UNITED NATIONS, Oct 15: Japan, Argentina, Denmark, Greece and Tanzania were elected non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council by the UN General Assembly on Friday for two years.

They will replace Pakistan, Angola, Chile, Germany and Spain, whose terms expire on Dec 31. They will join Algeria, Benin, Brazil, the Philippines and Romania, which were elected in 2003.

Japan is expected to use its presence on the body from Jan 1 to spotlight its campaign for a permanent council seat. At last month's ministerial meeting of the General Assembly, the leaders of Japan, Germany, Brazil and India agreed to support each other's candidacies for permanent seats.

The 10 non-permanent UNSC members, nominated by regional groups, serve two-year terms hold the rotating council presidency for one-month periods. The General Assembly elects five countries every year to replace five retiring ones.