Meeting of the High Contracting Parties to

The Convention on Prohibition or Restriction on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects (CCW)

(12 November 2015, Geneva)

Statement by JAPAN

Mr. President,

Let me begin by congratulating you on your assumption of the Presidency of the Meeting of High Contracting Parties to the CCW. I assure you of my delegation’s full support and cooperation during this session.

Mr. President,

Japan attaches great importance to the universalization of the CCW, and warmly welcomes Algeria and the State of Palestine as new States Parties who acceded　to the Convention and its Protocols since the 2014 annual meeting. Japan encourages those States not party to the CCW to accede to it as　soon　as　possible.　

In this regard, we strongly support the Accelerated Plan of Action on Universalization agreed to at the Fourth Review Conference in 2011. We would like to highly commend the actions to promote universalization made by the three Presidents-designate of the 2015 CCW Meeting of High Contracting Parties and of Protocol II and V. For its part, Japan has made universalization efforts by seizing relevant opportunities, especially through bilateral meetings with Southeast Asian countries. It would be a valid approach if we recommend those States not party to ratify only acceptable protocols as the first step if it is difficult to ratify all protocols at once.

Mr. President,

Japan remains firmly committed to the CCW. We believe that it provides the most appropriate legal framework that enables States Parties to address humanitarian concerns of certain conventional weapons without compromising their legitimate security requirements. In this respect, we would like to stress the importance of compliance with the provisions of the Convention and its protocols, and to encourage, in particular, the submission of the annual compliance reports.

Mr. President,

With regard to the issue of Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS), we commend the leadership of　Ambassador　Michael Biontino　of Germany at the 2^nd Informal Meeting of Experts on LAWS in April this year, which contributed to deepening our understanding on this issue by identifying various aspects. However, regarding the remaining important issues, such as the definition of LAWS and the concept of meaningful human control, we need to deepen our understanding through discussion. We are of the view that it is most important to identify broader common ground for our understanding, which could help start a formalized approach. In light of this, Japan supports the idea that this Meeting of High Contracting Parties will decide a new mandate for a continued discussion in 2016.

We all share the possible humanitarian impacts posed by irresponsible and indiscriminate use of Mines Other Than Anti-Personnel Mines (MOTAPM). While Japan observes that in the previous discussions the various views were expressed on how to deal with the issues of these mines, we believe that the CCW remains the most appropriate forum to advance discussions on these issues.

Mr. President,

Next year the Fifth Review Conference of the High Contracting Parties to the Convention will take place. We believe that the Review Conference will provide States Parties with a valuable opportunity to evaluate the achievements made since the last Review Conference and to renew their commitments to the Convention and its Protocols. Japan hopes that this Meeting of High Contracting Parties will appropriately set the scene for discussions at the Fifth Review Conference.

We consider the contribution of civil society and NGOs as a valuable part of the work of the CCW and also play an important 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,

We are looking forward to a constructive meeting of the High Contracting Parties and would like to assure you of my delegation’ full support and cooperation in your endeavor.

Thank you, Mr. President.