STATEMENT
BY H.E. MR. TOSHIO SANO AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY PERMANENT
REPRESENTATIVE OF JAPAN TO THE CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT
The
1361st Plenary Meeting of the Conference on Disarmament Geneva
04
August 2015
Thank you, Mr.
President.
I asked for the
floor today because this month marks the 70th year since the atomic
bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Each year, memorial ceremonies are held on
the 6th and 9th of August in these two cities. We not
only pay tribute to, but also pray for peace and reaffirm our conviction to
strive for a world free of nuclear weapons.
Japan has firmly committed itself to making every effort to achieve this
goal and strongly believes that the tragedy caused by the nuclear weapon
bombings must never be repeated.
Based on our
distinct historical background, we feel Japan has a special mission to convey
what actually happened in August 1945 and to raise awareness of the
catastrophic humanitarian consequences across national borders and generations.
While
seventy years have
passed since the bombings, the average age of Hibakusha is around eighty. Given this situation, Japan considers that conveying the accurately
the realities of nuclear weapons to the future generations, especially through disarmament and non-proliferation education to the young, is an imminent issue. This will contribute to maintaining international momentum
towards a world free of nuclear weapons. In this regard, along with the programme called “Special Communicators for a World without Nuclear Weapons,” Japan launched a new programme
called “Youth Communicators for a World without Nuclear Weapons” in 2013.
Mr. President,
I am pleased to announce that twenty-two teenagers will visit and observe the
CD as Youth Communicators,
which include high school students from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, on the 18th
of August. On the same day, we are planning to organize a film screening and
panel discussion on disarmament and non-proliferation education. Furthermore, the UN Disarmament Fellowship Programme will
begin at the end of this month and this year twenty-five fellows will soon
visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Since
1983, under the Fellowship Programme, 835 young diplomats and government officials
from various countries have travelled to both cities. Japan plans to continue to support
this valuable programme.
We are convinced it was an eye-opening experience for the fellows and hope
those who once visited these two cities strive for nuclear disarmament in their
respective government and organization. In addition, closer to us here, a
permanent exhibition on the atomic bombings was established in the Palais des Nations in 2011. It is only a short walk from this
plenary room and I encourage everyone to visit.
Lastly,
while the entire international community shares our common goal of a world free
of nuclear weapons, the Conference on Disarmament, the single multilateral
disarmament negotiating forum, continues to fail to negotiate a legal instrument
for the past eighteen years. We, CD Member States, should show maximum flexibility
and make utmost efforts to promptly fulfil our mandate.
Thank
you, Mr. President.