On 23 January 2001, Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori met with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the Prime Minister's Offical Residence. At the meeting, a frank and productive exchange of opinions was conducted on such issues as the role of the UN in the 21st century, reform of the UN Security Council, and Japan's cooporation towards the UN activities. During the meeting, Prime Minister Mori stated that he would like to further enhance cooperation with the UN with the understanding of the people of Japan, and that in order to do so, it would be important to accomplish reforms of the UN, including the Security Council.