INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT BY H.E. MR. TOSHIO SANO

AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY

PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF JAPAN

TO THE CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT

The 1364^th Plenary Meeting of the Conference on Disarmament

Geneva, 18 August 2015

Mr. President,

This morning I’d like to introduce, Ms. Tsugumi Inoue, who is a high school student from Hiroshima and will shortly take the floor as a member of my delegation. She’s visiting Geneva together with other “Youth Communicators for a World without Nuclear Weapons,” commissioned by the Japanese Foreign Minister, Mr. Fumio Kishida. They are now observing the Conference on Disarmament from the balcony of this chamber. Their main mission is to relay the harsh experiences of Hibaku-sha across national borders and generations. They have volunteered from different regions of Japan and act as "Hiroshima Nagasaki Peace Messengers,” running a campaign to collect signatures in Japan for the sake of a world free of nuclear weapons, which are submitted to the United Nations in Geneva every year.

Mr. President,

Before I pass the floor to Ms. Inoue, I would like to inform you all that an event commemorating the 70th year of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima and Nagasaki will be held from 4:30 this afternoon. In this event, Youth Communicators will make a presentation about their activities. Please note that we have changed the venue to Room XIV, the Kazakh Room.

Now, Mr. President, please allow me to pass the floor to Ms. Inoue.

Thank you.