LM Report 2002

JAPAN

Key developments since May 2001: Japanese mine action funding fell about 40 percent in 2001, to 741 million Japanese Yen (US$6.98 million). In January 2002, Japan pledged $19.22 million in emergency funds for mine action activities in Afghanistan. Japan has destroyed 605,040 antipersonnel mines, including 382,680 between March 2001 and February 2002.

MINE BAN POLICY

Japan signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December 1997, and ratified it on 30 September 1998. Japan became a State Party on 1 March 1999 and at the same time domestic legislation, the Law on the Prohibition of the Manufacture of Anti-personnel Mines and the Regulation of the Possession of Anti-personnel Mines, entered into force. ^[1]

In June 2001, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs named Ms. Kanako Nozawa, Secretary of Humanitarian Assistance Division, Multilateral Cooperation Department, as Japan’s “Focal Point” on Victim Assistance.^[2] In August 2001, Japan participated in the regional stockpile destruction seminar in Malaysia.

At the Third Meeting of States Parties in September 2001, Japan’s one-year term as co-chair of the Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-economic Reintegration came to an end. Japan also decided to end the position of Ambassador Hisami Kurokouchi as Special Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs on the Problems of Mines.^[3] In April 2002, the Ministry established a Conventional Weapons Division, in charge of Small Arms and Landmines, within the Foreign Policy Bureau.

Japan participated actively in the Mine Ban Treaty intersessional Standing Committee meetings in January and May 2002. Japan also attended the regional seminar, “Landmines in Southeast Asia,” hosted by Thailand in Bangkok in May 2002. At that seminar, Japan’s representative said, “Japan has been urging the governments of countries that have not ratified the Convention to do so. For example, Japan called on China, India and Russia last October and November, and some Asian countries this April and May to accede to the Ottawa Convention.”^[4]

Japan voted in favor of UN General Assembly Resolution 56/24M in November 2001, promoting universalization and implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty.

On 24 April 2002, Japan submitted its fourth Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 transparency report, again utilizing the optional “Form J” to report on its victim assistance efforts worldwide.

Japan is a State Party to Amended Protocol II of the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW). Japan submitted on 10 December 2001 its annual report as required by Article 13 of Amended Protocol II. Japan attended the Annual Conference on Amended Protocol II, as well as the Second Review Conference of the CCW, in Geneva in December 2001. In its statement to the Review Conference, Japan expressed support for: extension of the scope of the CCW to internal conflicts; the proposal for new restrictions on mines other than antipersonnel mines; and, the proposal to establish a group of governmental experts to consider ways and means to deal with problems caused by explosive remnants of war.^[5]

Japan believes that the issue of antivehicle mines with sensitive fuses or antihandling devices should be dealt with in the CCW, not the Mine Ban Treaty.^[6]

The Japan Campaign to Ban Landmines (JCBL) requested the government to clarify Japan’s position on antipersonnel mines stockpiled by United States in Japan, and possible transit of those mines through Japan.^[7] On 3 October 2001, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded, “The government of Japan (GOJ) does not bear any responsibility to prevent or prohibit the transportation of landmines by US military forces.”^[8] It also noted that because the US mines are not under Japan’s jurisdiction or control, Japan is not obliged to destroy them under Article 4 of the Mine Ban Treaty or to report on them under Article 7.^[9]

The Executive Summary of Landmine Monitor Report 2000 was translated into Japanese by the JCBL and was published in June 2001. The JCBL and the Korean Campaign to Ban Landmines (KCBL) held symposiums in June 2001 on current Korean landmine issues in Tokyo and Osaka. (See below for additional NGO activities).

PRODUCTION, TRANSFER, USE

Japan stopped production of antipersonnel mines in 1997 and manufacturing facilities were decommissioned by 31 March 1999.^[10] Japan has never exported antipersonnel mines and has not used antipersonnel mines since the establishment of the Defense Force in 1954.

STOCKPILING AND DESTRUCTION

Japan reported that on 31 December 2001 it possessed 436,837 antipersonnel mines in stockpiles, including 218,212 Type 67; 182,623 Type 80; 22,707 Type M3; 11,049 Type 63; and, 2,246 Type 87 scatterable mines.^[11]

Before Japan began its destruction program, it held 1,000,089 antipersonnel mines in stock. By the end of February 2002, it had destroyed 605,040 antipersonnel mines, including 382,680 in fiscal year 2001 (1 March 2001 – 28 February 2002). The final 380,049 mines will be destroyed by the end of February 2003, the deadline established by the Mine Ban Treaty.^[12]

Japan decided to retain 15,000 antipersonnel mines for training and research purposes.^[13] This was among the highest number of mines retained by any State Party. In September 2001, Japan stated that it needed these mines to “conduct training by exploding actual mines, as part of the educational training process of SDF (Self Defense Forces), aimed at safe and appropriate mine detection and mine clearance,” as well as to “examine the performance of hardware of mine detection and clearance.”^[14]

Of the 15,000 retained mines, Japan had “consumed” 3,777 from 1999 through 2001, leaving 11,223.^[15] The mines remaining include Type 63 (2,219), Type 67 (2,254), Type 80 (2,259), Type 87 scatterable (2,246), and Type M3 (2,245).^[16]

The total amount contracted by the Japan Defense Agency to destroy landmines was Japanese Yen (JPY) 817,216,000 (about US$7.8 million) in FY 2001, and JPY 831,200,000 (about US$7.8 million) in FY 2002. Asahi Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. contracted for about $3.54 million in FY 2001 and $3.72 million in FY 2002. Hokkaido NDF Co., Ltd. contracted for about $3.97 million in FY 2001 and $4.05 million in FY 2002. Nippon Koki Co., Ltd. contracted for about $268,000 in FY 2001.^[17]

MINE ACTION FUNDING

Japan contributed 741,342,000 Japanese Yen (JPY) (US$6.979 million) to mine action programs worldwide in 2001. After increasing significantly from JPY 1 billion ($8.7 million) in 1998 to JPY 1.6 billion ($13.2 million) in 1999, Japanese mine action funding fell about 22 percent percent to JPY 1.246 billion ($11.9 million) in 2000 and plummeted another 40 percent in 2001.

After four years, Japan has contributed about 46 percent (JPY 4.6 billion or $40.8 million) of its five-year JPY 10 billion target for mine action. Taking into account the JPY 2.06 billion ($19.22 m.) Japan pledged for Afghanistan in January 2002 (see below), Japan has contributed approximately 67 percent of the target for the period from 1998 to 2002.

Funding in 2001 followed the pattern of previous years in that the vast majority went to demining projects, with smaller amounts for victim assistance and mine risk education. The breakdown in 2001 was: demining $6.12 million (88 percent); victim assistance $668,000 (nine percent); mine risk education $195,000 (three percent).^[18]

In a major shift, however, in 2001, Japan contributed 57 percent ($4 million) of its mine action funds to NGOs and others under the “Grant Assistance for Grassroots Projects,” 41 percent ($2.8 million) on a multilateral basis, and only 2 percent ($154,000) on a bilateral basis.^[19] The previous year, 69 percent had gone to bilateral programs and less than four percent for Grassroots Projects.^[20]

In 2001, Japan’s mine action contributions went to: Cambodia (43.5 percent), Mozambique (13.3 percent), Bosnia and Herzegovina (11.9 percent), Ecuador (8.6 percent), Lebanon (8.5 percent), Afghanistan (5.4 percent), Croatia (4.9 percent), Angola (1.9 percent), and other (two percent).

In response to the situation in Afghanistan, on 18 January 2002, the government of Japan pledged JPY 2,056,540 (US$19.22 million) in emergency funds to mine action activities in Afghanistan. This pledge was made just before the opening of the International Conference on Reconstruction Assistance to Afghanistan held in Tokyo on 21-22 January 2002. The funding is earmarked as follows: $15.4 million for UNDP for rehabilitation of mine clearance equipment; $2.82 million to UNOCHA for costs related to mine clearance; $780,000 to the ICRC for prosthetics; $220,000 to the ICRC for mine risk education.^[21]

Mine Action Funding in 2001

In Thousands of US$

Country	Type of Aid	Recipients	Description	Amount
Cambodia	Multilateral	CMAC	Overall Assistance for Mine clearance	900
	Multilateral	UNMAS/UNDP/ World Rehab. Fund	Socio-economic Reintegration Training	273
	Bilateral	CMAC	Dispatch of Planning Researcher to CMAC	51
	Bilateral	CMAC	Dispatch of Planning Researcher to CMAC	20
	Bilateral	CMAC	Donation of Computer Related Equipment	83
	Grass Root	MAG	Donation of Grass-cutter, 4-wheels trucks	328
	Grass Root	JAHDS	Mine clearance in Battambang Province	581
	Grass Root	CMAC	Mine clearance in Battambang Province	805
Bosnia & Herzegovina				306
	Grass Root	HELP	Support Civil Defense army of B&H	461
	Grass Root	Buro Education Institute	Mine Risk Education in the Brcko District	65
Croatia	Grass Root	Cro-MAC	Mine clearance in East Srabonia District	342
Mozambique	Grass Root	National M.Clear Instit	Mine clearance of Gaza Province	846
	Grass Root	POWER	Donation of wheelchairs	86
Angola	Multilateral	UNMAS/UNICEF	Mine Risk Education	130
Afghanistan	Multilateral	UNMAS/UNICEF/CDAP	Rehabilitation and reintegration Training by Artificial Limb	309
	Grass Root	UNDP	Mine clearance I Herat Province	70
Lebanon	Multilateral	UNMAS	Mine Survey in South Lebanon	250
	Multilateral	UNMAS	Coordination to establish a MAC	250
	Grass Root	MAG Lebanon Office	Mine clearance in Navatia	93
Ecuador	Multilateral	UNMAS	Mine clearance	600
UN	Multilateral	UNMAS	Security Standard - 2nd Phase	130
Total				6.979

NGO Mine Action Activities

The Japan Campaign to Ban Landmines has been financially supporting the Outreach Prosthetic/Orthotic Programme of the British NGO, the Cambodia Trust, since April 2000, and mine risk education for Afghan and Pakistani NGOs since November 2001.^[22]

Humanitarian Orthotic/Prosthetic Endeavour (HOPE) has collaborated with a Japanese NGO, Phnom Penh no Kai, and British NGOs, Cambodian School of Prosthetics and Orthopedics, Cambodian Trust, POWER and Laotian Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise (COPE), in implementation of victim assistance projects. HOPE has provided expertise in prosthetics and orthotics and has trained Cambodian nationals in various districts of Cambodia since 1993 and Laotian nationals in Laos since 1998.^[23]

Association for Aid and Relief-Japan (AAR) has been implementing victim assistance and mine clearance projects in various regions around the globe. Since December 2001, in Afghanistan, AAR is operating three mine risk education teams in Kabul, Parwan, and Baghram for children in cooperation with HALO Trust. AAR also supports three survey teams of HALO Trust in Northern provinces. In May 2002, AAR also started a physiotherapy project in Takhar province, Afghanistan for disabled persons, including landmine survivors.

In Cambodia, AAR has been running the Kien Khleang Vocational Training Center for the physically challenged in Phnom Penh since 1993. It also operates a wheelchair production workshop within the center. In Burma, AAR has been operating a vocational training center for the physically challenged in Yangon since 1999. About 20 percent of its trainees are landmine survivors. In Laos, AAR operates a wheelchair production project at the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation in cooperation with JICA.

In May 2001, the Committee of Project “Mine Free” launched the “Zero Landmine project” releasing a music CD called “Zero Landmine (No More Landmines)” in cooperation with artists such as Ryuichi Sakamoto and Cyndi Lauper. More than 600,000 copies were sold and using the profit and donations, the committee has been funding mine clearance operations in Cambodia, Georgia, Mozambique and Angola conducted by HALO Trust. The committee includes the Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS), Warner Music Japan, Nichion, and AAR Japan. The assistance for clearance activities will last till 2005. On 1 May 2002, AAR published its fifth volume of a picture book series, “A Heartfelt Not Mines But Flowers - Sunny heads for Afghanistan” in Japan for public awareness. The profit will be used for mine action programs in Afghanistan.

The Japanese Red Cross Society is fully funding and implementing the ICRC Physical Rehabilitation Center in Battambang in Cambodia. A Japanese prosthetist/orthotist is working in the center to assist in the training of local staff. The Japanese Red Cross financial contribution for 2001 amounted to 1,008,426 CHF.^[24]

Japan Alliance for Humanitarian Demining Support (JAHDS), a consortium of industrial and charity groups, has been supporting projects in Cambodia and Thailand. JAHDS provided 28 motorcycles to the Landmine Impact Survey in Thailand conducted by Norwegian People’s Aid. In 2001, JAHDS also provided logistic support for landmine clearance in Battambang, Cambodia in cooperation with Mines Advisory Group. Over 1,300 people in Battambang benefited from the cleared land.^[25]

Cambodia Mines-Remove Campaign in 2001 organized exhibitions of cartoons and photographs, providing images on demining and victim assistance, in Fukuoka, Kumamoto and Tokyo. In the exhibitions, 537 cartoons and photographs by Japanese illustrators and photographers were presented. As part of the campaign’s efforts to educate the Japanese public, two study tours to Cambodia and the DMZ area (North and South Korea Border), as well as workshops and symposiums were organized in Japan. The campaign also provided funds, amounting to US$5,000, to a hospital in Battambang, Cambodia, through an Italian NGO Emergency. ^[26]

Mulindi Japan One Love Project (MJOLP) is a joint Rwandan/Japanese NGO that produces prostheses and orthoses free-of-charge and promotes the socio-economic reintegration of people with disabilities. It produced about 500 prostheses and orthoses from July 1994 to April 2002. The MJOLP inaugurated a new workshop in Kigali on 29 September 2000.^[27] In February 2002 MJLOP began a mobile workshop service to reach disabled people in remote areas.^[28]

[1] Article 7 Report, Form A, 24 April 2002.
[2] The ICBL has long advocated that each government name such a focal point, and the Standing Committee on Victim Assistance has encouraged States Parties to do so in Article 7 Form J.
[3] Meeting between the Japan Campaign to Ban Landmines, Association for Aid and Relief Japan, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tokyo, 3 October 2001. The Special Advisor position had been created for Ambassador. Kurokouchi in December 2000, after which time she also served as the co-chair of the Standing Committee.
[4] Address by Yusuke Shindo, Director of Conventional Weapons Division, Foreign Policy Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to the ASEAN Landmine Seminar, Bangkok, 13 May 2002.
[5] Statement by Ambassador Seiichiro Noboru to the Second Review Conference of States Parties to Amended Protocol II, Geneva, 11 December 2001.
[6] Written response to JCBL by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Conventional Weapons Division, 9 July 2002.
[7] The US is believed to have some 115,000 self-destructing antipersonnel mines stored in Japan. See Landmine Monitor Report 1999, p. 333.
[8] Written response to JCBL by Arms Control and Disarmament Division, Foreign Policy Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 20 September 2001.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Article 7 Report, Form E, 27 August 1999.
[11] Article 7 Report, Form B, 24 April 2002.
[12] Written response to JCBL from the Weapons and Warships Division, Bureau of Equipment, Japan Defense Agency, 1 March 2002. In its Article 7 Report, Form F, 24 April 2002, Japan reported the destruction of about 220,000 AP mines in JFY 1999 and the destruction of about 380,000 in JFY 2000. The destruction of another 380,000 contracted in JFY 2001 is expected to be completed by the end of February 2003.
[13] Article 7 Reports, Forms D and F, 27 August 1999 and 28 April 2000.
[14] Written response to JCBL by Arms Control and Disarmament Division, Foreign Policy Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 20 September 2001.
[15] Article 7 Report, Form D, 24 April 2002. Japan consumed 1,148 in 1999; 1,339 in 2000; and, 1,290 in 2001, according to each of its annual Article 7 Reports. Another 456 mines were consumed in the first two months of 2002, leaving 10,767. Written response to JCBL from the Weapons and Warships Division, Bureau of Equipment, Japan Defense Agency, 1 March 2002.
[16] Article 7 Report, Form D, 24 April 2002.
[17] Written response to JCBL from the Weapons and Warships Division, Bureau of Equipment, Japan Defense Agency, 16 February 2001 and 1 March 2002.
[18] Written response to JCBL by Humanitarian Assistance Division, Multilateral Cooperation Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 15 February 2002. See Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p. 459, for the breakdown for 1998-2000.
[19] Written response to JCBL by Humanitarian Assistance Division, Multilateral Cooperation Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 15 February 2002.
[20] Grant Assistance for Grassroots Projects was introduced in fiscal 1989 to meet the diverse aid requirements of developing countries. Under this scheme, Japanese embassies abroad and other overseas governmental establishments play a key role in funding projects implemented by local public bodies, research/medical organizations, and NGOs operating in such countries. See Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p. 460, for the breakdown for 1998-2000.
[21] Written response to JCBL by Humanitarian Assistance Division, Multilateral Cooperation Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 15 February 2002.
[22] For further information contact: JCBL, Toshiro Shimizu, email: banmines@jca.apc.org.
[23] For further information contact: HOPE, Kazuyuki Negishi, email: negishi@rehab.go.jp.
[24] ICRC Special Report, Mine Action 2001, ICRC, Geneva, July 2002, p. 45.
[25] For further information contact: JAHDS, Hiroshi Tomita, email: info@jahds.org.
[26] For further information contact: C.M.C. Kenji Otani, email: c.m.c.@nifty.com.
[27] “One Love Tsushin,” No. 18, January 2001. email: onelove@abox8.so-net.ne.jp.
[28] “One Love Tsushin,” No. 22, May 2002.

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