UN General Assembly
1991

First, the Secretariat's ability continuously to monitor and analyse information relating to possible conflicts should be substantially strengthened. Secondly, on-site fact-finding missions should be dispatched. Thirdly, early warnings should be issued as the situation requires. Fourthly, good offices and mediation efforts should be undertaken under the authority of the Secretary-General. Japan hopes to work together with other Member States during this session of the General Assembly for the early establishment of an effective system for conflict prevention. The second lesson to be learned from the Gulf crisis is that the amassing of massive arsenals by one country through the international transfer and proliferation of weapons contributes to aggressive behaviour when such actions are tied to that country's political aims. Thus, the most important issue in the wake of the Gulf crisis is that of strengthening efforts in the fields of the international transfer of conventional weapons and the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and missiles. This is an area in which Japan has long taken active initiatives.