Good morning distinguished members of the media,

It’s a great pleasure to be back in Japan, and I thank the government and the Japanese people for your very warm welcome.

Saturday’s peace ceremony in Hiroshima was an unforgettable and moving experience. The dedication of the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the cause of peace, and the dignity and resilience of the hibakusha, are an example and a lesson for all of humanity.

I intended to go to Hiroshima for the 75th anniversary of the horrendous explosion. Unfortunately, COVID-19 did not allow me. I had gone to Nagasaki one year before, and I have to tell you that whenI came to Hiroshima and Nagasaki as a citizen of the world in the 1980s, this had a profound influence in my political career in my country, and later in my actions in international affairs.

I’d like to underline that in Hiroshima I made two concrete asks. First, ask the nuclear armed countries to commit to no first use of nuclear weapons and ask nuclear armed countries, never to use or threaten non-nuclear armed countries with the use of nuclear weapons, with full transparency in relation to their arsenals. I hope these asks will be taken seriously because we are witnessing a radicalization in the geopolitical situation that makes the risk of a nuclear war again, something we cannot completely forget.

I also want to express my deep condolences, remembering former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, whom I met several times and was a true believer in multilateralism and a staunch partner of the United Nations. I was deeply shocked and saddened by his killing.

Mr. Abe leaves a legacy of strengthened relations with the United Nations, and I would once again like to convey our condolences to the Government, the people of Japan and his family on his passing.

Japan is a pillar of the multilateral system, and the third largest financial contributor to the United Nations.
 

But Japan’s support goes far beyond funding. I commend Japan’s solidarity and help in response to the war in Ukraine; its strong commitment to Universal Health Coverage; its leadership on disaster risk reduction; and its contributions to United Nations peacekeeping.  

Japan’s global leadership extends to an increasing advocacy for peace, human security and disarmament.

At a time when geopolitical tensions are rising and the nuclear threat is back in focus, Japan’s strong and consistent voice on peace is more important than ever.

My talks with Prime Minister Kishida in Hiroshima confirmed this. We covered many aspects of the serious global challenges we face today, including the situation also on the Korean Peninsula.

This mission I am undertaking is centered on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. It takes place when the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference is taking place in New York.

I came to Hiroshima paying tribute to the victims, paying tribute to the hibakusha, paying tribute to the people of Hiroshima, and I will be going to Mongolia and the Republic of Korea. Mongolia has been an important interlocutor of the UN in relation to the situation in the DPRK and the Republic of Korea. Considering that the denuclearization - full denuclearization, verifiable and irreversible of the Korean Peninsula remains a major objective together with the success of the JCPOA to avoid the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

As you know, I have repeatedly advocated for and welcomed the reopening and strengthening of communication channels to reduce tensions, and I hope the parties will resume dialogue and build on earlier agreements.

I would also like to express my total solidarity on the issue of abductees, a historical injustice that is completely unacceptable in today’s world.

Recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is being hampered at the global and national levels by growing inequalities between developed and developing countries, between north and south, and by discrimination against women and minorities of all kinds.

I count on Japan’s efforts to reduce these unjust inequalities, and to support inclusive, resilient, sustainable economies and societies, based on the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.

I also urge Japan to support efforts at the global level to reform the financial architecture that is failing developing countries. We need solidarity to create a more just and equitable global financial system that works for everyone.  

And we need solidarity to combat the climate crisis.

Japan itself is seeing the consequences of our exploitation of fossil fuels, with an unusual stretch of extreme heat earlier this year, followed by torrential rain.

Addiction to fossil fuels is a one-way street to the destruction of jobs, businesses and economies, and to increased conflict, hunger and disease.

With its impressive record of innovation and deep appreciation for the natural world, Japan has enormous potential for global leadership on climate.

I hope Japan will take a number of specific actions.

First, I encourage Japan to take credible and ambitious actions to cut emissions by half in the next eight years. To become a leader in renewables technology and storage, at home and abroad.
 
Second, to build on your government’s commitment to stop funding coal plants. 

There is no such thing as clean coal. 

For real change, I hope Japanese public and private capital will stop financing coal completely. I count on Japan and all G20 countries to deliver urgently on this promise – and push for more.

Likewise, G7 countries that Japan will preside next year, must make good on their commitment to end new direct public support for international fossil fuel projects.

Third, partnerships are essential for many coal-dependent economies to make a just transition to renewable energy.

Japan can play an important role in these partnerships in support of the shift to renewables. In doing so, it will open new markets and accelerate economic competitiveness.

Japan is today leader, co-leader of the coalition to support Indonesia in accelerating its just transition from fossil fuels to renewables.

And I count on Japan to demand that multilateral development banks immediately deliver investments and support for developing countries to expand renewables and build climate resilience through adaptation.  

As a major shareholder, Japan can use its influence to make these institutions fit-for-purpose in addressing the climate emergency.

Countries have a choice:

Put innovation to work; carve out new export markets; and reinvigorate growth and competitiveness;

Or fall back on climate-wrecking, polluting fossil fuels; risk falling behind economically; and watch others reap the rewards of renewables.

I count on Japan to make the right choice — for Japan and for the world.

I also look forward to hearing Japan’s voice on pressing issues of global importance next year, when Japan assumes the presidency of the G7 and membership of the Security Council.

I count on Japan to use its unique position as a bridge-builder and peacemaker to strengthen global cooperation and build trust and solidarity.

And now I will be very happy to take a few questions from the distinguished representatives of the media present in this room.

Question: Recently, in the Taiwan Strait tensions seem to be rising. China is having military exercises and Japan is concerned with the situation. So Secretary-General, how do you view the escalation of the past few days, and what kind of role would the United Nations be able to play in this regard please?

Answer: Of course, I see things with concern. The United Nations abides by the resolution of the General Assembly, with the so-called one China policy, but we all want that resolution to correspond to a peaceful environment in relation to this question.

I think it's very important to appeal first of all to common sense. This is a sensitive question. It needs to be treated with common sense and then restraint, allowing for de-escalation that I believe will be extremely important in the days and times to come.

Question: The UN put a lot of effort into the humanitarian corridor in Mariupol, and with the grain efforts, the UN played a big role. What is the next mission that the UN can do with respect to the war in Ukraine?

Answer: Well, naturally the two things that you have mentioned were UN initiatives that I believe were extremely important - to have the evacuation of civilians from Mariupol that had been impossible for months and allow - since the proposal I made to President Putin and President Zelensky  - for the opening of the exports of the Ukraine grains from the Black Sea and at the same time with the US and European Union to work for the facilitation of the exports of Russian food and fertilizers to make sure that we are able to contain the dramatic rise that has undermined in a terrible way the living conditions of developing countries and poor households worldwide.

But of course, there are many other problems in which we are ready to intervene. We have a very strong humanitarian operation in Ukraine and we are ready to mediate on any practical issue in which we will be able to help solve some of the problems, the pending problems, that are created by the conflict, but of course the most important objective is peace. Peace naturally respecting international law and the UN Charter, and the UN is always available to use our good offices in the promotion of a peaceful solution for the Ukraine conflict, as I said, with respect for the UN Charter and with respect for international law.

Question: Secretary-General Guterres, you have participated in the Peace Memorial ceremony and you have asked the five nuclear powers to observe this peace. The governments that have been under the nuclear umbrella of the nuclear states, has there been any reaction from any of them?

I don’t think there was any reaction. We are just two days ahead of the ceremony. But I believe this is the moment when the risk of a nuclear confrontation is back – something that we had forgotten for decades. This is the moment as I said to ask the nuclear armed countries to commit to the principle of non-first use and to commit to not use and not threaten, as I mentioned, non-nuclear armed countries with full transparency in relation to their arsenals.

I think that nobody can accept the idea that a new nuclear war could happen. This would be the destruction of the planet. What is clear is that if nobody uses them for the first time, there will be no nuclear war.

Question: The nuclear plant in Ukraine is under military attack, what are the actions to be taken by the UN and the IAEA on that aggression?

Answer: Well, we fully support the IAEA in all their efforts in relation to creating the conditions of stabilization of that plant. Any attack to a nuclear plant is suicidal thing and I hope that those attacks will end and at the same time I hope that the IAEA will be able to have access to the plant and to exercise its mandated competencies.

Question: I have a question on the export of grain of the Ukraine where, the UN and Türkiye have been important intermediaries. What is preventing the ceasefire from being realized? What is the thing that is making difficult the ceasefire from being a reality? What can the United Nations do in this situation?

Answer: We have been working very closely with Türkiye and Türkiye has launched a new initiative in relation to a possible start of peace negotiations. The difficult thing in relation to a ceasefire comes from a simple fact: Ukraine cannot accept a situation in which its territory is taken by another country, and the Russian Federation does not seem ready to accept that the areas that Russian forces have taken will not be annexed by the Russian Federation or give way to new independent states.

So these two positions at the present moment are not possible to conciliate and that is why I’m very worried that we might have a prolonged war and a war that is causing enormous suffering and having a very negative impact in the global economy and in the living conditions especially of the most vulnerable people.

Question: In Japan, Mr. Kishida attended the NPT Review Conference making a great contribution. The Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons, for this matter, my question is whether Japan should be observant to the NPTW, have you talked to Prime Minister Kishida about this point?

Answer: We didn’t discuss this point. We had a very short meeting and obviously we respect the sovereignty of Japan in relation to Japan choices. But I think it is fair to say that Japan has had a consistent commitment to disarmament and a consistent intervention in order to keep the disarmament and non-proliferation agendas on top of the discussions in the international community. Of course, it’s up to Japan as a sovereign country to decide whether or not to sign or ratify international treaties but independently of that I recognize the very strong commitment of Japan to nuclear disarmament.

Question: What is the UN’s view on revitalizing the decreasing of the tensions between east and west that was seen in the 80s and 90s?”

Answer: We had indeed, and I have been repeating it, we had very encouraging steps in the second half of last century in relation to disarmament. The agreements between the United States and the Soviet Union to reduce the number of nuclear heads that was a very significant agreement, and in relation to the mechanisms of control that were established. The same in relation to the intermediate range weapons, and there was this hope that we would progressively move the disarmament agenda more and more and come to a moment in which the world could be free of nuclear weapons. Much before the Ukrainian war this situation reversed. In the beginning of this century we started to see a toughening of the relations between the biggest powers and we started to reverse this trend. Some treaties were renovated for a short period, but we have now a serious negotiation that needs to take place for the next round. Others were not renewed, and we are moving backwards in relation to disarmament. We have now 13,000 nuclear bombs in the world and we are seeing huge investments in modernizing nuclear arsenals so this is the moment to say: stop it. The billions that are being used in this arms race need to be used fighting climate change, fighting poverty and addressing the needs of the international community.

So this is the moment in which the voices of all of us are necessary to say that disarmament needs to come back and together with non-proliferation, to guarantee not only that we will not go to a collective suicide but that we are able to dramatically improve international relations.

Question:If Russia were to use nuclear weapons, how would the UN respond?  

Answer: I believe that if nuclear weapons were used, there is probably no UN able to respond anymore. We might all not be here anymore.

Question: On the DPRK, the humanitarian situation, what is the UN doing on this and on human rights there?

Answer: In relation to human rights, the UN human rights body has been very clear in
expressing our clear condemnation of human rights violations in the DPRK. In relation to humanitarian aid, the UN was involved in humanitarian aid especially food and medicine to the DPRK, where the needs are dramatic. Unfortunately, no visas have been issued to UN staff. International staff has not been able to access the DPRK and we are having enormous difficulties in having what is badly needed - the humanitarian support to the people of the country.

My appeal is for the DPRK to facilitate the work of the United Nations and for donors to be able to support us, because as far as we know, the needs are absolutely dramatic - both from the point of view of food insecurity and the point of view of health.