Statement by the Japanese Delegation at the 45th Session of Working Group A of the Preparatory Commission for the CTBTO

Thank you, Mr. Chairman,
 

Since this is the first time to take up the floor at this 45th Session of Working Group A, on behalf of the Government of Japan, I would like to congratulate Your Excellency, Ambassador Aliyar Lebbe Abdul Azeez on your appointment as the Chair of the Working Group A and we wish to assure your Excellency of our full cooperation. We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to the Chair of the Advisory Group, Sir Michael Weston, for his excellent leadership during the Forty-Second session of the Advisory Group.

We would also like to express our appreciation to the Executive Secretary, Dr. Lassina Zerbo, for his opening remarks, and we wish to extend our congratulation to Mr. Thierry Dubourg on his appointment as the Director of the Administration Division. In this regard, let me take this opportunity to reiterate Japan’s strong commitment to further enhance our cooperation with the Provisional Technical Secretariat (PTS).

Mr. Chairman,

Today, I would like to highlight three important issues for the CTBTO, namely, promotion of early entry into force of the treaty, establishment and maintenance of the verification regime, and the budget needed for these purposes.

[Promotion of Early Entry into force]

Mr. Chairman,

The CTBT is one of the most important pillars of the international disarmament and non-proliferation regime, and its early entry into force remains our highest priority. In this regard, the “Friends of the CTBT” (namely Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Japan and the Netherlands) and Article XIV conference Co-Chairs (currently Hungary and Indonesia) are in the process of preparation to convene the CTBT Friends’ Ministerial Meeting on the occasion of the UN General Assembly in late September this year to reinforce the political impetus towards the early entry into force of the Treaty. Moreover, Japan is determined to continue and further strengthen its own efforts in support of this goal.

Let me take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the Article XIV conference Co-Chairs, Hungary and Indonesia, for their efforts based on the Action Plan. We also highly appreciate Indonesia’s hosting of the successful CTBTO Regional Conference for States in the SEAPFE region in Jakarta last week. We welcome the exchange of opinions at high level including H.E. Mr. Nobuo Kishi, Senior Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, on the promotion of entry into force of the treaty. We also welcome that the conference provided an excellent venue for exchange of opinions and sharing of our expertise on technical aspects, including the application of International Monitoring System (IMS) data. We are delighted to observe that the conference was instrumental in promoting universalization of the treaty and sharing of pertinent technical knowledge in the SEAPFE region.

As to the activities of the Group of Eminent Persons (GEM), we welcome the substantial discussions at the Stockholm meeting and look forward to future activities with tangible outcomes. In this connection, we very much appreciate the timely briefings provided by the PTS on the activities of the GEM to the States Signatories.

[Verification Regime]

Mr. Chairman,

Japan reiterates that the buildup and maintenance of the CTBT verification regime remain top priority issues. Ongoing efforts by the PTS to install new IMS monitoring facilities should be supported by an efficient and effective use of available budget. We expect the PTS to keep updating a prioritized plan for the maintenance and installation of IMS facilities that ensures the capabilities to detect nuclear tests at all times.

With respect to the International Data Centre (IDC), we would like to reiterate our appreciation for the reliable and timely analysis provided in the past. Should another nuclear test be detected, we look forward to the continuation of such timely analysis and the provision of information by the PTS to States Signatories. We hope that the new advanced router system being developed with the funding of Japanese voluntary contributions will help to significantly speed up data communication within the PTS.
On-Site Inspections (OSIs) are the verification regime’s ultimate and definitive verification measure to determine whether a nuclear test has taken place. In this regard, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for its efforts in hosting the Integrated Field Exercise in 2014 (IFE14). We sincerely hope that the smooth preparation for the IFE14 will be duly made and that the IFE14 will be successfully held.

[2015 Draft Programme and Budget]

Mr. Chairman,

In view of the important mission of the Preparatory Commission for the CTBTO, it is necessary to ensure it receives commensurate resources. Nevertheless, it is also an undeniable fact that many States Signatories are currently facing serious financial situations. Therefore, Japan expects that the PTS will make further efforts to make savings and streamline expenses through measures aimed at further efficiency.

The informal briefing on the outline and highlights of the initial draft 2015 Programme and Budget on 9 April, as well as the informal consultations meeting on the initial draft 2015 Programme and Budget proposals on 22 May under the guidance of Ambassador Azeez, are unprecedented initiatives, and we sincerely hope that a productive outcomes will be generated from this process.

We appreciate the ongoing efforts by the PTS to implement cost saving and efficiency measures. In order to make the 2015 Budget more efficient and effective, we kindly request further clarification from the PTS on the prioritization of programms concerning the verification regime and the possible impact which may be caused by reducing the level of the budget.

We hope that more substantial discussions on the budget between States Signatories and the PTS will be taken place at the upcoming meetings based on, for example, the recommendations of the Advisory Group.

[Conclusion]

Mr. Chairman,

Finally, we would like to stress once again the importance for the PTS of holding ad-hoc briefings and providing opportunities for delegations here in Vienna to participate in question-and-answer sessions not just once, but on several occasions throughout the year. We hope that such sessions will be devoted to subjects of high interest to States Signatories, such as the status of preparations for the IFE14 and the implications of introducing the IPSAS-compliant ERP system in light of the practice of other international organizations.

Let me conclude my remarks by expressing our sincere hope that the Working Group A session will be successful and fruitful. We are looking forward to engaging in constructive discussions to make tangible and meaningful progress on the various difficult but significant challenges we are facing.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.