ミサイル運搬車 見過ごせぬ中国の対「北」輸出

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Jun. 15, 2012)
China's military vehicle export to North Korea cannot be ignored
ミサイル運搬車　見過ごせぬ中国の対「北」輸出（6月14日付・読売社説）

The international community must not ignore the current situation in which U.N. sanctions against North Korea are virtually toothless.
　国連の対北朝鮮制裁が骨抜き同然になっている現状を、国際社会は看過してはならない。

It has recently been learned that China exported specialized vehicles that can be converted to transport and launch ballistic missiles to North Korea in August last year.
　中国が昨年８月、弾道ミサイルの運搬・発射に転用可能な特殊車両を、北朝鮮に輸出していたことが明らかになった。

It is strongly suspected that the export of such vehicles violated U.N. Security Council resolutions that prohibit, among other actions, exports of goods contributing to North Korea's programs to develop weapons of mass destruction.
　北朝鮮の大量破壊兵器開発計画に資する物資の輸出などを禁じた国連安全保障理事会の制裁決議に違反した疑いが濃厚である。

In cooperation with countries including the United States, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, Japan should ask China exactly how and why those vehicles were exported to North Korea and again strongly call for strict enforcement of the sanctions against that country.
　日本政府は、安保理常任理事国の米国などと連携し、輸出の経緯などを中国にただして、制裁の徹底を改めて強く求めるべきだ。

The export of the vehicles to North Korea was discovered when the Japan Coast Guard, in an action based on the Security Council resolutions, inspected a Cambodian-registered vessel in Osaka Port in October. According to sources, a record of the vehicles having been exported from China to the port of Nampo in North Korea was found.
　今回の特殊車両輸出は、昨年１０月、海上保安庁が決議に基づき大阪港で行ったカンボジア船籍の貨物船への立ち入り検査で発覚した。中国から北朝鮮の南浦港への輸出記録が見つかったという。

North Korea itself presented smoking-gun evidence by unveiling large special-purpose vehicles carrying "new ballistic missiles" during a military parade in April. This is because the vehicles closely resemble those manufactured by a Chinese defense contractor.
　今年４月、北朝鮮が軍事パレードで、「新型弾道ミサイル」を載せた大型特殊車両を公開したことが、動かぬ“証拠”となった。中国の国防企業が製造する車両とそっくりだったからだ。

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'Timber' excuse just a fig leaf

The Japanese government has avoided explaining the matter, but it made inquiries to China via the U.S. government, according to the sources. Beijing reportedly said the vehicles were "for carrying timber" and therefore the export does not violate the Security Council resolutions.
　政府は説明を避けているが、米政府を通じて照会したところ、中国は「木材運搬用」で決議違反ではないと釈明したとされる。

Even if the export was merely of truck chassis for civilian use, the vehicles were originally developed for military use. It must have been easy for North Korea to convert them into missile transporters.
　たとえ車台だけの民生用輸出だったとしても、本来が軍事用に開発した車両である。北朝鮮にとってミサイル運搬用への改造は容易だったに違いない。

North Korea probably wanted to flaunt the extended range of its missiles and improvements in its capability to fire missiles from mobile launch vehicles. We must not lower our guard against Pyongyang's development of ballistic missiles, which is being promoted in parallel with a nuclear weapons development program.
　北朝鮮は、ミサイルの長射程化や移動発射能力の向上を誇示したかったのだろう。核開発と並行して弾道ミサイル開発を進めている点に警戒を怠ってはならない。

If North Korea conducts its third nuclear test, its full development of nuclear warheads will only be a matter of time. Japan, already within reach of the Rodong medium-range missile, will come under a dramatically increased threat. Stability in the East Asian region will be seriously undermined.
　北朝鮮が３度目の核実験に踏み切れば、核弾頭開発は時間の問題だ。中距離弾道ミサイル・ノドンの射程内にある日本にとって、脅威は格段に高まる。東アジア地域の安定は大きく損なわれよう。

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International unity needed

To stop North Korea's nuclear and missile development, the international community must make efforts to thoroughly implement sanctions against Pyongyang based on the Security Council resolutions.
　北朝鮮の核・ミサイルの開発に歯止めをかけるため、国際社会は安保理決議に基づく対北朝鮮制裁の徹底に努めねばならない。

Cooperation from China, North Korea's neighbor and its biggest trading partner, is indispensable to this end, but a problem is that there seems to be no end to suspicious cases in which Pyongyang smuggles in goods via China. A report by an expert panel that advises the Security Council's sanctions committee points this out.
　北朝鮮の隣国で最大の貿易相手国・中国の協力は不可欠だが、問題は、北朝鮮の密輸行為が中国経由で行われる疑惑事例が後を絶たないことだ。安保理の制裁委員会を補佐する専門家パネルの報告がそう指摘してきた。

China denies the allegation and has claimed that it strictly implements Security Council resolutions. This time again, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson declared that China "doesn't export goods banned by the resolutions or Chinese law."
　中国は、こうした疑惑を否定するとともに、自ら決議を厳格に履行していると主張してきた。今回も外務省報道官は「決議と中国の法律が禁止しているものは輸出していない」と弁明した。

If that is so, China should give a full account of the export of the vehicles to North Korea.
　そうだとすれば、車両輸出の全容をきちんと説明すべきだ。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, June 14, 2012)
（2012年6月14日01時21分 読売新聞）