Check against delivery Delegation of Japan Statement by H.E. Mr. Minoru Shibuya Ambassador of Japan and Permanent Representative of Japan to the OPCW at The Second Review Conference of the Chemical Weapons Convention The Hague, The Netherlands 8 April 2008 Mr. Chairman, Distinguished delegates, Director-General, At the outset, let me extend my heartfelt congratulations to you, Ambassador El Khereiji, on your assumption of Chairmanship of this Second Review Conference of the Chemical Weapons Convention. I am fully confident that this Conference will be successfully guided under your excellent leadership and diplomatic skills. I assure you of our delegation’s fullest support. I would also like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Ambassador Dani of Algeria on his assumption as the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole. I am equally confident that under your brilliant leadership and guidance, the drafting of the report of this Review Conference will be successfully concluded. I would also like to take this opportunity to express our appreciation to Ambassador Lyn Parker of the United Kingdom for his dedicated work as the Chairman of the Working Group for the Preparation of the Review Conference. Ambassador Parker’s extraordinary coordination skills were of tremendous value to the preparations for this Conference. Mr. Chairman, There have been positive and welcoming developments in the recent history of principal treaties for disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. You may recall at first that in 2006 the Biological Weapons Convention succeeded in releasing a road map toward strengthening the Convention. In 2007, the First Session of Preparatory Committee marked the important first step toward the 2010 NPT Review Conference. Today in 2008, it is our turn and responsibility to keep and enhance this positive momentum by making this Second Review Conference a great success. The Chemical Weapons Convention is the first treaty with a primary purpose of eliminating a whole category of weapons of mass destruction with stringent verification system. I am very confident that the CWC has made significant progress in the past five years towards achieving comprehensive chemical disarmament through substantial efforts 1 to destroy chemical weapons. Also, its verification system maintains high credibility to the Convention through constant review and improvement. Nevertheless, we would have to continue to make further efforts towards fully achieving the objectives set out in the Convention, dealing with challenges to today’s international peace and security, namely chemical terrorism. This is particularly true when we recall that many chemical weapon related materials are so versatile that these materials are also used in various industries for peaceful purposes. Also, recent development in the science and technology is increasingly important. Given such current conditions, Japan is of the view that the CWC should be implemented in more effective way, with a higher priority given to non-proliferation. Mr. Chairman, In order to eliminate chemical weapons threat from every corner of the earth, the most important task is to achieve full universality and an effective national implementation. Significant progress has been made in terms of the number of participating States Parties which increased from 151 in the First Review Conference to 183 at present, with remaining 12 countries outside the reach of the Convention. It might soon become 184 with the participation of Iraq. This is a clear demonstration of the success we can be proud of. We must continue to make efforts to keep the good pace towards the full universality. With respect to national implementation, the number of States Parties that have enacted comprehensive legislation has increased from 50 in the First Review Conference to 78 at present, with remaining 105 States Parties that have yet to enact legislation and adopt administrative measures needed for comprehensive implementation of the Convention. This explicitly indicates the area on which future direction of our efforts should be focused. On our part, Japan goes beyond its obligations to ensure the effective implementation within its territory. Japan also has been supporting various workshops to achieve universality and national implementation with the Technical Secretariat and States Parties such as in Iraq, Indonesia, Philippines and Cambodia through financial as well as human 2 resource contributions. More recently, the workshop held in Cambodia this March was a great success with good preparation by the Technical Secretariat. We will soon have a workshop in Laos with the co-sponsorship of the Republic of Korea and the Technical Secretariat. Japan has also been supporting the Associate Programme for the last four years to receive trainees. The Associate Programme provides the trainees with opportunities to learn the practices of modern chemical industry through on-site training. Also, this programme represents symbolically a model of close partnership not only among governments but also with industries, for the effective implementation of the industry-related provisions of the Convention. Japan remains committed to continue to provide such assistances, with a conviction that any assistance activities under this Convention could be meaningful only on the understanding that they contribute to strengthening the disarmament and nonproliferation regimes of the world. Mr. Chairman, The OPCW has established an effective and reliable global verification system that is supported by all 183 States Parties. Since the start of the operation, OPCW inspection teams have carried out more than 3000 inspections at over 1080 chemical weapon related and industrial sites in 80 countries. The overall achievements in the past indicate that the verification system had been strengthened, especially by the increased number of inspections of the chemical industry facilities. However, there is still room for improvements in order to increase the relevance of the verification system to the requirements of the Convention. Especially Japan attaches great importance to strengthen the verification of the OCPFs. Taking into account of the vast number of declared OCPFs against the limited financial and personnel resources, conducting effective inspections in the most relevant sites are of the first priority. To this end, reasonable risk assessment of the facilities based on refined declaration information is the crucial task to be done. Japan is of the view that these steps must be achieved by close cooperation between the Secretariat and the States Parties. 3 Japan also looks forward to early consensus among States Parties regarding the selection methodology for OCPFs to be inspected. In addition, Japan encourages the Technical Secretariat and States Parties to make every endeavor which may bring significant contributions to the effective verification, such as; to encourage timely and accurate declarations as well as to introduce electronic declaration; to utilize sequential inspections in a manner which optimizes the available resources; and to conduct on-site sampling and analysis in a rational and cost-effective manner. To facilitate these efforts, and to address any issues related to the industry verification, Japan wishes further deliberations and information sharing among States Parties through open-ended gatherings. Mr. Chairman, Along with the possible future changes in the emphasis of the activities of the OPCW, the structure of the Technical Secretariat may need to be adjusted in the long-term. In this connection, Japan commends the Secretariat’s constant efforts of reviewing the management and structure with a view to attaining the highest level of operational efficiency. Japan also welcomes the efforts made by the Technical Secretariat in introducing results-based management system in budget proposal, and extensive utilization of internal and external auditor’s function. Japan notes with particular attention the efforts of the Technical Secretariat in establishing Zero Nominal-Growth budgets in the three consecutive years. These are clear demonstrations of the awareness and ability of the Technical Secretariat in implementing self-accountability and self-management. Mr. Chairman, Besides attaching great importance to strengthening the disarmament and nonproliferation aspects of the Convention, Japan continues to put top priority on the destruction of abandoned chemical weapons in China. The Japanese Government has agreed with the Chinese Government to introduce mobile destruction facilities with the aim of destroying the 44 thousand ACWs that have already been recovered and stored in different locations in China. The Japanese Government 4 will invite tenders for the mobile destruction facilities shortly. If all goes smoothly, the mobile destruction facilities will start operating in Nanjing by 2010. With respect to the ACWs still buried in Haerba-ling, Japanese officials have been discussing with Chinese officials issues related to tree-clearing in the project areas, which will be the ground-breaking work in the Haerba-ling Project. In the meantime, officials from both sides have agreed to undertake a small-scale trial excavation, possibly by the end of this year. Taking this opportunity, I would like to announce that Mr. Masanori Nishi, Director- General of the Abandoned Chemical Weapons Office of Japan’s Cabinet Office, will give a presentation on the progress made towards the destruction of Japanese ACW during the lunch break on the 9th of April in Europe room of this Conference center. Drinks and sandwiches will be provided, and you are cordially invited to this presentation. Mr. Chairman, In closing, I wish you every success during the coming two weeks in achieving our common goal: hammer out a significant Final Report and a vigorous Political Declaration which will lead further development of the CWC for the coming five years. I assure you once again the fullest support of my delegation to ensuring the successful outcome of this Review Conference. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 5