Eight decades ago this year, in the aftermath of two devastating world wars, the international community created the United Nations as a framework for peace and collective governance—a bold experiment in preventing humanity from repeating its worst mistakes. 

Eighty years on, that vision has both endured and evolved. The spirit of the UN remains vital, but cracks in the current system have become increasingly evident. Global governance, once anchored in shared responsibility, has drifted toward unilateralism and power politics. The U.S.-dominated model of global leadership has shown its limitations, as policies driven by self-interest rather than balance have destabilized the international order. The world today feels like a finger hovering over a trigger—a moment of dangerous tension in desperate need of reflection.

It is time to reexamine what global governance means. Humanity once built a new international order out of the ruins of war. Now, we must have the courage to build one without war—a post-war governance model for a world that has not yet fallen into massive conflict. 

In this crucial moment, only a few actors have the capacity to propose new frameworks for peace and order: the United States, China and the UN. Yet even the UN, over time, has become more of an arena for power struggles than a forum for consensus. Both developed and developing nations now recognize the fatigue within the current system—its institutional rigidity, its diminishing effectiveness, its inability to adapt to today's multipolar realities. 

Against this backdrop, the Global Governance Initiative (GGI), proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the "Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Plus" Meeting in September, deserves particular attention. In many ways, it echoes earlier historic efforts—such as the signing of the 1928 Kellogg-Briand Pact, which sought to outlaw war itself. China's proposal carries a similar sense of mission: To offer a constructive, inclusive vision for a world order that better reflects the common interests of humanity.

Since 2021, China has successively put forward four major international initiatives: the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilizations Initiative and the GGI. Together, these four frameworks form a coherent set of public goods for the world, reflecting China's commitment to a development-centered approach to peace and cooperation.

The Belt and Road Initiative, which predates them, already embodies this logic by linking nations through shared infrastructure and economic opportunity. It connects countries, weaves their futures together and reminds people that peace is the foundation of all progress.

China's approach does not lecture the world on peace; it demonstrates peace through development. When people experience the tangible benefits of growth, they realize for themselves that peace is indispensable. Human beings have an innate desire for self-fulfillment—and peace is the essential condition for achieving it.

This year is also the 80th anniversary of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War. For China and Japan, this is a time to reflect on history, peace and our shared responsibility for the future.

Japan once waged a war of aggression, yet even today, many Japanese find it difficult to confront that past honestly. Although successive governments have formally acknowledged Japan's wartime aggression, such as through then Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama's statement on historical issues in 1995, revisionist tendencies persist. Some in Japan take pride in the "pacifist constitution" and Article 9, which renounces war and prohibits the country from maintaining military forces, yet few can clearly explain how peace has been maintained or what institutional safeguards are truly in place to effectively prevent war.

Post-war Japan has often avoided this deeper reflection. The onset of the Cold War diverted attention from the question of how Japan should design a system that prevents future conflict. True reflection is not an act of weakness or self-denial—it is an act of responsibility. It helps a society build stronger institutions and a more secure tomorrow.

For Japan, understanding this truth is key. Admitting one's mistakes is not losing face; it is a prerequisite for moral leadership.

As the world enters a new era of uncertainty, it is time for all nations—especially in Asia—to think beyond the divisions of the past. Global governance is not about dominance or alignment; it is about shared responsibility.

The author is a professor of Chinese affairs at Takushoku University in Tokyo 

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson 

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