Press Releases
2025 United Nations Disarmament Fellowship Program (Study Visit to Japan)
From June 27 to July 3, 23 young diplomats (including 1 United Nations staff) visited Nagasaki, Hiroshima and Tokyo under the United Nations Disarmament Fellowship Program.
1. Nagasaki Program (June 27 - June 28)
On June 28, the participants visited Peace Park, offered flowers at Hypocenter and looked around Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum and National Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims. In addition, Mr. TSUIKI Shohei (an atomic bombing survivor) gave a lecture on his experience in the atomic bombing, which was followed by a Q&A session. They also attended Welcome Lunch hosted by Mr. SUZUKI Shiro, Mayor of the City of Nagasaki, and a lecture by Ms. KAWAI Kimiaki, Vice Director and Professor, Nagasaki University Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition (RECNA) and exchanged views with members of the Nagasaki Youth Delegation.
2. Hiroshima Program (June 29 - July 1)
On June 30, the participants, attended lectures by Mr. KAGAWA Takehiro, Chairperson of Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, looked around Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and offered flowers to the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims. They also attended Welcome Lunch hosted by Mr. MATSUI Kazumi, President of Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation / Mayor of the City of Hiroshima, and lectures by Ms. OGURA Keiko (an atomic bombing survivor) and by Mr. TANI Shiro, Vice Chairperson of Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation.
On July 1, they attended lectures by Dr. Richard Sposto, Department Chief, Statistics Department, Radiation Effects Research Foundation and visited the Atomic Bomb Dome and other facilities in Peace Memorial Park.
3. Tokyo Program (July 1 - July 3)
On July 1, a welcome dinner was hosted by Ms. HAYASHI Mitsuko, Ambassador, Deputy Director-General, Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Science Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.
On July 2, the respective divisions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave explanations to the participants on Japan's positions and efforts, and international situations regarding disarmament, non-proliferation, and peaceful uses of nuclear energy as well as WMD and Emerging Technology. In the afternoon, they looked around Daigo Fukuryu-Maru Exhibition Hall to deepen their understanding of the harms caused by nuclear tests. They also visited Nihonbashi Fukushimakan.
(Reference) United Nations Disarmament Fellowship
- United Nations (UN) Disarmament Fellowship Program was decided upon at the first Special Session on Disarmament of the UN Special Assembly in 1978, with the aim of fostering disarmament specialists, especially in developing countries. The program has been implemented annually since 1979, mainly targeting young diplomats and defense officials with a program that includes training at the UN and the Conference on Disarmament Affairs, and visits to relevant countries. (The 2020 program was cancelled due to the spread of COVID-19.)
- In 1982, Prime Minister SUZUKI Zenko proposed in his speech at the Second Special Session on Disarmament of the UN General Assembly that Japan invite the participants of the program to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and since 1983, approximately 30 young diplomats have visited Japan every year except for 2020. This year marks the 42nd year of the program, and including this year, 1,050 participants have visited Japan at the expense of the Japanese government.
- The program includes visits to the Atomic Bomb Dome and Peace Memorial Museum in Hiroshima, Hypocenter Park and Nagasaki Peace Memorial Museum in Nagasaki, and lectures by atomic bombing survivors about their experiences in the atomic bombings. The program is meaningful for deepening understanding of the realities of the use of nuclear weapons and conveying Japan's efforts in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation.