（社説）ミサイル発射 日朝協議でも説得を

July 29, 2014
EDITORIAL: Japan must tell North Korea that its provocations are pointless
（社説）ミサイル発射　日朝協議でも説得を

North Korea has kept up a series of provocative missile launches this year. In its latest test, apparently a political gesture, North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan off its eastern coast on July 26.
　北朝鮮がミサイルやロケット砲の発射実験を繰り返している。先週末も日本海に向けて短距離ミサイルを１発撃った。

North Korea's history of reckless tests of nuclear weapons and missiles caused the U.N. Security Council to tighten international sanctions against the secretive regime.
　北朝鮮は、これまでも核やミサイルの無謀な実験を重ね、国連安全保障理事会から制裁を強められてきた。

Even a short-range missile test is enough to antagonize the international community and deepen Pyongyang's diplomatic isolation. It's time that North Korea came to grips with the absurdity of its actions.
　短距離であってもミサイル発射は国際社会への挑戦であり、自国の孤立を深みに追い込む。その愚かさを悟るべきだ。

Politically, North Korea appears to be trying to exert pressure on the government of South Korean President Park Geun-hye.
　発射の政治的なねらいは、まず韓国の朴槿恵（パククネ）政権を意識したものとみられる。

The Park administration has been beset by a string of serious accidents, crimes and scandals at home, and North Korea seems intent on gaining the upper hand ahead of talks it must have with South Korea sooner or later.
　事件事故や不祥事など国内事情で苦境に立つ朴大統領を圧迫し、いずれ始まる南北協議を有利なかたちで始めたい、とみるのが妥当だろう。

The Park administration has pledged to make efforts to improve the North-South relationship but maintained a hard-line stance toward Pyongyang. This policy has not gone down well in North Korea and blighted prospects for dialogue between the two countries.
　朴政権は対北関係の改善を掲げてはいるが、実際には強硬姿勢を崩していない。そのため、北朝鮮は反発を強めており、対話は軌道に乗っていない。

North Korea has shown that its missiles can reach any part of South Korea. In the meantime, it has announced its intention to send athletes and cheerleaders to the Asian Games in September. The multisport event is slated to be held in South Korea's northwestern city of Incheon.
　北朝鮮は韓国を射程に収めるミサイルを撃ち続ける半面、９月に韓国・仁川で始まるスポーツ行事、アジア大会への選手や応援団の派遣を表明した。

The North has said a “peaceful environment” needs to be created for its participation, implying that it wants scheduled joint military exercises involving the United States and South Korea in August to be called off. The North Korean regime is trying to put pressure on the Park administration by using both a hard and a soft approach.
　だが、そのためには「平和的な環境が整えられるべきだ」とも訴える。来月予定される米韓合同軍事演習の中止を暗に求めるなど、硬軟織り交ぜて朴政権を揺さぶっている。

As it is pursues this diplomatic strategy, North Korea may be seeking to make tactical use of its talks with Japan over Pyongyang’s past abductions of Japanese citizens and other issues.
　そうした対外戦術をめぐらすなかで北朝鮮は、日本人拉致問題などをめぐる日朝協議も利用しようとしている恐れがある。

Pyongyang’s recent missile tests should be considered also as a tactical move to achieve certain diplomatic objectives concerning relations among Tokyo, Washington and Seoul.
　最近のミサイルの発射にも、日米韓をにらんだ思惑がにじんでいるとみるべきだろう。

The Japanese government lodged a protest against the missile tests, but intends to continue holding talks with the North after concluding that they did not pose any immediate threat to Japanese territory or the general population.
But the North’s actions have different security implications for South Korea.
　日本政府は発射に抗議しつつも、日朝協議は続ける意向だ。「ただちに日本の領土や国民に重要な影響をおよぼさない」などとの理由だが、そうした影響評価は韓国とは当然ずれる。

That is why both the United States and South Korea are casting a wary eye on Japan’s plan to continue talks with Pyongyang. At the same time, they have expressed their understanding of Tokyo’s motive.
　日本の協議継続の姿勢に米韓が理解を示しながらも、不安なまなざしを向けるゆえんだ。

The relationship between Japan and South Korea remains deeply strained mainly over differences in their views about history-related issues and a territorial dispute. If the two countries fail to put up a united front in dealing with North Korea, they risk playing right into Pyongyang’s hands.
　ただでさえ歴史認識などで関係が悪い日韓が、北朝鮮政策でも足並みを乱せば、それこそ北朝鮮の思うつぼだろう。

Viewed from another angle, it can be said that Japan is currently the only country that is able to engage in direct, head-on diplomatic talks with the secluded regime in Pyongyang. In the bilateral talks on trying to resolve the abduction issue, Tokyo should keep urging Pyongyang to stop provocative acts like missile launches.
　見方をかえれば、北朝鮮と今、正面から向き合えるパイプを持つのは日本だけだ。拉致問題と並行して、直接対話でミサイルなどの挑発行動をやめるよう求め続けるべきである。

There is speculation that North Korea's foreign minister, Ri Su Yong, will attend a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Myanmar next month. The conference may offer a rare opportunity for Japan to communicate with a high-level official of North Korea.
　来月にミャンマーである東南アジア諸国連合の会合には、北朝鮮の李洙ヨン（リスヨン）外相が出席する可能性が取りざたされる。北朝鮮の高いレベルと意思を交わす機会になるかもしれない。

Japan needs to use its official talks with North Korea wisely in its tenacious efforts to make the regime realize that military provocation is not in its best interest.
　日本は政府間協議の継続をてこに、軍事挑発は北朝鮮のためにならないことをねばり強く説く必要がある。

--The Asahi Shimbun, July 29