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 Its Aspects" Submitted by Japan at the United Nations General Assembly

December 6, 2004

The Government of Japan welcomes the adoption by consensus, without a vote, of the draft resolution entitled "The illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects" jointly submitted by Japan, Colombia and the Republic of South Africa on December 3 (Fri) (Japan time: Dec. 4 (Sat)) at the United Nations General Assembly.
Strongly recognizing that unified efforts by the international community are needed to address small arms and light weapons (SALW) issues so that obstacles to post-conflict humanitarian assistance and rehabilitation assistance will be eliminated, the Government of Japan has demonstrated its initiatives by submitting draft resolutions on SALW to the U.N. General Assembly almost every year since 1995 when then U.N. General Secretary Boutros Boutros-Ghali raised the issue of SALW to the international community. Japan has also been playing an active role in the SALW issue, as it hosted, with Australia and the United Nation's Regional Center for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific, the United Nations Regional Seminar on Small Arms and Light Weapons for the South Pacific in Nadi, Fiji, in August this year.
Japan intends to continue its proactive efforts for the prevention of illicit trade in SALW.

(END)