December 24, 1999

1. On the issue of the destruction of abandoned chemical weapons in China, it has been estimated, as a result of Japan-China joint on-site investigations, that there are approximately 700,000 abandoned weapons in China. The Government of Japan is obliged by the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which came into effect in April 1997, to deal with the destruction of these weapons.

2. The Government of Japan intends to carry out its duty sincerely in cooperation with the related ministries and government agencies. Since the Prime Minister's Office has been in charge of the actual destruction operation, the Office for Abandoned Chemical Weapons established within the Prime Minister's Office on April 1, 1999 is proceeding with such activities as a study of destruction technology and a destruction plan.

3. The Government of Japan has appropriated 2,826 million yen on the Governmental draft of FY2000 budget, following an appropriation of 809 million yen on the supplementary budget of FY1999, as the first budget after the establishment of the Office for Abandoned Chemical Weapons.