Registration as UN Document of a Joint Statement of the 4th Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) Ministerial Meeting

January 8, 2009
Japanese

  1. On September 24, 2008, Japan, Canada, Australia, Austria, Costa Rica, the Netherlands, and Finland jointly held at the U.N. headquarters the Fourth Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) Ministerial Meeting and issued a Joint Ministerial Statement that calls for immediate signing and ratification of the CTBT and continuation of the moratorium on nuclear tests.  Ms. Yoriko Kawaguchi, former Foreign Minister of Japan, attended the Meeting as Special Envoy of the Government of Japan.
     
  2. The statement, which was at first signed by 80 countries, eventually gained support from 96 countries, exceeding the result at the past three meetings of this kind, after Japan took the initiative in gaining additional support.  The statement was registered as a United Nations Document as of December 22, 2008.
     
  3. The Government of Japan welcomes the result that many countries decided to support the Joint Ministerial Statement and intends to continue making efforts to achieve the early entry- into-force of the CTBT.
     
  4. Outline of the Joint Statement:
  5. (1)   The CTBT is an integral part of the 1995 agreements by the States parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) allowing the indefinite extension of the Treaty, and the early entry-into-force of the CTBT would be a practical step to achieving NPT nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation objectives at the 2000 NPT Review Conference.

    (2)   The CTBT would make an important contribution by constraining nuclear development and qualitative improvement of nuclear weapons and ending the development of advanced new types of nuclear weapons, as well as preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons.  Progress for the early entry-into-force of the CTBT would contribute to a positive outcome of the 2010 Review Conference of the NPT.

    (3)   This Joint Statement calls upon all States that have not yet done so to sign and ratify the CTBT without delay, in particular those whose ratification is needed for its entry-into-force. The Joint Statement also calls upon all States to continue a moratorium on nuclear weapon test.

    (4)   As to North Korea’s announcement on its nuclear test in October 2006, bearing in mind UN General Assembly Resolution 61/104, this Joint Statement underlines the need for a peaceful solution of the nuclear issue through successful implementation of the Six-Party Talks Joint Statement of September 2005 and UN Security Council resolutions 1695 and 1718.

    (5)  In addition to its primary function, the CTBT verification system is bringing scientific and civil benefits, including for tsunami warning systems and possibly other disaster alert systems.

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