Hello, my name is Kanae Doi, Japan Director at Human Rights Watch.
When the international treaty banning antipersonnel landmines opened for signature on December 3, 1997-the international day for people with disabilities-it was celebrated around the world as a major advance for the protection of civilians. Japan's then-foreign minister, Keizo Obuchi, expressed hope that everyone would implement and adhere to the treaty "so that the generations who follow us in the 21st century are able to live in a world free from the threats of landmines."
Nearly 30 years later, the Mine Ban Treaty is making a positive difference, but faces several daunting challenges from countries threatening to withdraw from it to new casualties from new mine use to the suspension by the United States of its mine clearance funding.
All eyes are on Japan to take a lead in addressing these concerns in its important role as 2025 president of the Mine Ban Treaty. Japan's disarmament representative, Ambassador Tomiko Ichikawa, will preside over crucial meetings of Mine Ban Treaty members at the United Nations in Geneva in June and December.
The History of the Treaty:
Antipersonnel mines kill and wound people indiscriminately, while mined land drives displacement, hinders the delivery of humanitarian aid, prevents agricultural activities, and impedes socio-economic recovery from conflict. For these reasons, governments rallied to adopt the Mine Ban Treaty in 1997, and it took effect on March 1, 1999.
The treaty combines strict prohibitions on antipersonnel landmines with measures requiring member countries to clear and destroy them as well as to provide assistance to victims. The treaty sets a strong standard and provides the best framework to meet the goal of putting an end to the suffering and casualties caused by antipersonnel mines.
A total of 165 countries have joined the Mine Ban Treaty, including all of the African Union, European Union, and all NATO members except the United States. Since 1999, the Mine Ban Treaty has made significant progress, as shown by the drop in the production of antipersonnel mines from more than 55 countries to a dozen today and in the destruction of more than 55 million antipersonnel mines from the stockpiles.
Japan is a former producer and importer of antipersonnel mines. It completed the destruction of nearly one million stockpiled antipersonnel mines in February 2003.
The Current Crisis:
While the treaty stands strong, it faces several serious challenges. One top concern is the moves since March by the governments of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, and Poland to withdraw from the treaty. Their respective parliamentary processes are ongoing, but these countries look set to join notable non-parties such as the United States, China, India, Iran, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, and South Korea.
The withdrawals put civilian lives at risk and undermine the laws of war. They are driven by an uncertain security environment, which has seen Russia use antipersonnel mines extensively in Ukraine since its full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022, resulting in thousands of civilian casualties and contaminating vast tracts of land.
A new report published by Human Rights Watch on June 3 details how Russian forces are modifying quadcopter drones to emplace antipersonnel mines in and around the city of Kherson, as part of a campaign that has killed dozens of civilians and injured hundreds. The "Hunted From Above" report tells the stories of residents struggling to stay safe amidst repeated Russian attacks using armed drones that drop antipersonnel mines and other explosives and incendiary weapons.
Delivering antipersonnel mines by quadcopter drone is a new development, but the mines still fall under the prohibition contained in the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, which 165 countries have ratified, including Ukraine, but not Russia.
There is credible evidence that Ukraine's forces have used antipersonnel mines since 2022. Ukraine accepted at least two transfers of antipersonnel landmines from the United States since November 2024, putting it in further violation of the Mine Ban Treaty.
How Severe the Damage by Antipersonnel Landmines is:
The Myanmar junta's armed forces have used antipersonnel mines repeatedly since 1999, as have several non-state armed groups.
In October, Human Rights Watch interviewed a surgeon who has treated 15 civilian landmine survivors from Myanmar-including three children-and over 50 opposition fighters since 2022. He said that landmines are placed in villages, farms, and around military camps: "Villagers are scared, but when it's time to harvest the rice and corn, they have to go back. Kids will go with them, playing in the fields."
One landmine survivor told Human Rights Watch that he stepped on an antipersonnel mine on August 9, 2024, while fleeing his village of Auk in Myanmar's Rakhine State. He said, "a landmine exploded beneath me and another villager as we walked along the main road." He lost consciousness, but villagers got him to the river where he crossed the border into Bangladesh, where his lower left leg was amputated at a local hospital.
Civilians made up 84 percent of all recorded casualties in 2023, while children were 37 percent of casualties when the age was recorded.
The Unacceptable Nature of Antipersonnel Mines:
While any weapon can provide military utility, some are so indiscriminate that they have been deemed unacceptable due to the harm caused to civilians and the humanitarian impact. That includes antipersonnel mines.
Any use of antipersonnel mines by any actor under any circumstances should be condemned. It is important to note that victim-activated explosive devices are prohibited by the treaty regardless of whether they were improvised from locally available materials or manufactured in a factory.
Disruptions to Mine Clearance Funding and Japan's Critical Role:
A final challenge to the Mine Ban Treaty can be seen in the need for governments to ensure that adequate resources are available to all countries needing assistance so that the treaty's humanitarian goals are achieved.
Despite not signing the treaty, the United States has been the world's largest contributor to humanitarian demining and rehabilitation programs for landmine survivors over the past 30 years. Yet that funding halted within days of President Donald Trump taking office on January 20 and it's unclear if this crucial support will continue. The withdrawal of US aid funding is straining international institutions and civil society groups around the world, including mine clearance operators and rehabilitation providers.
The potential end of US funding makes contributions by other donors such as Japan even more essential to help fill the gap left by the US.
As Mine Ban Treaty president, Japan needs to do its utmost to protect and promote humanitarian disarmament norms aimed at ending human suffering.
Thank you.
