Dr. Kazuko Hikawa currently serves as the Vice Director of and professor at the Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition at Nagasaki University in Japan. She is also an Adjunct Fellow of the Japan Institute of International Affairs and Co-Founder of World New Prosperity. Prior to her academic career, Dr. Hikawa served as a diplomat with the Japanese Foreign Service for 24 years. Throughout her career, she has been actively involved in the NPT Review Process since 2002. She has held various positions, including Assistant to the Chair of the 2007 NPT Preparatory Committee and Assistant to the Chair of Main Committee III at the 2010 NPT Review Conference. In 2013, Dr. Hikawa was appointed as a Special Assistant for Arms Control, Disarmament, and Non-Proliferation Issues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. She has also served as the Deputy Director of the Non-proliferation, Science and Nuclear Energy Division, where she focused on IAEA safeguards issues. From 2021 to 2023, Dr. Hikawa was a member of the UN Group of Governmental Experts on Nuclear Disarmament Verification. During this time, she contributed to the adoption of a report to the UN Secretary General by consensus.