海保映像問題―まだ流出の真相が見えぬ

--The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 17
EDITORIAL: No arrest in video leak
海保映像問題―まだ流出の真相が見えぬ
2010/11/18

Investigators probing the leak of Japan Coast Guard video footage showing a Chinese trawler ramming two Japanese patrol boats off the Senkaku Islands in September have decided to continue questioning the officer who admitted to uploading the footage on YouTube. But he will not be arrested.
　尖閣沖の中国漁船ビデオが流出した事件で、捜査当局は海上保安官を逮捕せずに調べを続ける方針を決めた。

Although the officer voluntarily appeared before investigators, his statements were vague and the storage medium believed to have been used to take the footage from his organization has not been found.
　自ら出頭したのに供述にあいまいな部分があり、映像を持ち出したとされる記録媒体も見つかっていない。

Opinions were split among the investigating authorities. But the decision not to arrest the officer was reportedly the result of an overall judgment on various circumstances.
当局内部でも意見は割れたが、様々な事情を総合判断した結果だという。

We must not forget, however, that the foundation of criminal investigations is questioning suspects without arrest unless it would risk the destruction of evidence or flight.
　忘れがちだが、捜査の基本は在宅調べで、逮捕は証拠隠滅や逃亡の恐れがある場合の手段だ。

Thus, there is no need to insist upon physical custody. The important thing is to get to the bottom of how the leak occurred.
これに照らせば身柄拘束にこだわる必要はない。肝心なのは流出に至る真相の究明である。

The shoddy information management at the coast guard is stunning.
　これまでの捜査で驚かされたのは海上保安庁の情報管理のお粗末さだ。

How was the footage stored and posted on the Internet. What rank of personnel could access it?
　映像はどう保管され、ネットとどうつながり、どこまでの職員がアクセスすることができたのか。

It was first explained that the video was rigorously controlled, but subsequent statements have wavered. This is a key issue for a judgment on whether the footage was a secret that should be protected to the point of imposing punishment.
初めは厳重に管理しているという説明だった。その後、二転三転した。映像は刑罰を科してでも守る秘密だったのか否かの判断にも影響する重要な問題だ。

The coast guard is the organization in charge of policing Japan's seas, and it has the authority to make arrests and use weapons. The agency's current state, however, makes us uneasy.
　海保は海上の警察組織だ。逮捕や武器使用の権限を与えられている。その機関がこの有り様では不安を覚える。

How are other important materials stored? Besides the obvious need to revamp the data-handling systems and awareness at the coast guard, stern questions remain about the responsibility of those involved in management operations.
　ほかの重要資料の保管はどうなっているのか。データを扱う体制と意識の見直しはもちろん、管理業務にかかわる者の責任も厳しく問われよう。

As suspicions toward the coast guard mount, there has also been a swell of support for the officer's actions. Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe joined the chorus in an online magazine, commending the officer for his bravery in releasing the images to the public.
　海保への疑問が増す一方で、保安官の行為を支持する声が一部に広がっている。安倍晋三元首相がメールマガジンで、「勇気をふるって告発した保安官」を励ましたのはその一例だ。

But this is over the top. What will become of national management if frontline civil servants decide to leak intelligence at their own discretion simply because they disagree with government policy?
　だがこれはおかしい。政府の方針が自分の考えと違うからといって、現場の公務員が勝手に情報を外に流し始めたら、国の運営はどうなるか。

The officer's actions also fail to meet the requirements for whistle-blowing protected under the law. Praising him as a hero is a mistake and extremely risky. He stated he wanted people to act on their own ideas and judgments of the matter. We can only wonder what motive he had.
　保安官の行いは、法律で保護される内部告発の要件を満たしてもいない。称賛したり英雄視したりするのは間違いだし、危険なこと甚だしい。保安官は「一人ひとりが考え判断し、行動してほしかった」との声明を出したが、いったい何を意図したものか。

The Asahi Shimbun has tirelessly advocated the public's right to know. This does not extend, however, to the immediate release of all sensitive information on foreign relations, defense, security and other intelligence.
　朝日新聞は国民の知る権利の大切さを唱えてきた。だが外交、防衛、治安情報をはじめ、すべてを同時進行で公にすることがその中身ではない。

We must share the common awareness that information disclosure and the debate rooted in that issue are an indispensable part of democracy. Then, considering the overall interests for each case, judgments should be rendered on the validity and timing of disclosure. It is the accumulation of such efforts that tempers the very fabric of a society.
　情報の公開とそれに基づく討議は民主主義に欠かせぬという認識を互いに持ち、ケースごとに全体の利益を見すえて公開の当否や時期を判断する。この積み重ねこそが社会を鍛える。

At the base of the current confusion lies distrust toward the current administration, which offered no policy consistency on dealing with the trawler incident, thrust the responsibility onto the prosecutor's office and failed to clearly explain its position to the people.
　今回の混迷のもとには、漁船事件に対処する方針がぶれたあげく、検察庁に責任を押しつけ、自らの姿勢を国民に丁寧に説明してこなかった政権に対する不信がある。

There has also been a jumble of raw sentiment and nationalism directed at China, a nation that continues to expand its status as a global power, along with the pursuit of partisan politics in Japan. Statements charged with emotion and ulterior motives are rife.
そして、大国化する中国への感情やナショナリズム、党利党略がないまぜになり、感情論や思惑含みの発言が飛び交っている。

Meanwhile, the truth remains hidden. Investigators must shed light on the facts. This will also help promote level-headed discussions on how best to disclose and safeguard important information in the era of the Internet.
　まだ真相が見えない。捜査を尽くし事実を解明する。それが、ネット時代の情報の公開や保全のあり方について冷静な議論を進めることにつながる。