高橋さん解放 中国は事態の全容を説明せよ

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Oct. 11, 2010)
China must fully explain detention of Fujita 4
高橋さん解放　中国は事態の全容を説明せよ（10月10日付・読売社説）

China on Saturday released Sadamu Takahashi, the last of four Japanese employees of construction company Fujita Corp. detained last month.
　中国当局に拘束された建設会社「フジタ」の社員４人のうち、１人残されていた高橋定さんが９日、解放された。

First and foremost, we rejoice at his safe release.
　まずは、無事の解放を喜びたい。

However, Takahashi was freed after 20 days in custody; such a long detention represents flagrant contempt for human rights. Chinese authorities must explain in detail what led to Takahashi's release and the reasons for his detention.
　しかし、２０日間に及ぶ長期拘束の末の解放はあまりに遅く、人権軽視も甚だしい。この間の経緯や拘束の理由について、中国当局は詳しく説明する責任がある。

The four were taken into custody Sept. 20 by state security authorities for allegedly illegally videotaping what China called "military targets" in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, while they were looking at potential construction sites for a plant to process chemical weapons left behind by the Japanese military during World War II.
　４人は先月２０日、河北省石家荘市内にある遺棄化学兵器の処理事業の建設予定地を視察中、「軍事目標」を違法に撮影したとして国家安全局に拘束された。

Takahashi and the others were questioned while in the custody of security authorities at a hotel in the city. China freed all the employees except Takahashi on Sept. 30.
　市内のホテルで監視下に置かれたまま取り調べを受けていたが、高橋さんを除く３人は３０日、「釈放」された。

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Obvious retaliation

The three were released after explaining they were unaware they were in a military zone and entered accidentally. China must have realized from the beginning that their actions were not malicious. If so, why did China keep Takahashi in custody even after releasing the others?
　３人は「軍事管理区域と気づかなかった。故意ではない」と中国当局に説明し、その上で解放されている。悪質性がなかったことは、中国側も当初から承知のはずである。ならば高橋さんだけ拘束が解けなかった理由は何なのか。

Although Beijing denies it, there is no doubt the arrest and detention of the captain of a Chinese fishing boat that collided with Japan Coast Guard vessels off the Senkaku Islands affected the case involving the Fujita employees.
　中国側は関係を否定するが、尖閣諸島沖で起きた中国漁船の衝突事件で、中国人船長が逮捕、拘置された問題が影響していることは間違いない。

The four were detained the day after the Ishigaki Summary Court in Okinawa Prefecture authorized prosecutors to extend the captain's detention for 10 days. It is likely that China, which expected Japan to release the captain at the end of the first 10-day detention period, retaliated to prevent criticism from its people.
　フジタ社員４人が拘束されたのは、中国人船長の１０日間の拘置延長が決まった翌日である。最初の拘置だけで釈放されることを期待していた中国政府が、国内世論が政府批判に向かわぬよう報復措置に出たと見ることもできる。

The three were released five days after the Naha District Public Prosecutors Office released the captain without further legal action against him for the time being. After that, China partially eased its restrictions on rare earths exports to Japan, which may have been an effort to present a softened stance on the issue before the image of China as a threat to global stability spread around the world.
　一方、３人の解放は、那覇地検が船長を処分保留で釈放した５日後だった。以後中国は、レアアース（希土類）の対日輸出規制も一部緩和している。中国脅威論が世界に広がる前に、軟化姿勢を示そうという戦略だったのだろう。

Since then, the Japanese government came under growing public criticism over its handling of the captain's release. Calls also heightened for the release of video footage of one of the fishing boat collisions and for the Japanese government to take a tough approach toward China to realize the release of the detained Fujita employees.
　その後、日本国内では船長の釈放をめぐって政府の対応を批判する声が強まった。衝突ビデオの公開や、フジタ社員拘束問題などでの中国側への強い働き掛けを求める機運も高まった。

The Chinese government may have been closely watching how the Japanese government would respond to these issues, using Takahashi as a diplomatic bargaining chip to pressure Tokyo.
　これらの問題に日本政府がどう対処するか、中国政府は高橋さんを“圧力カード”に、監視の目を光らせていたのではないか。

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Visitors must be wary

The prolonged detention of Japanese company employees indicates the possibility that so-called China risk will continue to exist in every area for the time being.
　今回、日本企業社員が長期拘束された問題は、当面あらゆる分野で「中国リスク」が継続する可能性を示したと言えるだろう。

Employees of companies doing business in China and those doing business with Chinese companies should be very careful about their actions in that country. The same holds for people who visit China on cultural exchanges or as tourists.
　中国進出企業や取引企業の社員は、現地での行動に十分注意すべきだ。文化交流や旅行などで中国に行った場合も同様だ。

We must keep in mind that China is a country where the government limits human rights, and there is always a possibility this will happen.
　国家の思惑で人権が制約される。その可能性が残る国であることを肝に銘じる必要があろう。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 10, 2010)
（2010年10月10日01時15分 読売新聞）