UN: Members of the so-called G4 group at the United Nations - Brazil, Germany, Japan and India - have softened their demand for veto powers in their campaign for permanent seats on the Security Council.
The G4 countries are now suggesting that they could become permanent members without the veto, at this stage, and that the position would be reviewed in 15 years.
There are moves to bring the entire issue to a general assembly vote at the end of June, but the US is attempting to have this deferred.
China is bitterly opposed to any attempt to give their former wartime adversaries a permanent Security Council position but the Japanese pay 20 per cent of the UN budget and this gives them a strong claim in the eyes of many.
There are currently 15 seats on the council. Five are held permanently by the victorious powers in the second World War - China, France, Russia, the UK and the US. The so-called "P5" would have to be assured their veto powers would not be under review in 2020.
China has been lobbying a wide range of member states to try to block Japan's progress towards a permanent seat. China pays far less to the UN budget and some countries believe it is time to overcome wartime antagonisms.
In a lower key, while the US supports the aim of the Japanese, it is trying to persuade them to take a slower route to permanent membership.
Given the sizeable budget contribution from Tokyo, observers believe Japanese permanent membership is probably inevitable. It is considered unlikely that Japan would be elevated on its own. Strong doubts persist however that the G4 have the required support from over two-thirds of UN member states at this stage.
In the event that the matter comes to a vote at the general assembly, Ireland and the other member states would have to take a public position.
For the moment, Ireland can plausibly claim that it would be inappropriate to make any public commitment because of Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern's role as a special envoy for the secretary general on UN reform.
The German and Japanese campaigns are reported to be very intense and extremely systematic, with many bilateral meetings in capitals around the world.
There is no hiding place for any country that has benefited in economic terms from its relationship with either country over the years.
A heavy lobbying campaign against the G4 is also taking place internationally. The so-called "Coffee Club" is led by the Italians, who are particularly opposed to permanent membership for the Germans.