Japan's prospects of gaining a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council have been dealt a savage blow, with the African Union refusing to draft a joint resolution on UNSC expansion with Japan and three other nations.

A hastily arranged Thursday summit in Ethiopia of the 53-member African Union failed to yield an agreement to team up with the so-called Group of Four nations — Japan, India, Brazil and Germany — on a resolution draft.

The G4 nations need Africa's support to gain the votes of two-thirds, or 128, of the U.N. members so the resolution can be adopted at the U.N. General Assembly — the first official procedure for expanding the UNSC.