17^th Meeting of High Contracting Parties to Amended Protocol II (AP II) of the Convention on the Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects (CCW) 11 November 2015, Geneva

Statement by JAPAN

Mr. President,

I would like to begin by congratulating you on your assumption of the Presidency of this Meeting. I assure you of my delegation’s full support and I am confident that under your able leadership the meeting will come to a successful conclusion.

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Grenada as a new State Party since the last annual meeting, and we encourage States not party to AP II to accede to it as early as possible.

Mr. President,

Japan notes that APII continues to play an important role in reducing the humanitarian concerns caused by landmines, booby traps, and other devices including Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). In this respect, we would like to stress the importance of compliance with the provisions of the protocol, and to encourage, in particular, the submission of the annual national reports under APII. We are of the view that submitting national annual reports is not only an essential mechanism for building confidence and increasing transparency, but also serves as a tool to monitor and measure progress in the implementation of States obligations.

Japan continues to implement its obligations under APII as well as the Ottawa Convention. We strongly support both instruments as they complement each other in addressing humanitarian threats.

As a State Party to these instruments, Japan attaches importance to mine action programs and has provided assistance of nearly 622 million US dollars in 50 countries and regions. Japan will continue its support with an emphasis on the clearance of landmines, cluster munitions and Unexploded Explosive Ordnance, risk reduction education and victim assistance for affected countries in need. We encourage other states in a position to do so to join in the global effort to eliminate the threat and socio-economic impact of landmines and other munitions. As the Chair for the Mine action Support Group (MASG), which is a forum for donor countries to share information and discuss current issues on mine action, Japan is always ready to play an active role in advancing mine action.

Mr. President,

We are fully aware of the increasing threat to and severe impact on civilian populations caused by the use of IEDs. Japan highly values the deliberation and substantive exchanges of views on IEDs during the meeting of High Contracting Parties in 2014 and the informal Group of Experts meeting held in April this year. We would like to warmly thank the coordinators, France and Moldova, for their valuable work. Japan also welcomes the coordinators’ report on IEDs and its recommendations, particularly, on developing information exchange on national measures and best practices. We believe that such an exchange will be instrumental in helping states to address the threat of IEDs.

With regard to future actions for IEDs, Japan would like to support the recommendation that the President, the coordinators and the ISU should work together and start consultations on possible options for future decisions to be made during the forthcoming 2016 Review Conference of the CCW, with a view to discussing concrete options during the next meeting of Group of Experts.

Mr. President,

We consider the contribution of civil society and NGOs as a valuable part of our work. They are expected to play a key role for the effective implementation and improvement of international humanitarian law. We support continued participation of civil society and NGOs in the CCW in accordance with its rules of procedure.

Finally, Mr. President,

Japan believes that it is important for all States Parties to ensure the implementation of the obligations of APII and promote its universalization. For its part, Japan will continue to support strengthening the role of APII.

Thank you, Mr. President.