Recent Main Achievements in Japan's Multilateral Disarmament and Nonproliferation Diplomacy

January 2003

1. The Friends of the CTBT Foreign Ministers' Meeting (September 14)

(1) Since May of this year, the Ambassadors of permanent representatives of Japan, Australia, and the Netherlands in Vienna, began the activities of the Friends of the CTBT with the aim of contributing to the early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). On September 14, Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi and the foreign ministers of Australia and of the Netherlands co-chaired the Friends of the CTBT Foreign Ministers' Meeting, in which the ministers of States that have ratified the CTBT participated, at the U.N. Headquarters in New York and issued the Joint Ministerial Statement. This statement included a call for signing and ratifying the CTBT as early as possible. 18 foreign ministers including the foreign ministers of three nuclear-weapon states, namely Britain, France, and Russia signed the statement at the Meeting, and later the foreign ministers of 50 countries joined the statement.

(2) This meeting and the statement released there expressed the strong political will of the international community to call upon all States that have not signed or ratified the treaty, in particular those whose ratification is needed for its entry into force to sign and ratify the CTBT as early as possible, and served as a bridge to the next Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the CTBT which is expected to be held next year.

(3) Apart from holding this meeting, Japan has been urging the early ratification of the CTBT at high-level bilateral and multilateral meetings. Furthermore, as a part of the establishment of the International Monitoring System (IMS), Japan has begun to construct ten domestic monitoring facilities step by step and soon will launch the CTBT National Operation System of Japan.

2. Appointment of Ambassador Inoguchi as Chair of 2003 Biennial Meeting on Small Arms (October 18), and Adoption by the First Committee of the U.N. General Assembly of Japan's Resolution on Small Arms and Light Weapons (October 22)

(1) On October 22, a draft resolution on the prevention of illicit trade in small arms and light weapons was unanimously adopted in the First Committee of the U.N. General Assembly. This resolution, which was essentially drafted by Japan, took the form of a joint proposal by Japan, Colombia, and South Africa. (Japanese delegation was headed by Kuniko Inoguchi, Ambassador of the Permanent Representative of Japan to the Conference on Disarmament). The content of the resolution included the holding of the first biennial meeting of States to be held in New York in July 2003, as stipulated in the Programme of Action adopted at the U.N. conference in 2001.

(2) It was also agreed at a meeting in New York on October 18 that Ambassador Inoguchi will be appointed to chair the meeting in July 2003.

3. Fifth Review Conference of the Biological Weapons Convention (November 11 - 15)

(1) At the Fifth Review Conference of the Biological Weapons Convention (entered into force in 1975; 147 state parties) held in Geneva on November 11 - 15, a work program was unanimously adopted. Japan highly evaluates the results of the conference.

(2) In accordance with the work program agreed on at the conference, an annual meeting of state parties and a meeting of experts will be held from next year until 2006, when the next Review Conference is scheduled to be convened, and methods of strengthening the BWC will be studied in five areas (see note), including the strengthening of national penal legislation and the security of pathogenic microorganisms.

(3) The conference was resumed following a cooling-off period of one year after the Review Conference in November 2001 was suspended without achieving any results at all. In about six months prior to the conference, Japan made energetic coordinating efforts with related countries and the chair of the conference toward the formation of a consensus. Also, when the official meetings fell into a deadlock at the final stage, Ambassador Inoguchi hosted informal consultations participated in by the major countries of the West and the main developing countries. These consultations at the final stage served as a practical opportunity in the formation of an agreement.

Note: Besides these two, the other three areas are the enhancing international capabilities for responding to the alleged use of biological weapons or suspicious outbreak of disease; the strengthening of national and international efforts for surveillance of infectious diseases; and a code of conduct for scientists.

4. Adoption by the U.N. General Assembly of Japan's Draft Resolution on the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons (November 22)

(1) On November 22, a draft resolution submitted by Japan titled "A path to the total elimination of nuclear weapons" was adopted at a plenary session of the U.N. General Assembly with the overwhelming support (156 for, 2 against, 13 abstentions). The draft resolution aims for the realization of a peaceful and safe world free of nuclear weapons, through concrete measures toward nuclear disarmament based on a practical and progressive approach. The overwhelming support and approval of our draft resolution shows that Japan's efforts toward the total elimination of nuclear weapons have gained the strong support of the international community.

(2) The remarkable achievement this year is that the number of abstaining countries decreased, while the number of countries in favor increased as a result that several countries, including Russia and Iran (both abstained last year), switched over to support the resolution (Last year there were 139 for, 3 against, and 19 abstentions.). In addition, the number of co-sponsor countries of this draft resolution increased from five countries last year to nine this year. These facts show that support for Japan's consistent efforts toward the total elimination of nuclear weapons is prevailing.

5. Launching Conference of the International Code of Conduct Against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (November 25)

(1) The Launching Conference of the International Code of Conduct Against Ballistic Missile Proliferation was held in The Hague, the Netherlands. High-level officials, including cabinet ministers, attended from the major countries, and Japan was represented by Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Yoshitaka Shindo.

(2) While international efforts in the field of missile nonproliferation until now have consisted only of a framework of export control coordination by limited number of countries through the Missile Technology Control Regime, the ICOC aims to prevent, through international rules, the proliferation of ballistic missiles capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction.

(3) Bearing in mind the missile problem of North Korea, with the aim of making the ICOC a positive factor in Japan's security, Japan had submitted its own ideas in drafting process and has constantly dealt this issue in coordination with the United States. As a result, the document that was eventually adopted reflects Japan's views throughout. The ICOC is the first successful attempt in this field and is expected to complement Japan's diplomatic and security efforts.

Note: The International Code of Conduct Against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (ICOC) is a new international rule that stipulates principles that should be respected and necessary measures in order to prevent the proliferation of ballistic missiles capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction and is open to all countries. It is a political document, not an international agreement with legal binding power.