Furthermore, to prevent the outbreak and escalation of conflicts, we also need to address the problems of anti-personnel landmines and small arms including automatic rifles in which we have yet to make sufficient efforts. We intend to continue to play a leading role in these issues. We are pleased that 40 countries have now concluded the Anti-Personnel Landmine Ban Convention and that it will enter into force on March 1st next year. We are now making efforts toward Japan's earliest possible conclusion. We ask other nations yet to conclude it to do so promptly, so that the convention may become a universal framework to ban the anti-personnel landmines totally.
Conflicts give rise to intolerable crimes against humanity such as genocide.
To deter such crimes, it is necessary to establish a permanent international court that punishes such acts as international crimes. Adoption of the treaty in July this year in Rome to establish such a court was an act of historic significance. Japan believes that the blessing and cooperation of the entire international community is indispensable for this court to produce effective results. That is why we took important initiatives in the diplomatic conference. It is our hope that this international criminal court will grow in this direction to become a universal framework.