Japan, 2002

First of all, I would like to

congratulate Mr. Jan Kavan on his assumption of the

Presidency of the fifty-seventh session of the General

Assembly. At the same time, I pay high tribute to

Mr. Han Seung-soo, former President of the General

Assembly, for his leadership.

I am pleased on this occasion to congratulate

Switzerland on becoming a United Nations Member

State. My congratulations also go to the Democratic

Republic of Timor-Leste, which declared its

independence on 20 May. Japan heartily supports its

admission to the membership of the United Nations.

The Peace Bell in the garden of United Nations

Headquarters was presented to the United Nations in

1954 by the Japanese people with a prayer for world

peace. It has been rung every year for world peace. The

beautiful sound of the bell, which was made from coins

collected from all over the world, reminds us of what

the United Nations represents.

In order to ensure world peace and prosperity, we

need to harmonize a range of efforts which encompass

not only military measures, but also initiatives for the

solution of poverty problems and the establishment of

social infrastructures that will put an end to human

rights violations. The United Nations should be a

forum where the contributions of each and every State

are consolidated and implemented in the most efficient

manner. No single State or organization can accomplish

this. Only the United Nations is capable of carrying out

such a lofty task.

In this connection, I would like to refer to the

issue of Iraq, which is of grave concern to the

international community. Iraq must comply with all the

relevant Security Council resolutions. In particular,

Iraq must allow immediate and unconditional

inspections and dispose of all weapons of mass

destruction. It is important for the international

community to continue to work together and to engage

more strenuously in diplomatic efforts through the

United Nations. In doing so, we must pursue the

adoption of necessary and appropriate Security Council

resolutions as soon as possible.

Terrorism remains a critical issue this year.

Today, in addition to terrorism, I would like to take up

other major challenges which the United Nations must

address and to describe Japan's contributions in those

areas, namely, the consolidation of peace and nation-

building, the environment and development, and

nuclear disarmament. I will also touch upon my ideas

for the realization of United Nations reform, which is

essential in order for this Organization to tackle these

challenges successfully.

The first challenge is the fight against terrorism.

Just after the terrorist attacks on 11 September, I

visited ground zero. Seeing with my own eyes the

magnitude of the destruction, I was speechless at the

enormity of the terrorist attack. 11 September is a

challenge not only to the United States, but also to all

humankind. The prevention and eradication of

terrorism are an important task for the United Nations

and, indeed, for all Member States.

Japan calls upon all States to accede to

international conventions related to terrorism. It is

important to develop international norms in this area,

such as a comprehensive convention on international

terrorism and an international convention for the

suppression of acts of nuclear terrorism. Safe havens

for terrorists cannot be allowed. Japan will further

strengthen its domestic counter-terrorism measures.

Consulting closely with the Counter-Terrorism

Committee of the Security Council, it will share its

knowledge and expertise in counter-terrorism measures

with those States that are in need of it. Japan will

respond to threats where weapons of mass destruction

might be used in acts of terrorism by actively joining

the efforts of the international community to prevent

the proliferation of these weapons.

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The second challenge is the consolidation of

peace and nation-building. Japan attaches great

importance to extending post-conflict assistance for the

consolidation of peace and nation-building to prevent

the recurrence of conflicts. Having developed a

mechanism to enable it to cooperate effectively in

broader areas, Japan has entered a new stage in its

cooperation with peacekeeping operations. This

positive posture is manifested in its deployment since

February of 690 Self-Defence Force personnel, mainly

as an engineer group, to the peacekeeping operation in

East Timor. Japan will enhance its cooperation in other

areas as well, such as demining, rehabilitation of

infrastructure, elections and the establishment of

systems for internal security.

Concerning Afghanistan, at the International

Conference on Reconstruction Assistance to

Afghanistan held in Tokyo in January, Japan strove to

solidify the resolve of the international community. We

are now preparing a programme to assist the

demobilization and reintegration of former combatants,

which will give form to our proposed Register for

Peace. My country is also contributing to regional

reconstruction by developing an assistance project for

the resettlement of refugees and displaced people in

such areas as Kandahar.

In the Middle East, it is crucial that the vision of

the peaceful coexistence of Israel and an independent

Palestinian State materialize as early as possible. Japan

will assist the reform of the Palestinian Authority,

which is aimed at the establishment of a new State by

the Palestinian people. We will do so particularly by

providing technical assistance for democratization.

Elections by the Palestinians are the first step towards

nation-building and I believe that the international

community should extend assistance to ensure their

success. However, putting an end to the vicious circle

of violence remains our most urgent task. Japan

resolutely condemns terrorist acts by Palestinian

extremists and strongly urges Israel to immediately

withdraw its troops to the line of September 2000, halt

its military operations and lift the economic closures in

the autonomous areas.

In Africa, peace and stability are prerequisites for

development. We are encouraged by the positive

movements in that continent, such as the realization of

peace in Angola and a partial ceasefire in Sudan. Japan

will actively support the efforts of African States for

conflict resolution and the consolidation of peace.

The third challenge is the simultaneous

achievement of environmental protection and

development. Towards that end, it is of course

important to utilize all available financial resources and

to develop human resources, which are the engine of

nation-building. However, ownership by developing

countries and their partnership with the international

community, which supports their ownership, are also

essential.

In this respect, we welcome the development of

the New Partnership for Africa's Development

(NEPAD) and the establishment of the African Union

as manifestations of ownership by African countries. In

order to help strengthen both African ownership and

the partnership with the international community, and

building on the results of the successful World Summit

on Sustainable Development that took place in

Johannesburg, Japan will convene the third Tokyo

International Conference on African Development

(TICAD III) in October 2003. Also, in pursuit of

sustainable development, it will host an international

ministerial-level conference on water in Kyoto in

March 2003. Japan will continue to participate actively

in worldwide actions for environmental protection and

development by providing expertise and taking

concrete action.

Fourthly, I would like to touch upon the nuclear

disarmament issue. I believe that Japan, as the only

country in human history to have suffered nuclear

devastation, has a significant role to play in nuclear

disarmament and non-proliferation. Japan will continue

its efforts to realize a peaceful and safe world, free of

nuclear weapons, as early as possible. To that end, we

will propose a draft resolution entitled A path to the

total elimination of nuclear weapons' at this session of

the General Assembly, and we will redouble our efforts

to achieve the early entry into force of the

Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.

When addressing these challenges, we must

ensure that the variety of measures taken by Member

States are effectively coordinated. The United Nations

must exercise its leadership in this endeavour. We, that

is all Member States, must breathe new life into the

United Nations by strengthening its functions through

reforms. Next year, the debate on Security Council

reform will enter its tenth year. I believe that we should

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now focus our discussion on such questions as the

number of seats on an enlarged Security Council. Japan

intends to work hard to that end. In this connection, I

would remind all Member States of the question of the

enemy State' clauses, meaningless legacies of the

twentieth century, that remain in the United Nations

Charter.

Since assuming office as Prime Minister in April

2001, I have proceeded with a series of reforms to

enable Japan to respond appropriately to the new era.

The United Nations also must continue to reform itself

so as to respond to new situations in the world by

constantly reviewing its organization and functions.

The prescription for reform is already shown in the

Millennium Declaration. In order to achieve the goals

contained in the Declaration and build a more peaceful,

prosperous and just world, every Member State should

renew its determination to achieve reform in the United

Nations and take actions toward that end. Japan will

make its utmost efforts to ensure that the United

Nations is able to meet the challenges of the twenty-

first century.