第11回NPT運用検討会議における国光あやの外務副大臣ステートメント
(as delivered)
Mr. President,
At the outset, allow me to extend my heartfelt congratulations on your assumption of the Presidency of the 2026 NPT Review Conference. The Japanese delegation will spare no effort to support your endeavors towards the success of this Conference.
As one who spent my youth in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it is a profound honor for me to deliver a message from Prime Minister Takaichi, right at this rostrum where the late Mr. Senji Yamaguchi, a hibakusha from Nagasaki, once made his appeal, “No more Hiroshimas, no more Nagasakis.” I am humbled to have this opportunity on this year that marks the fiftieth anniversary of Japan’s ratification of the NPT. Now, I would like to read a message from Prime Minister Takaichi:
Mr. President,
Ladies and gentlemen,
This NPT Review Conference is being convened at a critical juncture for the international community. We are confronting an increasingly severe international security situation, an opaque and rapid expansion of nuclear arsenals, and growing nuclear risks and threats posed by nuclear weapons. At the very origin of our aspiration for a world without nuclear weapons lies the earnest plea of the hibakusha: the catastrophic consequences of nuclear weapons must never be repeated.
We are compelled to further extend the long-standing record of the non-use of nuclear weapons and reinforce our collective commitment to the NPT. We need to make this Review Conference a first step towards dialogue to break this vicious cycle. We must take this first step with a broad perspective and strong determination.
More than eight decades have passed since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Now, we face an urgent imperative to maintain and strengthen the NPT—our vital framework for international cooperation — and thereby ensure that it is passed on to future generations in an even more robust form. The Japanese delegation will make every effort toward the success of this important Conference by working together with the President and all those who are represented in this forum.
Sanae Takaichi
Prime Minister of Japan
“As we think of your faces and deeds, there are no words. We can only weep”
When the atomic bomb fell on Hiroshima, 344 students from my own high school, my alma mater, perished. The waka I just quoted was composed by the principal at that time, in remembrance of those students. It reminds us that we must never permit the death and suffering caused by nuclear weapons to befall the people of the world—even for a single individual—be they of this generation, our children, or the generations yet to come. It is with this urgent and profound conviction that many hibakushas are watching the outcome of this Conference.
We all wish that the achievements had been greater. But to suggest that what has been done so far is insignificant, is both inaccurate and unhelpful to further progress. We have a useful foundation, built by those who came before us. Now, we must go a stage further by rebuilding trust among nations, even if incrementally, to advance nuclear disarmament.
Mr. President,
Japan has consistently pursued the path of a peace-loving nation since the end of the World War II. Our commitment remains unchanged. Japan is, and will continue to be, a guardian of the NPT, as a country that fully observes its obligations under the Treaty. Furthermore, as the only country to have suffered atomic bombings during war, Japan will work together with both nuclear-weapon and non-nuclear weapon States and contribute to maintaining and strengthening the NPT regime. With this as our foundation, my delegation appeals to all State Parties on the following three points:
Firstly, the paramount objective of this Conference is to reaffirm our commitment to the NPT. Now is the time for us to demonstrate a powerful commitment to the world. To that end, Japan calls for this Conference to be a truly inclusive process for all States Parties.
Secondly, it is vital that we see deeper and more substantive discussions on transparency at this Conference. Transparency is what fosters communication among states and serves as a foundation for confidence building and risk reduction. Japan, for its part, will actively engage in these efforts.
Thirdly, while we undergo the most significant structural changes since the end of the World War II, we strongly call on nuclear-weapon States to promote initiatives that will open pathways toward nuclear disarmament and arms control. In particular, addressing the rapid expansion of nuclear forces is an immediate and pressing priority.
Mr. President,
Dr. Takashi Nagai, an alumnus of my own medical school where he also taught, was himself a hibakusha in Nagasaki. Despite his own injuries, he devoted himself to treating hibakushas. He documented his experiences in essays, notably “the Opening of the Atomic Age” which later gained renown as “The Bells of Nagasaki.” In these writings, Dr. Nagai articulated: “The human race, with this discovery of atomic power, has now grasped the key to its future destiny—a key to survival or destruction”
In just twenty years, a full century will have passed since humanity unlocked the power of the atom. At the very heart of this “Atomic Age” lie the appeal by the late Mr. Yamaguchi once echoed in this chamber, the enduring sentiments of the hibakushas, and the hallowed memory of those who perished. My country takes this reality to heart. As a guardian of the NPT, Japan pledges to continue our collective journey forward, together with all of you.
I thank you, Mr. President.