STATEMENT BY H.E. MR. TOSHIO SANO

AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY

PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF JAPAN

TO THE CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT

The 1304th Plenary Meeting of the Conference on Disarmament

Geneva, 4 February 2014

 

Mr. President,

 

              Since this is the first time for me to take the floor under your Presidency, I would like to extend my congratulations to you, Ambassador Manor, on your assumption of the first Presidency of the Conference on Disarmament (CD). I assure you of my full support and cooperation. Furthermore, I appreciate the encouraging message given last month to this Conference by the UN Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, and the commitment of support from our Acting Secretary General, Mr. Michael Møller and his team. As a member of the 2014 P6, Japan is determined to strengthen the team work within the P6 and work with all member States to push this negotiating body forward.

 

Mr. President,

 

              Despite its mandate and capacity, I do regret that the CD has not been able to conduct any disarmament negotiation since the CTBT. This does not, however, discourage me from fulfilling the responsibility of a member State in this privileged body.

              In order to not lose sight of our direction in this long stalemate, I think it is worthwhile to begin by recognizing where we stand on the path to a secure world free of nuclear weapons. We should acknowledge that there has been considerable progress to date in the field of nuclear disarmament, despite a reality of increasing diversified nuclear risks which we face. Since the end of the Cold War, significant number of warheads has been decreased through bilateral disarmament endeavors between the Russian Federation and the United States. In addition, unilateral efforts have been conducted by France and the United Kingdom. These drastic reductions by nuclear-weapon States merit appropriate evaluation.

 

              Nevertheless, we are not satisfied. We must intensify our work since uncertainty lingers in the international arena and the task to further disarm may become more onerous as the number of warheads decrease. The difficulty of the task should not prevent nuclear-weapon States to slow their effort in nuclear disarmament. The nuclear-weapon States have a legal obligation under the NPT to faithfully negotiate for disarmament and I would like to see these States move further to fulfill their commitment.

Multilateralism will surely be a way to overcome the difficulties that lay ahead. Demand for pursuing multilateral nuclear disarmament has never been stronger, and this is precisely what characterizes the CD as unique. If we look back, all nuclear-weapon States committed themselves to realize important nuclear disarmament measures in 1995 in exchange for the indefinite extension of the Treaty. Among others, we find such measures as the CTBT, an FMCT, and the establishment of a WMD free zone in the Middle East. In spite of the development in global security, these principles and objectives are still valid today and need to be achieved without delay. After conclusion of the CTBT, Japan believes the next logical measure should be a negotiation of an FMCT.

 

Mr. President,

 

              Although every core issue has its own role and value, Japan therefore favors a Program of Work enabling immediate commencement of a negotiation on an FMCT. We highly appreciate your efforts, Mr. President, as the first President of 2014 to formulate a consensus on a Program of Work. Unfortunately, you found it difficult at this juncture. We now support your idea to re-establish the Informal Working Group on a Program of Work to continue to pursue an agreement in an open and transparent manner. I would like to commend the work done so far by the former President Ambassador O’Brien, the co-chair of the working group Ambassador Gallegos and the vice co-chair Ambassador Woolcott. At the same time, we agree that the CD should be engaged in a structured and substantive discussion not only to keep momentum, but also to maintain our expertise for a possible future negotiation.

              Last year, the world was impacted by a wave of appeal stressing the humanitarian aspect of nuclear weapons. In addition, many Heads of State and Ministers voiced their resolution in the High Level Meeting of the General Assembly on Nuclear Disarmament. These wake-up calls signal to us that the CD cannot stay inactive. Accepting the so-called “dual track approach” would be a bottom line for us.

              In parallel with the effort in the CD, Japan is also ready to participate in the FMCT GGE which will start its work next month in Geneva. I am confident that the GGE will deepen and press the work on this treaty for a future negotiation. Interaction with the GGE can also be considered to enrich our work in the Conference.

 

Mr. President,

 

              Before I conclude, allow me to present the statement delivered by Japanese Foreign Minister, Mr. Fumio KISHIDA, last month in Nagasaki. As the Foreign Minister of a country with a distinct history on nuclear weapons and as a politician from Hiroshima, he is firmly committed in achieving the same goal which lies before us. He proposed “Three Reductions” in nuclear disarmament and “Three Preventions” in non-proliferation. Profiting from this occasion, I invite all colleagues to spare their time for his statement which is distributed today.

 

I thank you, Mr. President.