Japan, 2013

First, I would like to

congratulate you, Sir, on assuming the presidency of

the General Assembly at its sixty-eighth session.

I would now like to make a new pledge about

the situation in Syria. The use of chemical weapons

has caused profound shock and anger on the part

of the people of Japan, including myself. Chemical

weapons must never be used again. I hereby declare

that Japan will provide thorough support to, and the

greatest possible cooperation with, the international

community’s efforts to dispose of Syria’s chemical

weapons. We feel righteous indignation about innocent

civilians continuing to be victims. Japan regards the

cessation of violence, the initiation of political dialogue

and the improvement of the appalling humanitarian

conditions as issues of the utmost urgency.

At this very moment, the number of refugees

is soaring. To them, Japan will provide still greater

assistance. We will act in cooperation with the

international community to extend a helping hand

to internally displaced persons and refugees fleeing

across national borders. I take pride in the fact that

Japan’s non-governmental organizations and volunteer

organizations are working around the clock to help

them.

Japan will also continue to provide assistance to

areas under the control of the opposition groups, where

it is difficult for assistance from the international

community to reach. We are working to undertake the

training of staff working at medical centres. We will

also deliver portable X-ray devices and other medical

equipment to those areas.

With the escalating despair of refugees now as

they head for a harsh winter, I would like to announce

that the Government of Japan will provide and make

immediately available approximately $60 million in

additional humanitarian assistance to Syria and its

surrounding countries. We are determined to conduct

such assistance in parallel with the process of political

dialogue, notably the “Geneva II” conference, and to

move forward in cooperation with the international

community.

Our nation, Japan, and its capital, Tokyo, have

been granted the honour of hosting the 2020 Olympic

and Paralympic Games, seven years from now. To

reciprocate that good fortune we have come to enjoy, my

obligation first of all is to rebuild the Japanese economy

to be vibrant, and then to make Japan a dependable

force that works for good in the world. I pledge here

that I will make Japan a force for peace and stability

in the world, just as it has been until now — or, rather,

make it an even greater such force than it has been thus

far, given the increasingly tragic state of the globe.

Japan will newly bear the flag of proactive

contributor to peace, anchored in the undeniable record

of and the solid appreciation for our country, which has

endeavoured to bring peace and prosperity to the world

while emphasizing cooperation with the international

community.

The balance of power in the world has been

changing rapidly, and technological innovations are

now removing all borders from both new opportunities

and new types of threats. It is now impossible for any

one country, no matter which one it may be, to safeguard

its own peace and security acting entirely by itself.

That is why Japan is working to garner trust from the

world as a creator of added value and a net contributor

to regional and global peace and stability. Under those

circumstances, the role of the United Nations will

become even more important than it is today.

Japan has continually promoted the concept of

human security, and the implications of the concept will

surely expand. Through the accumulated discussions

over the nine years since the submission of a report

by the Commission on Human Security, the resolution

on a common understanding on the notion of human

security was adopted, here at the General Assembly,

in September 2012 (resolution 66/290). Guided by the

wisdom of its forerunners, Japan is determined to

further spread the concept and build actual practices.

I will enable Japan, as a proactive contributor to

peace, to be even more actively engaged in United

Nations collective security measures, including

peacekeeping operations. I believe that Japan must

continually cultivate our human resources so that they

are appropriate for use in United Nations activities.

For Japan, whose national interests are firmly

connected to the stability of open seas, changes to the

maritime order through the use of force or coercion

cannot be condoned under any circumstances. Japan

has great expectations that public spaces, ranging

from outer space and cyberspace to the skies and the

seas, will be rigorously preserved as global commons

governed by rules and laws.

Japan, as a country that understands the horror and

devastation wrought by atomic bombs, will utterly devote

itself to nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation and

the total elimination of nuclear weapons. North Korea’s

nuclear and missile development cannot be condoned.

Japan also maintains serious concerns with respect to

other weapons of mass destruction that North Korea is

likely to possess. Pyongyang should listen to the unified

voice of the international community and rectify its

own actions by taking a tangible step. We demand that

North Korea return every Japanese national whom it

has abducted, without exception. While in office, I

am determined to resolve that issue completely. The

normalization of diplomatic relations with North Korea

remains unthinkable without the resolution of that

issue.

As for the nuclear issue of Iran, Japan hopes that

the country’s new Administration will move forward

with concrete actions. We are ready to continue to play

a role in resolving the issue.

In the Middle East region, a cornerstone for world

peace and prosperity, Japan will continue its unique

contributions towards the Middle East peace process.

Japan will also continue to extend cooperation to

the countries of Africa, which are certain to become a

growth engine in the twenty-first century. Firmly rooted

in our own experiences, that cooperation takes the

fostering of human resources as its main emphasis and

seeks to achieve sustainable growth while cultivating

ownership by Africa itself. In June, my Government

invited African Heads of State and Government and

representatives of international organizations to

Japan, where it convened the fifth Tokyo International

Conference on African Development (TICAD V). On

that occasion, I was deeply struck by the eagerness

expressed by representatives of African nations for

private sector investment.

Investment flow to Africa now exceeds the flow

of assistance. I also heard from the African leaders

time and again that assistance should be utilized

strategically as a catalyst for attracting investment.

That is the evolution that discussions in the 20-year-

long TICAD process have witnessed and given rise to.

TICAD V became a forum where we celebrated the

path that Africa has walked down, and together we

reconfirmed that Japan has been an enduring partner

weaving dreams side by side with Africa.

I hold the firm conviction that the future course

of Japan’s diplomacy will begin here, by sparing

no pains — and with our regained strength and

capacity — to become actively engaged in meeting the

historic challenges that today’s world faces. I consider

“sparing no pains” to be nothing less than the basso

continuo notes that set the basic tone for Japan’s actions,

be they in diplomacy or any other field.

As a country with such intentions, strengths and

achievements, Japan considers it extremely regrettable

that the structure of the Security Council is still frozen

in a state that reflects the realities of some 70 years ago.

Security Council reform must proceed without delay.

Japan’s aspirations to becoming a permanent member

of the Council have not changed in the slightest.

Everything begins with Japan refortifying its true

abilities and its economy. The growth of Japan will

benefit the world. Japan’s decline would be a loss for

people everywhere. How, then, does Japan aim to

realize its growth? Mobilizing the power of women will

serve as both a source and outcome of growth, a point

almost self-evident at this gathering.

There is a theory called “womenomics”, which

asserts that the more the advancement of women

in society is promoted, the more growth increases.

Creating an environment in which women find it

comfortable to work and enhancing opportunities for

women to work and to be active in society is no longer

a matter of choice for Japan. It is instead a matter of the

greatest urgency.

Having declared my intention to create a society

in which women shine, I have been working to change

Japan’s domestic structures. However, that is not

confined merely to domestic matters. I would now

like to discuss how it is also an issue guiding Japan’s

diplomacy. To begin with, I would like to state four

contributions through which Japan aspires to remain a

leading member within the international community.

First, Japan respects the activities of UN-Women

and intends to become one of its leading contributors,

and therefore an exemplary country in that area. Japan

will also work closely with the relevant international

organizations.

Secondly, as other like-minded countries have

already done, Japan also intends to develop a national

action plan with regard to women, peace and security,

in cooperation with people working at the grass-roots

level.

Thirdly, Japan will cooperate closely with not

only UN-Women, but also the International Criminal

Court and the Office of the Special Representative of

the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict,

Ms. Zainab Hawa Bangura. It is an outrage that there

continues to be sexual violence against women during

times of armed conflict even now, in the twenty-first

century. Japan will do everything possible to prevent

such crimes against women and to support — both

materially and psychologically — those people who

unfortunately become victims of such acts.

Fourthly, Japan will submit once more at the next

session of the Commission on the Status of Women

a draft resolution that gives careful consideration to

women in natural disasters, as they are likely to be

vulnerable. Japan, which experienced a major natural

disaster two years ago, wishes to garner support for

the draft resolution, which embodies our outpouring of

support for the matter.

I would now like to make use of the examples

of three individuals to clarify Japan’s development

concept aimed at bringing about a society in which

women shine, and also to shed light on some issues that

must be tackled. I will first introduce the examples of

a Japanese woman and a Bangladeshi woman, and then

that of an Afghan woman, as the third example.

Ms. Tokiko Sato was an expert at the Japan

International Cooperation Agency, responsible for

improving maternal, newborn and child health for

over 15 years in a remote village in Jordan. Undaunted

by the suspicious looks she initially received from

the villagers, Ms. Sato would speak with anyone,

anywhere. Devoted to her ideas, including making

use of public entertainment to persuade the villagers,

Ms. Sato finally found herself accepted by the village

community. Ms. Sato’s tenacity gradually transformed

the traditional idea that the one who decides the number

of children is the husband, not the wife, into a mindset

that values the health of women.

As the Assembly is aware, my country played

a leading role in the establishment of the the Global

Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Japan

intends to continue to make an appropriate contribution

at the upcoming Fourth Replenishment, which seeks to

secure additional financing for the Fund. However, as

for the post-2015 development agenda, it would be most

appropriate to broaden the focus to encompass those

diseases individually.

Japan regards approaches that address individuals

holistically as better able to meet their broader health

needs. That is why Japan decided to promote universal

health coverage — “UHC — on the occasion of TICAD

V. To address health issues in the African region,

we have readied $500 million and are at present

concentrating on setting up training for 120,000 health

and medical services providers. With regard to medical

care for all, there can be no doubt that the people who

give the human touch to the three letters in “UHC” are,

in concrete terms, people like Ms. Sato, who without

hesitation go into local communities.

The second person I would like to introduce is

Ms. Nilufa Yeasmin, a young Bangladeshi woman and

the mother of two. Her professional title is “Poly-Glu

Lady”. Poly-Glu is a made-in-Japan water purifier

derived from a food that can be found in Japan in great

abundance. One simply adds it to turbid water. Poly-Glu

acts as an adsorbent, adhering to excess substances in

the water, and then falls to the bottom as a precipitate,

leaving the water clear. It is necessary to teach people

how to use it correctly at the outset, and Ms. Yeasmin

and other Poly-Glu ladies serve as both salespersons

and instructors.

As members can see, as with what is called a “base of

the pyramid” business, that endeavour is characterized

by the expectations placed on the power of women. By

combining her income with her husband’s, Ms. Yeasmin

has been able to send her children to an institution of

higher education. Poverty caused her to give up on the

dream she had cherished as a little girl of becoming a

doctor someday. But I understand that now she proudly

states she has become a doctor of clean water. Can we

not say that Ms. Yeasmin has acquired self-esteem, the

most precious asset of all? My Government wishes to

create as many Ms. Nilufa Yeasmins as possible.

By the way, the company that makes Poly-Glu is a

very small Japanese company. We will work to enhance

the assistance to such companies and organizations to

allow their ideas to bear fruit.

Finally, there is one more woman I would like to

introduce to everyone in the Hall today, but this Afghan

lady is no longer with us. Her name is Ms. Islam Bibi,

and on 4 July she was gunned down and assassinated.

She was 37 years old and is survived by three children.

Ms. Islam Bibi was a proud female police officer

with the Afghan police. She came to shoulder heavy

responsibilities through her nine years of service. She

guarded polling stations to monitor elections and was a

trainer to young female officers coming after her. We

have much work to be done. However, we must proceed

undaunted.

Under the auspices of the Law and Order Trust Fund

for Afghanistan, Japan has been one of the countries that

have always taken great pains to improve the capacity

of the Afghan police force and cultivate female police

officers, whose number will finally reach 1,800 — still

far from enough. I have renewed my determination to

continue to provide support in order to prevent another

case like that of Islam Bibi.

I wanted to emphasize — through the real-life

example of Ms. Nilufa Yeasmin in Bangladesh — the

necessity of promoting women’s participation in society

and their empowerment. My Government has prioritized

that as its foremost policy and will continue to undertake

highly inventive efforts, including launching start-up

businesses in Africa.

Through her actions, Ms. Tokiko Sato, the

Japanese aid specialist, has highlighted the importance

of maternal, newborn and child health, an MDG

whose attainment has been conspicuously slow. My

Administration will, as its second priority policy area,

engage greater efforts towards women’s health and

medical care.

Finally, what I hoped to convey through the tragic

example of Islam Bibi is the importance of women’s

participation and their protection in the context

of peace and security. Japan intends to promote

measures to ensure women’s participation at all

stages — including in conflict prevention and resolution

and in peacebuilding — and to safeguard their rights

and the physical well-being of women who are exposed

to danger in times of conflict.

I would like to state here that in establishing those

three pillars, the Government of Japan will direct

official development assistance in excess of $3 billion

over the next three years, to target the pillars.

In conclusion, if we were to follow the wisdom

of the so-called “womenomics” theory, as mentioned

earlier, the development concept aimed at cultivating

the power of women would generate greater peace and

well-being in the world. I wish to bring about a society

where women shine, within Japan and in conflict

regions and countries suffering from poverty. In that

context, I do not consider the outlook to be optimistic.

However, I know one thing: in Japan a considerable

number of people are working unsparingly towards that

end. They are the people who are making every effort to

ready themselves to be able to work together, in unity.