北方領土演習 ロシアの挑発は看過できない

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Provocative Russian military games in northern territories unforgivable
北方領土演習　ロシアの挑発は看過できない

Nothing other than an act of provocation has taken place in the Russian-held northern territories, the biggest of the issues pending between Tokyo and Moscow, and we categorically oppose the Russian action.
　日露間の最大の懸案である北方領土を舞台にした挑発行為であり、断固として容認できない。

Russia has carried out military exercises with about 1,000 soldiers taking part on the islands of Kunashiri and Etorofu off Hokkaido, and the Kuril Islands.
　ロシアが国後、択捉両島や千島列島で、１０００人規模の軍事演習を実施した。

Many attack helicopters and military vehicles were reportedly involved in the war exercises. Full-fledged war games in the northern territories are said to be the first since July 2010.
多数の攻撃用大型ヘリコプターや軍用車両が参加したという。北方領土での本格的な演習は２０１０年７月以来とされる。

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has criticized the exercises as “totally unacceptable,” while the Foreign Ministry has lodged a strict protest with Russia’s charges d’affaires ad interim in Tokyo. These responses are undoubtably reasonable.
　安倍首相は「到底受け入れることはできない」と批判し、外務省は駐日ロシア臨時代理大使に厳重抗議した。当然の対応である。

The Soviet Union illegally seized the four islands off eastern Hokkaido, which are an inherent part of Japan’s territory, in 1945 immediately after World War II. They have been illegally held ever since. Russia’s unilateral action of holding military exercises in the disputed areas—the focal point in the long-standing territorial negotiations between the two countries—will have a profound, negative impact on trust in the bilateral relations.
　日本固有の領土である北方４島は、１９４５年の終戦直後からソ連に不法占拠されてきた。長年にわたる日露領土交渉の係争地における一方的な軍事演習は、両国間の信義を大きく傷つける。

Problematic in particular is the fact that Russia issued a statement on Wednesday that rejected Japan’s protest against the military maneuvers, saying, Russia “can choose by itself where to hold military exercises within its own territory.” Russia had taken no account of Japan’s demand in advance that the exercises be canceled.
　特に問題なのは、ロシアが、日本の抗議に対し、「ロシアは軍事演習を行う場所を自国領内で独自に決定できる」と拒絶する声明を発表したことだ。日本の事前の中止要求も無視している。

During the exercises, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a visit to the Crimean Peninsula in the southern part of Ukraine. This makes us suspicious that the military drills this time may have been designed to stress Moscow’s stance never to budge even an inch on territorial issues as was the case with Crimea, which Russia annexed forcibly in March.
　ロシアのプーチン大統領は演習と同時期に、ウクライナ南部のクリミア半島を訪問した。今回の演習には、３月に編入を強行したクリミアと同様、領土問題では一切譲歩しない姿勢を強調する狙いがあるのではないか。

Strategic diplomacy needed

A machine-gun and artillery division comprising about 3,500 soldiers has been stationed on Kunashiri and Etorofu islands, and it has been modernizing its equipment in recent years. This is part of the “Russification” attempts in the northern territories. Japan must work tenaciously to prod Russia into using self-restraint over the matter.
　国後、択捉両島にはロシア軍の機関銃・砲兵師団約３５００人が駐留し、近年、装備の近代化を進めている。北方領土の「ロシア化」の一環だ。日本はロシアに粘り強く自制を促す必要がある。

Also notable is the possibility that a Mistral-class amphibious assault ship, which Moscow will purchase from France, will be deployed to Russia’s Pacific Fleet.
　ロシア極東軍には、フランスから購入する予定のミストラル級強襲揚陸艦が配備される可能性が指摘されている。

Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, during a meeting with his French counterpart at the end of July, urged France to cancel the sale of the amphibious assault vessel. The government should continue such diplomatic efforts.
小野寺防衛相は７月末の日仏防衛相会談で、強襲揚陸艦の売却中止を求めた。こうした外交努力も続けたい。

Russia, for its part, has reacted adversely to Japan’s support for anti-Russia sanctions by the United States and European countries over the Ukrainian situation.
　ロシアは、ウクライナ問題を巡る米欧の対露制裁に日本が同調していることに反発している。

Following Japan’s decision on Aug. 5 to pursue a set of additional sanctions against Russia, including a freeze on the assets in Japan of Russian government officials and others, Russia took the countermeasure of postponing a consultative meeting of foreign vice ministerial officials that was scheduled toward the end of this month.
　日本が今月５日にロシア政府関係者らの日本国内資産凍結などの追加制裁を決めると、ロシアは、今月末の日露外務次官級協議を延期する対抗措置をとった。

Moscow, however, has exempted Japan from a ban on farm product and fisheries imports, targeting only the United States and Europe. This has been deemed a tactic presumably aimed at disrupting ties between Japan and the United States and European nations.
　一方、米欧からの農水産物輸入を禁じたが、日本は対象外とした。日本と米欧の分断工作だろう。

Because of the military exercises this time, further stagnation of Tokyo-Moscow relations is most likely inevitable. The prospects for realizing a visit to Japan by Putin this coming autumn, which the two countries have agreed upon, have become even slimmer.
　今回の演習により、日露関係の一層の停滞は避けられまい。両国が合意している今秋のプーチン大統領の来日も、実現が一段と厳しい状況になった。

It is very important for Japan not to waver in the face of Russia’s attempt to put this country off balance, but rather to maintain the stance of keeping cooperative relations with the United States and European countries.
　大切なのは、日本がロシアの揺さぶりに動じず、米欧との協調を維持することだ。

The government must engage in strategic diplomacy to never allow Russia’s infringement on any country’s territorial sovereignty or attempts to change the status quo by force.
力を背景とした領土の侵害や現状変更を許さない戦略的外交を展開すべきだ。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Aug. 17, 2014)