Statement by the Press Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, on the Postponement of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction

November 24, 2012
Japanese

Japan regrets the postponement of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction.
At the 2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, it was agreed that this Conference would be convened in 2012. Japan has thus been working with the concerned countries to hold the Conference this year. At the Ministerial Meetings of the Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Initiative (NPDI), Japan has encouraged discussions on this matter and a successful convening of this Conference.
This Conference would be an important step towards the enhancement of the security environment of the Middle East as well as the maintenance of a credible NPT regime. Japan will continue to support the efforts of the Facilitator and relevant stakeholders to convene the Conference at an early date to be attended by all States of the region.
Japan regards it as important to implement not only the holding of this Conference, but the whole of the Action Plan, as agreed at the NPT Review Conference in 2010. Japan will continue to cooperate with the international community, and in particular the members of the NPDI, to promote the steady implementation of the Action Plan.

(* The foregoing is a provisional translation. The date indicated above denotes the date of issue of the original press release in Japanese.)

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