Press Conference by Prime Minister Kishida on His Visit to the United States and Other Matters

(On the Prime Minister's aims in attending the Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), and the expected outcomes)

First, with regard to my attendance at this Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), I am heading off to New York with a strong sense of urgency. When I observe the current situation of international divisions surrounding nuclear disarmament and Russian threats to use nuclear weapons, I am acutely aware that international momentum aiming at a world without nuclear weapons is decreasing remarkably at present.

It is precisely because I feel this sense of urgency, and moreover because we find ourselves in this severe situation, that I will attend the NPT Review Conference as the first Japanese prime minister ever to do so, wishing strongly that through this conference I will help to reverse the diminishing momentum towards realizing a world without nuclear weapons and make it an opportunity to re-invigorate international enthusiasm towards that goal.
These are my thoughts as I head off to New York.