沖縄復帰４０年 経済と安保を両立させたい

The Yomiuri Shimbun (May. 16, 2012)
Okinawa economic development, national security both important
沖縄復帰４０年　経済と安保を両立させたい（5月15日付・読売社説）

Okinawa Prefecture celebrates the 40th anniversary of its reversion to Japanese sovereignty on Tuesday.
　沖縄県はきょう、本土復帰４０周年を迎える。

An event to commemorate the anniversary in Ginowan will be attended by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and the heads of the other two branches of government, Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima and others.
　宜野湾市で、野田首相ら三権の長や仲井真弘多知事などが出席して記念式典が行われる。

The prefecture continues to bear the excessive burden of hosting 74 percent of U.S. military facilities in this country, measured by land area. Under such circumstances, the government is urged to find a way to achieve both economic development of the prefecture and effective national security.
　日本全体の米軍施設用地の７４％が集中する過重な負担が続く中、政府はいかに経済振興と安全保障を両立させるかが問われる。

The government last week decided on the basic policy for an Okinawa Prefecture economic development plan. The plan for the next decade, to begin this fiscal year, will be the fifth of its kind. A major pillar of the policy is to make the prefecture into an international distribution base through construction of a second runway at Naha Airport. The government aims to enable the prefecture to move toward self-supporting economic development. Based on the policy, the Okinawa prefectural government is to decide the details of the economic development plan on Tuesday.
　政府は先週、今後１０年間の第５次沖縄振興計画の基本方針を決定した。那覇空港の第２滑走路整備による国際物流拠点化が柱で、沖縄の自立的な経済発展を目指す内容だ。この方針に基づき、沖縄県がきょう振興計画を決定する。

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Use development budget effectively

It is quite appropriate for the government to have changed the main entity to compile the plan from itself to the prefectural government. We hope the central and prefectural governments will steadily carry out projects in the plan to take full advantage of the geographical and international features of the prefecture, which is the closest part of Japan to many Asian countries.
　計画の策定主体を政府から沖縄県に変更したのは、妥当である。アジアに近接する地理的特性や国際性を生かした計画を着実に実行に移してもらいたい。

Past development plans focused on "correction of disparities between the prefecture and other parts of the country." Despite those efforts, prefectural residents' incomes have remained around 70 percent of the national average. As the manufacturing industry can hardly grow there, manufacturers' contribution to gross prefectural product has fallen from 11 percent 40 years ago to 4 percent today.
　過去の振興計画は「本土との格差是正」を掲げてきたが、県民１人当たりの所得は全国平均の７割前後にとどまる。製造業が育たず、県内総生産に占める割合は４０年前の１１％から４％に低下した。

The prefecture's economic structure stands on three main pillars: U.S. military bases, public works projects and tourism. Dependence on the central government's budget for the prefecture's development is also high.
　基地、公共事業、観光に頼る「３Ｋ経済」の構造が続き、政府予算への依存度も高い。

The Democratic Party of Japan-led administration, partly as amends for having caused turmoil over the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station relocation issue, has beefed up its Okinawa Prefecture development budget to a handsome 293.7 billion yen this fiscal year.
　民主党政権は、米軍普天間飛行場移設問題を迷走させた負い目もあり、今年度の沖縄振興予算を２９３７億円へ大幅に増やした。

To use the funds effectively, it is essential for the prefectural government and each municipality in the prefecture to compile economic development measures based on medium and long-term outlooks and continue their self-help efforts.
　これを有効に使うためには、沖縄県と各市町村が、中長期的展望に立った振興策を企画し、自助努力を続けることが大切だ。

The prefectural government will be able to utilize the central government's lump-sum grants with fewer usage restrictions. It can also shift the focus of the budget, previously on construction of tangible objects such as infrastructure and fancy public facilities, to intangible things such as environmental and welfare programs.
　自由度の高い一括交付金を活用し、社会資本や箱物の整備などハード中心だった予算の使途を、環境、福祉などソフト重視に見直すことも求められよう。

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Importance for national security

Recently, Chinese military and other ships have been regularly observed around the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture and other areas. Taking into consideration the rapid reinforcement and modernization of the Chinese Navy and Air Force, the prefecture's geopolitical importance for national security will become far greater from now on.
　最近は、中国の軍艦や政府船による尖閣諸島周辺などでの活動が恒常化している。中国海空軍の急速な増強と近代化を踏まえれば、今後、沖縄の安全保障面の地政学的重要性は一層大きくなる。

The government must squarely face this fact and firmly maintain the efficacy and deterrence value of the Japan-U.S. alliance based on defense cooperation between the Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military.
　政府は、この現実を直視し、自衛隊と米軍の防衛協力を基盤とする日米同盟の抑止力と実効性を堅持しなければならない。

At the same time, the government needs to do its best to reduce the prefecture's burden through such measures as facilitating the return of U.S. military facilities to Japan, which will follow the transfer of U.S. marines stationed in Okinawa Prefecture to bases overseas, and making operational improvements in the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement. It should also patiently work on the relocation of the functions of the Futenma Air Station to the Henoko district of Nago.
　同時に、在沖縄海兵隊の海外移転に伴う米軍施設の返還や日米地位協定の運用改善など、地元負担の軽減に全力を挙げる必要がある。普天間飛行場の辺野古移設にも粘り強く取り組むべきだ。

Also important is to map out effective utilization of land to be vacated by the U.S. military.
　重要なのは、米軍施設跡地の有効利用を図ることだ。

The government is now studying construction of an advanced cancer treatment facility in a residential district in Camp Foster, formerly called Camp Zukeran, stretching over Okinawa city and several other municipalities.
　政府は、キャンプ瑞慶覧の住宅地区に最先端のがん治療施設を整備することを検討している。

It is indispensable for the government to gradually and steadily win the understanding of the prefecture and its residents toward the realignment of U.S. forces stationed in Japan.
こうした事業を通じて、在日米軍再編への地元の理解を地道に広げることが欠かせない。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 15, 2012)
（2012年5月15日01時45分 読売新聞）