Japan, the second largest UN donor after the United States, has been jointly lobbying for permanent council membership with Brazil, Germany and India as part of the so-called Group of Four or G4.

The G4 proposal calls for increasing council membership from 15 to 25, with six new permanent seats without veto power --- one each for Brazil, Germany, India and Japan and two for the African region, and four non-permanent seats.

A two-thirds majority or 128 votes is needed in the 191-member General Assembly for adoption. But the Sankei Shimbun daily said only 90 nations, including Britain and France, supported the G4 blueprint.

The United States, Japan's closest ally, has said it supports Japan's bid but not that of the three others. The G4 proposal is also opposed by China, Japan's regional rival, and the 53-member African Union.

Any of the five current permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- could veto the proposals being considered by the UN General Assembly to expand the council.

While Japan will give up its bid for now, the government still sees a permanent UN seat as a major diplomatic goal and plans to expand its UN work through foreign aid and peacekeeping operations, the paper said.