[JURIST] With the US, Russia, and China announcing opposition to their plan [JURIST report], Japan and Germany have now approached smaller nations and possibly opened their pocketbooks in an attempt to win support for the so-called "G-4 Plan" for expansion [JURIST report] of the UN Security Council, according to envoys from Afghanistan and Kazakhstan. Japan allegedly offered to increase aid to Afghanistan, while German is said to have offered greater investment into Kazakh oil interests though representatives from the two countries denied any link between proposed financial dealings and the expansion proposal. A two-thirds majority of the General Assembly plus a unanimous vote from the US, UK, China, France, and Russia is required to approve any expansion plan. Bloomberg has more.