Japan has brought together world leaders to revive momentum for a long-delayed treaty that could stop the production of materials used in nuclear weapons.
On September 24 in New York, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya chaired the first ministerial meeting of the “Friends of the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT)”, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, the Embassy of Japan from Manila said.
The session lasted about 45 minutes and gathered countries from different regions that support nuclear disarmament.
In his remarks, Iwaya pointed to today’s tense global security climate, citing North Korea’s continued nuclear and missile development and the opaque nuclear build-ups of other states.
He stressed that an FMCT—banning the production of fissile materials like enriched uranium and plutonium—would place real limits on nuclear arsenals.
He called on the international community to turn dialogue into action and finally begin negotiations on the treaty, which has been stalled since first proposed in 1993 by then US President Bill Clinton.
Officials from Australia, the Philippines, Nigeria, and the United Kingdom also delivered statements.
United Nations disarmament chief Izumi Nakamitsu underscored the urgency of advancing the treaty, while the United States participated as an observer.
The meeting concluded with the adoption of a joint ministerial statement reaffirming support for the treaty’s negotiation.
The FMCT Friends group—made up of countries including Japan, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Nigeria, the Philippines, the UK, and the US—aims to keep international focus on the treaty and broaden political support for its adoption.
Japan emphasized that starting negotiations on the FMCT without delay is vital to strengthening the global disarmament and non-proliferation framework.