第74回国連総会第6委員会 議題83「法の支配」に関する八代専門調査員ステートメント
令和元年10月11日
(As delivered)
Madame Chair,I would like to begin by expressing my appreciation to the Assistant Secretary-General for his briefing on the United Nations’ rule of law activities.
The essence of the rule of law lies in the supremacy of law over arbitrary powers, ensuring that power is exercised to protect and benefit the people. A predictable international rules-based order also makes friendly and equitable relations possible between States. The rule of law provides the essential foundation for a just and fair society at both the international and national levels, and its promotion is one of the pillars of Japan’s foreign policy.
The international judicial organs play a crucial role in upholding the rule of law and ensuring the peaceful settlement of disputes. Noteworthy among these organs are the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) and the International Criminal Court (ICC), to name a few. Japan attaches great importance to the work of these organs and therefore continues to provide both financial support and highly qualified judges and officials.
Japan has been a strong supporter of the ICC since its inception. I wish to express our continuous commitment to supporting the ICC in its fight against impunity. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions. Seventy years ago, humanity took a great step toward a more humane world. Today, the Geneva Conventions are more essential than ever. We should never forget how many lives have been lost due to cruelty in conflicts and how important accountability is.
Madame Chair,
My delegation greatly appreciates the role of the United Nations in promoting and universalizing the rule of law, as described in the report. Specifically, the General Assembly plays a vital role in ensuring the progressive development and codification of international law. We welcome that this year active discussions were held at the International Law Commission (ILC) following the recent developments. We look forward to a similarly fruitful discussions later this month.
Madame Chair,
Japan undertakes a broad range of activities in support of the rule of law, both domestically and internationally. For example, we work closely with the Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization (AALCO) to promote discussion among its Member States on current topics related to international law. Last year at the 57th Annual Session of AALCO, Japan announced launching a new training program to support the capacity building of AALCO Member States in the area of international law. We will hold the first training sessions in December this year, which tries to address challenges concerning important international-law-related issues.
This August, Japan hosted the seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7) in Japan. At the Conference, we, together with our partner countries, stressed the importance of promoting regional and international efforts in maintaining a rules-based maritime order in accordance with the principles of international law as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Furthermore, as part of our commitment to the SDGs and in particular Goal 16, we are honored to host the 14th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in April 2020 in Kyoto.
The rule of law is also woven closely into our international assistance efforts. Japan is committed to supporting the development and improvement of legal and judicial systems and specifically capacity-building for justice and rule of law institutions, which feature in aid efforts by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) as well as in our support in the multilateral context. We believe that these efforts will help to advance the rule of law in the long run all over the globe.
These are just a few examples, but I hope they provide an illustration of Japan’s ongoing commitment to enhancing the rule of law. Our efforts will never cease.
I thank you.