Tokyo Workshop on Small Arms and Light Weapons

March 8, 2007

Tokyo Workshop on Small Arms and Light Weapons will take place from March 12 (Mon) to 13 (Tue) in Tokyo (Foreign Ministry) under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The workshop will be attended by about 50 people including government officials of Asian and African countries which have suffered serious damage from illegal small arms and light weapons, other countries and the United Nations; Japanese and foreign experts who are well versed in these matters; and NGO members. From Japan, Ms. Midori Matsushima, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, and other Diet members will attend the workshop, which will be chaired by Mr. Yoshiki Mine, Ambassador in charge of Afghanistan Assistance Coordination and NGOs and former Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Japan to the Conference on Disarmament.
At the workshop entitled "SALW Issues from the Perspective of the Protection and Empowerment of the Peaceful Community," discussions will be held on the themes of responsible transfer of weapons by weapon-exporting countries and effective implementation of projects related to small arms and light weapons in conflict-affected areas, focusing on protecting people from the threat of illicit small arms and light weapons and empowering individuals and communities to support themselves. Japan expects that the workshop will revitalize international discussion about small arms and light weapons and show how the international community should tackle this issue.

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