Statement by Counsellor Masaki ISHIKAWA at the 38th Session of Working Group B

Thank you, Mr. Chairman,

On behalf of the Japanese government, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Executive Secretary, Ambassador Tibor Tóth, for his opening statement. Let me also thank you Chair, for your efforts to coordinate this Working Group B meeting, and all the task leaders, who continue to guide us through the Working Group. Also, we would like to congratulate you on your reappointment and we welcome the appointment of the new director of the IMS division, Ms. Vorian Johanna Andren Maryssael.

Mr. Chairman,

[The Great East Japan Earthquake]

Approximately one year has passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake on March last year. The earthquake caused tremendous suffering and damage to our country. Japan is recovering steadily from the devastation. We would like to use this opportunity to reiterate our deepest gratitude for all the support from State Signatories and the CTBTO Provisional Technical Secretariat.

[Promotion of CTBT]

Japan welcomes the recent progress towards universalization of the CTBT, such as the ratification of Guatemala last month and the ratification of Indonesia this month, which brings the total number of ratifications to 157.

Last December, Mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in cooperation with the Government of Japan and the Executive Secretary, Ambassador Tibor Tóth, sent a joint letter to the chair of the First Committee of the Indonesian Parliament to encourage Indonesia’s parliamentarians to vote for ratification. We commend the Indonesian parliament for its positive response to our initiative. The ratification of Indonesia, which is an Annex II State, is an important move forward towards the entry into force of the CTBT.

Mr. Chairman,

[Enhancing IMS capability]

Japan is pleased to note that approximately 80 % of the IMS facilities have been certified. Following the last year’s Earthquake and TEPCO’s Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, the verification regime’s effectiveness has been confirmed by the timely observation of numerous aftershocks and radionuclides. Furthermore, the atmospheric transport modelling (ATM) was helpful for assisting in the forecast of the dispersion of radioactive materials. Japan would once again like to express its appreciation to the PTS for their dedicated work. We should, however, note that there have been some delays in certifying Noble Gas facilities and  in constructing IMS stations in geographically remote areas or areas experiencing political difficulty. In order to complete the construction and certification of the remaining 20 percent of the facilities, efficient budget implementation, construction and certification are crucial.

Uninterrupted data transmission from the IMS facilities to the IDC is essential to achieve a high detection capability of the IMS network and to operate and maintain the IMS network. With regard to the issue of the reallocation of some IMS stations, it is important to focus on the technical aspects when discussing this matter.  

Japan decided to make a voluntary contribution of 59,375,000 yen (175,000 USD plus 365,000 EUR) for the enhancement of the ATM. This amount covers approximately half of the total costs needed for the next phase of the hardware development as estimated by the PTS. By implementing this project, it is expected that a more accurate forecast of the dispersion of radioactive materials and further enhancement of the ATM capabilities will be achieved. In this regard, we encourage other states to follow suit in order to finalize the project.

Also, Japan is considering to send an ATM specialist as a consultant to provide our technical knowledge for the enhancement of the ATM. Japan is also prepared to hold the International Noble Gas Experiment Workshop this year in order to improve noble gas observation and analysis technologies at the IMS facilities.

Mr. Chairman,

[Integrated Field Exercise 2014 (IFE14)]

We welcome that the financing of the IFE14 has been approved at the 37th Preparatory Commission. Regarding the host country for the IFE14, we appreciate and pay due respect to Hungary, Jordan and Ukraine for submitting their applications. In conformity with the past decisions of Working Group A and the Preparatory Commission, the exercise should be conducted within the planned budget and we expect that the exercise will measure and confirm the progress of the OSI verification system that has been achieved following the IFE08. In consideration of both the technical issues and the budget, we expect that the most appropriate country for all of us will be selected as the host country expeditiously.

Although significant progress was made on the OSI Operational Manual during the last Working Group B, there is an urgent need to make the most of the current sessions dedicated to the OSI Operational Manual at this Working Group B and to achieve further progress. In this respect, Japan intends to be engaged constructively in the discussions with a view to making the draft OSI Operational Manual operative for implementation and to demonstrating its effectiveness and consistency during the coming IFE14.

Mr. Chairman,

[Capacity Development]

We believe that capacity building of IMS station operators and analysts at the NDC, especially in developing countries, are essential for the implementation of national obligations as stipulated in the CTBT and to enhance our capabilities to facilitate maintenance and operation of the IMS stations to detect possible nuclear tests.

In this context, Japan has conducted the JICA Global Seismological Training Course since 1995. Approximately 160 experts have successfully completed the course up to now. This year, the training course is being held from January to March. Japan highly appreciates that the PTS sends lecturers to the course every year. This year the participants benefited, from the lectures held by Mr. Lassina Zerbo and Mr. Peder Johansson, and Mr. Zerbo also kindly agreed to make the opening remarks at the opening ceremony. We expect that all experts, who have been trained in this course, will contribute meaningfully to their countries’ efforts to implement the national implementation measures.

Japan’s National Operation System will mark the tenth anniversary this year. Japan continues to improve its capacity and strengthen its cooperation with neighbouring countries.

We commend the PTS for its consistent effort to develop human resources. The Advanced Science Course on the CTBT, which was held last year, and the OSI Introductory Course last month helped to promote understanding on CTBT verification technologies.

The CTBT Science and Technology 2011, contributed to the discussions aimed at advancing the verification regime in view of the latest scientific and technological developments. Six Japanese experts attended the conference and made presentations. Following the latest technological developments is crucial for the effective improvement of the verification technologies. In this respect, we support the scientific conference to be held in 2013.

In conclusion, Japan looks forward to working constructively with the PTS and the State Signatories at this WGB session in the hope that we can make significant progress on the issues at hand.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman