Press Releases

On March 9th, the Government of Japan hosted the 2nd Track 1.5 Meeting for Substantive Advancement of Nuclear Disarmament online. 15 Experts from Japan and abroad with diverse views on nuclear disarmament, including participants from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, joined the meeting, as well as 11 government officials from both nuclear weapon states and non-nuclear weapon states. H.E. Ambassador Gustavo Zlauvinen, President-designate of the Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu, the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs also attended the meeting.

1. At the outset of the meeting, H.E. Mr.WASHIO Eiichiro, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, made opening remarks(PDF). He stated that it was essential to address the divergence of views among states on nuclear disarmament and Japan would continue its efforts to make substantive contribution to our shared goal of realizing a world without nuclear weapons.
2. In the meeting, aiming at contributing to confidence-building and creation of a common ground among states in realizing a world without nuclear weapons, the participants discussed ways to achieve a meaningful outcome at the 10th NPT Review Conference expected to be held in August 2021.
3. During the meeting, the participants discussed, among others, the role of the NPT Review Conference in avoiding division and encouraging dialogue on nuclear disarmament, concrete ideas of an outcome and agreeable measures among states at the Conference. In particular, many participants referred to the necessity of making efforts to bridge the divergence of views over the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (the TPNW) and the importance of enhancing transparency and mutual understanding on nuclear doctrines to reduce risks of the use of nuclear weapons as a result of misunderstanding. Moreover, many participants welcomed the extension of the Treaty between the United States of America and the Russian Federation on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (New START treaty) last month.
4. Besides the above-mentioned points, participants lively exchanged their views on a wide range of issues through presenting various opinions and recommendations.