The Third Asian Senior-level Talks on Non-Proliferation (ASTOP)

February 3, 2006

1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will host the Third Asian Senior-level Talks on Non-Proliferation (ASTOP) in Tokyo (main international conference room, ministry building south wing) on February 13 (Mon), 2006.
2. The meeting will be attended by officials in charge of non-proliferation policies (Director-General level) from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, Australia, China, Republic of Korea (ROK), United States (US) and Japan, and will be chaired by Ambassador Takeshi Nakane, Director-General for Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Science.
3. The officials in charge of non-proliferation policies in Asia, including those of the ASEAN countries and countries that have strong interest in the region's security, will gather at this meeting to deepen their understanding on various issues related to the enhancement of the non-proliferation regime in Asia and to exchange views on the direction of their cooperation under the recognition that the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and missiles together with their related materials and technology has become an actual threat to the peace and stability of the Asian region and the international community.
4. The meeting, building on the two previous ASTOP meetings, aims to achieve the following:

   (1) Come to a common understanding of such matters of grave concern to the international community as North Korea's proliferation of WMDs and others and Iran's nuclear issue.

   (2) Conduct a follow-up of the measures taken by each country to further strengthen the existing non-proliferation regime, such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Additional Protocol, the Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (HCOC), strengthening of export controls and the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI).

   (3) Raise awareness among the participating countries about the issues related to the implementation of U.N. Security Council resolution 1540 and current discussions over the assurance of nuclear fuel supply, which are recent moves concerning non-proliferation.

   (4) Deepen understanding among the participating countries on the difficulties and obstacles Asian countries may face in implementing in their countries treaties and norms related to disarmament and non-proliferation and discuss ways for possible cooperation in overcoming the obstacles.

(Reference) The first meeting of the Asian Senior-Level Talks on Non-Proliferation (ASTOP) was held in Tokyo on November 13, 2003, and the second on February 9, 2005.

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