Statement by Mr. Kiyoshi Odawara,
Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan,
at the Security Council Open Debate on Non-Proliferation of
Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs)
23 August 2016
Mr. President,
I would like to welcome Malaysia’s timely initiative to convene this open debate on non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), amid the comprehensive review of the status of implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1540.
Before moving to the issue of non-proliferation concerning non-state actors, I would first like to refer to North Korea’s nuclear test in January and its series of ballistic missile launches, including the most recent launch which fell into Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone on 3 August. These blatant violations of Security Council resolutions pose clear challenges to the global non-proliferation regime and cannot be condoned for any reason. Japan strongly urges North Korea to refrain from further provocations and to comply faithfully and fully with the relevant Security Council resolutions, including Resolution 2270 as well as other commitments, and calls upon all Member States to redouble their efforts to fully implement and enforce the relevant Security Council resolutions. These efforts are crucial, and their significance and impact cannot be underestimated. We must strongly support the work of the 1718 Committee and ensure that the Committee and its Panel of Experts can function effectively.
Let me come back now to the issue of preventing WMD proliferation concerning non-state actors. Resolution 1540 is a cornerstone of the global non-proliferation regime because it requires States to prevent proliferation and to establish domestic laws, regulations and effective measures for this purpose.
However, we should also recognize that the global situation has dramatically changed since Resolution 1540 was adopted in 2004. Increased globalization greatly raises the risk of proliferation of WMDs. Indeed, we have witnessed cases where non-state actors have used WMDs to advance their goals.
Mr. President,
The ongoing comprehensive review presents a golden opportunity to identify the challenges facing the current non-proliferation regime and to discuss how we address them. In this regard, Japan would like to propose two specific points.
Firstly, export and border control is essential for the prevention and detection of proliferation activities. The review process has pointed out that the implementation of paragraph 3 of the Resolution, which calls for establishing domestic controls such as export and border controls, has fallen far behind the implementation of paragraph 2, which calls for prohibiting the proliferation activities by non-state actors.
We underscore that clear definitions of restricted items are the key to facilitate the implementation of the obligations under Resolution 1540. Japan, therefore, is of the view that requiring the establishment of national control lists through a Security Council resolution is a good step to enhance the non-proliferation regime.
Secondly, as another observation from the review process, the 1540 Committee is currently unable to effectively match offers and requests for technical assistance. One of the prime reasons is that requesting States do not necessarily recognize their own needs.
To address this situation, Japan would like to strongly suggest that the 1540 Committee and its Group of experts be given a mandate to propose and initiate dialogue with requesting States in a more proactive manner. This will enable the Committee and the Group of experts to serve as “consultants” who mediate between donors and recipient countries by identifying actual needs based on clear information acquired through direct interaction with the requesting State.
Mr. President,
The security environment today requires us to take effective measures to tackle the threat of illicit use of WMD by non-state actors. Once again, Japan would like to emphasize that strengthening the global non-proliferation regime, with Resolution 1540 as its cornerstone, provides the foundation for international peace and security.
Thank you, Mr. President.
