The United Nations Programme of Fellowships on Disarmament (UNPFD) was established in 1978 by a decision of the first Special Session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament.  The main purpose of this programme is to provide training and specialization to government officials from UN member states, particularly developing countries.  Every year since 1979 mid-level diplomats and defense ministry officials are introduced to disarmament and non-proliferation related international organizations, research institutes, and relevant countries, to deepen their knowledge and understanding of issues in the field of disarmament and arms control.

Every year from late August to mid-October (Approx. two months)

Geneva (UNOG), Vienna (IAEA), Germany, The Hague (OPCW), China, Japan, New York (UNHQ) 

At the second Special Session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament, Japan proposed to host visits to Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the participants of the Disarmament Fellowship Programme.  Subsequently, every year since 1983 the Government of Japan has invited at its own expense 30 young foreign diplomats to visit its country.

Since 2014, in addition to the traditional trip to Hiroshima and Nagasaki，the participants in the Fellowship Programme were given the opportunity to network at Tokyo University, tour the Japanese Atomic Energy Agency, and visit Japan's Earthquake and Tsunami Observation and Warning System at the Meteorological Agency.  2016 was the 34th time Japan hosted the Fellowship Programme and to date 811 Fellows have travelled to Japan. 

Furthermore, every year when the Fellows travel to Geneva, Japan's Ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament holds a reception in their honor to deepen the relationship between the Fellowship Programme participants and the diplomats of the Delegations. 

Currently, not a small number of people at the forefront of international disarmament diplomacy are alumni of this programme, and of those quite a number have said that they were struck by their visit to Hiroshima and Nagasaki.