Japan-Australia Consultations on Disarmament and Non-proliferation

September 2004

The Japan-Australia Consultations on Disarmament and Non-proliferation took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday, September 6, 2004. (Representing the Japanese side: Director-General, Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Science Department Yukiya Amano; for the Australian side: Assistant Secretary, Arms Control and Counter-Proliferation Branch, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Shannon). The main points of the meeting are as follows.

During the consultations, Japan and Australia exchanged a wide range of opinions on the major issues in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation. Specific issues discussed included cooperation at the upcoming session of the United Nations General Assembly First Committee; cooperation for the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI); cooperation for the success of 2005 NPT Review Conference; strengthening the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); nuclear issues of the Korean Peninsula and of Iran; the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and On Their Destruction (Ottawa Convention); and small arms and light weapons. After the general consultations had concluded, a special session was held and both sides exchanged opinions specifically on the Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction, which Australia had announced its intention to join before the recent G8 Sea Island Summit.
Regarding the United Nations General Assembly First Committee, both sides confirmed that they would cooperate in responding to various resolutions. As for PSI, both sides agreed to cooperate in Maritime Interdiction Exercise off Tokyo Bay which is scheduled for the end of October 2004 and continue to closely coordinate towards the global progress of PSI. With regard to measures for the 2005 NPT Review Conference, Japan and Australia, whose positions are similar on this issue, confirmed to closely exchange views and work together for a successful outcome of the conference.
Both sides agreed to actively and realistically strive to strengthen the IAEA to enhance the international non-proliferation regime. As for the nuclear issues of Korean Peninsula and Iran, the two countries confirmed that they would continue close coordination in order to achieve disarmament and non-proliferation in each region. Both sides also decided to further enhance their cooperation in the areas of universalization of the Ottawa Convention, victim assistance and mine clearance with a view to holding a successful First Review Conference of the Ottawa Convention, which is scheduled to be held in Nairobi, Kenya from November to December 2004. In the area of small arms and light weapons, with the success of the "United Nations Regional Seminar on Small Arms and Light Weapons for the South Pacific" co-hosted by Japan and Australia in August 2004, the two countries confirmed that they would continue to cooperate in their efforts on this issue.

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