Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation
Meeting between Foreign Minister Taro Kono and Dr. Lassina Zerbo, Executive Secretary,
Provisional Technical Secretariat, Preparatory Commission
for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-ban Treaty Organization
July 5, 2018
On July 5, commencing at around 9:45 a.m. (local time) for approximately 30 minutes, Mr. Taro Kono, Minister for Foreign Affairs, held a meeting in Vienna, Austria with Dr. Lassina Zerbo, Executive Secretary, Provisional Technical Secretariat (PTS), Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). The overview of the meeting is as follows.
- Meeting with Executive Secretary Zerbo
（1）Minister Kono mentioned that Japan attached importance on early entry into force of the CTBT as one of the practical and concrete measures on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. Minister Kono stressed that nuclear armed North Korea should never be accepted as a fait accompli. Based on this very premise, Minister Kono expressed his intention to continue urging North Korea, along with Executive Secretary Zerbo and the international community, to sign and ratify the CTBT.
（2）In turn, Executive Secretary Zerbo extended appreciation to efforts and supports by Japan towards early entry into force of the CTBT, and stated that he would like to continue to cooperate with Japan. - Followed by the meeting, Minister Kono and Executive Secretary Zerbo issued a joint appeal (PDF)
to reaffirm the importance of early entry into force and universalization of the CTBT, as well as to reiterate the two parties’ call for the remaining Annex 2 states, especially North Korea, to sign and ratify the Treaty.