社説:辺野古移設に審判 白紙に戻して再交渉を

November 17, 2014(Mainichi Japan)
Editorial: Return Futenma base relocation negotiations to square one
社説:辺野古移設に審判　白紙に戻して再交渉を

Public opposition within Okinawa Prefecture to the planned relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to the city of Nago in the prefecture is never likely to wilt.
　米軍普天間飛行場（沖縄県宜野湾市）の名護市辺野古への移設に反対する地元の民意はもう後戻りしないだろう。

In the Okinawa gubernatorial election on Nov. 16, former Naha Mayor Takeshi Onaga defeated incumbent Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima, who had approved the government's application for a landfill project to build a replacement facility for the Futenma base in the Henoko district of Nago. His landslide victory denied Nakaima a third term in office.
沖縄県知事選で、翁長雄志（おながたけし）前那覇市長が３選を目指す仲井真弘多（ひろかず）知事らを破り初当選した。１月の名護市長選に引き続き、またも移設反対派が、安倍政権の全面支援を受けた推進派を退けたことになる。

Relocation of the base to Henoko stood as the primary issue in the election, and locals clearly voiced their opinion. Both politically and morally, it seems impossible for the central government to go ahead with the relocation as it stands. The government should return the relocation plans to the drawing board and resume negotiations with the U.S. government.
　辺野古移設を最大の争点にした選挙でこれだけ明確な民意が示された以上、政府が移設を推進することは、政治的にも道義的にも不可能だろう。政府は移設計画を白紙に戻し、米政府と再交渉すべきだ。

　◇本土と沖縄に深刻な溝

Onaga's latest victory carries more weight than in previous gubernatorial elections.
　翁長氏の勝利は、過去の知事選に比べてもとりわけ重い意味を持つ。

This is because rather than engaging in a battle between conservatives and reformists, Onaga defined it as one between Okinawa and mainland Japan.
　沖縄の知事選で初めて保革対決が崩れ、翁長氏が「沖縄対本土」という対立構図を強調する中で勝利したからだ。

Onaga is a mainstay in Okinawa's conservative political world.
翁長氏は沖縄保守政界の重鎮だ。

Yet in the Nov. 16 election, some conservative local politicians were able to join hands with the Japanese Communist Party, Social Democratic Party and other reformist parties to support Onaga, and he defeated Nakaima, who had been backed by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and other groups.
保守系地方議員の一部や共産、社民両党など革新政党が支援して保革共闘ができ、自民党などの推薦を受けた仲井真氏に勝った。

Two slogans emerged as part of Onaga's public pledge to oppose construction of a new base: "All Okinawa" and "Identity rather than ideology." These phrases encompass the following about the situation and the people of Okinawa. The message they are saying is:
　翁長氏の公約「新基地建設反対」の合言葉は、「オール沖縄」「イデオロギーよりアイデンティティー」だった。そこには次のような意味が込められている。

"The system of the Japan-U.S. security pact is understandable, but we want all of Japan to bear the burden of Japan's security. It is unreasonable for Okinawa, which comprises just 0.6 percent of Japan's total land area, to house 74 percent of U.S. military facilities. Is this not a form of structural discrimination?
　＜日米安保体制は理解するが、日本の安全保障は日本全体で負担してほしい。国土面積の０・６％しかない沖縄に在日米軍専用施設の７４％が集中しているのは理不尽で、沖縄への構造的差別ではないか。

"It is mistaken to think that Okinawa could not survive economically without military bases. Base-related revenue has fallen to 5 percent of Okinawa's total. As it stands, the bases represent the single biggest obstacle to Okinawa's economic development.
　沖縄は基地経済がないと立ちゆかないという見方は誤りで、基地関連収入が県経済に占める割合は現在では５％に減った。基地は今や沖縄経済発展の最大の阻害要因だ。

"The process of splitting up into leftists and rightists and conservative and reformist camps over the military base issue, and pressuring parties to decide between bases or the economy represents an old-fashioned way of thinking. 　基地をはさんで左右や保革に分かれたり、基地か経済かの二者択一を迫ったりするのは、旧態依然の古い発想だ。

The base issue is no longer one of ideology.
基地問題はもうイデオロギーではない。

Okinawa's identity is the issue, and we will decide on Okinawa's future by ourselves."
沖縄のアイデンティティーの問題であり、沖縄の将来は自分たちの手で決める＞

Onaga's victory raises serious questions for the Japanese government and each person in mainland Japan.
　翁長氏の勝利は、日本政府と本土の一人一人に根本的な疑問を突きつける。

Why don't people understand or have any interest in Okinawa's current situation?
なぜ沖縄の現状に無理解で無関心なのか。

Why isn't the public will of the people in Okinawa being faced seriously?
なぜ沖縄の民意に真剣に向き合わないのか。

Doesn't this run counter to democracy?
それは民主主義にもとるのではないか、と。

If the central government ignores the results of the latest election and goes ahead with the relocation as planned, the gap between mainland Japan and Okinawa will only widen, and could produce a decisive rift.
　政府が今回の選挙結果を無視し、移設を強行すれば、本土と沖縄の溝はますます深まり、亀裂が決定的になりかねない。

Okinawa cannot accept an excessive burden of hosting military bases while feeling that it is being discriminated against.
沖縄が不当に差別されているという感情を抱えたまま、過重な基地負担を引き受けられるものではない。

Conflicting positions are certain to destabilize the Japan-U.S. security alliance.
この矛盾は日米安保体制を確実に不安定化させるだろう。

The central government has direct control over security, but this doesn't mean that it can disregard the will of the people.
　安全保障は国の専管事項だが、それは地元の意向を勘案しなくていいという意味ではない。

If security policies don't win understanding from locals or the public as a whole, then they will not stand.
地元をはじめ国民全体の理解がなければ安全保障政策など成り立たない。

In situations like this, in which central government policy and the will of the people clash, the government should make an effort to close the divide. However, it has not sufficiently fulfilled its responsibility in this regard.
今回のように国の方針と地元の民意が対立した場合、政府は両者の溝を埋める努力をすべきだが、責任を十分に果たしてこなかった。

On the contrary, Onaga's victory was fueled by intense anger from people in Okinawa over the way the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has proceeded in connection with the Futenma base issue.
　それどころか翁長氏の勝利を後押ししたのは、安倍政権の普天間問題の進め方に対する沖縄の人々の激しい怒りだった。

Nakaima was elected in the previous gubernatorial election after promising to relocate the Futenma base outside Okinawa Prefecture.
仲井真氏は前回知事選では県外移設を公約して再選された。

But at the end of last year, he approved the central government's application to proceed with landfill work off Henoko in recognition of the government's economic stimulus measures -- a violation of his public pledge.
だが昨年末、仲井真氏は政府の経済振興策などを評価し公約に反する形で辺野古埋め立てを承認した。

The pride of the people in Okinawa was hurt by the central government's tactics, under which the government appeared to think it could win Okinawa over if it provided money in the form of stimulus measures.
この過程で振興策というカネさえ積めば沖縄を懐柔できると考えているかのような政府のやり方に、沖縄の人々は誇りを傷つけられた。

　◇米国内にも計画に異論

With the problem having become so complicated, it is unrealistic to adhere to the current relocation plans.
　ここまで問題がこじれた以上、現行の移設計画に固執するのは現実的ではない。

This summer, the central government started a drilling survey on the seabed off the coast of the Henoko district in line with its land refill plans. It has indicated that it will go ahead with the relocation to Henoko regardless of the latest election results, but the survey should be called off.
政府は今夏、辺野古沿岸部の埋め立てに向けた海底ボーリング調査を開始し、選挙結果にかかわらず移設を推進する方針を示しているが、調査を中止すべきだ。

However, if the Henoko relocation plans are taken back to the drawing board, this must not result in the Futenma base being left where it is.
　ただし、辺野古の白紙化を普天間の固定化につなげてはならない。

The whole point of the Futenma relocation is to remove the danger posed by the base, which, with its close proximity to residential areas, has been described as the most dangerous in the world.
この問題の原点は、「世界一危険な基地」といわれる普天間の一日も早い危険性除去にある。

The Abe administration has promised to halt operations at Futenma within five years, and it must make an effort to lighten the burden posed by hosting U.S. military bases.
安倍政権は今後も沖縄と約束した「普天間の５年以内の運用停止」をはじめとする基地負担軽減策を進めるべきだ。

At the same time, it must not cut back the yearly budget of over 300 billion yen that it has promised to provide Okinawa in the form of stimulus measures.
沖縄振興策も毎年３０００億円台の予算を確保するという約束を違えて減額することがあってはならない。

Eighteen years have passed since an agreement was made on returning the Futenma base.
　普天間返還合意から１８年。

It is probably no easy task to renegotiate an issue over which Japan and the U.S. have made repeated agreements, but if the Japanese and U.S. indeed see eye to eye on the deep influence of public opinion in Okinawa, then discussions will naturally progress to a new stage.
日本と合意を重ねてきた米国との再交渉に持ち込むのは容易ではなかろう。それでも沖縄の民意がもたらす深刻な影響を日米両政府が共有すれば、おのずと協議は新たな段階に移っていくはずだ。

The Japanese and U.S. governments say that relocation of the Futenma base to Henoko is the "only solution." However, the view that this is unrealistic has emerged within U.S. Congress.
　日米両政府の合意は辺野古移設を「唯一の解決策」としているが、米議会には辺野古は非現実的だとして異なる意見があり、

Senator John McCain and others proposed that Futenma be consolidated with the U.S. military's Kadena air base. マケイン上院議員らが米軍嘉手納基地に統合する案を提案したこともある。

This summer, meanwhile, Joseph Nye, former U.S. deputy to the undersecretary of state for security assistance, pointed out the weaknesses of U.S. military bases on Okinawa, and sought revisions to the deployment of U.S. military forces in Japan.
　ジョセフ・ナイ元米国防次官補は今夏、沖縄の米軍基地の脆弱（ぜいじゃく）性を指摘し、在日米軍の配備見直しを求めた。

So even in the United States, objections have emerged.
米国でも異論が出ているのだ。

The role that the Japan-U.S. security alliance has in providing stability for Japan and other countries in Asia is large. 　日米安保体制が日本とアジア地域の安定に果たす役割は大きい。

Considering China's military expansion and maritime advances, and the situation in North Korea, it is necessary to maintain the deterrence provided by U.S. military forces in Japan.
中国の軍備拡張や海洋進出、北朝鮮情勢を考えれば、在日米軍の抑止力は維持する必要がある。

The Japanese government must address friction with Okinawa and seek new negotiations with the U.S. to devise a solution -- even if this is for the worthy purpose of smoothly operating the Japan-U.S. security alliance.
　日米安保体制を安定的に運用していくという大きな目的のためにも、日本政府は沖縄との摩擦を放置せず、米政府に再交渉を求めて問題解決を図るべきだ。

毎日新聞　2014年11月17日　東京朝刊