日本版ＮＳＣ 「外交安保」強化へ縦割り排せ

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Feb. 17, 2013)
Abe's envisioned security council must be strong, well organized
日本版ＮＳＣ　「外交安保」強化へ縦割り排せ（2月16日付・読売社説）

Setting up a government command and control body is significant for dealing with various national security issues.
　日本の安全保障にかかわる様々な危機に対処するため、政府の司令塔を作る意義は大きい。

A government panel of experts considering the creation of a Japanese version of the U.S. National Security Council held its first meeting Friday. With the panel planning to compile a report this spring, the government aims to submit related legislation during the current ordinary Diet session.
　国家安全保障会議（日本版ＮＳＣ）の創設を検討する政府の有識者会議が初会合を開いた。春にも報告書をまとめる。政府は、通常国会への関連法案の提出を目指す方針だ。

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has long sought the establishment of a Japanese NSC. This is a second chance for him to take up the challenge.
　日本版ＮＳＣの創設は、安倍首相の念願であり、再挑戦だ。

In April 2007, the first Abe Cabinet submitted a bill to set up such a body to the Diet, but it was scrapped after deliberations on the issue saw little progress due to reasons such as the Liberal Democratic Party's loss in the House of Councillors election in July that year.
２００７年４月に第１次安倍内閣が関連法案を提出したが、同年７月の参院選敗北などで審議は進まず、廃案になった経緯がある。

Recently, Japan saw a series of incidents that threatened its security, such as North Korea's nuclear test and a Chinese warship directing weapons-targeting radar at a Japanese vessel.
　最近、北朝鮮の核実験、中国軍艦船のレーダー照射など、日本の安全を脅かす事態が相次いだ。

The government's existing security council has lost substance, merely serving as a forum in which the prime minister and other ministers confirm reports from bureaucrats. It is an urgent task to create a real decision-making body in which the prime minister and Cabinet members, including the chief cabinet secretary and foreign and defense ministers, will have substantial discussions on important diplomatic and security matters.
　だが、政府の安全保障会議は形骸化し、事実上、首相と関係閣僚が各省の官僚の報告を追認する場に過ぎない。首相、官房長官、外相、防衛相らが外交・安保の重要課題を実質的に協議し、決定する場を設けることが急務である。

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2 key tasks for Japanese NSC

A Japanese NSC would face two crucial tasks.
　日本版ＮＳＣには、二つの重要な役割が期待される。

One is that it will make appropriate political decisions swiftly and give specific orders to better respond to ongoing emergencies. Another is that it will draw up medium- and long-term security strategies and set the direction of the nation's policy and actions to prepare for a crisis.
　一つは、現在進行中の緊急事態について、迅速かつ適切な政治判断を行い、具体的な対処を指揮することだ。もう一つは、中長期的な安全保障戦略を策定し、危機に備える政策の立案と訓練の方向性を示すことである。

To that end, it is vital to eliminate the divided administrative functions of the status quo, under which government bodies such as the Foreign and Defense ministries and the police handle security issues separately, and create a new system that will enable all government entities to work together to support the Prime Minister's Office.
　そのためには、外務、防衛、警察など関係省庁の縦割り対応を排し、政府全体で首相官邸を支える制度を構築することが肝要だ。

The government already has a body, part of the Cabinet Secretariat, that comprehensively coordinates government policies. It is led by assistant chief cabinet secretaries who deal with security, crisis management and diplomatic issues.
　現在も、政策を総合調整する内閣官房の事務局として、安全保障・危機管理担当や外交担当の官房副長官補が率いる組織がある。

It is unrealistic to think the envisaged Japanese NSC will handle every security issue, and if its functions overlap with the existing entity's, the NSC could create inefficiency in government functions. The secretariat of the Japanese NSC basically should be small and staffed with capable personnel while being designed to take full control of relevant ministries and agencies.
　日本版ＮＳＣがあらゆる案件を担うのは現実的ではないし、既存組織の「屋上屋」になってはかえって非効率化する。日本版ＮＳＣの事務局は、基本的に少数精鋭とし、関係省庁を掌握できる仕組みにするべきだろう。

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Enhance intelligence capability

It is important to enhance the ability of the whole government in gathering and analyzing information, a precondition for making policies.
　政策決定の前提となる政府全体の情報収集・分析能力を高めることも重要である。

The recent hostage crisis in Algeria highlighted the difficulty in obtaining information on terrorism and military affairs in developing countries. It is essential for the government to increase the number of intelligence experts and train such personnel in the medium- and long-term.
　アルジェリアの人質事件では、途上国におけるテロ・軍事情報を入手する困難さが浮き彫りになった。インテリジェンスの専門家を増員するとともに、中長期的に育成していくことが大切だ。

We also call for reforms of the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office, which supervises information handled by the whole government. Regarded as an "outpost of the National Policy Agency," the office's current role is far from its original task of allowing government bodies to share and best utilize key information.
　政府全体の情報を統括する内閣情報調査室も改革が求められる。今は「警察庁の出先機関」と見られており、関係省庁が重要情報をきちんと共有し、有効活用する本来の体制には、ほど遠い。

The government also needs to develop a legal basis for counterintelligence to prevent sensitive information provided by the United States and other countries from being leaked.
　米国など関係国から提供された情報などの漏えいを防ぐための情報保全法制の整備も必要だ。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Feb. 16, 2013)
（2013年2月16日01時50分  読売新聞）