Kanae Doi, Japan Director at Human Rights Watch, addressed a symposium titled “Landmines and War: What is Happening in the World Today?” on June 6, 2025. She highlighted the progress and challenges facing the Mine Ban Treaty nearly three decades after its inception.
The Mine Ban Treaty, which opened for signature on December 3, 1997, aims to protect civilians from antipersonnel landmines. It has been ratified by 165 countries but faces challenges such as potential withdrawals by Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, and Poland. These moves are driven by security concerns amid Russia’s extensive use of mines in Ukraine since February 2022.
Doi emphasized Japan’s role as the 2025 president of the Mine Ban Treaty. Ambassador Tomiko Ichikawa will lead meetings at the United Nations in Geneva to address these issues.
A report by Human Rights Watch details how Russian forces have used drones to deploy antipersonnel mines around Kherson. Despite Ukraine being a treaty signatory, there is evidence it has also used such mines since 2022.
In Myanmar, both state and non-state actors have deployed landmines extensively since 1999. A surgeon reported treating numerous civilian survivors from Myanmar. One survivor recounted stepping on a mine while fleeing his village in Rakhine State.
Civilians accounted for 84 percent of all recorded casualties in 2023, with children comprising 37 percent of those when age was documented.
The treaty prohibits victim-activated explosive devices regardless of their origin. However, disruptions in mine clearance funding pose significant challenges. The United States had been a major contributor but halted funding shortly after President Donald Trump took office.
Japan’s contributions are crucial to filling this gap as it assumes leadership under the Mine Ban Treaty presidency to promote humanitarian disarmament norms.
Thank you.
