核兵器使用・核実験被害者支援・環境修復関連会合における梅津大使ステートメント

Thank you, Co-chairs.
 
Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates and participants,
 
Japan welcomes the convening of this International Meeting on Victim Assistance and Environmental Remediation.
 
I wish to express my sincere appreciation to you, Co-chairs, for guiding our discussions. I also pay tribute to all participating States and organizations for their commitment to this important issue. Above all, Japan expresses its profound respect for, and solidarity with, the victims, survivors and communities affected by the use and testing of nuclear weapons.

Japan voted in favour of General Assembly resolutions 79/60 and 80/56 related to the convening of this meeting. We welcome this important opportunity for the international community to consider how we can provide victim assistance and support environmental remediation.
 
As the only country to have ever suffered atomic bombings during war, Japan has long provided assistance to the victims of the atomic bombings and undertaken efforts for environmental remediation in Japan.
 
Drawing on the experience and knowledge accumulated through these efforts, Japan has also applied them beyond its borders by actively providing assistance to victims of nuclear testing and supporting environmental remediation in affected areas.
 
One recent example is our cooperation with Kazakhstan. In August 2025, Japan decided to provide grant aid of one billion and eighty-seven million yen for medical equipment, including MRI and CT scanners, to support victims of nuclear testing. Through the provision of this equipment, Japan seeks to improve the quality of medical services and access to healthcare for people living in affected areas.
 
Mr. Co-chairs,
 
Japan also supports the work of the Independent Scientific Panel on the Effects of Nuclear War.
 
The Panel is tasked with examining the physical effects and societal consequences of nuclear war, and their impacts on public health, global socioeconomic systems, agriculture and ecosystems. We believe that the work of the Panel will contribute to promoting an accurate understanding of the realities of nuclear weapons use.
 
For Japan, promoting an accurate understanding of these realities is the starting point for all measures towards nuclear disarmament. Last year marked the 80^th year since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The unwavering wish of the hibakusha is that such devastation must never be repeated.
 
In this regard, Japan attaches great importance to visits by political leaders and senior government officials, as well as by mid-career and young leaders and youth delegations, to places affected by the use or testing of nuclear weapons. Japan will promote this especially through encouraging visits to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We also commend opportunities for them to engage directly with survivors and affected communities.
 
Such visits and exchanges enable participants to learn first-hand about the consequences of nuclear weapons and to hear directly from those who have experienced them.

Japan encourages all Member States to promote such visits and exchanges. We must also ensure that the stories and memories of those affected are preserved and faithfully passed on to future generations.
 
As the number of those able to share their experiences first-hand continues to decline, these efforts are becoming ever more urgent.
 
Japan will continue to cooperate closely with relevant States and partners in promoting an accurate understanding of the realities of nuclear weapons use, providing assistance to victims and supporting environmental remediation.
 
Through these efforts, Japan will continue to work towards the realization of a world without nuclear weapons.

I thank you.