Parliamentary Vice Minister of Defence of Japan and the OPCW Director-General
THE HAGUE, Netherlands—16 May 2025—The Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Fernando Arias, met with Japan’s Parliamentary Vice Minister of Defence, H.E. Mr Kazuhiro Kobayashi, on 28 April 2025 at the OPCW’s Headquarters in The Hague.
The Parliamentary Vice Minister and the Director-General exchanged views on major challenges in international security and their implications for the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). Both sides reaffirmed the importance of multilateralism in tackling global security issues. They agreed to strengthen cooperation in upholding the global norm against chemical weapons.
Parliamentary Vice Minister Kobayashi acknowledged the growing importance of the OPCW in advancing global chemical weapons disarmament and non-proliferation, particularly as the international community faces a severe security environment. He also expressed “our intention is to further strengthen cooperation with the OPCW, particularly in light of the accreditation of the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force (JGSDF) Chemical School as an OPCW Designated Laboratory last year.”
The Director-General expressed his gratitude to the Government of Japan for its consistent support to the OPCW and the Organisation’s mission to achieve a world free of chemical weapons. “The pragmatic contributions from our Member States, including Japan, have played a crucial role in helping OPCW advance its key agenda and enhancing the Organisation’s capabilities to address chemical security threats worldwide,” he said.
Parliamentary Vice Minister of Defence of Japan and the OPCW Director-General with the Japanese delegation
Director-General Arias briefed the Parliamentary Vice Minister on the OPCW’s ongoing efforts to achieve the complete elimination of Syria’s chemical weapons programme. He highlighted his visit to Syria in February and the Syrian caretaker Foreign Minister’s important statement delivered to the OPCW Executive Council in March of this year. He stated, “The OPCW stands ready to support the new Syrian authorities in fulfilling the Syrian Arab Republic’s obligations under the CWC. The new Syrian authorities, together with the OPCW Technical Secretariat, have already taken steps towards achieving this goal.”
Director-General Arias also provided an overview of the OPCW’s recent activities related to Ukraine, with particular emphasis on the two reports of the Technical Assistance Visits to the country, which confirmed the presence of the riot control agent CS along the confrontation lines. “The findings of these reports underscored the significance to uphold the global norm against chemical weapons and to reinforce this fundamental prohibition,” he emphasised.
Director-General Arias also outlined the OPCW’s efforts to closely monitor and address the impact of rapid scientific and technological advancements, particularly in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), on the implementation of the Convention. He emphasised that the OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology (ChemTech Centre) plays a vital role in strengthening the Organisation’s capacity to stay at the forefront of these developments.
Parliamentary Vice Minister of Defence of Japan and his delegation visit the OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology
During his visit, the Vice Minister and his delegation also had an opportunity to visit the OPCW ChemTech Centre, which was inaugurated in May 2023. As part of their visit, the delegation received briefings on OPCW’s research, analytical and capacity building activities at the Centre.
Background
Japan joined the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1995 and is currently a member of the OPCW Executive Council. Since 2023, Japan has contributed to the following OPCW Trust Funds: The Trust Fund for Junior Professionals (EUR 124,641 in 2023 and EUR 112,101 in 2024), and the Trust Fund for the Implementation of Article X, in support of Ukraine (EUR 187,514 in 2024). In previous years, Japan has also supported other OPCW Trust Funds, including the Trust Fund for a Centre for Chemistry and Technology and the Trust Fund for Syria Missions.
As the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, the OPCW, with its 193 Member States, oversees the global endeavour to permanently eliminate chemical weapons. Since the Convention’s entry into force in 1997, it is the most successful disarmament treaty eliminating an entire class of weapons of mass destruction.
In 2023, the OPCW verified that all chemical weapons stockpiles declared by the 193 States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention since 1997 — totalling 72,304 metric tonnes of chemical agents — have been irreversibly destroyed under the OPCW’s strict verification regime.
For its extensive efforts in eliminating chemical weapons, the OPCW received the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.