日米外相会談 「核」「拉致」進展へ協力強化を

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Dec. 22, 2011)
Beef up international cooperation on nuclear, abduction issues
日米外相会談　「核」「拉致」進展へ協力強化を（12月21日付・読売社説）

We hope the change of leadership in North Korea will be a chance to resolve the long-pending issues of that country's nuclear development program and abduction of Japanese nationals.
　北朝鮮の指導者の交代を、核開発と日本人拉致問題という長年の懸案を解決するための足がかりとしたい。

During their meeting in Washington on Monday, Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agreed it was important to ensure that the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il did not negatively affect peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
　玄葉外相とクリントン米国務長官がワシントンで会談し、北朝鮮の金正日総書記の死去について「朝鮮半島における平和と安定に悪影響を与えないことが重要だ」との認識で一致した。

Gemba and Clinton also agreed that the two countries would cooperate and promote information-sharing with other countries concerned, including South Korea, China and Russia.
　日米両国が韓国、中国、ロシアなど関係国と情報共有を進め、協調することでも合意した。

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and U.S. President Barack Obama spoke on the phone Tuesday and confirmed that their two countries would work together toward stabilization of the Korean Peninsula.
　野田首相とオバマ大統領も電話で、朝鮮半島の安定化へ日米両国が連携することを確認した。

The immediate common interest for not only Japan and the United States but also the other countries concerned, including China and South Korea, is ensuring that unpredictable events such as a coup d'etat or military provocation do not happen in North Korea. Close, multilayered cooperation is needed among the countries concerned.
　当面、北朝鮮でのクーデターや軍事的挑発など、不測の事態を招かないようにすることが、日米だけでなく、中韓両国を含む関係国の共通の利益だ。各国の緊密かつ重層的な協力が求められる。

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Give up nuclear ambition

From a medium- and long-range perspective, it is essential to convey to Kim's successor Kim Jong Un and other leaders of the new North Korean regime that relinquishing its nuclear ambition is indispensable to reconstructing the battered economy. The countries concerned must lead North Korea in that direction.
　中長期的には、金総書記の後継者の金正恩氏ら新指導部に対し、疲弊した経済の再建には核放棄が欠かせないことを伝え、その方向に誘導することが肝要となる。

The key element in this area could be cooperation with China, which exerts influence over North Korea through food and energy assistance.
　重要なのは、食糧やエネルギー支援を通じて北朝鮮に影響力を及ぼしている中国との連携だ。

Tokyo and Washington must hold consultative talks with Beijing to devise concrete strategies on how to work on Pyongyang.
　いかに北朝鮮に働きかけるか、日米は中国と協議し、具体的な戦略を練らねばならない。

Recent U.S.-North Korea talks saw a certain degree of progress on food assistance and halting uranium enrichment activities. It will be important for the countries concerned to move in step with each other toward the next round of U.S.-North Korea talks, which may be held as soon as early January, and the six-nation talks on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula to be held afterward.
　最近の米朝協議では、食糧支援とウラン濃縮活動の停止に関する交渉が一定程度進んでいた。年明け以降の次回協議と、その後の６か国協議に向けて、関係国の足並みをそろえることが大切だ。

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Tripartite dialogue significant

In his meeting with Clinton, Gemba proposed creating a framework for dialogue involving Tokyo, Washington and Beijing, and Clinton concurred. China is wary of such a move, but tripartite dialogue would have great significance for peace and prosperity in Asia. Strenuous efforts are needed to achieve that goal.
　外相会談では、玄葉外相が日米中３か国の対話の枠組みを作ることを提案し、クリントン長官も賛同した。中国は慎重だが、日米中の対話はアジアの平和と繁栄にとって大きな意味を持つ。粘り強く実現を追求したい。

For Japan, moving forward on the deadlocked abduction issue is a top priority.
　日本にとっては、膠着(こうちゃく)状態にある拉致問題を前に動かすことも、最重要の課題である。

There have been no negotiations on the issue since September 2008, when North Korea unilaterally broke its promise to reinvestigate the abductees' cases.
　北朝鮮が２００８年９月に拉致被害者の再調査の約束を一方的に反故(ほご)にして以来、日朝協議は一度も開かれていない。

In the Washington meeting, Gemba also sought U.S. cooperation in resolving the abduction issue. His request reflected expectations among the families of abductees that Kim's death will contribute to progress toward a resolution.
　玄葉外相は会談で、拉致問題への米国の協力を要請した。金総書記死去が拉致問題の進展の契機となることを期待する被害者家族らの声を踏まえたものだ。

If progress is made on the nuclear issue, it is also possible regarding the abductions. There used to be differences in the level of interest regarding a solution among Japan and its allies the United States and South Korea. But in recent years Washington and Seoul have consistently supported Japan's position on the matter. So the international environment is not unfavorable for Japan.
　核問題が進めば、拉致問題も動く可能性がある。拉致問題では従来、米韓両国と日本の間に温度差もあったが、最近、両国は日本の立場を一貫して支持しており、国際環境は悪くない。

Of course, we cannot be too optimistic when it comes to North Korea. But now is the time for the government to make utmost efforts to work toward resolving the abduction issue.
　無論、北朝鮮に対して楽観は禁物だが、政府は今こそ、拉致問題の前進に最大限努力すべきだ。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun Dec. 21, 2011)
（2011年12月21日01時17分 読売新聞）