Statement by His Excellency Mr. Yoshitaka SHINDO,
Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs

At the Launching Conference of
the International Code of Conduct
Against Ballistic Missile Proliferation

The Hague, November 25th 2002

Mr. Chairman,
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen:

It is a great pleasure for me to attend this conference as the representative of the Japanese government.

Mr. Chairman,
Japan has been attaching great importance to solving ballistic missile proliferation issues and has been making various efforts to this end.

Firstly, the proliferation of ballistic missiles in East Asia is a real and serious problem for Japan. In particular, Japan regards the ballistic missile activities of North Korea not only as a serious concern to Japan's own security but also as a destabilizing factor affecting regional and global peace and security. Japan regards the North Korea's nuclear weapon and missile issue, together with the abduction issues, as the matters of utmost priority, and is determined to take a firm attitude in the Japan-North Korea Normalization Talks. In the Japan-North Korea Pyongyang Declaration signed at the Summit Meeting in September this year, the necessity of resolving security problems including the North Korea's nuclear and missile issues was confirmed and the North Korea also expressed its intention to further maintain the moratorium on missile launching in and after 2003. Japan will continue to urge the North Korea to take positive and concrete measures.

Secondly, Japan is carrying out strict export control. In addition, Japan has been pressing the countries developing ballistic missiles to exercise maximum restraint on their missile activities and make efforts for non-proliferation of missiles and related technologies.

Mr. Chairman,
Japan has been deeply involved in and has contributed to the drafting of the ICOC from the outset. I am delighted to see the launch of the ICOC today, and would like to share this special feeling with all of you here. However, the ICOC is just launched, and we must continue our efforts of making the ICOC a more universal norm.

In closing, I would like to stress Japan's determination to continue to commit itself to ballistic missile proliferation issues as the matter directly affects the security of Japan and that of East Asia. Japan pledges to cooperate with other subscribing states in order to make the ICOC a truly universal norm with broad support.

Thank you very much.

(END)