized Russia, which is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, for trampling on that rule. He said Russia should correct violations of the UN Charter and human rights immediately and stop making nuclear threats.

In an apparent reference to the situation where permanent members of the council including Russia repeatedly use the veto, Kishida said its rampant use will aggravate divisions and hostilities inside the UN. He said efforts to restrain the practice could help strengthen and restore trust in the council.

He noted that the world is changing dramatically. He said the Security Council must reflect the present world, and both the council's permanent and nonpermanent memberships should be expanded. He said it is the time to act.

In the speech, Kishida also referred to the issue of North Korea's abduction of Japanese nationals. He indicated that he will continue efforts to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un toward resolving the issue.