Press Releases
Video message from Foreign Minister Iwaya for the launch event of the second cohort of the “Youth Leader Fund for a World without Nuclear Weapons” learning programme
July 31, 2025
On July 31st, a launch event of the second cohort of the “Youth Leader Fund for a World without Nuclear Weapons” was held in a hybrid format at the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations (UN). The fund was established with a contribution of 10 million US dollars (1.08 billion Japanese yen) from the Japanese Government to the UN.
- On the occasion of the launch event for the second cohort, Mr. IWAYA Takeshi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, delivered a video message. The summary is as follows:
- I would like to congratulate all of you who were selected from among the many applicants to participate in this second cohort. As the Hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) are aging, the role of the younger generations, such as yourselves, is becoming even more significant in passing on the realities of the atomic bombings and in conveying them broadly throughout the world.
- Through this program, I hope that you will deepen your thoughts on what you can and should do to contribute to nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. I also strongly encourage you to build a global network of future leaders who share the common goal of freeing humanity from nuclear weapons.
- I hope that many seeds will be sown toward a “world without nuclear weapons” and that in the future, these seeds will bear abundant fruit.
- At the event, the statements were also delivered by Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs and Mr. YAMAZAKI Kazuyuki, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, and Permanent Representative of Japan to the UN. In addition, the youth participants exchanged views with Hibakusha Dr. Masao Tomonaga, Emeritus Director of Japanese Red Cross Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Hospital and Member of the Independent Scientific Panel on the Effects of Nuclear War of the UN.
- 100 members of the second cohort were selected from more than 8,400 applicants and are between the ages of 18 to 29 from 61 countries, including both nuclear-weapon States and non-nuclear-weapon States, with a wide range of professional and research backgrounds.
(Reference1) Video message by Foreign Minister Iwaya (Japanese (PDF) 
/ English (PDF) )
(Reference2) Summary of the “Youth Leader Fund for a World without Nuclear Weapons” Learning Programme
- (1) The fund was announced by the Japanese Government at the 10th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in August 2022 as a pillar of the “Hiroshima Action Plan” and Japan has contributed 10 million US dollars (1.08 billion Japanese yen) to the UN for its establishment.
- (2) The program started in 2023 and will culminate in 2030 – a year marked by the 85th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the 60th anniversary of the entry into force of the NPT. The participants of the second cohort will receive online trainings in general principles of nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control, and those selected among them will then take part in a study tour in Japan.