英字新聞

2010/11/23
--The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 22
EDITORIAL: Nuclear disarmament
新核軍縮条約―日本から米ロに発効促せ

As U.S. President Barack Obama seeks to embark upon a path toward a "world without nuclear weapons," the U.S. Senate is blocking the way toward his first nuclear disarmament treaty.
　「核のない世界」へ踏み出そうとするオバマ米大統領の最初の核軍縮条約発効への道に、米議会上院が立ちはだかっている。

This is the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty signed by the United States and Russia in April. The pact aims to reduce strategic nuclear warheads to no more than 1,550 each. Ratification requires Senate approval.
　米ロが今年４月に調印した新核軍縮条約である。戦略核弾頭を減らして、双方１５５０発までとする。批准に上院の承認が必要だ。

As was clearly evident in the midterm elections earlier this month, U.S. politics has become increasingly partisan. Some within the Republican Party are opposing the treaty just for the sake of bringing down Obama. For a legislative body that is supposed to make decisions from a broader perspective, the Senate has become quite a petty place.
　今月初めの議会中間選挙で際立ったように、米国の政治は今、党派対立が強まっている。共和党の中には「オバマつぶし」のために条約に反対する動きさえある。大局を判断するはずの上院が、何とも小粒になったものだ。

As Senator Dick Lugar, a Republican supporter of the treaty, says, this is a matter of American national security, as well as a matter of global security. We hope the Senate will display what is supposed to be its inherent wisdom.
　共和党でありながら条約を支持するルーガー上院議員が言うように、これは米国の国家安全保障の問題であり、世界の安全の問題でもある。上院本来の良識を示してもらいたい。

A treaty needs a two-thirds majority in the Senate to be ratified. This means the administration needs not only support from Democrats, but also Republicans. As a result of the midterm elections, Democrats will have fewer Senate seats in the new Congress session starting in January. Calling it a top diplomatic priority, Obama seeks to have the treaty ratified within this year, using the current Democratic majority.
　承認に上院の３分の２の賛成が必要だ。民主党系だけでは足りず、共和党議員の支持も欠かせない。中間選挙の結果、来年１月からの新会期で民主党系議席はさらに減る。オバマ大統領は現議席を使える年内の批准をめざし、最優先の外交課題と宣言している。

If he fails, years could go by without any mutual verification of nuclear disarmament between the United States and Russia. There is a risk that the years spent since the days of the Cold War, dealing with each other on disarmament and building trust, may take a big step backward.
　失敗すると、米ロ間で核軍縮に関する相互検証がない状態が何年も続き、冷戦期から積み上げた軍縮交流、信頼構築が大きく後退する危険がある。

To win votes, Obama has responded to Republican requests to put federal money in renewing nuclear arms laboratories and refurbishing nuclear missile bases, drawing fire for ''pork-barrel" policies. If Republican legislators are going to criticize the national deficit, they should seriously consider cutting back the budget through nuclear disarmament.
　オバマ大統領は支持票を増やすために、共和党の要望に応じて核兵器研究所の更新や核ミサイル基地の整備に予算をつけ、「ばらまき」との批判も受けている。財政赤字を批判する共和党議員は、核軍縮による予算削減についても真剣に考えるべきだ。

The president also should not simply coax the Senate into ratification through political haggling, but should repeatedly emphasize the importance of the treaty through speeches to the public.
　大統領も、政治的取引で承認を促すだけでなく、国民への演説などを通じて、繰り返し、正面から条約の重要性を訴えるべきだ。

Once he solidifies public support, he can expect a sea change in the attitudes of the Republican senators.
国民からの幅広い支持を確かなものにすれば、共和党議員の態度にも変化を期待できよう。

This new nuclear arms reduction treaty is an important step toward creating a disarmament dialogue with other nuclear powers, not just the United States and Russia. We hope President Obama will take on the task with full force, even at the risk of using up his political capital, so that his vision of a "world without nuclear weapons" does not quickly turn into an illusion.
　今回の新軍縮条約は、米ロ以外の核保有国、核武装国も加えた軍縮対話へとつなげていく重要な一歩だ。オバマ大統領は「核のない世界」の構想を早々に幻にせぬためにも、政治生命をかける覚悟で臨んでほしい。

Russia will have many decommissioned nuclear missiles on its hands in future years. If the treaty fails to come into force, then Russia will have to spend money building new nuclear missiles to replace the old ones. Russia also must avoid a return to the nuclear Cold War situation.
　ロシアでは今後、退役する核ミサイルが増えていく。条約の発効に失敗すれば、代替用の核ミサイル増設に資金を投じなければならない。「核冷戦」を再び招く事態をロシアの側からも避けるべきである。

Moscow is also having a hard time getting the treaty ratified due to concerns over missile defense, but it needs to make a decision soon.
ミサイル防衛などへの懸念からロシアでの批准も手間取っているが、早期に決断すべきだ。

If the U.S.-Russia nuclear disarmament process should stall, then this could lead to a vicious cycle with China and India enhancing their nuclear arsenals. Therefore, this is indeed a matter of Japan's national security and Asian security. Japan should urge both the United States and Russia in no uncertain terms to have the treaty come into force.
　米ロの核軍縮が停滞すれば、中国の核軍備強化、さらにはインドの核軍拡へと悪循環を招く恐れがある。まさに日本、アジアの安全保障問題であり、日本も米ロ双方に条約発効を強く促す必要がある。

It is still not too late. Prime Minister Naoto Kan should relay to the American and Russian leaders once again how important this treaty is for Japan as well.
　今からでも遅くはない。菅直人首相は米ロ首脳にこの条約を重視する日本の立場を改めて伝えてはどうか。