Mr.
Chairman,
Please
now allow me to deliver Japan's national statement on disarmament and
non-proliferation education to this Preparatory Committee.
Mr.
Chairman,
As
the only nation to suffer nuclear bombings, Japan is convinced it has a duty to
strongly appeal to the international community that for realizing a peaceful
and secure nuclear-weapon-free world the tragedy of nuclear devastation must
never be repeated. At the same time, we must recognize that disarmament and
non-proliferation issues, including nuclear, are closely related to the
security of each country and thus require long-term determined efforts to
resolve. In this light, Japan believes that while steadily implementing
practical measures for nuclear disarmament, activities for disarmament and
non-proliferation education are vital as sustained and forward-looking efforts.
To this end, we have been undertaking various activities based on the
recommendations of the United Nations Study on Disarmament and
Non-Proliferation Education in 2002 among other things.
Mr.
Chairman,
Japan
values its cooperation with the UN in carrying out concrete activities on
disarmament and non-proliferation education. Under the UN Disarmament
Fellowship Programme, Japan has invited young diplomats, who will be
responsible for future disarmament policy, to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
which has resulted in the total participation of 620 diplomats over the past 20
years. We believe this programme is a good opportunity for diplomats to
understand first hand the real destruction of nuclear weapons and their
long-term physical aftereffects.
Furthermore,
each year Japan holds the UN Conference on Disarmament Issues in a different
local Japanese city. As a side event to the Conferences in August 2003 in Osaka
and the July 2004 in Sapporo, we jointly held with the UN "The Citizen's
Forum on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Education". In addition to our
cooperation with the UN, Japan has been creating regular opportunities for
talks between NGOs, from the perspective of emphasizing the role of civil
society in advancing nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. These have
included such things as inviting disarmament experts from overseas and holding
public lectures.
Mr.
Chairman,
For
education in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation, as the "UN
Study on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Education" mentions, there are
numerous different teaching tools and techniques, such as video, animation,
electronic games, theatre, dance, film or photography. Particularly, the
production of animated educational videos and educational material from which
the younger generations can learn within the school education system may be
useful. Cultivating disarmament educators and training school teachers together
with direct outreach to students may also be an effective approach.
Furthermore, as a practical, action-oriented disarmament measure, education on
the dangers of not only nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction,
but also landmines and small arms, should be promoted to a broad range of
people including people in countries affected by those conventional weapons.
Mr.
Chairman,
In
promoting disarmament education, Japan places particular importance on passing
down the knowledge of and determination for disarmament to younger generations.
The insights and views of young people gained through interaction with other
young people are also beneficial for current efforts on disarmament and
non-proliferation. This time Japan has decided to launch the following new
endeavors for young people under its "New Initiative on Disarmament and
Non-Proliferation Education".
First
is a disarmament and non-proliferation debate competition. In disarmament and
non-proliferation education, the development of critical thinking is just as
important as raising awareness of the devastation caused by nuclear weapons.
Japan therefore intends to host a debate competition, in which university
students from countries, including nuclear-weapon States, will be invited to
Japan to debate disarmament and non-proliferation issues with Japanese
university students.
Second,
Japan considers that employing tools the younger generation can easily adopt is
an effective way to ensure the promotion of understanding concerning
disarmament and non-proliferation issues. From this point of view, we aim to
utilize animation and "manga", parts of Japan's pop culture which
enjoy high popularity overseas, to arouse awareness in the younger generations.
Mr.
Chairman,
Cooperation
with not only governments but also civil society is indispensable for the
effective implementation of the previously mentioned activities. For this
purpose, Japan is committed to cooperating and working with NGOs and local
governments around the world, including those in Japan.
We
have discussed our various activities in much greater detail in our working
paper on disarmament education submitted to this Committee. We hope that these
kinds of efforts may serve as a reference for other countries and yield results
for the promotion of disarmament and non-proliferation education in the
international community.
Thank
you for your attention.