Fourth U.N. Conference on Disarmament Issues in Kyoto

July 21, 1999

The U.N. Conference on Disarmament Issues will be held in the city of Kyoto from July 27 (Tue) to 30 (Fri). The U.N. Conference on Disarmament Issues has been held annually in Japan since 1989, and the coming conference will be the eleventh of its kind and the fourth to be held in Kyoto (the conference took place three times in Hiroshima, twice in Nagasaki, and once each in Sendai and Sapporo).
About 70 personalities including government officials, prominent academics, and journalists are expected to participate in this conference from Japan and overseas in the capacity of individuals. State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Keizo Takemi, on behalf of the Government of Japan, and Mayor Yorikane Masumoto of Kyoto, on behalf of the host city, will give an address at the opening ceremony respectively.
At the Kyoto conference, whose theme is "Security Concerns and Disarmament Strategy for the Next Decade", the participants will survey the security environment in the Asia Pacific region including Northeast Asia and study the issues on future arms control and disarmament from medium and long-term perspectives.
The Government of Japan considers this U.N. Disarmament Conference as a meaningful opportunity at a time when the importance of international efforts in the field of arms control and disarmament is rising, and it hopes that active discussions will be held among participants and bring about fruitful results.

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