Statement by H.E. Ms. Yoriko Kawaguchi,
Special Envoy of the Government of Japan,
at the Fourth CTBT Ministerial Meeting
September 24, 2008, New York
Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General,
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure for me to hold the Fourth Meeting together with other conveners, particularly since I had the honor to work for the commencement of the CTBT Ministerial Meeting in 2002. I would like to begin by extending my heartfelt gratitude to the delegations who worked hard to prepare for this meeting.
Japan, as the only nation to have suffered atomic devastation, is committed to take initiatives towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons. Japan attaches utmost importance to the early entry into force of the CTBT. Japan will work strenuously at this, particularly in the lead up to the 2010 NPT Review Conference.
The International Commission on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament has been established under the Joint Initiative of the Prime Ministers of Japan and Australia, and Mr. Gareth Evans, former Australian foreign minister, and I have been appointed as its co-chairs. This Commission deals with nuclear disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and it is expected to submit a report, which will be a major contribution to the discussion at the 2010 NPT Review Conference. Mr. William Perry, former US Secretary of Defence, present at this meeting, has honored us by accepting to be commissioner. As one of the co-chairs of this commission, I would like to make my greatest efforts to enable the Commission to arrive at a conclusion that will further advance our joint endeavours towards the early entry into force of the CTBT.
The remaining Annex 2 States which have not yet ratified count only 9 after the ratification by Colombia in January 2008. The announcement of the nuclear test by the DPRK in October 2006,however, represented a serious challenge to the international effort in quest of nuclear test banning. Japan reiterates the importance of the full and prompt implementation of the Joint Statement of September 2005 by the DPRK and also urges it to implement the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718 without delay.
Japan has been making various efforts for entry into force of the CTBT. Every year Japan has submitted a draft resolution on nuclear disarmament, which urges ratification of the Treaty, and has enjoyed overwhelming support. During the past two years, Japan invited the representatives of Colombia, Indonesia, and Thailand to visit the facilities of the International Monitoring System (IMS) in Japan, including seismological stations, to facilitate their ratification process.
Japan has also invited more than 200 trainees to seismological observation training programs. Some of the programs were followed up by the provision of related equipment. In this connection, Japan highly appreciates the establishment of the IMS achievement by the Provisional Technical Secretariat (PTS) of the CTBTO Preparatory Commission led by the Executive Secretary H.E. Ambassador Tibor Tóth.
The CTBT is one of the nuclear disarmament measures enshrined in the decision "Principles and Objectives for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament" adopted by consensus in the 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference. We would like to stress the importance of ratification by the remaining nuclear-weapon-States, namely the United States and China. The current active discussions concerning the CTBT, which have been observed in the United States, are encouraging. We also urge India, Pakistan, and Israel, non-Parties to the NPT, to ratify the CTBT as soon as possible. Furthermore, Japan urges all states concerned to continuously observe a moratorium on nuclear testing. The importance of such a moratorium was reaffirmed in the Leaders' Declaration of the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit, which Japan chaired this July.
Before concluding I would like to reiterate the importance of the cooperation of all States Parties for the early entry into force of the CTBT.
Thank you.
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