Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation

On July 22, Parliamentary Vice-Minister Komura attended the Second Session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2026 NPT Review Conference and delivered an address (PDF) at the general debate.
In his statement, Parliamentary Vice-Minister Komura stated that the international community is now at a turning point in history and the security environment is rapidly becoming more severe, which is why Japan, as the only country that has ever suffered atomic bombing during war, will lead the international efforts under the “Hiroshima Action Plan” toward a world without nuclear weapons with the NPT as the cornerstone of the international nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime.
He also stressed the importance of enhancing transparency, which is the foundation of nuclear disarmament measures, and the necessity of the immediate start of the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) negotiations. He also expressed Japan’s strong commitment to the universalization and the early entry into force of the CTBT.
Regarding nuclear non-proliferation, he stated that Japan would cooperate with the international community to advance efforts on nuclear non-proliferation, including issues related to North Korea and Iran.
Furthermore, he stated that Japan has actively engaged in promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

On July 22, Parliamentary Vice-Minister Komura attended the side event on Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) and delivered the opening address.
In his address, Parliamentary Vice-Minister Komura pointed out that for the first time since the peak of the Cold War, the world is facing a possible reversal of the decreasing trend of nuclear stockpiles, and that in order to maintain this trend, it would be crucial to limit the increase of nuclear weapons by banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons. He also stated that starting a negotiation on FMCT is an urgent task. From this perspective, he explained that in March of this year, Japan took the lead in announcing the establishment of the “Friends of FMCT”.
Following this, panelists, including H.E Mr. Damico, Brazilian Ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament, H.E Mr. Sorreta, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Permanent Mission of the Philippines to the United Nations Office in Geneva, and Ms. Bell, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the US, spoke about the importance of launching FMCT negotiations and the need for countries to demonstrate flexibility to launch negotiations. After the presentations, there was a lively exchange of views among the participants of the event.

On July 22, Parliamentary Vice-Minister Komura held a meeting with Ms. Nakamitsu, UN Under Secretary General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs.
Parliamentary Vice-Minister Komura stated that this committee is important as it is in the middle of the current process for the 2026 NPT Review Conference and that he hoped the States Parties would unite and show their strong commitment to maintaining and strengthening the NPT. He also stated that he would like to continue to cooperate with the UN in order to achieve a world without nuclear weapons. He also expressed his pride that Japanese people such as Ms. Nakamitsu are demonstrating leadership at the core of the United Nations and that Japan would like to further strengthen its efforts to enable Japanese staff members to play an active role.
In response, Ms. Nakamitsu stated that she highly appreciated Japan's efforts in the field of nuclear disarmament and that she would like to continue to cooperate with Japan toward the 2026 NPT Review Conference. She also stated that it is important to increase the number of young people who aspire to work for international organizations and that he would like to continue to work with the Japanese government in this regard. She also commended the Japanese government for its efforts to promote the involvement of young people, who will have an important role in the advancement of nuclear disarmament, and stated that it is important to develop human resources so that many young people can experience the reality of the atomic bombing and think about what is needed in the future.
The two sides agreed to continue to work closely together to further strengthen cooperation between Japan and the UN.

On July 22, Parliamentary Vice-Minister Komura held a meeting with Chair Rakhmetullin of the Second Session of the Preparatory Committee for the NPT Review Conference.
Parliamentary Vice-Minister Komura congratulated Chair Rakhmetullin on his assumption of the Chair, while informing the participants of Japan's priorities in the NPT, and stated that the Second Session of the Preparatory Committee is an important meeting as it is in the middle of the current process toward the 2026 NPT Review Conference. He also expressed that both Japan and Kazakhstan, the home country of the Chair, have been affected by nuclear weapons and know the reality of nuclear weapons and that the Japanese government is willing to cooperate with Chair Rakhmetullin. He also noted that the Summit of the “Central Asia plus Japan” Dialogue is scheduled to be held in Kazakhstan next month, and that he would like to cooperate with Kazakhstan, the Chair, in a wide range of fields.
In response, Chair Rakhmetullin stated that he highly appreciated Japan's efforts to advance nuclear disarmament, such as the efforts to maintain and strengthen the NPT, and that he would like to continue to cooperate with Japan in the future, including this preparatory committee. He also stated that the “Central Asia plus Japan” framework is a format that the five Central Asian countries are emphasizing and expressed his appreciation for Japan's contribution.
Both parties confirmed that they would work together toward the success of the Second Session of the Preparatory Committee for the NPT.

On July 22, Parliamentary Vice-Minister Komura held a meeting with Dr. Robert Floyd, Provisional Technical Secretariat, Preparatory Commission for the CTBTO.
Parliamentary Vice-Minister Komura expressed his appreciation for the steadily progressing universalization of the CTBT since Secretariat Floyd assumed office, including the ratification of the treaty by nine countries. He also stated that Japan, as the Chair of this year's CTBTO Preparatory Committee, will support the Secretariat's leadership and further contribute to the early entry into force of the CTBT and the strengthening of its verification system. He further stated that the development of nuclear and missile activities by North Korea was a clear and serious challenge to the international community and that Japan would like to work more closely with the Provisional Technical Secretariat, Preparatory Commission for the CTBTO, including in dealing with North Korea.
In response, Secretariat Floyd said that he appreciated Japan's efforts to bring the CTBT into force as soon as possible and efforts as the Chair of last year’s G7 and that he would like to continue to work more closely with Japan, including in dealing with North Korea.
The two parties agreed to strengthen their efforts to promote the universalization and early entry into force of the CTBT.

On July 23, Parliamentary Vice-Minister Komura held a meeting with Ms. Angela Ellard, Deputy Director General, WTO.
Parliamentary Vice-Minister Komura stated that the free, fair and rules-based multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core is an important infrastructure that supports the growth of the world and Japan, and that Japan would like to contribute to maintaining and strengthening the WTO system. He also stated that what is important is the early entry into force of the first phase of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, the early conclusion of its second phase of negotiations, the incorporation of the Agreement on Investment Facilitation for Development into the WTO Agreement and the reform of the dispute settlement system. He also stated that Japan would also like to make efforts for those issues.
In response, Ms. Ellard expressed her appreciation to the Japanese government for its support to the WTO thus far. She also expressed her desire to work with Japan on the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, the Agreement on Investment Facilitation for Development and the reform of the dispute settlement system. She also welcomed progress in the e-commerce negotiations, which Japan is co-chairing.
The two sides concurred to strengthen cooperation on issues surrounding trade, with the 14th Ministerial Conference of the WTO (MC14) in 2026 in mind.

On July 22, Parliamentary Vice-Minister Komura visited the banner exhibition of Hiroshima Prefecture and the banner exhibition by Mayors for Peace. Mr. Yuzaki Hidehiko, Governor of Hiroshima Prefecture, Mr. Matsui Kazumi, Mayor of Hiroshima City, Mr. Suzuki Shiro, Mayor of Nagasaki City, and others accompanied.

On July 22, Parliamentary Vice-Minister Komura attended an exchange reception with youth who had been commissioned as Youth Communicator for a World without Nuclear Weapons to participate in the Second Session of the Preparatory Committee for the NPT. At the reception, Parliamentary Vice-Minister Komura emphasized the importance of youth activities from the perspective of conveying the understanding of the reality of the atomic bombings to the next generation and expressed his respect for the participants and his hope that they would learn a great deal through this conference.

On July 23, Parliamentary Vice-Minister Komura met with Japanese officials of international organizations in Geneva and had a candid exchange of views on the way forward to increase the number of Japanese staff in international organizations.

In addition to the above, Parliamentary Vice-Minister Komura also exchanged opinions with Japanese business people.