Implementation of article VI of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and paragraph 4 (c) of the 1995 Decision on "Principles and Objectives for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament" Report submitted by Japan In accordance with subparagraph 12 of paragraph 15 in the Chapter on Article VI of the Final Document of the 2000 NPT Review Conference, the Government of Japan reports on the measures it has taken to implement Article VI of the NPT and paragraph 4(c) of the 1995 Decision on “Principles and Objectives for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament”. 1. Contribution to the 2005 NPT Review Process In order to make tangible contributions to the preparatory process for the 2005 Review Conference and to clearly explain its position on nuclear disarmament, Japan has presented to each Session of the Preparatory Committee the following working papers; . NPT/CONF.2005/PC.I/WP7 . NPT/CONF.2005/PC.II/WP15 and NPT/CONF.2005/PC.II/WP18 . NPT/CONF.2005/PC.III/WP11, NPT/CONF.2005/PC.III/WP17 and NPT/CONF.2005/PC.III/WP18 In addition, in February 2005, Japan hosted Tokyo Seminar on the NPT titled 'Toward the 2005 Review Conference' in Tokyo in order to provide a timely opportunity to pave the way to a successful outcome for the 2005 NPT Review Conference. 2．Commitment to the Three Non-Nuclear Principles The Government of Japan continues to firmly commit itself to the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles," which describes the policy of not possessing, not producing and not permitting the introduction of nuclear weapons into Japan. The successive Cabinets of Japan, including the incumbent cabinet under Prime Minister Koizumi, have repeatedly articulated that Japan will continue to uphold these principles. 3. Efforts for the early entry-into-force of the CTBT Japan emphasizes the importance of the early entry into force of the CTBT which constitutes one of the major pillars of the NPT regime. From this point of view Japan has made various efforts, including the following: ● Japan has seized every high-level opportunity to convince states that have not yet signed or ratified the CTBT, especially those states listed in Annex II, of the importance of its early entry into force. ● On September 3 2003, then Minister for Foreign Affairs, Yoriko Kawaguchi, attended the Third Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the CTBT, and made a strong personal appeal to call for the signing and ratification of the CTBT as early as possible. Furthermore, prior to that Conference, together with the President of the Conference, Foreign Minister of Finland, Mr. Tuomioja, and Foreign Minister of Austria, Ms. Ferrero-Waldner, Minister Kawaguchi sent a joint letter to the remaining twelve countries, whose ratification was a prerequisite for its entry into force, encouraging them to ratify the Treaty as soon as possible, following which joint demarches were made by Japan, Finland and Austria. ● In September 2004, Japan, together with Australia, Finland and the Netherlands, co-hosted the CTBT Friends Ministerial Meeting. The Joint Ministerial Statement issued at this meeting underlined that the progress on the early entry into force of the CTBT would also contribute to a positive outcome of the 2005 NPT Review Conference. ● In April 2005, prior to the 2005 NPT Review Conference, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Nobutaka Machimura, sent his letters to eleven States whose ratification is required for the Treaty to enter into force. ● As part of the establishment of the International Monitoring System (IMS), the construction of domestic monitoring facilities in Japan has been steadily progressing under the supervision of its CTBT National Operation System. The three domestic monitoring facilities were formally certified by the Provisional Technical Secretariat (PTS) of the CTBTO Preparatory Commission to date. ● Ambassador Yukio Takasu, Permanent Representative of Japan to the CTBTO Preparatory Commission, was elected as chairman of the Commission for 2004 and made every effort towards the achievement of the CTBT's early entry into force. ● Japan has encouraged countries that have not yet ratified the CTBT to do so by, for example, providing technical assistance in the field of earthquake monitoring technology for the establishment of the International Monitoring System. ● Japan also took the initiative, together with Germany, to hold the Seminar on Civil and Scientific Applications of CTBT Verification Technologies at the Japanese-German Center Berlin in May 2004. 4. Activities in preparation for the commencement of FMCT negotiations Japan emphasizes the importance and urgency of the commencement of FMCT negotiations. As a concrete contribution to this end, Japan presented, on August 14, 2003, a working paper on the FMCT to the CD, aimed at deepening discussions on the substantive issues of the FMCT, and facilitating the early commencement of FMCT negotiations. Japan regards it as a primary task to reach an agreement on a program of work at the CD, thereby realizing the early commencement of negotiations on FMCT. Japan has been making its utmost efforts to break the current stalemate of the CD. Japan has redoubled its endeavors for this purpose during its Presidency of the CD from August 18th to December 31st, 2003; during this period, on September 4th, then Foreign Minister Kawaguchi visited the CD and appealed for the early resumption of substantive discussion at the CD, stressing the need and the urgency for the commencement of negotiations on FMCT. 5. Submission of Resolutions on Nuclear Disarmament to UN General Assembly Every year from 1994 to 1999, Japan submitted to the UN General Assembly a draft resolution which called for nuclear disarmament with a view to the ultimate elimination of nuclear weapons. Since 2000, Japan has annually submitted a draft resolution entitled "A Path to the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons", reflecting the concrete and practical disarmament steps agreed to in the Final Document of the 2000 Review Conference. Japan's draft resolutions, aiming at the realization of a peaceful and safe world free of nuclear weapons, have been adopted with the overwhelming support of the international community. It is to be noted that year 2004 marked the greatest number of votes in favor of the resolution in ten years. 6. Cooperation for denuclearization in Russia At the Kananaskis Summit in June 2002, G8 leaders announced “the G8 Global Partnership against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction” to address non-proliferation, disarmament, counter-terrorism and nuclear safety issues. Japan committed itself, for the purpose of this Partnership, to make a contribution amounting up to a little more than 200 million US dollars, out of which 100 million is to be allocated to the G8 disposition program of Russian surplus weapon-grade plutonium and the rest to projects for dismantling Russian decommissioned nuclear submarines. Meanwhile, with the cooperation of Japan, twenty kilograms of weapon-grade plutonium, equivalent to two to three nuclear warheads, was successfully disposed of with the aid of advanced technology developed by Russian scientists, for the first time in the world. In December 2003, Japan and Russia launched the first cooperation project to dismantle a Victor III class decommissioned nuclear submarine under this Partnership, which was successfully completed in December 2004. At present Japan and Russia are making great efforts to conclude an implementing arrangement for dismantling five additional decommissioned nuclear submarines. 7. Efforts to promote disarmament and non-proliferation education In August 2002, the Group of Governmental Experts of Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Education submitted the report on disarmament and non-proliferation education to the UN Secretary General. The resolution, requesting the implementation of this report, was adopted without a vote at the 57th UN General Assembly. Since 1983, Japan has invited more than 550 participants in the U.N. disarmament fellowship program to Japan, including the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, providing these young officials, who will be responsible for future disarmament diplomacy, with an opportunity to witness the horrendous and long-lasting consequences caused by atomic bombs. Japan will continue to contribute to this program. Japan believes that the international community should be well informed of the destructive effects of nuclear weapons. In accordance with the wish of the people of Japan that such weapons never be used again, the Government of Japan has supported, on a number of occasions, the efforts of local governments and NGOs to organize exhibitions relating to atomic bombs in foreign countries, including the Hiroshima-Nagasaki A-bomb exhibition in Aubagne, France, in September 2004 and in Compton, U.S., in March 2005. Such an exhibition is now being held, too, at the U.N. during this Review Conference, with the support by the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations. To elucidate the current state of disarmament and non-proliferation and to gain broad understanding and support of the issue, the Government of Japan published a book entitled “Japan's Disarmament and Non-proliferation Policy” in March 2004. In its efforts to implement the aforementioned recommendations suggested in the report, Japan invited prominent educators on disarmament and non-proliferation to visit Japan in November 2002, in January 2004 and in February 2005. The educators lectured in Tokyo, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, on the necessity of nuclear disarmament, and also exchanged opinions with the victims of atomic bombs and NGOs.