OPCW Director-General Visits Japan

On 28 August 2007, Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter, the Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) paid an official visit to Japan and met with high officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defence.

During this visit Director-General Pfirter met with H.E. Mr. Yoshinobu Higashi, Vice-Minister for Policy Coordination in the Cabinet Office, who briefed him on the progress in cooperation with China in recovery and destruction of abandoned chemical weapons and old chemical weapons.

In his meeting with H.E. Mr Shotaro Yachi, the Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Director-General Pfirter offered a detailed account of the current activities and challenges before the OPCW, ten years after entry into force of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). Vice-Minster Yachi reiterated Japan’s unwavering support and commitment to the goals of the convention.

Director-General Pfirter informed Vice-Minister Yachi of preparations for a High-Level Meeting at the UN, to be held on 27 September 2007, in the margins of the 62nd Session of the General Assembly. Both parties agreed that such a gathering should serve both to increase public awareness of the CWC as well as to promote the universality and full implementation of the Convention.

The Director-General Pfirter expressed his gratitude for Japan’s active participation in OPCW activities, particularly for its support to the seminars, workshops and programs in the Southeast Asia Region.

At the Ministry of Defence Director-General Pfirter met the Vice-Minister, H.E. Mr. Takemasa Moriya and discussed issues related to assistance and protection. Vice-Minister Moriya stressed that having in mind the experience with the subway sarin gas attack in Tokyo in 1995, and potential terrorist activities, Japan attaches great importance to the response capability in case of threat or use of chemical weapons. Director-General Pfirter underlined the readiness of the OPCW Technical Secretariat to continue its cooperation with Japan in this as well as in the other areas.

During the course of his visit Director-General Pfirter also met Mr.Keikou Terui, Director-General for Manufacturing Industries Policy. Mr. Terui said that Japan wishes to see the world without chemical weapons and underscored their support for the work of OPCW. He agreed with Director-General Pfirter on the increased importance of cooperation with chemical industry. In that context he expressed support for the industry inspections as a necessary tool in fulfilling obligations arising from the CWC. Mr.Terui confirmed Japan’s readiness to continue cooperation with the countries in the region and recalled that since 2004 Japan has been hosting the OPCW Associate Programme activities.

At the invitation of Ambassador Takaya Suto, Director of the Centre for the Promotion of Disarmament and Non-Proliferation at the Japan Institute of International Affairs, Director-General Pfirter delivered a lecture giving an overview of the challenged facing the OPCW on the tenth anniversary of entry into force of the CWC. The lecture was attended by Fellows at the Institute and representatives of the Diplomatic Corps and it was followed by a question and answer session.

PR85 / 2007

Categories: 10th Anniversary, Asia, Associate Programme, Outreach