Statement by H. E. Ambassador Yuji IKEDA

Mr. President, Distinguished Delegates, and Ladies and Gentlemen,

We would like to extend to you, Mr. President, our heartiest congratulations on your unanimous election as President of this UNISPACE III ("the Third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space"). We are fully confident that under your leadership this Conference will be guided towards a wealth of significant results. Japanese Delegation will spare no efforts in assisting you in the accomplishment of your very important task. We are also delighted that Professor Shunji Murai of Japan's Tokyo University was elected Chairman of the Second Committee, allowing Japan to make a very human contribution to the success of this Conference.

We would additionally like to express our sincere appreciation to the people and Government of Austria for all their endeavors as the hosts of the Conference. In addition, allow us to express our gratitude to Director Jasentuliyana and his staff at the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs for their efforts in preparing for this Conference.

Mr. President,

Seventeen years have past since UNISPACE 11 was convened. During these years, great changes have been witnessed in the world's exploration of space.

Due to the dissolution of the East-West conflict, significant changes have also been evidenced over the last seventeen years in each government's space exploration undertakings. Also, space exploration financed through private investment has been actively undertaken.

Space technology has been employed by many countries as a means to address important global issues, such as the environment, food and energy.

The expansion of space activities to include the private sector and the use of space activities to address global issues paves the way for a world in which each country can enjoy the benefits of outer space regardless of its development capacity.

Over the years, Japan, as an advanced space-faring country, has played a significant role in improving space development activities, in order to contribute to the international community.

Keeping all of the developments of the last seventeen years in mind, the "Third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space" is convening under the theme "Space Benefits for Mankind in the 21st Century". Japan believes that this conference will greatly enhance the world's understanding of space utilization, promote cooperation, and enable the results to be shared amongst humanity.

Mr. President,

Space development currently offers exciting opportunities to further enrich and positively impact our daily lives. As the twenty-first century approaches, scientific exploration of outer space is becoming increasingly important as it aims to expand mankind's intellectual frontier. We feel that the diverse knowledge and information obtained by such exploration will generate new views of space, the earth and life, and that it will create a new philosophy and culture, and consequently contribute to the establishment of an intellectual and mature society.

For the next generation of young people exploring space can be one of the most challenging pursuits in which to engage. It is, therefore, very important to instill in future generations the conviction of the rewards and opportunities space development can offer. We believe that this will certainly contribute to. the development of human resources not only in the fields of science and technology, but also in other fields, and that it will help in maintaining the vitality of mankind's economic activities.

Mr. President,

I would like to briefly present some explanatory points on Japan's basic policy for space development.

Japan promotes and pledges to continue promoting space development within a framework of peaceful purposes based on the following seven basic points:

Firstly, Japan will promote Earth science, and the material and life sciences with a long-term vision.
Secondly, Japan will make efforts to apply the results of space development to wider areas in society.
Thirdly, special efforts will be made toward gaining wide public support of space activities.
Fourthly, bearing in mind the international character of space development, Japan will pursue an active role in international space cooperation.
Fifthly, Japan will, with respect to the promotion of space development, continue to emphasize unmanned systems and seek to enhance their reliability and level of sophistication. However, in addition to this approach, contributions to manned systems will also be developed within the framework of international cooperation, such as the International Space Station Program.
Sixthly, it is quite important to ensure the development of Japan's space related industry, in. order to implement space development smoothly and effectively and disseminate its spin-offs within society at large.
Lastly, space debris has accumulated since the dawn of world space development. Due consideration must, therefore, be given to preserving space's environment by avoiding the generation of additional space debris caused by future space activities.

Mr. President,

To date, under the umbrella of the aforementioned basic points, Japan has launched successfully sixty-two satellites, and implemented with success various observations and experiments, including six-time manned space flights. These activities have made significant contributions to the solution of global environmental issues by observing the ozone layer and by tracking tropical rain forest conditions, and have contributed to the realization of a highquality and affluent standard of living, which is based on communications, broadcasting, or meteorological observations, and have helped to create new technology and industry, such as in the fields of materials and electronics.

As can be seen, Japan's space activities are continuously expanding and deepening their contribution to society. At the same time, space activities are still challenging and are accompanied by high risk.

Japan is currently tackling more advanced areas of space development. These activities have been challenged by many problems, accidents and malfunctions. Recently, the Space Activities Commission reviewed these problems, and developed its recommendations. In its recommendations, the SAC confirmed the necessity of improving both reliability and product assurance systems. Furthermore, SAC reconfirmed the importance of encouraging the morale, zeal and motivation of engineers.

Mr. President,

It is Japan's understanding that in the field of space development, it is expected to develop indigenous technology, to contribute to the enhancement of worldwide technological levels, to utilize and offer internationally the results of its space activities for the promotion of space development, and to take the initiative in promoting international cooperation.

Japan has implemented the following measures to further these ends:

Firstly, Japan has encouraged further international cooperation in the fields of information exchanges, personnel exchanges, and joint projects.
Secondly, concerted efforts have been made to set up discussion and consultation fora on the creation of joint projects, to allow participating countries to acquire a common understanding of the project at the planning stage.
Thirdly, Japan has promoted international cooperation in the fields of Earth observation, Earth science, space environment utilization, and space science.
Fourthly, Japan has, within the context of a large-scale space infrastructure, facilitated international cooperation by selecting the most suitable cooperative forms.
Fifthly, Japan as a member country has, taking into consideration expectations and requests from the AsiaPacific region, expanded its cooperative activities through the use of various means. For example, on its own initiative, Japan has convened the past six "Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Fora (APRSAF)", in order to continue activities from the International Year of Space in 1992, and Japan has encouraged information exchanges about the space development situation in this region and future space development projects. The 6th Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum, which was a pre-event to UNISPACE 111, convened in Japan in May this year.
Sixthly, Japan has participated actively in and provided contributions to the international activities and endeavors conducted by the United Nations, INTELSAT, INMARSAT, and other international organizations.

Mr. President,

The world's people, facing the twenty-first century, the new millennium, are becoming increasingly familiar with the peaceful use of outer space.

In order to enjoy "Space Benefit for Mankind in the 21st Century", it is essential that each country makes efforts to acquire the capacity to apply space technology, and utilize actively research results obtained through space development in order to solve important regional and global issues, such as the preservation of the global environment.

Japan would like to reconfirm it's commitment to play an active role in improving world space development, increasing the awareness of the need to emphasize private sector involvement and supporting international cooperation in space development. Japan will also continue its effort to advance space technology for social and economic development purposes as well as to pursue wide-scale space utilization from a global perspective.

Mr. President,

Japan hopes sincerely that international cooperation for the peaceful uses of space will be strengthened further, that the world's utilization of space toward the twenty-first century will be promoted, and with the help of the consultations taking place at this space conference, under the theme "Space Benefits for Mankind in the 21st Century", that all mankind will be in a position to enjoy its benefits.

Thank you.