Chinese skipper's release a political decision

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Sep. 26, 2010)
Chinese skipper's release a political decision
中国人船長釈放　関係修復を優先した政治決着（9月25日付・読売社説）

Prosecutors decided Friday to release a Chinese trawler captain, who was arrested following collisions between his ship and two Japan Coast Guard patrol vessels off the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, without taking further legal action against him for now.
　尖閣諸島沖での衝突事件で逮捕されていた中国人船長が、処分保留のまま、釈放されることが決まった。

The Naha District Public Prosecutors Office in Okinawa Prefecture, which was investigating the captain, said, "The impact on the people of this nation and the future of Japan-China relations were taken into consideration."
　船長を取り調べていた那覇地検は「国民への影響や今後の日中関係を考慮した」と説明した。

The decision came soon after it was learned that four Japanese nationals had been taken into custody by Chinese authorities for allegedly filming "military targets" in Hebei Province.
　中国・河北省で「軍事目標」をビデオ撮影したとして日本人４人が拘束されたばかりである。

"The impact on the people" was mentioned apparently out of concern over the possibility that the detention of the Japanese might be prolonged.
「国民への影響」とは、拘束が長引く可能性があることへの懸念をさすものだろう。

Beijing ties given priority

The prosecutors office explained that authorities were unable to prove the captain's action had been deliberately planned and that the collisions did not result in injury or serious damage.
　地検は、船長の行為に計画性が認められず、けが人が出るなどの被害がなかったことも、釈放の理由に挙げた。

But this is inconsistent, as investigative authorities cited the malign nature of the incident to explain the arrest and detention of the skipper.
　だが、これでは、悪質性が高いとして船長を逮捕・拘置してきたこととの整合性がとれない。

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku insisted that the prosecutors office made the decision on its own. But there is no doubt that the issue was settled in a political decision by Prime Minister Naoto Kan and other senior members of the government and the Democratic Party of Japan. It also is said that the decision came because the U.S. government called for an early settlement of the issue.
　仙谷官房長官は、地検独自の判断であることを強調しているものの、菅首相はじめ政府・民主党首脳らの政治判断による決着であることは間違いあるまい。背景には早期解決を求める米政府の意向もあったとされる。

Since the Japanese government repeatedly said the incident would be handled in line with domestic laws, the decision gave the impression that the Japanese government had given in and failed to stick to its original stance. Many people in this nation likely share this critical view. The government needs to provide the public with a thorough and convincing explanation.
　「国内法に基づいて処理する」と繰り返してきた日本政府として筋を通せなかった印象はぬぐえない。国民の多くも同様の思いを抱いているのではないか。政府は国民の納得が得られるよう、十分説明を尽くす必要がある。

Needless to say, the Senkaku Islands are an inherent part of Japan. The government must assert this point repeatedly both at home and abroad.
　尖閣諸島は言うまでもなく、日本固有の領土である。政府はこの立場を、繰り返し内外に示していかなければならない。

Long-term effects

We also cannot disregard the repercussions the latest decision will likely bring about in the future.
　今回の決着が、今後にもたらす影響も無視できない。

It is possible that JCG patrols will no longer have a strong deterrent effect on Chinese trawlers that illegally fish in Japan's territorial waters off the Senkaku Islands. The organizational functions of the JCG and its cooperation with the Maritime Self-Defense Force should be strengthened.
　尖閣諸島沖の日本領海内で違法操業する中国漁船への海上保安庁の“にらみ”が利かなくなる可能性がある。海保の体制強化はもちろん、海上自衛隊との連携も強めることが求められる。

Amid the dispute over the skipper's detention, China blocked exports to Japan of rare earths vital for the production of hybrid car parts and other items. This development serves as a strong reminder that China is a trade partner of unpredictable risk.
　中国が今回、ハイブリッド車の部品などの製造に欠かせないレアアース（希土類）の輸出禁止措置をとったことは、中国が貿易相手として予測不能なリスクを抱える国であることを再認識させた。

Regarding materials that are largely sourced from inside China, it is crucial to secure other sources of such materials.
　今後、中国に大きく依存する物資については、中国以外からも調達できるよう対策を講じておくことが肝要だ。

China acted high-handedly apparently with anti-Japan hard-liners at home in mind. But the series of countermeasures successively taken by China over a short period of time--such as the suspension of youth exchange events and negotiations over a bilateral treaty on joint development of natural gas fields in the East China Sea--were obviously going too far.
　中国の高圧的な姿勢の裏には、国内の対日強硬派への配慮もあろうが、青年交流や条約交渉の中止など矢継ぎ早の対抗措置は、明らかに行き過ぎている。

Japan should not be simply lured to a "friendship" approach toward China. From the standpoint of seeking "strategic and mutually beneficial relations," Japan must pursue its national interests calmly and realistically regarding China.
　日本は、単なる「友好」という言葉に踊らされることなく、「戦略的互恵」の立場で、冷静かつ現実的に国益を追求する対中外交を展開していかねばならない。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 25, 2010)
（2010年9月25日01時24分 読売新聞）