安倍外交と安保 抑止力強化へ万全の法整備を

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Govt must develop security legislation to enhance Japan’s deterrence effort
安倍外交と安保　抑止力強化へ万全の法整備を

　◆戦略的連携で国益を追求したい◆

The security environment of Japan has been made increasingly difficult in recent years because of such factors as China’s military buildup and maritime expansion and North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons and missiles.
　中国の軍備増強や海洋進出、北朝鮮の核・ミサイル開発などで、日本の安全保障環境は近年、厳しさを増している。

China has put emphasis on enhancement of its maritime military power.
　中国が重視するのが海上戦力の強化だ。

According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Britain, and other entities, the Chinese military has 70 major surface warships while the U.S. 7th Fleet, deployed in waters around Guam and Japan, has only about 10. With warships of the Maritime Self-Defense Force and the South Korean Navy, the U.S. side can manage to keep its numerical advantage over the Chinese.
　英国際戦略研究所などによると、主要な水上戦闘艦は中国軍７０隻に対し、日本とグアムに展開する米軍第７艦隊は１０隻程度にとどまる。自衛隊と韓国軍を加え、ようやく数的優位を保っている。

Meanwhile, North Korea reportedly has been successful in extending the range of its ballistic missiles, improving their accuracy and miniaturizing nuclear weapons. If Pyongyang succeeds in making nuclear weapons small enough to be mounted on missiles, their threat will become even more serious.
　北朝鮮は、弾道ミサイルの長射程化や精度向上を図り、核の小型化も進展させたとされる。核のミサイル搭載が可能になれば、その脅威は一段と深刻になる。

Collective self-defense right
　◆集団的自衛権を有効に◆

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government in July last year endorsed a new constitutional interpretation, which allows the nation to exercise its right of collective self-defense in a limited way, with the aim of strengthening the Japan-U.S. alliance and its deterrent power.
　安倍政権が昨年７月、集団的自衛権の行使を限定容認する新見解を決めたのは、日米同盟を強化し、抑止力を高めるのが目的だ。

During the ordinary Diet session to be convened later this month, bills to revise the Self-Defense Forces Law and the law on the nation’s response to a foreign armed attack must be approved to ensure the viability of the government’s new constitutional interpretation.
　今月下旬召集の通常国会で、自衛隊法や武力攻撃事態法の改正案などを成立させ、新見解の実効性を確保しなければならない。

Under the new constitutional interpretation, the SDF is assumed to protect U.S. military vessels carrying Japanese nationals or engaging in missile defense.
　邦人輸送やミサイル防衛に従事する米軍艦船を自衛隊が防護することなどが想定される。

It is also vital for Japan, which has limited natural resources, to secure the safety of sea-lanes leading to its crude oil supply sources in the Middle East. Geographical restrictions should not be made in exercising the nation’s right of collective self-defense to enable MSDF ships to sweep for mines in the Hormuz Strait and other waters.
　資源の乏しい日本にとって、原油の供給源である中東に至る海上交通路の安全確保は死活的に重要だ。ホルムズ海峡などで機雷掃海を行えるよう、集団的自衛権の行使には、地理的な制約を設けるべきではあるまい。

The government is planning to revise legal procedures to speed up the issuance of an order for the MSDF to take seaborne policing action, so that situations in a security gray area — such as occupation of a remote island by an armed group — could be dealt with more quickly.
　政府は、武装集団による離島占拠などのグレーゾーン事態に対処するため、自衛隊の海上警備行動の手続きを迅速化する方針だ。

We hope the government and the ruling coalition parties will have thorough discussions on what legislation would be most effective to enable the nation to deal with situations ranging from peacetime to an emergency situation in a seamless manner.
　平時から有事まで切れ目ない対処を可能にするには、どんな法制度が最も効果的か。政府・与党は議論を尽くしてもらいたい。

Revise defense guidelines
　◆防衛指針の改定を急げ◆

The proliferation of weapons of mass-destruction and terrorism, done with the progress of military technology, have made it impossible for any one nation to protect its peace single-handedly.
　大量破壊兵器やテロの拡散、軍事技術の進展で、どの国も一国だけでは平和を維持できない。

The government’s new constitutional interpretation enables the SDF to provide logistic support, such as supply and transportation missions for troops of other nations if they are not in combat zones. To make more flexible responses possible, the government should seriously consider making a permanent and comprehensive law on the dispatch of SDF units to other countries.
　新見解により、戦闘現場以外では、自衛隊による他国部隊への補給、輸送など後方支援が可能になる。より機動的な対応のため、自衛隊の海外派遣に関する包括的な恒久法を真剣に検討すべきだ。

Along with the development of the security legislation, the Guidelines for Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation that defines roles of Japanese and U.S. forces should be revised quickly.
　安保法制の整備に合わせて、自衛隊と米軍の役割分担などを定めた日米防衛協力の指針（ガイドライン）の改定も急ぎたい。

The relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Station to Henoko in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, could be the only realistic option to reduce the burden on residents around the base while maintaining the deterrent power of the U.S. military. Despite opposition by Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga, it is essential for the government and ruling parties to work together toward carrying out the relocation plan steadily.
　米軍普天間飛行場の辺野古移設は、米軍の抑止力を維持しつつ、基地周辺住民の負担を軽減する唯一の現実的な選択肢だ。沖縄県の翁長雄志知事は反対するが、政府・与党が一体となって辺野古移設を着実に進めることが大切だ。

Abe is considering a plan to visit the United States during a period of consecutive holidays in May. During a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama, it will be important for Abe to discuss the Japan-U.S. alliance’s new roles in Asia and strategy vis-a-vis China.
　安倍首相は、５月の連休中の訪米を検討している。オバマ大統領との会談では、アジアにおける日米同盟の新たな役割や対中国戦略を語り合うことが重要である。

During their summit meeting in November, Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to reconstruct a mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests.
　首相は昨年１１月の中国の習近平国家主席との会談で、戦略的互恵関係の再構築で一致した。

To avoid unexpected accidents and clashes in the East China Sea, the two countries should, in the first place, reach agreement on the establishment and operation of a maritime liaison mechanism between their defense authorities. Practical cooperation must also be expanded in various fields, including the economy, energy and the environment.
　まずは、東シナ海での不測の事故や衝突を避けるため、防衛当局間の「海上連絡メカニズム」の合意、運用を急ぐべきだ。経済、エネルギー、環境など、様々な実務的な協力も拡大したい。

Undoubtedly, the Senkaku Islands are a territory inherent to Japan so there is no room for Japan to make concessions. It is imperative to refute adequately and promptly China’s anti-Japan propaganda, linking it with the historical perception issue.
　無論、尖閣諸島は日本固有の領土であり、日本側に譲歩の余地はない。歴史認識に絡めた中国の「反日宣伝」活動には、的確かつ早期に反論する必要がある。

There is concern that anti-Japan sentiment will also heighten in South Korea this year, which marks the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. It is not an easy task to break a stalemate in resolving the comfort women issue, on which South Korean President Park Geun-hye has stood firm.
　戦後７０年の今年は、韓国でも反日世論が高まる懸念がある。朴槿恵大統領が固執する慰安婦問題の打開は簡単ではない。

We suggest that Japan and South Korea, for the time being, try to find a path toward making the 50th anniversary of normalization of diplomatic relations fruitful by holding meetings of their foreign ministers and top leaders and bilateral talks on a regular basis.
　当面、日中韓の外相・首脳会談を早期に開催し、対話を重ねる中で、国交正常化５０年を実りあるものにする道を探ってはどうか。

Early abductee solution urged
　◆どうなる拉致再調査◆

Moves toward resolving the issue of Japanese nationals abducted to North Korea are entering a crucial stage. In July last year, North Korea launched a reinvestigation of Japanese abductees with completion targeted within a year. The government must press Pyongyang to provide information about the abductees promptly without allowing them to buy time.
　北朝鮮による日本人拉致問題の解決に向けた取り組みは、正念場を迎える。北朝鮮は昨年７月、１年をメドに拉致被害者らの再調査を始めた。政府は、北朝鮮に時間稼ぎを許さず、安否情報の速やかな通報を迫らねばならない。

Abe’s diplomacy is also being put to the test in connection with Japan-Russia relations. Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to visit Japan this year. Russia’s serious confrontation with the United States and Europe has continued since its annexation of the Crimea Peninsula. Japan is urged to try to develop relations with Moscow while maintaining a cooperative relationship with the United States and Europe.
　日露関係でも安倍外交の真価が問われる。プーチン大統領は今年、来日する予定だ。クリミア半島編入では、ロシアと欧米との深刻な対立が続く。日本は、欧米との協調を維持しつつ、対露関係の進展を図ることが求められる。

Abe has toured 50 countries, a record number by an incumbent Japanese prime minister, in the past two years under the slogan of “developing diplomacy from global perspective.” It is laudable that Abe even visited countries of Africa and Central and South America to build personal relationships with their top leaders.
　安倍首相は「地球儀俯瞰ふかん外交」を掲げ、２年間で歴代最多の５０か国を訪問した。アフリカ、中南米にも足を運び、首脳らと個人的関係を築いたことは評価できる。

How has Japan progressed as a pacifist nation in the past 70 years? What role will Japan play on the basis of the Abe administration’s “tenet of proactive contribution to peace”? It will not be insignificant if Abe tells the international community his ideas about these matters in his own words.
　戦後７０年間、日本が平和国家としてどう歩んできたか。安倍政権の「積極的平和主義」に基づき、今後、どんな役割を果たしていくのか。こうした点について、首相が自らの言葉で国際社会に発信する意義は小さくない。

It is vital for Abe, with a long-term tenure in mind, to develop strategic diplomacy that sets a high value on the national interest.
　首相は、長期政権も視野に入れ、国益重視の戦略的な外交を展開することが肝要である。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Jan. 10, 2015)Speech