普天間日米合意 混乱の責任は鳩山首相にある

専門用語：
the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station 米軍普天間飛行場 (マリンコーです、Pは黙音で発音されません）

コメント：
辺野湖周辺の土地が投機目的で買い占められているといううわさがあります。
登記簿をチェックすればすぐにわかりますよね。
もっとも法律違反にはなりませんから処罰はできませんが、それでも倫理的責任はあると思います。
株式のインサイダー取引に相当するのではないでしょうか。
｢未必の故意｣が見え隠れしますね。

srachai from khonkaen, thailand

The Yomiuri Shimbun (May. 30, 2010)
Hatoyama responsible for base relocation chaos
普天間日米合意　混乱の責任は鳩山首相にある（5月29日付・読売社説）

After causing political confusion at home and in the Japan-U.S. relationship, he easily broke his "promise to the people." He apologized but will not take responsibility. These developments show the real nature of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.
　日本政治と日米関係を混乱させた末、「国民との約束」を簡単に破る。一応謝罪はするが、責任はとらない。これが鳩山首相の本質だろう。

The Japanese and U.S. governments issued a joint statement that stipulates the Henoko area in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, as the relocation site for the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station, also in the prefecture.
　日米両政府は、米軍普天間飛行場の移設先を沖縄県名護市辺野古周辺と明示した共同声明を発表した。

Hatoyama then dismissed Social Democratic Party leader Mizuho Fukushima from his Cabinet after she refused to sign a Cabinet policy document regarding the base relocation because she opposed the Japan-U.S. agreement. Fukushima was the consumer affairs minister.
日米合意に反対し、閣議での政府対処方針への署名を拒否した社民党党首の福島消費者相を、鳩山首相は罷免した。

Even though she was the leader of a coalition partner of Hatoyama's Democratic Party of Japan-led government, she adamantly refused to approve of the government's relocation plan. It was therefore natural for the prime minister to dismiss her.
　連立与党の一角を担う党首とはいえ、政府方針に同意しない以上、罷免は当然である。

　◆福島氏罷免は当然だ◆

Policy U-turn was realistic

===

The Hatoyama administration made a realistic judgment when it dropped a plan to move the base outside the prefecture, which was unpromising, and instead made a U-turn to a position very close to the previous plan to construct alternative facilities in the coastal area of Henoko.
　鳩山政権が、展望のない県外移設を断念し、辺野古沿岸部に代替施設を建設する現行計画にほぼ回帰したのは、現実的判断だ。

But it took too much time for the administration to make this change. Residents in Okinawa Prefecture, who had approved the existing plan until last year, turned against it, an indication that very high hurdles remain before the relocation plan can be implemented. In this regard, the relocation issue should not be considered to have returned to the original point. Rather, the situation is worse than it was before the launch of the Hatoyama administration.
　だが、方針転換がいかにも遅すぎた。昨年までは現行計画を容認していた地元が反対に転じており、実現のハードルは高い。辺野古移設は迷走の末、元に戻ったというより、政権発足前より悪い状況に陥ったにすぎない。

The government should make all-out efforts to persuade the Okinawa prefectural government and the Nago municipal government to cooperate to realize the Japan-U.S. agreement.
　政府は、日米合意の実現に向けて、沖縄県や名護市の説得に全力を挙げるべきである。

The joint statement listed eight areas in which measures could be taken to reduce the burdens on the people of Okinawa, such as relocating the training of U.S. forces and U.S. forces and Self-Defense Forces sharing base facilities.
　共同声明は、沖縄の負担軽減策として、米軍訓練の分散移転や、自衛隊と米軍による米軍施設の共同使用など８項目を掲げた。

But the statement merely says many of such measures would be considered in accordance with progress made in completing the replacement facilities. It is unclear to what extent the measures can be materialized.
　ただ、その多くは、代替施設建設の進展に応じて「検討」するとされているだけだ。負担軽減がどの程度実現するかは不透明だ。

Taking into consideration the SDP's stance opposing the relocation within the prefecture, the government initially was considering not naming Henoko in a government policy document. But with Fukushima's dismissal, the government stipulated Henoko as the relocation site in the document.
　政府は当初、県内移設に反対する社民党に配慮し、日米の共同声明にある移設先の「辺野古」を、対処方針には明示しない方向で調整していた。だが、福島党首の罷免に伴い、対処方針にも「辺野古」を明記した。

It was reasonable that the government did not apply a "double standard." The DPJ wants to avoid losing the support of the SDP in the upcoming House of Councillors election with the departure of the SDP from the ruling coalition. But it is not a good idea to leave national security issues ambiguous in order to win an election.
　「二重基準」をとらなかったのは当然のことだ。民主党には、社民党が政権を離脱し、参院選での選挙協力ができなくなる事態を避けたい思惑がある。だが、選挙目当てで、安全保障にかかわる問題をあいまいにすべきではない。

The SDP maintains such positions as urging that the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty be turned into a peace and friendship treaty and insisting that the SDF is unconstitutional. It was, from the beginning, unreasonable for the DPJ to form a coalition with a party whose policies significantly differ.
　社民党は、「日米安保条約は平和友好条約に転換させる」「自衛隊は違憲状態」との見解を維持している。そもそも、民主党が、基本政策の異なる政党と連立を組んだこと自体に無理があった。

Hatoyama has also caused confusion by declaring he was seeking to wean the nation from its dependence on the United States, making the achievement of national security without a permanent U.S. military presence in Japan his pet policy.
　鳩山首相自身が、「常時駐留なき安保」を持論とし、“米国離れ”志向を見せていたことも、混乱を招く一因となった。

The SDP adamantly opposed the relocation of the Futenma base within Okinawa Prefecture but failed to offer any feasible alternatives. The party in this sense cannot escape responsibility over the meandering course that the government took over the issue.
　社民党は、県内移設に反対するばかりで、実現可能な対案を出さなかった。普天間問題の迷走への責任は免れない。

===

Dissolve coalition with SDP
◆社民との連立解消を◆

Confrontation over foreign and security policies will continue as long as Hatoyama maintains the coalition with the SDP. The prime minister must not hesitate to dissolve the coalition with the SDP.
　社民党との連立が続く限り、外交・安保政策をめぐり、対立が繰り返されるだろう。首相は、この際、社民党との連立解消をためらうべきではあるまい。

Hatoyama set a self-imposed deadline to settle the Futenma issue by the end of May. He loudly proclaimed that he would obtain consent from the Okinawa prefectural government, all municipal governments concerned in hosting replacement facilities, the United States and the ruling coalition partners. Until recently, he also reiterated he would stake his position on the issue.
　首相は、問題決着に「５月末」の期限を自ら設けた。それまでに沖縄県、移設先の自治体、米国、連立与党の同意を得ると「大風呂敷」を広げたうえ、最近まで「職を賭す」などと言い続けた。

But the current situation, in which Hatoyama only obtained consent from the United States--while the prefectural and municipal governments and the SDP opposed the relocation plan--should be deemed a betrayal of his own words.
　ところが、実際は、米国との合意を得ただけで、沖縄も移設先も社民党も反対している現状は、これらの発言を裏切るものだ。

If the head of the government breaks his promise to the people of the nation, he could end public trust in politics.
　政府の最高責任者が「国民との約束」を反故(ほご)にすれば、政治への信頼は地に落ちる。

Hatoyama apologized at a press conference Friday night for his Cabinet's failure to gain the understanding of the people of Okinawa or the leader of the SDP before making a decision on the Futenma issue, saying he was sorry. He also stressed his pledge to settle the issue, saying, "It's my duty to continue to tenaciously work on the base issue." However, this is not something he can simply apologize away.
　鳩山首相は２８日夜の記者会見で「誠に申し訳ない思いでいっぱいだ」と謝り、「今後も粘り強く基地問題に取り組むことが自分の使命だ」と強調したが、単なる謝罪で済まされるものではない。

Confusion over the base issue arose because the Hatoyama administration excluded bureaucrats who are experts on the Futenma issue from the discussions, and also because the prime minister, who lacks knowledge, experience and insight, and his ministers took ad hoc and inconsistent approaches.
　これは、鳩山政権が、普天間問題に詳しい官僚を外し、知識と経験、洞察力の乏しい首相と担当閣僚がバラバラで場当たり的に取り組んだ結果である。

It is unfortunate that neither the prime minister or ministers in charge are taking responsibility for their serious mismanagement of government under their "politician-led" handling of government affairs and that no strong criticism of them is being heard within the DPJ.
　名ばかりの「政治主導」で、重大な失政を犯しながら、首相も担当閣僚も責任をとらず、民主党内から強い批判も出ないのは、あまりにお粗末だ。

===

Executive ability lacking

This all brings Hatoyama's aptitude for being the nation's leader into serious question. His comments on the issue changed almost every day, and he was not able to demonstrate leadership or decisiveness.
　鳩山首相は、その資質に深刻な疑問符が付いている。首相発言は日替わりのように変わり、指導力も決断力も発揮できなかった。

Responsibility for consequences is the issue here. Nobody respects someone who simply says, "I tried, but I couldn't make it."
　政治で問われるのは結果責任だ。努力したが、できなかったでは、誰も評価しない。

What is required of the prime minister is not expressing his own peculiar thoughts or pandering to people he is talking to. What is necessary is an executive ability to resolve problems by making a final decision, having a well-defined goal and having a good command of Cabinet ministers and bureaucrats.
　首相に求められるのは、自己流の「思い」を語ったり、会談相手に迎合したりすることではない。着地点を見極めつつ、閣僚と官僚を使いこなし、最後は自ら決断して問題を解決する実行力だ。

　◆同盟強化が緊急の課題◆
The mutual trust among the Japanese government, the United States, Okinawa Prefecture and relevant local governments is seriously damaged because of Hatoyama's lack of competence.
　鳩山首相の力量不足により、日本政府と米国や沖縄県、関連自治体との信頼関係は、大きく損なわれてしまった。

At the same time, the situation on the Korean Peninsula has become tense following North Korea's torpedoing of a South Korean warship in March. Strengthening the Japan-U.S. alliance is an urgent task in view of the uncertainty in East Asia, including China's military build-up and demonstrations of its military might.
　北朝鮮の魚雷攻撃による韓国軍哨戒艦沈没事件で、朝鮮半島情勢は緊迫している。中国軍の増強や示威的活動の多発など、不透明な東アジア情勢を踏まえれば、日米同盟の強化は緊急の課題だ。

The government must keep these things in mind and seriously work on resolving the Futenma issue, which is still only halfway completed.
　政府は、その視点を忘れず、道半ばの普天間問題の解決に真剣に取り組まなければならない。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 29, 2010)
（2010年5月29日01時14分 読売新聞）