　　At the outset, let me congratulate you most warmly on your assumption of the presidency of the Conference on Disarmament at this truly important juncture. I am confident that your able guidance will enable the Conference to overcome the recent difficulties and find its way to carry out the task entrusted to it. I assure you of my delegation's full support and cooperation as you lead the work of the CD. Our greetings are also extended to the Secretary-General of the Conference and Personal Representative of the　Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Vladimir Petrovsky and his experienced deputy, Mr. Abdelkader Bensmail.　

　　Since this is my very first time taking the floor to deliver a statement, I would like to take this opportunity to express that I feel honored to be here as the representative of Japan, and to be able to work with such distinguished delegates for such an important and fundamental cause.　　

　　Let me start with our assessment on the outcome of the NPT Review Conference held in NY last month. It is truly remarkable that the States Parties of the NPT could reach consensus on a document which covered every aspect of the implementation of the Treaty, despite the overall security environment which was not considered favorable for that Conference. This comprehensive agreement could not have been achieved without the painstaking efforts made by every State Party to overcome the differences of their positions.

　　The final document adopted at the Review Conference clearly demonstrated that all the States Parties to the NPT are seriously committed to the realization of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. The States Parties also emphasized that the NPT regime should be further strengthened to achieve this goal. In addition, the process through which agreement was reached proved that differences of views and positions can be bridged by the strong political will to move forward.

　　In connection with the CD, I would like to spotlight, among other issues, two notable agreements on future steps for nuclear disarmament. One is the necessity to immediately commence FMCT negotiations with a view to their conclusion within five years. The other is the necessity of establishing in the CD an appropriate subsidiary body with a mandate to deal with nuclear disarmament.

　　The strong encouragement addressed to the CD to conduct these two tasks were put forward in consensus by the States Parties, namely, the overwhelming majority of the international community. The CD, on its part, should heed this global call and should now take a decisive step to translate this call into a reality. In order to attain this, it is imperative for us to immediately agree on its programme of work, making best use of the momentum created at the Conference in NY.

　　If not, the world will never understand why the CD continues to be complacent with the standstill.　It is obvious that we cannot afford to waste any more time on procedural debates.

　　In this regard, my government highly appreciates the strenuous efforts being made by our President to coordinate the views of different groups on the work programme. And I believe his efforts will bear fruit in the nearest future. Our basic thought on this issue is, firstly, that the work programme should be based on the proposals introduced in earlier sessions and already enjoy wide support, and secondly, that certain fine-tuning should be made on them in order to reflect upon recent developments, particularly the outcome of the NPT Review Conference.

　　Firstly, the FMCT is one of Japan's priorities. As I stated earlier, we highly appreciate the unanimity that the FMCT negotiations should start immediately on the basis of the so-called Shannon mandate.

　　In 1998, the Ad Hoc Committee on the FMCT was established and two meetings were held under the able chairmanship of Ambassador Moher of Canada. That year, several CD Member States, including Japan, organized workshops and seminars in the periphery of the CD to stimulate and give impetus to the negotiations. Many diplomats as well as experts from capitals participated in the serious discussions regarding key elements of the future FMCT. Through these discussions, it became apparent that the FMCT negotiations would be highly intricate, both politically and technically. Also for this reason, the immediate commencement of intensive negotiations will be inevitable if we are to conclude our work within the target of the next five years.

　　Bearing in mind the time frame which will be required for the negotiations and entry into force of the FMCT, it is of great significance that, as an interim measure, those which produce or produced fissile material for nuclear weapons, should declare a moratorium of such production.　We welcome the moratoria　already announced by certain States and call on States which have not done so, to follow suit.

　　 Unfortunately the FMCT has not been negotiated since the end of the 1998 session. Japan has been striving to elaborate its national position by conducting bilateral consultations with many interested countries.

　　Secondly, the consensus reached in NY on the necessity to establish a subsidiary body with a mandate to deal with nuclear disarmament is a significant step forward. As we try to translate it to the actual mandate, I sincerely hope that the flexibility and the spirit of cooperation will be demonstrated by the CD members, especially by the Nuclear Weapon States.

　　On this very important issue, let me reiterate our government's long standing position that advancement of nuclear disarmament requires the combination of unilateral, bilateral and multilateral measures, which complement and strengthen each other. Furthermore, progress on and prospect for nuclear disarmament, directly or indirectly, affect global peace and security. This is the reason why we strongly believe that the role of multilateral fora on disarmament should not be underestimated, although we highly appreciate and welcome unilateral or bilateral nuclear disarmament efforts by the Nuclear Weapon States.

　　Judging from the discussions of the procedural aspect of this issue in the recent sessions of the CD, it seems to us that the work of this subsidiary body could best serve its purpose if one starts with the exchange of information and views and to explore further prospects for practical steps. From this perspective, we believe that the proposal by the President is well drafted and will lead us to an agreement on its basis.

　　Another outstanding issue to agree upon in the programme of work is the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space. Japan does not recognize that　there is an arms race in outer space today nor that there is an imminent danger for such a situation to arise. But on the other hand, it is true that the existing international legal instruments were established many years ago. When we consider the advancement of technologies, we cannot deny that there may be a need to reflect on possible future measures to prevent an arms race in outer space.

　　As you may recall, the Ad Hoc Committee on PAROS had been established each year from 1985 to 1994.　Various interesting ideas and proposals were put forward in the deliberations there. Yet it must be pointed out that the convergence of views did not emerge on any of the specific proposals. Therefore it is apparent that time is not ripe for negotiations on this agenda. It is most appropriate, as well as logical, to start with deliberations to come up with one or more possible future measures for our in-depth consideration. This idea is well reflected in the President's proposal on PAROS and my delegation is ready to consider the mandate on its basis.

　　Relatively speaking, I am a newcomer to this forum and may be only revealing my ignorance about the intricacies being conducted in the back rooms of the Council Chamber, if I express the following impression of mine. Whenever I come to this conference room, I feel as if we were standing around and speaking to each other by the doorway of a conference room instead of sitting down to discuss and negotiate substantive issues seriously. It is natural that we have differences of views and positions, and we should address and explain them　through open discussions. However, if we continue to make use of the divergence of views as an excuse for not being able to start the substantive discussions, the CD will be paralyzed and further damage its credibility.　

　　It is often said that the CD is the best club in town and I am most happy to join it. But obviously, the club was not created for its member's self-indulgence. Let's get down to our real business to meet the expectations of the international community.　For that purpose, let's all give our utmost support and cooperation to our President as he endeavors to find a consensus on the Programme of Work.