日外務大臣在聯合國用英語發言

Recently Asahi News reported the following:

国連本部で開かれている核不拡散条約（ＮＰＴ）再検討会議で、日本の福山哲郎・外務副大臣が４日登壇し、日本政府代表として英語で演説した。

　約１４分間をすべて英語で通し、日本は「核廃絶の先頭に立つ」と強調。会議にあわせて被爆者らがニューヨークで核兵器の悲惨さを訴えていることに言及し、「その思いの共有」を各国に呼びかけた。 英語での演説は、国連日本代表部の職員らに意見を求めたところ、「圧倒的な多数」で決まり、前夜に猛練習したという。「英語は苦手で恥ずかしかったが、唯一の被爆国として行動する道義的責任を強く訴えたかった」.　演説後には、韓国やグルジアの代表らが駆け寄り、握手を求めた。福山氏は「被爆国としての立場を明確にしたことに敬意を表してもらえた、と感じた」と述べた。

On the 4th, Senior Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Tetsuro Fukuyama of Japan ascended the platform of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference held in The United Nations Headquarters, and as a representative of the Japanese Government he made a speech in English.
In English throughout the some 14 minutes, Japan emphasized "standing at the lead of nuclear abolition". It made reference to radiation victims and appealed in this conference in New York about the misery of the nuclear weapon, and called on all countries to "share such a desire". It was said that to give the speech in English was decided by "overwhelming majority" when opinion was sought from staff of the Japanese representative in the United Nations, and hard practice was made at the previous night. "As the only nation that had suffered atomic bombings, I wanted to appeal strongly for a moral responsibility to act, although my English was not good and even shameful. " After the speech was made, representatives from South Korea and the Republic of Georgia came forward, and requested the handshake. Mr. Fukuyama described, "I can feel the respect given to me for being able to clarify the standpoint of the atomic-bombed nation".

The hard work of Mr. Tetsuro Fukuyama to give a speech in English at the UN is respected.