39th Session of the Human Rights Council ITEM 3 Clustered Interactive Dialogue with: The Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances and The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Statement by Ambassador Ken Okaniwa The Permanent Mission of Japan in Geneva(12 September 2018)

Thank you, Mr. President.

　I appreciate the updates by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.

　Due to the limited speaking time, I would like to focus on the issue of enforced disappearances.

　It is clear from the report of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances that enforced disappearances continue around the world and must be tackled as an important universal human rights issue. Japan strongly urges all states that have not yet done so to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. Japan will continue to play an active role in resolving the issue of enforced or involuntary disappearance and will strengthen its cooperation with the Working Group, the states concerned, and the rest of the international community.

　The abductions of Japanese citizens by North Korea is a grave issue concerning the sovereignty of Japan, the lives and safety of Japanese citizens as well as a matter of grave concern in terms of human rights and humanitarian perspectives. It has been decades since those citizens were abducted. The abductees and their families are aging and we cannot afford to wait any longer. Japan will make every effort to resolve this issue and will continue to cooperate with the Working Group and the international community to that end.

I thank you, Mr. President.