Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation
The Twelfth Ministerial Meeting of the Friends of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT)
September 22, 2026
On September 22, commencing at 1:30 p.m. local time (2:30 a.m., September 23, Japan time) for approximately 1 hour, Mr. MOTEGI Toshimitsu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, during his visit to New York, at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters, attended the Twelfth Ministerial Meeting of the Friends of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).
- At the meeting, Minister MOTEGI and Ms. Penny Wong, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Commonwealth of Australia served as co-chairs, and approximately 70 countries participated, including the co-hosting CTBT Friends member states (Japan, Australia, the Netherlands, Germany, Canada, and Finland), as well as the Philippines, which serves as a co-cordinator of the 14th Conference on Facilitating Entry into Force of the CTBT.
- As co-chairs, Minister MOTEGI and Foreign Minister Wong delivered a statement. In his statement, Minister MOTEGI emphasized the increasingly vital role the CTBT plays amidst an international security environment that is growing increasingly severe and complex, including in the area of nuclear disarmament, while referring to Japan’s contributions to date. Furthermore, Minister MOTEGI underscored the importance of making joint efforts toward the early entry into force of the CTBT and further progress in nuclear disarmament, while building on the achievements of the CTBT over the past 30 years, including progress toward the universalization of the CTBT, ensuring its effectiveness, and promoting human resource development, as a foundation for the future.
- In addition, statements were delivered by Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs; Dr. Robert Floyd, Executive Secretary of the Preparatory Commission for the CTBTO (Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization); and the Friends member states, as well as Tonga, Namibia, Palau, the Philippines and the United Kingdom. At the end of the meeting, a Joint Ministerial Statement was adopted.
- As the only country to have ever suffered atomic bombings during war, Japan seeks to continue to contribute to the efforts towards the early entry into force of the CTBT and the strengthening of its verification regime, and steadily advance realistic and practical efforts toward realizing a world free of nuclear weapons.
(Reference1) The Friends of the CTBT
The Friends of the CTBT was established in 2002 by Japan, Australia, the Netherlands, Canada, Finland, and Germany to maintain and strengthen momentum for promoting the entry into force of the CTBT. The group has held a total of 11 meetings of foreign ministers (*A High-level meeting was held in 2022).
(Reference2) Attachment
- Statement by Minister MOTEGI (English (PDF)
/ Japanese (PDF)) - Joint Statement (English Original (PDF) / Japanese Outline (PDF))