On November 25, 2002, at the request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the Center for the Promotion of Disarmament and Non-Proliferation accepted the role of Secretariat of the CTBT National Operation System of Japan. The CTBT National Operation System of Japan was launched by MOFA in order to fulfill Japan's obligations for a verification system as set forth in the provisions of the treaty.

These actions have been taken since Japan will be participating in a global observation system designed to detect nuclear weapon test explosions or nuclear explosion performed around the world in violation of the CTBT. It is anticipated that Japan will be a standing member of the Executive Council to be set up after the treaty enters into force. It must therefore develop autonomous analysis and assessment capabilities in order to independently determine appropriateness of initiating on-site inspections that the Executive Council considers.

The CTBT National Operation System of Japan consists of the Secretariat and two station operators that will build and manage the monitoring facilities for the International Monitoring System (IMS), two national data centers that will analyze and evaluate abnormal phenomenon detected via IMS. Ten monitoring stations are to be located within Japan. MOFA has commissioned the Japan Weather Association to be station operator for seven of these, and Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) to be in charge of the other three. These two organizations have also been charged with operating the International Data Center.

As the Secretariat of the CTBT National Operation System of Japan, CPDNP plays an important role in Japan's goal of "action-oriented disarmament diplomacy," working daily to coordinate the activities of the monitoring stations and national data centers.