Statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the Adoption of the Draft Resolution entitled "The Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Aspects" submitted by Japan at the United Nation's General Assembly

December 25, 2003

The Government of Japan welcomes the adoption without voting (by consensus) of the draft resolution entitled "The illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all aspects" jointly submitted by Japan, the Republic of South Africa and Colombia, on December 23 (Tue) New York time (Japan time: Dec. 24) at the United Nations General Assembly.
Strongly recognizing that unified efforts by the international community are needed to address small arms issues so that obstacles to post-conflict humanitarian assistance and rehabilitation assistance will be eliminated, the Government of Japan has demonstrated its initiatives by, for example, submitting draft resolutions on small arms to the U.N. General Assembly almost every year since 1995 when then U.N. General Secretary Boutros Boutros-Ghali raised the issue of small arms with the international community. Furthermore, Japan has been active in playing central role in the small arms issue, as it was also the chair (Chairperson: Ambassador Kuniko Inoguchi) of the U.N. First Biennial Meeting of States on Small Arms held at the U.N. Headquarters in New York in July this year.
Japan intends to continue its proactive efforts for the prevention of illicit trade in small arms.

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