[Title] Remarks by H.E. Mr. Fumio Kishida, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan at the Ninth Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty

Dr. Lassina Zerbo, Executive Secretary of the Provisional Technical Secretariat of the Preparatory Commission for the CTBTO, Distinguished delegates, Ladies and gentlemen,

This year marks the 70th year of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima, my hometown, and Nagasaki. Today,I feel quite humbled by the responsibility with which I am entrusted as Co-President of this Conference together with His Excellency Mr. Idrissov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan.

As next year will be the 20th anniversary of the opening for signature of the CTBT, I would l ike to begin my remarks by once again highlighting the significance of the Treaty.

First, prohibition of nuclear testing has been critically important and effective pillar in nuclear disarmament, together with non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. The CTBT, by constraining the development and qualitative improvement of nuclear weapons, brought an end to the nuclear arms race through nuclear tests taking place almost every month and every year somewhere in the world during the Cold War.

Secondly, the CTBT has indisputably contributed to enhancing the norm of 2 nuclear test ban. Twenty years of steady development of a reliable International Monitoring System has served as an effective deterrence against nuclear testing. Almost all states observe a moratorium on nuclear testing now, and any state which conducts nuclear tests will be subject to strong condemnation and sanction imposed by the entire international community.

Bearing always in mind such significance of the CTBT, we must accelerate our efforts towards the early entry into force of the Treaty.

Having said so, as Co-President, I would like to propose Three Promotions as our efforts for the coming two years.

The first is the promotion of political efforts, at highest levels possible, to signature and ratification of the CTBT by thosestates which have not yet done so, focusing in particular on Annex States. I would like to encourage all of you here to actively join this effort.

The second promotionis further development of the International Monitoring system(IMS) towards its completion. In particular, it is crucial to provide further training for operators of the National Data Centre, who support the IMS.

The third promotion is sharing the awareness in the civil society, across borders and generations, of the catastrophes resulting from the use of nuclear weapons. Through this effort, I sincerely hope that people all over the world will be made acutely aware of the need for the early entry into force of the CTBT.

One atomic bomb survivor from Hiroshima said, andI quote, "the threat of nuclear weapons, created by the wisdom of mankind, is a serious issue of human survival that cannot be ignored even for a day," unquote.Together with Foreign Minister Idrissov,I stand ready to spread the knowledge about the reality of the consequence of the use of nuclear weapons, as I know such reality. I will lead this initiative so that the world does not lose sight of why we work on nuclear disarmament. I call upon all states to take this issue as a challenge for all mankind and to cooperate towards a world free of nuclear weapons even more earnestly.

My sincere appreciation goes to the outgoing Co-Presidents of Indonesia and Hungary for their efforts. On the basis of their achievements, and with the cooperation of relevant states and the Provisional Technical Secretariat of the CTBTO, I would like to express my commitment to do my utmost, along with my colleague from Kazakhstan, for the entry into force of the CTBT andrealization of a world free of nuclear weapons.

Thank you very much.

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