Japan Wants to Pay Less in U.N. Dues:
Japan, which currently funds about 20 percent of the U.N. budget of $1.2 billion, said Thursday it wants to open talks next year on paying less — a move that could spur a drawn-out battle with fellow member states.
As the second-largest contributor to the annual U.N. budget behind the United States, Japan has said for some time that its influence in the world body doesn't match what it pays. Those complaints have increased since its recent efforts to gain a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council stalled.
I guess they just don't appreciate what an honor it is to pay for all the kleptocrats!
Japan now pays a little less than 20 percent of the U.N. general budget — an amount larger than the combined payments of four of five permanent Security Council members — Britain, France, Russia and China. The United States pays about 22 percent.
Ooops, there's one bigger sucker!
Renegotiating Japan's contribution to the U.N. won't be easy. Dues are assessed according to a complex mathematical formula chiefly based on national income, and other nations could bridle at Tokyo's effort to pay less.
And they would do what, exactly, if Japan paid less? If the USA paid less?
