[Title] Foreign Minister Yohei Kono's Speech at the International Conference on Population and Development

It is a great honor to have this opportunity to expressJapan's views as to what should be accomplished at thisConference and to describe briefly the policies and programmesJapan has adopted to deal with global population issues. First,however, I would like to express my appreciation to theGovernment of Egypt, which is hosting this Conference, the UNFPAstaff, and to everyone else who has worked so hard to ensure thesuccess of the Conference.

Mr. President,

Since the end of the Cold War, the world has entered a stateof flux and instability, in which there is an increased dangerof regional conflict. Often contributing to such conflict arepoverty and social instability. In order to ensure globalstability and prosperity, it is essential to eliminatefundamental causes of conflict through resolution of economic andsocial problems. The population issue has grown more complex asthe international community has developed and is now a globalissue that required urgent action. I believe that this issue,which is related to a whole range of economic and social issues, must be addressed by taking a comprehensiveapproach, one that includes the adoption of policies on basichealth, education, and improvement of the status of women. Basedon these ideas, Japan launched the Global Issues Initiative inFebruary, under which it will substantially increase assistanceto developing countries in the fields of population and AIDS, aclear statement of the positive stance it intends to take onthese fronts. I believe that this may prove to be one of the mostimportant international conferences to take place in thiscentury, and that we shall succeed in laying down principles thatwill guide the international community in its efforts to tacklethe population issue towards the twenty-first century.

Mr. President,

At the United Nations Conference on Environment andDevelopment (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro the year before last, theclose interrelation between population increase, sustainabledevelopment and global environment issues was pointed out. Weare now confronted with a host of restriction on our daily livesthat are due to rapid population growth, excessive populationflow into large cities, unstable movements of people acrossnational borders, introduction of production and consumptionpatterns, and technologies that heavily burden the environment,and massive generation of waste. Each of us needs to recognize that rapid population growthwill incur environmental destruction and exhaustion of naturalresources and will have a serious impact on consumption-production activities. We should try to maintain the sustainablebalance with respect to population growth, natural environmentand consumption-production activities. Both developing anddeveloped countries have their own responsibility. Developingcountries should reduce the population growth rate, whiledeveloped countries should change the production and consumptionpatterns and develop and diffuse environmentally sound technologysuch as low-pollution automobiles and renewable energies likesolar power. Moreover, the international community shouldpromote cooperation which focus more on environmental protectionand conservation of resources, in order to achieve sustainabledevelopment. It is also necessary that we make efforts to securestable food supplies by enhancing the policies to developsustainable and highly productive agriculture. Last year, Japan enacted the Basic Environment Law whichaims to create a society ensuring sustainable development withreduced environmental load by fostering sound economicdevelopment and the Basic Environment Plan is now being preparedto realize this law. Also, Japan announced the National ActionPlan for Agenda 21 last year. In line with these initiatives,Japan is committed to establish an environmentally friendlysociety, and to improve its environment-related OfficialDevelopment Assistance, as it pledged at UNCED.

Mr. President,

One of the major topics in this Conference is reproductivehealth. My Government is of the view that reproductive healthis an important concept in solving the population issue, sincethe concept is based upon respect for basic human rights, suchas improvement of the status of women and promotion of women'sparticipation in the decision-making process. Japan has been undertaking a variety of measures to enhanceactivities in the area of reproductive health. It provides equaleducational opportunity to both genders. The health care systemprotects and fosters the health of mothers and children bydistributing a Maternal and Child Health Handbook, providingwomen from the age of puberty on with the opportunity to receivecounselling and guidance about pregnancy, childbirth, andchildcare. These measures enable women to make their own choicesand decisions based on accurate information, and along with theimprovements in the attitudes and conduct of Japanese men, havebrought about a decline in the rates of infant mortality andbirth. In relation to reproductive health, AIDS is another seriousproblem that must be addressed in confronting the issue ofpopulation. In this connection, I wish to note with pride thatJapan last month hosted the Tenth International AIDS Conference.

Mr. President,

Japan recognizes the importance of the grassroots activitieswhich Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are carrying out in fields where governments and internationalorganizations are not always able to deliver adequate service. It would not be going too far to say that the relationshipbetween governments and international organizations and NGOs inthese fields is a complementary one. Japan intends to intensifyits support for grassroots projects conducted by NGOs in itsbilateral cooperation in the field of population, which includesenhancing dialogue with NGOs from the stage of projectformulation onward. Establishing this kind of partnership withNGOs is also important internationally.

Mr. President,

Japan endorses the Draft Programme of Action, which wasprepared as a result of the discussions at the preparatorymeetings. I hope that the Draft Programme of Action will beadopted unanimously, so that we shall be able to cooperate withone another to deal with the population issue towards the twenty-first century. Some points of the Draft Programme of Actionremain to be resolved, and I earnestly appeal to all participantStates to recognize the present state of the global populationand take a realistic approach at this Conference.

Mr. President,

I wish now to touch upon the efforts Japan has made toaddress the population problem. The Japanese people has a stronginterest in this problem because of its own experience. Shortlyafter the Second World War, Japan underwent rapid populationgrowth. However, it succeeded in stabilizing the growth rate ofits population through its own efforts, while at the same timeachieving economic growth. In recent years, Japan, like otherdeveloped countries, must deal with a rapidly aging population. In solving our population problem that developed after World WarII, grassroots campaigns to diffuse knowledge about familyplanning conducted by NGOs, nurses, and midwives played animportant role. Significant contribution was also made byimprovements, which had continued since before the war, in theeducation of both genders and in the primary health careavailable to mothers and children. These basic activities, alongwith the improvement in living standards, are essential inresolving the population issue. Japan, as a nation of peace,wishes to continue to contribute vigorously to the internationalcommunity, mainly through activities in its areas of strengthsuch as the economic and social fields. To promote the success of this Conference, Japan, togetherwith the UNFPA, hosted the Meeting of Eminent Persons onPopulation and Development, which culminated in the adoption ofthe Tokyo Declaration. It has also provided financial assistanceto this Conference and the NGO forum that is being heldconcurrently.

Mr. President,

The population issue, an important agenda of theinternational community, is an area in which Japan could makefull use of its capabilities and Japan regards its contributionin this field as a mission. Japan, the largest donor of OfficialDevelopment Assistance, announced the "Global Issues Initiativeon Population and AIDS" in February as concrete evidence of itsdetermination to carry out this mission. Under the Initiative,Japan will continue and enhance its international cooperation byproviding Official Development Assistance in this area towardsa targeted sum of US $3 billion over the seven years from fiscalyear 1994 to 2000. The United States, with whom Japan discussedthese issues as a global partner, expressed the intention ofproviding assistance amounting to US$9 billion during thisperiod. By implementing the Initiative, Japan, together with theU.S., wishes to promote the world-wide effort concerning thepopulation and AIDS issues which are part of the common agendaof all humankind. I earnestly hope that many countries,international organizations, and NGOs respond to our appeal, andthat it becomes a truly global effort. Before concluding, I would like to reiterate Japan's strongcommitment to tackling the population problem and its hope forthe resounding success of this Conference. Thank you very much.