Statement by Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan on the Approval of the New START Treaty by the Federation Council of the Russian Federation

January 26, 2011
Japanese

  1. On Wednesday, January 26 (Moscow time), the Federation Council of the Russian Federation approved the “Treaty between the United States of America and the Russian Federation on Measures to Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms” (The new START Treaty).

  2. This Treaty, which stipulates reduction in nuclear warheads and their delivery means, demonstrates that important progress has been made towards nuclear disarmament by both United States and the Russian Federation. Japan welcomes the approval of this treaty by the Federation Council of the Russian Federation following on the approval of the same treaty by the U.S. Senate last year.

  3. Japan strongly hopes that the efforts by both countries will lead to advancing global nuclear disarmament involving other countries possessing nuclear weapons than the United States and the Russian Federation. Furthermore, Japan anticipates that both countries will continue to make efforts toward the further reductions of their nuclear arsenals.

  4. Japan will also display further leadership in the international community towards realizing “a world without nuclear weapons.”
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