Statement by Ms. YOSHIDA Aya, Minister, Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations, at Fourth Committee, 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, on Agenda Item 53: Questions relating to Information

 

Thank you, Madam Chair, for giving me the floor.

At the outset, I would like to extend my gratitude to Ambassador Tammsaar of Estonia, in his capacity as the Chair of the 47th session of the Committee on Information, and to the Bureau of the Committee for their successful leadership.

Further, I thank Under-Secretary-General Fleming for her insightful briefing yesterday on the work of the Department of Global Communications (DGC). Japan firmly supports the Department in fulfilling its mandate.

Today, I will make four points on the UN global communications.

First, I would like to take this opportunity to refer to the successful completion of EXPO 2025 Osaka Kansai, held from 13 April to 13 October 2025 in Japan under the theme of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”.

A total of 158 countries and 7 international organisations, including the United Nations, participated in the EXPO. With more than 29 million visitors attending, the event shared hopes for a brighter future with the world by addressing current global crises, protecting people’s lives, and reflecting on life and lifestyles.

On the occasion of the UN Special Day, held on 22 August, the UN pavilion was graced by the presence of Secretary-General. Under the theme “United for a Better Future”, the UN advocated for peace, human rights, sustainable development, and climate action, while highlighting how the UN system impacts everyone’s lives globally.

We are honoured to have supported the United Nations in advocating its significance to our world in its 80-year journey, with our special thanks to Mr. Nasser Maher, Assistant Secretary-General and Commissioner-General of the United Nations at the Expo, and his team.

Madam Chair,

One of the most noteworthy features of the UN pavilion was a replica of the Japanese Peace Bell, which leads to my second point.
Cast derived from coins and medals collected from more than 60 countries by Japanese national Chiyoji Nakagawa, the Bell has served as a symbol of peace and solidarity at the UN Headquarters since 1954, two years before Japan became a Member State in 1956.

At this year’s ceremony on 12 September, the Bell was rung by the Secretary-General, the President of the General Assembly and Ms. Seiko Takase, the daughter of Mr. Nakagawa, reminding us of the importance of taking actions for peace. It is even more important especially when the United Nations system is struggling for peace in a more complex and polarised world.

Japan highly appreciates the DGC for their dedication to strategic communications regarding the Bell. We call upon the Secretariat to further promote the Peace Bell as a symbol of peace and our shared commitment toward peace.

Madam Chair,

In this commemorative year, under the leadership of the Secretary-General, the UN80 initiative is ongoing.

Our third point highlights Japan’s support for DGC’s efforts to enhance efficiency through technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly in combating mis- and disinformation and hate speech, as well as, ensuring multilingualism in the United Nations’s communications.

At the same time, Japan applauds the work done by UN information centres (UNIC), especially their outreach activities in the local languages.

We offer a special tribute to Ms. Kaoru Nemoto, the head of UNIC Tokyo, and her team for their work in helping the people of Japan understand how the UN’s activities matter both on the global scale and in their daily lives. These understandings will help secure long-term support for the UN and multilateralism.
 
Last but not least, Japan supports the DGC’s work on information integrity. We believe that the Global Principles for Information Integrity should be further disseminated to bolster our efforts towards inclusive, open, sustainable, fair, safe and secure digital future for all, including use of AI. We will continue to constructively engage discussions on our digital future.
 
To conclude, Japan renews its support for the DGC’s tireless work for all of us to be “United for a Better Future” through the UN’s strategic global communications.

I thank you.