UNIS/L/350
3 October 2023

Japan accedes to the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation

VIENNA, 3 October (UN Information Service) – With the deposit of the instrument of accession at the UN Headquarters in New York, Japan becomes the twelfth State Party to the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation, also known as the "Singapore Convention on Mediation". The accession by Japan was effected on 1 October 2023, and the Convention will enter into force for Japan on 1 April 2024. In acceding to the Convention, Japan made a reservation in accordance with article 8(1)(b) of the Convention.

The Singapore Convention on Mediation facilitates international trade and promotes mediation as an alternative and effective method of resolving commercial disputes by providing an effective mechanism for the enforcement of international settlement agreements resulting from mediation.

The Convention is open for signature, ratification, and accession by States and regional economic integration organizations. In total, fifty-six States have signed the Convention since it opened for signature on 7 August 2019. Up-to-date information on the Convention and its status is available on the UNCITRAL website: uncitral.un.org.

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The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) is the core legal body of the United Nations system in the field of international trade law. Its mandate is to remove legal obstacles to international trade by progressively modernizing and harmonizing trade law. It prepares legal texts in a number of key areas such as international commercial dispute settlement, electronic commerce, insolvency, international payments, sale of goods, transport law, procurement and infrastructure development. UNCITRAL also provides technical assistance to law reform activities, including assisting Member States to review and assess their law reform needs and to draft the legislation required to implement UNCITRAL texts. The UNCITRAL Secretariat is located in Vienna, Austria, and maintains a website at uncitral.un.org.