Press Releases
Statement by State Minister for Foregin Affairs KUNIMITSU at the 11th NPT Review Conference General Debate
On April 28, commencing at 4:24 a.m. (local time on April 27 3:24 p.m.), Dr. KUNIMITSU Ayano, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, who is visiting New York, the United States, for attending the 11th Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). State Minister KUNIMITSU delivered a statement in the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations.The overview of the statement is as follows:
- At the outset, State Minister KUNIMITSU delivered a message from Ms. TAKAICHI Sanae, Prime Minister of Japan, as follows:
This NPT Review Conference is being convened at a critical juncture for the international community. We are confronting an increasingly severe international security environment, an opaque and rapid expansion of nuclear arsenals, and growing risks and threats posed by nuclear weapons. At the very origin of our aspiration for a world without nuclear weapons lies the earnest plea of the hibakusha: the catastrophic consequences of nuclear weapons must never be repeated.
We are compelled to further extend the long-standing record of the non-use of nuclear weapons and reinforce our collective commitment to the NPT. It is necessary to make this Conference a first step toward dialogue to break this vicious cycle. We must take this first step with a broader perspective and strong determination.
More than eight decades have passed since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Now, we face an urgent imperative to maintain and strengthen the NPT—our vital framework for international cooperation—and thereby ensure that it is passed on to future generations in an even more robust form. The Japanese delegation will make every effort toward the success of the Conference by working together with the President and all of you. - State Minister KUNIMITSU emphasized that Japan has consistently pursued the path of a peace-loving nation since the end of the World War II, and that Japan is, and will continue to be a guardian of the NPT, by fully observing its obligations under the Treaty. Further, she called on all states parties to reaffirm their commitment to the NPT and to deepen discussions on transparency. State Minister KUNIMITSU also called on nuclear-weapon States to advance efforts that contribute to nuclear disarmament and arms control.
(Reference) Attachment
State Minister KUNIMITSU’s Statement at the General Debate (full version) (English (PDF)
/Japanese (Provisional translation) (PDF))