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2011年02月23日
小沢氏流を超えて―「政局」政治から卒業を
2011/02/22
--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 21
EDITORIAL: Politics in shambles
小沢氏流を超えて―「政局」政治から卒業を
Japan's political disease appears to be getting worse by the day.
日本政治の病、いよいよ篤(あつ)しの感が深い。
The malady that has stricken so many members of the political community is characterized by an obsession with power struggles in Nagatacho and causes lawmakers to neglect their primary task: the development and execution of policies.
政策の立案決定や遂行よりも、権力の争奪をめぐる永田町のなかの抗争、いわゆる政局にかまける病である。
A group of 16 lawmakers of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan who are close to former party chief Ichiro Ozawa have announced their intention to leave the party's Diet bloc. Within the party, open calls are being heard for Prime Minister Naoto Kan to step down.
民主党の小沢一郎元代表に近い議員16人が同党の会派からの離脱を表明し、党内では菅直人首相の退陣論が公然と語られ始めた。
Kan has responded to the moves within his own party by indicating he might dissolve the Lower House for a snap election.
これに対し首相は衆院解散に含みを持たせ、対抗する。
All this is happening in the midst of the Diet deliberations on the government's draft budget for new fiscal year, which starts in April.
新年度予算案審議の真っ最中である。
The outlook of crucial budget-related bills is unclear. It is a matter of great urgency to craft a plan for the proposed integrated tax and social security reform.
予算関連法案の成否はきわどい。社会保障と税の一体改革に目鼻をつける作業は待ったなしだ。
In other words, Japan cannot afford to allow its lawmakers in both the ruling and opposition camps to be engrossed in the political power game.
そんな時期に、与野党あげて「政局」政治に没頭している余裕は、いまの日本にはない。
At the root of the current political situation is the struggle between Ozawa supporters and the anti-Ozawa camp that has defined the framework of Japanese politics for two decades.
「小沢」か、「脱小沢」か。20年来の日本政治を枠づけてきた対立構図が、今回の局面の底流にも横たわる。
It is hard to believe that the nation's political maladies can be cured without solving this problem.
これを清算することなしに、政治の病が癒えるとは考えにくい。
It is therefore important to take a fresh look at what Ozawa's brand of politics is really about.
小沢氏流の政治とは何かを、改めて見つめ直さなければならない。
The concentration of power
■めざすは「権力集中」
The key word to understanding Ozawa's politics is, after all, power.
小沢政治を解剖する道具とすべき言葉は、やはり「権力」だろう。
Ozawa once led the movement for political reform. But for what?
小沢氏は「政治改革」を主導した。何のためか。
In his book "Nihon Kaizo Keikaku" ("Blueprint for a New Japan,") published in 1993, Ozawa wrote about a "troubling lack of leadership."
1993年に出した「日本改造計画」冒頭に、「迷惑な『指導力の欠如』」という項目がある。
According to Ozawa, Japan is "a dinosaur with a small brain." The creature's every move is controlled not by the brain of the leader's decisions, but through coordination among its limbs and tail. That's how Japanese politics works, he argues.
それによれば、日本は「小さな脳しか持たない恐竜」である。脳、つまり指導者の指示ではなく、手足やしっぽが互いに調整し、一挙手一投足を決める。それが日本政治だというのだ。
During the Persian Gulf crisis, the overseas deployment of Self-Defense Forces troops to support international peace-keeping efforts was blocked by opposition within the government and resistance by opposition parties.
湾岸危機の際、自衛隊海外派遣を、政府内の異論や野党の抵抗に阻まれていた。
Referring to this experience, Ozawa calls for changing the decision-making system and "democratic concentration" of power in the top leader.
意思決定の仕組みを変え、権力を最高責任者に「民主主義的に集中」しなければならないと説く。
Ozawa's political reform was aimed, first and foremost, at enabling quick decision-making.
何より迅速な「決断」を可能にすることが、小沢氏の政治改革だった。
From time to time, Ozawa has played brass-knuckle politics to secure the power needed for such decision-making.
決断を支える権力を手にするためなら、小沢氏は時になりふり構わず行動してきた。
In 2007, when he was the DPJ's president, Ozawa led the party to a victory in the Upper House election that made it the largest voting bloc in the chamber.
民主党代表だった2007年、参院選で第1党に躍進した。
Ozawa parlayed his party's strength in the Upper House to stage fierce political attacks on the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito, forcing one prime minister to resign after another.
その後は自民・公明政権を徹底的に揺さぶり、次々に首相を退陣に追い込んだ。
Still fresh in our memories are his successful bids to block the government's nominees for the post of Bank of Japan governor, which caused the top post at the central bank to remain vacant for a while. And then he won the political battle to ensure the expiration of gasoline tax surcharges.
日本銀行総裁を空席に、ガソリン税の暫定税率を期限切れにしたのは記憶に新しい。
The DPJ's manifesto for the 2009 Lower House election was developed in line with the agenda set by Ozawa before his resignation as party president over political donations by Nishimatsu Construction Co.
09年の衆院選マニフェスト(政権公約)は、西松建設事件で代表を辞任する前に、小沢氏が敷いた路線に沿ってつくられた。
Ozawa enlarged the scale of the DPJ-proposed child-care allowance program, claiming the money needed to finance the program would be raised, no matter how much.
「財源はなんぼでもできる」と言い切り、子ども手当の規模を拡大させたのも小沢氏である。
While it's true that Ozawa's political tactics made some contribution to his party's ascent to power, the government is now paying an enormous price for his tactics.
こうした戦術が政権交代になにがしかの「貢献」をしたのは事実だろう。しかし、その「貢献」のおかげで政権が払わされている代償は甚大である。
The Kan administration is facing opposition criticism that the DPJ made many empty policy promises not backed by a solid financing plan. There is currently little hope for constructive bipartisan talks on Kan's key policy proposals.
公約は財源のない空証文だと批判を浴びて、与野党協議もままならない。
Ozawa's past behavior indicates that his political priorities may not be realizing policies and visions, and he has insisted that the DPJ should stick to its manifesto.
小沢氏流の政治はまた、政策なり理念なりを二の次にしていると疑わざるをえない。
小沢氏は衆院選公約の固守を説く。
--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 21
EDITORIAL: Politics in shambles
小沢氏流を超えて―「政局」政治から卒業を
Japan's political disease appears to be getting worse by the day.
日本政治の病、いよいよ篤(あつ)しの感が深い。
The malady that has stricken so many members of the political community is characterized by an obsession with power struggles in Nagatacho and causes lawmakers to neglect their primary task: the development and execution of policies.
政策の立案決定や遂行よりも、権力の争奪をめぐる永田町のなかの抗争、いわゆる政局にかまける病である。
A group of 16 lawmakers of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan who are close to former party chief Ichiro Ozawa have announced their intention to leave the party's Diet bloc. Within the party, open calls are being heard for Prime Minister Naoto Kan to step down.
民主党の小沢一郎元代表に近い議員16人が同党の会派からの離脱を表明し、党内では菅直人首相の退陣論が公然と語られ始めた。
Kan has responded to the moves within his own party by indicating he might dissolve the Lower House for a snap election.
これに対し首相は衆院解散に含みを持たせ、対抗する。
All this is happening in the midst of the Diet deliberations on the government's draft budget for new fiscal year, which starts in April.
新年度予算案審議の真っ最中である。
The outlook of crucial budget-related bills is unclear. It is a matter of great urgency to craft a plan for the proposed integrated tax and social security reform.
予算関連法案の成否はきわどい。社会保障と税の一体改革に目鼻をつける作業は待ったなしだ。
In other words, Japan cannot afford to allow its lawmakers in both the ruling and opposition camps to be engrossed in the political power game.
そんな時期に、与野党あげて「政局」政治に没頭している余裕は、いまの日本にはない。
At the root of the current political situation is the struggle between Ozawa supporters and the anti-Ozawa camp that has defined the framework of Japanese politics for two decades.
「小沢」か、「脱小沢」か。20年来の日本政治を枠づけてきた対立構図が、今回の局面の底流にも横たわる。
It is hard to believe that the nation's political maladies can be cured without solving this problem.
これを清算することなしに、政治の病が癒えるとは考えにくい。
It is therefore important to take a fresh look at what Ozawa's brand of politics is really about.
小沢氏流の政治とは何かを、改めて見つめ直さなければならない。
The concentration of power
■めざすは「権力集中」
The key word to understanding Ozawa's politics is, after all, power.
小沢政治を解剖する道具とすべき言葉は、やはり「権力」だろう。
Ozawa once led the movement for political reform. But for what?
小沢氏は「政治改革」を主導した。何のためか。
In his book "Nihon Kaizo Keikaku" ("Blueprint for a New Japan,") published in 1993, Ozawa wrote about a "troubling lack of leadership."
1993年に出した「日本改造計画」冒頭に、「迷惑な『指導力の欠如』」という項目がある。
According to Ozawa, Japan is "a dinosaur with a small brain." The creature's every move is controlled not by the brain of the leader's decisions, but through coordination among its limbs and tail. That's how Japanese politics works, he argues.
それによれば、日本は「小さな脳しか持たない恐竜」である。脳、つまり指導者の指示ではなく、手足やしっぽが互いに調整し、一挙手一投足を決める。それが日本政治だというのだ。
During the Persian Gulf crisis, the overseas deployment of Self-Defense Forces troops to support international peace-keeping efforts was blocked by opposition within the government and resistance by opposition parties.
湾岸危機の際、自衛隊海外派遣を、政府内の異論や野党の抵抗に阻まれていた。
Referring to this experience, Ozawa calls for changing the decision-making system and "democratic concentration" of power in the top leader.
意思決定の仕組みを変え、権力を最高責任者に「民主主義的に集中」しなければならないと説く。
Ozawa's political reform was aimed, first and foremost, at enabling quick decision-making.
何より迅速な「決断」を可能にすることが、小沢氏の政治改革だった。
From time to time, Ozawa has played brass-knuckle politics to secure the power needed for such decision-making.
決断を支える権力を手にするためなら、小沢氏は時になりふり構わず行動してきた。
In 2007, when he was the DPJ's president, Ozawa led the party to a victory in the Upper House election that made it the largest voting bloc in the chamber.
民主党代表だった2007年、参院選で第1党に躍進した。
Ozawa parlayed his party's strength in the Upper House to stage fierce political attacks on the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito, forcing one prime minister to resign after another.
その後は自民・公明政権を徹底的に揺さぶり、次々に首相を退陣に追い込んだ。
Still fresh in our memories are his successful bids to block the government's nominees for the post of Bank of Japan governor, which caused the top post at the central bank to remain vacant for a while. And then he won the political battle to ensure the expiration of gasoline tax surcharges.
日本銀行総裁を空席に、ガソリン税の暫定税率を期限切れにしたのは記憶に新しい。
The DPJ's manifesto for the 2009 Lower House election was developed in line with the agenda set by Ozawa before his resignation as party president over political donations by Nishimatsu Construction Co.
09年の衆院選マニフェスト(政権公約)は、西松建設事件で代表を辞任する前に、小沢氏が敷いた路線に沿ってつくられた。
Ozawa enlarged the scale of the DPJ-proposed child-care allowance program, claiming the money needed to finance the program would be raised, no matter how much.
「財源はなんぼでもできる」と言い切り、子ども手当の規模を拡大させたのも小沢氏である。
While it's true that Ozawa's political tactics made some contribution to his party's ascent to power, the government is now paying an enormous price for his tactics.
こうした戦術が政権交代になにがしかの「貢献」をしたのは事実だろう。しかし、その「貢献」のおかげで政権が払わされている代償は甚大である。
The Kan administration is facing opposition criticism that the DPJ made many empty policy promises not backed by a solid financing plan. There is currently little hope for constructive bipartisan talks on Kan's key policy proposals.
公約は財源のない空証文だと批判を浴びて、与野党協議もままならない。
Ozawa's past behavior indicates that his political priorities may not be realizing policies and visions, and he has insisted that the DPJ should stick to its manifesto.
小沢氏流の政治はまた、政策なり理念なりを二の次にしていると疑わざるをえない。
小沢氏は衆院選公約の固守を説く。
2011年02月17日
景気の行方―攻めの機運をそぐなかれ
2011/02/16
--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 15
EDITORIAL: Japanese economy
景気の行方―攻めの機運をそぐなかれ
Concerns about a double-dip recession--sliding back into recession after a short-lived recovery--have mostly dissipated.
景気回復が失速する「二番底」の懸念は、杞憂(きゆう)だったようである。
As widely expected, Japan's gross domestic product contracted in the October-December quarter from the previous three months, according to preliminary government data released Monday. The decline was blamed mainly on the wearing-off of the effects of the government's economic stimulus measures, such as the eco-point program to promote sales of energy-efficient home electric appliances.
きのう発表された昨年10〜12月期の国内総生産(GDP)統計の1次速報は、家電のエコポイントなど政策効果が縮小したため、大方の予想通り前期比マイナスだった。
But key economic indicators, like industrial output, clearly suggested that the economy remains on a recovery path.
だが鉱工業生産など指標の動きをよく見れば、回復軌道にあることは明らかだ。
Japan's rebound has been supported primarily by economic growth in emerging countries.
復調を支えているのは、まず何より新興国の成長だ。
Aggressive efforts by Japanese companies to capitalize on swelling demand in these countries, such as developing new products tailored to the fast-growing markets and ramping up investment for expansion, are beginning to pay off.
発展する市場向けの新製品開発や投資拡大など民間企業の攻めの姿勢が、外需を着実に取り込み、結果を出し始めている。
Another piece of good news for the Japanese economy is receding fears about a U.S. economic downturn. The Federal Reserve Board's second round of quantitative easing, called "QE2," and President Barack Obama's decision to extend Bush-era tax cuts in a bold compromise with the Republicans have combined to stoke consumer spending.
米国の景気後退懸念が和らいだことも大きい。「QE2」と呼ばれている連邦準備制度理事会(FRB)による金融の量的緩和と、オバマ政権が共和党との大胆な妥協でブッシュ減税の継続に踏み切ったことが、消費意欲を刺激した。
The New York Stock Exchange is now on an upward trajectory.
ニューヨーク市場では株価が上昇気流に乗っている。
As a result, the yen has stopped climbing against the dollar, and the currency market has regained stability.
その結果、円高ドル安の流れが止まり、為替相場が安定した。
Stock prices in Tokyo have bounced back to life as investors around the world have started returning to the stock market in droves.
世界的な株式市場の再評価の動きのなかで、東京市場も株価が息を吹き返した。
Immediately after the collapse of U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers triggered a global financial crisis in autumn 2008, Japanese companies were stupefied as their global business strategies based on traditional dependence on Western markets had suddenly become obsolete.
2008年秋のリーマン・ショックの直後、日本企業はそれまでの欧米先進国依存を前提にした世界戦略が崩壊して茫然(ぼうぜん)自失の体だった。
From 2009 through 2010, Japanese companies focused on pulling themselves together for the development of new broad-based strategies for the entire world, including emerging economies, and redistribution of management resources.
一昨年から昨年にかけては、新興国を含めた全世界に視野を広げた新しい戦略作りと、経営資源の再配分に向けた立て直しの時期だったといえるだろう。
This year, they are regaining self-confidence and making bold strategic moves to expand globally with renewed determination.
そして今年は、日本企業が腹をくくって全世界に打って出る。そんな自信回復と行動の年になりつつある。
The trend has been epitomized by a flurry of major strategic alliances, including an agreement between Nippon Steel Corp. and Sumitomo Metal Industries Ltd. to enter merger talks and NEC Corp's decision to set up a joint personal computer venture with China's Lenovo Group Ltd.
新日鉄と住友金属工業との合併交渉入り、NECによる中国レノボとのパソコン事業合弁など、大がかりな再編の動きがその象徴だ。
Japanese firms are also stepping up their efforts to globalize their management, as evidenced by Olympus Corp.'s decision to promote a British executive to the post of president.
オリンパスが社長に英国人を登用するなど、経営のグローバル化も本格化している。
A growing number of Japanese companies will start making such aggressive moves to expand their global presence in the coming months.
攻めの動きはさらに広がるだろう。
But there are still many causes for worry both at home and abroad.
とはいえ、内外の不安材料は尽きない。
Excess liquidity sloshing around the world is driving up the prices of food and raw materials, raising concerns about inflation, especially in emerging countries.
世界にだぶつくマネーが食料や資源の相場を押し上げ、新興国を中心にインフレ懸念が募る。
In Europe, the sovereign debt crisis keeps shaking confidence in the euro.
欧州では財政危機がユーロを揺さぶり続けている。
Heightened jitters about the world economy could trigger a new round of the yen's appreciation.
世界経済に緊張感が高まれば、円高がさらに進む恐れもある。
At home, political momentum for fiscal rehabilitation remains alarmingly weak despite the recent downgrade of Japan's sovereign debt by a major credit rating agency.
国内をみれば、国債格下げという世界市場からの「警告」とは裏腹に、財政再建に向けた政治の動きがおぼつかない。
In addition to the murky outlook of the budget for the new fiscal year, a Diet preoccupied with partisan bickering is arousing anxiety among the public.
新年度予算の行方だけでなく、政争本位の国会自体が国民の間に不安をかきたてている。
There is, fortunately, a positive mood in Japan's business community.
日本の経済界の空気は前向きだ。
Signs of forward-looking politics would do a lot to help accelerate the expansionary trend among Japanese businesses.
攻めの動きを加速させるには、政治にも前向きな機運が生まれることが何よりだ。
Political leaders should at least make sensible efforts to avoid becoming a drag on the private sector.
民間の足を引っ張らないという見識と努力を示してほしい。
It has also been confirmed that China's GDP surpassed Japan's last year. The news should be taken by Japan as a signal to finally forget its past success and move ahead.
昨年のGDPで中国が日本を抜いたことも確認された。これも日本が過去にとらわれず、前に進むべきだという警鐘として受け止めたい。
--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 15
EDITORIAL: Japanese economy
景気の行方―攻めの機運をそぐなかれ
Concerns about a double-dip recession--sliding back into recession after a short-lived recovery--have mostly dissipated.
景気回復が失速する「二番底」の懸念は、杞憂(きゆう)だったようである。
As widely expected, Japan's gross domestic product contracted in the October-December quarter from the previous three months, according to preliminary government data released Monday. The decline was blamed mainly on the wearing-off of the effects of the government's economic stimulus measures, such as the eco-point program to promote sales of energy-efficient home electric appliances.
きのう発表された昨年10〜12月期の国内総生産(GDP)統計の1次速報は、家電のエコポイントなど政策効果が縮小したため、大方の予想通り前期比マイナスだった。
But key economic indicators, like industrial output, clearly suggested that the economy remains on a recovery path.
だが鉱工業生産など指標の動きをよく見れば、回復軌道にあることは明らかだ。
Japan's rebound has been supported primarily by economic growth in emerging countries.
復調を支えているのは、まず何より新興国の成長だ。
Aggressive efforts by Japanese companies to capitalize on swelling demand in these countries, such as developing new products tailored to the fast-growing markets and ramping up investment for expansion, are beginning to pay off.
発展する市場向けの新製品開発や投資拡大など民間企業の攻めの姿勢が、外需を着実に取り込み、結果を出し始めている。
Another piece of good news for the Japanese economy is receding fears about a U.S. economic downturn. The Federal Reserve Board's second round of quantitative easing, called "QE2," and President Barack Obama's decision to extend Bush-era tax cuts in a bold compromise with the Republicans have combined to stoke consumer spending.
米国の景気後退懸念が和らいだことも大きい。「QE2」と呼ばれている連邦準備制度理事会(FRB)による金融の量的緩和と、オバマ政権が共和党との大胆な妥協でブッシュ減税の継続に踏み切ったことが、消費意欲を刺激した。
The New York Stock Exchange is now on an upward trajectory.
ニューヨーク市場では株価が上昇気流に乗っている。
As a result, the yen has stopped climbing against the dollar, and the currency market has regained stability.
その結果、円高ドル安の流れが止まり、為替相場が安定した。
Stock prices in Tokyo have bounced back to life as investors around the world have started returning to the stock market in droves.
世界的な株式市場の再評価の動きのなかで、東京市場も株価が息を吹き返した。
Immediately after the collapse of U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers triggered a global financial crisis in autumn 2008, Japanese companies were stupefied as their global business strategies based on traditional dependence on Western markets had suddenly become obsolete.
2008年秋のリーマン・ショックの直後、日本企業はそれまでの欧米先進国依存を前提にした世界戦略が崩壊して茫然(ぼうぜん)自失の体だった。
From 2009 through 2010, Japanese companies focused on pulling themselves together for the development of new broad-based strategies for the entire world, including emerging economies, and redistribution of management resources.
一昨年から昨年にかけては、新興国を含めた全世界に視野を広げた新しい戦略作りと、経営資源の再配分に向けた立て直しの時期だったといえるだろう。
This year, they are regaining self-confidence and making bold strategic moves to expand globally with renewed determination.
そして今年は、日本企業が腹をくくって全世界に打って出る。そんな自信回復と行動の年になりつつある。
The trend has been epitomized by a flurry of major strategic alliances, including an agreement between Nippon Steel Corp. and Sumitomo Metal Industries Ltd. to enter merger talks and NEC Corp's decision to set up a joint personal computer venture with China's Lenovo Group Ltd.
新日鉄と住友金属工業との合併交渉入り、NECによる中国レノボとのパソコン事業合弁など、大がかりな再編の動きがその象徴だ。
Japanese firms are also stepping up their efforts to globalize their management, as evidenced by Olympus Corp.'s decision to promote a British executive to the post of president.
オリンパスが社長に英国人を登用するなど、経営のグローバル化も本格化している。
A growing number of Japanese companies will start making such aggressive moves to expand their global presence in the coming months.
攻めの動きはさらに広がるだろう。
But there are still many causes for worry both at home and abroad.
とはいえ、内外の不安材料は尽きない。
Excess liquidity sloshing around the world is driving up the prices of food and raw materials, raising concerns about inflation, especially in emerging countries.
世界にだぶつくマネーが食料や資源の相場を押し上げ、新興国を中心にインフレ懸念が募る。
In Europe, the sovereign debt crisis keeps shaking confidence in the euro.
欧州では財政危機がユーロを揺さぶり続けている。
Heightened jitters about the world economy could trigger a new round of the yen's appreciation.
世界経済に緊張感が高まれば、円高がさらに進む恐れもある。
At home, political momentum for fiscal rehabilitation remains alarmingly weak despite the recent downgrade of Japan's sovereign debt by a major credit rating agency.
国内をみれば、国債格下げという世界市場からの「警告」とは裏腹に、財政再建に向けた政治の動きがおぼつかない。
In addition to the murky outlook of the budget for the new fiscal year, a Diet preoccupied with partisan bickering is arousing anxiety among the public.
新年度予算の行方だけでなく、政争本位の国会自体が国民の間に不安をかきたてている。
There is, fortunately, a positive mood in Japan's business community.
日本の経済界の空気は前向きだ。
Signs of forward-looking politics would do a lot to help accelerate the expansionary trend among Japanese businesses.
攻めの動きを加速させるには、政治にも前向きな機運が生まれることが何よりだ。
Political leaders should at least make sensible efforts to avoid becoming a drag on the private sector.
民間の足を引っ張らないという見識と努力を示してほしい。
It has also been confirmed that China's GDP surpassed Japan's last year. The news should be taken by Japan as a signal to finally forget its past success and move ahead.
昨年のGDPで中国が日本を抜いたことも確認された。これも日本が過去にとらわれず、前に進むべきだという警鐘として受け止めたい。
2011年02月12日
元素戦略―資源の制約に知恵で挑む
2011/02/11
--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 10
EDITORIAL: Substituting rare earths
元素戦略―資源の制約に知恵で挑む
The "magical" elements of rare earths, which can make magnets stronger or produce light, are indispensable in high-tech products, such as motors for hybrid cars and electronic parts, for which Japan is famous.
少し加えるだけで磁石の力を強めたり、光を出したり、レアアース(希土類)はまるで魔法のような元素だ。
その魔法は、ハイブリッドカーのモーターやさまざまな電子部品など、日本が得意とするハイテク製品に欠かせない。
Unfortunately, the amount is limited. And major producer China has started to restrict exports, leading to a sharp rise in prices. This is a serious problem for Japan, which is poor in natural resources.
だが困ったことに量が限られ、また主要な産出国である中国が輸出を制限し始め、価格が急騰している。天然資源が乏しい日本にとって、深刻な問題だ。
What if such "magic" can be realized with iron, the most common element on Earth? This may not be a far-fetched dream.
もし、地球上で最もありふれた元素である鉄で、その魔法を実現できたらどうだろう。
それこそ夢のような話だが、決して夢ではないかもしれない。
Under an "element strategy," Japanese scientists are thoroughly studying chemical elements to draw new functions and replace rare elements with more common ones. With the support of government offices, including the ministry of science and technology and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, researchers will host a symposium on their strategy in March.
科学者たちが「元素戦略」と銘打って、元素をとことん研究することで、新たな機能を引き出したり、希少な元素の代替をしたりする研究を進めようとしている。文部科学省、経済産業省なども後押しし、3月にはシンポジウムが開かれる。
We want them to advance their research. Of course, it will not be easy, but there must be other researchers eager to take on this difficult challenge.
大いに進めてほしい。決してやさしくはないが、困難だからこそ挑戦したいという研究者もいるはずだ。
Restrictions on resources are not limited to rare elements.
資源の制約は希少元素に限らない。
For example, resources are limited for phosphoric acid and calcium, two of the three elements essential to plants. The other essential element, nitrogen in the air, can be turned into fertilizer in factories.
The limits are particularly true for phosphoric acid because China is starting to impose restrictions on exports of phosphate rocks from which it is produced.
たとえば、植物に必須の3元素である窒素、リン酸、カリウムのうち、空気中の窒素を使って工場で肥料にできる窒素を除けば、資源はやはり限られている。とりわけリン酸については、中国が原料となるリン鉱石の輸出を制限し始めている。
Resources are also limited for rare metals, such as indium, which is indispensable for liquid crystal displays, and it is also difficult to find substitutes of more common elements, such as copper. The situation has led to increasing thefts.
液晶パネルに欠かせないインジウムなどのレアメタル(希少金属)も、むろん資源は限られている。銅などのもっとありふれた元素も代替が難しく、盗難が相次ぐ事態になっている。
Technology concerning such materials is a specialty of Japan and Japanese industries. For example, Masato Sagawa of what was then Sumitomo Special Metals Co. was the first to develop a powerful magnet using neodymium, a rare metal, during the 1980s.
こうした材料をめぐる技術は、産業界も含めて日本のお家芸だ。たとえばハイブリッドカーにも欠かせない、レアアースであるネオジムを使った強力な磁石は1980年代、住友特殊金属(当時)の佐川真人さんが世界に先駆けて開発した。
Professor Hideo Hosono of the Tokyo Institute of Technology is attracting international attention for developing a superconductive substance using iron.
細野秀雄・東工大教授は、鉄を使って超伝導物質を開発し、世界的に注目されている。
But Japan cannot afford to be complacent. Last year, China surpassed Japan in terms of the number of important research papers in the area of substances and materials.
しかし、安閑とはしていられない。物質・材料分野の重要論文の数では昨年、中国に抜かれてしまった。
The element strategy project was proposed by Eiichi Nakamura, a University of Tokyo professor, in 2004 to take advantage of Japan's strengths.
元素戦略は、日本の強みを生かしてさらに飛躍しようと、中村栄一・東大教授が2004年に提案した。
Technology to make fertilizer from nitrogen in the atmosphere was proposed at the end of the 19th century by a British chemist, who warned that people would starve if they ran out of nitrogen fertilizers.
大気中の窒素を肥料にする技術は19世紀末、「窒素肥料が足りなくなったら餓死者が出る。化学者は空気中の窒素を利用できるようにすべきだ」と英国の化学者が呼びかけた。
"I want young researchers with motivation to take the challenge," Hosono said.
東工大の細野さんは「意欲のある若い研究者にぜひ挑戦してほしい」という。
With global resources becoming increasingly limited, research into the elements will become all the more important for humankind.
地球の資源が有限であることを考えれば、元素をとことん生かす研究は人類にとって重要だ。
We want Japan, which is scarce in natural resources, to bring this flower into full bloom.
資源小国の日本から、この花を大きく咲かせたい。
--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 10
EDITORIAL: Substituting rare earths
元素戦略―資源の制約に知恵で挑む
The "magical" elements of rare earths, which can make magnets stronger or produce light, are indispensable in high-tech products, such as motors for hybrid cars and electronic parts, for which Japan is famous.
少し加えるだけで磁石の力を強めたり、光を出したり、レアアース(希土類)はまるで魔法のような元素だ。
その魔法は、ハイブリッドカーのモーターやさまざまな電子部品など、日本が得意とするハイテク製品に欠かせない。
Unfortunately, the amount is limited. And major producer China has started to restrict exports, leading to a sharp rise in prices. This is a serious problem for Japan, which is poor in natural resources.
だが困ったことに量が限られ、また主要な産出国である中国が輸出を制限し始め、価格が急騰している。天然資源が乏しい日本にとって、深刻な問題だ。
What if such "magic" can be realized with iron, the most common element on Earth? This may not be a far-fetched dream.
もし、地球上で最もありふれた元素である鉄で、その魔法を実現できたらどうだろう。
それこそ夢のような話だが、決して夢ではないかもしれない。
Under an "element strategy," Japanese scientists are thoroughly studying chemical elements to draw new functions and replace rare elements with more common ones. With the support of government offices, including the ministry of science and technology and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, researchers will host a symposium on their strategy in March.
科学者たちが「元素戦略」と銘打って、元素をとことん研究することで、新たな機能を引き出したり、希少な元素の代替をしたりする研究を進めようとしている。文部科学省、経済産業省なども後押しし、3月にはシンポジウムが開かれる。
We want them to advance their research. Of course, it will not be easy, but there must be other researchers eager to take on this difficult challenge.
大いに進めてほしい。決してやさしくはないが、困難だからこそ挑戦したいという研究者もいるはずだ。
Restrictions on resources are not limited to rare elements.
資源の制約は希少元素に限らない。
For example, resources are limited for phosphoric acid and calcium, two of the three elements essential to plants. The other essential element, nitrogen in the air, can be turned into fertilizer in factories.
The limits are particularly true for phosphoric acid because China is starting to impose restrictions on exports of phosphate rocks from which it is produced.
たとえば、植物に必須の3元素である窒素、リン酸、カリウムのうち、空気中の窒素を使って工場で肥料にできる窒素を除けば、資源はやはり限られている。とりわけリン酸については、中国が原料となるリン鉱石の輸出を制限し始めている。
Resources are also limited for rare metals, such as indium, which is indispensable for liquid crystal displays, and it is also difficult to find substitutes of more common elements, such as copper. The situation has led to increasing thefts.
液晶パネルに欠かせないインジウムなどのレアメタル(希少金属)も、むろん資源は限られている。銅などのもっとありふれた元素も代替が難しく、盗難が相次ぐ事態になっている。
Technology concerning such materials is a specialty of Japan and Japanese industries. For example, Masato Sagawa of what was then Sumitomo Special Metals Co. was the first to develop a powerful magnet using neodymium, a rare metal, during the 1980s.
こうした材料をめぐる技術は、産業界も含めて日本のお家芸だ。たとえばハイブリッドカーにも欠かせない、レアアースであるネオジムを使った強力な磁石は1980年代、住友特殊金属(当時)の佐川真人さんが世界に先駆けて開発した。
Professor Hideo Hosono of the Tokyo Institute of Technology is attracting international attention for developing a superconductive substance using iron.
細野秀雄・東工大教授は、鉄を使って超伝導物質を開発し、世界的に注目されている。
But Japan cannot afford to be complacent. Last year, China surpassed Japan in terms of the number of important research papers in the area of substances and materials.
しかし、安閑とはしていられない。物質・材料分野の重要論文の数では昨年、中国に抜かれてしまった。
The element strategy project was proposed by Eiichi Nakamura, a University of Tokyo professor, in 2004 to take advantage of Japan's strengths.
元素戦略は、日本の強みを生かしてさらに飛躍しようと、中村栄一・東大教授が2004年に提案した。
Technology to make fertilizer from nitrogen in the atmosphere was proposed at the end of the 19th century by a British chemist, who warned that people would starve if they ran out of nitrogen fertilizers.
大気中の窒素を肥料にする技術は19世紀末、「窒素肥料が足りなくなったら餓死者が出る。化学者は空気中の窒素を利用できるようにすべきだ」と英国の化学者が呼びかけた。
"I want young researchers with motivation to take the challenge," Hosono said.
東工大の細野さんは「意欲のある若い研究者にぜひ挑戦してほしい」という。
With global resources becoming increasingly limited, research into the elements will become all the more important for humankind.
地球の資源が有限であることを考えれば、元素をとことん生かす研究は人類にとって重要だ。
We want Japan, which is scarce in natural resources, to bring this flower into full bloom.
資源小国の日本から、この花を大きく咲かせたい。
2011年02月09日
Myanmar's parliament
朝日新聞はビルマの民主化推進を支援するためにこの記事を掲載しました。
読売新聞はどうしたのでしょかね^^。これぞ価値観の違い。
取り上げる記事は新聞社各社が自由に決定する、これも民主主義には違いない。
価値観や意見の分裂を許すからこそ民主主義!
普通は毎日新聞が一番先に飛びつくような記事ですが今回、毎日さんおとなしいですね。
(スラチャイ記)
2011/02/09
--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 8
EDITORIAL: Myanmar's parliament
ミャンマー―新政権は民主化へ行動を
The newly inaugurated parliament of Myanmar (Burma) convened last week in the gleaming new capital city of Naypyidaw. The event marked the official opening of the massive parliament building, but the media were not allowed near it. It was only from state-run news programs at night that the public learned about the decisions of the parliament, the first elected legislature in 20 years.
新首都に建設された壮大な議事堂。そこで開かれる初めての国会。華やかなこけら落としのはずなのにメディアは建物にさえ近づけない。夜の国営ニュースが決定事項を伝えるだけだ。
So much for Myanmar's "new start" last week. There was nothing to indicate that the nation had moved any closer to democracy.
国の変化や「民主化」への期待感など、まったく伝わらない門出である。
The military regime's former prime minister, Thein Sein, was named president by the new parliament, which was elected last November.
ミャンマー(ビルマ)で国会が開かれ、軍事政権の首相だったテイン・セイン氏が大統領に選ばれた。
A new Cabinet will be formed soon, which the military regime claims will spell a "transition to democratic rule."
昨年11月、20年ぶりに実施された総選挙を受けた国家元首の誕生だ。新内閣がまもなく発足し、これをもって「民政に移管する」と軍政はいう。
An elected administration sounds a lot better than a regime without a Constitution or parliament. But in reality, one-quarter of the seats of the new parliament are reserved for military officers. Even among the elected members, former military officers make up an overwhelming majority.
憲法もない、議会もない統治から、選挙を経て新政権が誕生する。聞こえはいいが、議会の4分の1は軍人枠だ。選挙を経た議員の圧倒的多数も軍服を脱いだ元軍人である。
The support of more than three-quarters of the parliament is needed to amend the current Constitution, which was instituted by the military junta three years ago. It seems that the new administration is designed to legalize and perpetuate oppressive rule.
3年前に軍主導で制定された憲法を改正するには国会の4分の3を超える賛成が必要なので、実際には合法を装った圧政の永続ともいえる。
Senior General Than Shwe, chairman of the State Peace and Development Council, was not named president. Some Myanmar watchers say this at least shows some progress.
軍政トップのタン・シュエ国家平和発展評議会議長が大統領に就任しなかったことで、最低限の前進はあったという見方もある。
However, Thein Sein is Mynamar's fourth highest ranked military official. As Than Shwe's loyal lieutenant, he was the face of the junta.
しかし、軍序列4位のテイン・セイン氏は議長の忠実な部下として、対外的な役割を担った人物だ。
In Myanmar, the commander of the armed forces holds greater power than the president. The commander appoints the ministers of defense, internal affairs and others, and is vested with wide-ranging powers by the president in times of emergency.
この国では、大統領以上の権力を握るポストがある。国軍司令官だ。国防相、内相らを任命するほか、非常時には大統領から全権を譲り受ける。
Than Shwe currently serves as commander of Myanmar's armed forces. Although the new administration's National Security Council is to appoint a new commander, nothing will change if Than Shwe is reappointed.
タン・シュエ議長は現在、国軍司令官を兼務する。新政権の治安評議会が新司令官を選ぶが、議長が再びそこに座れば、状況は何も変わらない。
If the new administration is aiming at democratic rule, it must show its sincerity at home as well as abroad. The real test lies in who will be appointed to key government posts. If Than Shwe remains in his post or is allowed to keep pulling the strings, Myanmar will find it hard to convince anybody that it is moving toward democratic rule.
新政権が「民政」をうたうなら、その意思を内外に示さねばならない。試金石は人事の刷新だ。タン・シュエ氏が司令官にとどまったり、闇将軍として権勢をふるったりすれば、民政移管とはとても認められない。
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has demanded that the United States and European countries lift their economic sanctions against Myanmar, on the grounds that Myanmar has held national elections and released democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest.
東南アジア諸国連合(ASEAN)は、総選挙の実施と民主化指導者アウン・サン・スー・チーさんの自宅軟禁解除を理由に、欧米諸国が同国に科す経済制裁の解除を求めた。
The Japanese government, too, acknowledges "some credit" is due to Myanmar for Suu Kyi's release and for the general elections, according to Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara.
日本政府も、総選挙とスー・チーさんの解放については「一定の評価をしている」(前原誠司外相)という。
But it is still too soon for Japan to demand the lifting of the sanctions or to resume full-scale aid to Myanmar. Japan must await specific actions by the new administration.
しかしまだ、日本が経済制裁解除を求める、あるいは本格的な援助を再開するといった時期ではない。新政府の具体的な行動を待つ必要がある。
Suu Kyi won her election 21 years ago by a landslide, and she is still an extremely popular figure in her country. Unless the new administration swiftly initiates dialogue with her in earnest, there can be no national reconciliation.
スー・チーさんとの対話を速やかに、かつ本格的に始めるかどうか。21年前の選挙で圧勝し、いまでも国民の間に高い人気のある彼女を抜きにして国民和解はあり得ない。
The new regime must also immediately free political prisoners. There are estimated to be around 2,000 people held for political reasons.
さらに約2千人とされる政治犯の釈放もまったなしだ。
The Japanese government must patiently work with neighboring nations to pressure the new administration to take those steps.
日本政府は新政権がこうした取り組みを進めるよう、周辺諸国とともに粘り強く働きかけなければならない。
読売新聞はどうしたのでしょかね^^。これぞ価値観の違い。
取り上げる記事は新聞社各社が自由に決定する、これも民主主義には違いない。
価値観や意見の分裂を許すからこそ民主主義!
普通は毎日新聞が一番先に飛びつくような記事ですが今回、毎日さんおとなしいですね。
(スラチャイ記)
2011/02/09
--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 8
EDITORIAL: Myanmar's parliament
ミャンマー―新政権は民主化へ行動を
The newly inaugurated parliament of Myanmar (Burma) convened last week in the gleaming new capital city of Naypyidaw. The event marked the official opening of the massive parliament building, but the media were not allowed near it. It was only from state-run news programs at night that the public learned about the decisions of the parliament, the first elected legislature in 20 years.
新首都に建設された壮大な議事堂。そこで開かれる初めての国会。華やかなこけら落としのはずなのにメディアは建物にさえ近づけない。夜の国営ニュースが決定事項を伝えるだけだ。
So much for Myanmar's "new start" last week. There was nothing to indicate that the nation had moved any closer to democracy.
国の変化や「民主化」への期待感など、まったく伝わらない門出である。
The military regime's former prime minister, Thein Sein, was named president by the new parliament, which was elected last November.
ミャンマー(ビルマ)で国会が開かれ、軍事政権の首相だったテイン・セイン氏が大統領に選ばれた。
A new Cabinet will be formed soon, which the military regime claims will spell a "transition to democratic rule."
昨年11月、20年ぶりに実施された総選挙を受けた国家元首の誕生だ。新内閣がまもなく発足し、これをもって「民政に移管する」と軍政はいう。
An elected administration sounds a lot better than a regime without a Constitution or parliament. But in reality, one-quarter of the seats of the new parliament are reserved for military officers. Even among the elected members, former military officers make up an overwhelming majority.
憲法もない、議会もない統治から、選挙を経て新政権が誕生する。聞こえはいいが、議会の4分の1は軍人枠だ。選挙を経た議員の圧倒的多数も軍服を脱いだ元軍人である。
The support of more than three-quarters of the parliament is needed to amend the current Constitution, which was instituted by the military junta three years ago. It seems that the new administration is designed to legalize and perpetuate oppressive rule.
3年前に軍主導で制定された憲法を改正するには国会の4分の3を超える賛成が必要なので、実際には合法を装った圧政の永続ともいえる。
Senior General Than Shwe, chairman of the State Peace and Development Council, was not named president. Some Myanmar watchers say this at least shows some progress.
軍政トップのタン・シュエ国家平和発展評議会議長が大統領に就任しなかったことで、最低限の前進はあったという見方もある。
However, Thein Sein is Mynamar's fourth highest ranked military official. As Than Shwe's loyal lieutenant, he was the face of the junta.
しかし、軍序列4位のテイン・セイン氏は議長の忠実な部下として、対外的な役割を担った人物だ。
In Myanmar, the commander of the armed forces holds greater power than the president. The commander appoints the ministers of defense, internal affairs and others, and is vested with wide-ranging powers by the president in times of emergency.
この国では、大統領以上の権力を握るポストがある。国軍司令官だ。国防相、内相らを任命するほか、非常時には大統領から全権を譲り受ける。
Than Shwe currently serves as commander of Myanmar's armed forces. Although the new administration's National Security Council is to appoint a new commander, nothing will change if Than Shwe is reappointed.
タン・シュエ議長は現在、国軍司令官を兼務する。新政権の治安評議会が新司令官を選ぶが、議長が再びそこに座れば、状況は何も変わらない。
If the new administration is aiming at democratic rule, it must show its sincerity at home as well as abroad. The real test lies in who will be appointed to key government posts. If Than Shwe remains in his post or is allowed to keep pulling the strings, Myanmar will find it hard to convince anybody that it is moving toward democratic rule.
新政権が「民政」をうたうなら、その意思を内外に示さねばならない。試金石は人事の刷新だ。タン・シュエ氏が司令官にとどまったり、闇将軍として権勢をふるったりすれば、民政移管とはとても認められない。
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has demanded that the United States and European countries lift their economic sanctions against Myanmar, on the grounds that Myanmar has held national elections and released democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest.
東南アジア諸国連合(ASEAN)は、総選挙の実施と民主化指導者アウン・サン・スー・チーさんの自宅軟禁解除を理由に、欧米諸国が同国に科す経済制裁の解除を求めた。
The Japanese government, too, acknowledges "some credit" is due to Myanmar for Suu Kyi's release and for the general elections, according to Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara.
日本政府も、総選挙とスー・チーさんの解放については「一定の評価をしている」(前原誠司外相)という。
But it is still too soon for Japan to demand the lifting of the sanctions or to resume full-scale aid to Myanmar. Japan must await specific actions by the new administration.
しかしまだ、日本が経済制裁解除を求める、あるいは本格的な援助を再開するといった時期ではない。新政府の具体的な行動を待つ必要がある。
Suu Kyi won her election 21 years ago by a landslide, and she is still an extremely popular figure in her country. Unless the new administration swiftly initiates dialogue with her in earnest, there can be no national reconciliation.
スー・チーさんとの対話を速やかに、かつ本格的に始めるかどうか。21年前の選挙で圧勝し、いまでも国民の間に高い人気のある彼女を抜きにして国民和解はあり得ない。
The new regime must also immediately free political prisoners. There are estimated to be around 2,000 people held for political reasons.
さらに約2千人とされる政治犯の釈放もまったなしだ。
The Japanese government must patiently work with neighboring nations to pressure the new administration to take those steps.
日本政府は新政権がこうした取り組みを進めるよう、周辺諸国とともに粘り強く働きかけなければならない。
2011年02月05日
鉄鋼大合併―世界仕様の再編の始まり鉄鋼大合併―世界仕様の再編の始まり
2011/02/05
--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 4
鉄鋼大合併―世界仕様の再編の始まり
EDITORIAL: Steel megamerger
A huge merger between two leading Japanese steel makers, which constitute an important part of the nation's industrial base, was announced Thursday. Nippon Steel Corp., the largest Japanese steel manufacturer in terms of crude steel production, and Sumitomo Metal Industries Ltd., the No. 3 player, said they are planning to merge in autumn next year.
日本の産業の土台ともいえる鉄鋼メーカーの大合併が浮上した。粗鋼生産量で国内トップの新日本製鉄と3位の住友金属工業が来年秋を目標に合併を検討する、と発表した。
If the two companies bring together their competitive technologies and improve the efficiency of production, they will be able to supply steel products of higher quality to manufacturing industries at lower prices. The deal could bolster efforts to revitalize the floundering Japanese economy.
それぞれの強みがある技術を持ち寄り、生産を効率化すれば、より高品質な鉄を、より安く加工産業に供給することが可能となる。日本経済の再生を支援する効果も期待できよう。
This is not a defensive merger by two companies trying to protect themselves from takeovers or integrating themselves because of poor earnings performances. This is a strategic move for "aggressive investment in the global market," according to Nippon Steel President Shoji Muneoka.
これは買収からの企業防衛や、経営不振で肩を寄せ合うような守りの統合策ではない。「グローバル市場に積極的に投資する」(宗岡正二・新日鉄社長)という攻めの発想だ。
The new steel giant will have a greater ability to meet swelling demand in fast-growing emerging countries through local production and make the large investment needed to develop technologies to fight global warming and enhance competitiveness.
高い成長が続く新興国での現地生産で需要に対応できるうえ、地球温暖化対策や競争力強化のための新技術開発に向けた巨額投資もしやすくなる。
The Anti-Monopoly Law will be the largest obstacle to the proposed megamerger. The outlook of the deal will become murky if the Fair Trade Commission decides to focus on the combined share of the two companies in the domestic market in its antitrust scrutiny of the plan.
実現への最大のハードルとなるのが独占禁止法である。公正取引委員会が、国内市場の占有率に重きを置いて審査するなら判断は微妙になろう。
Some industry observers say the two steel makers, which formed a capital tie-up eight years ago, have been deterred from moving toward their merger by concerns about whether the deal will receive the green light from the antitrust watchdog.
8年前に資本提携した両社が統合へ進むのをためらってきたのは、その点にあるとの見方も産業界にある。
When Nippon Steel was created through a merger of two steel manufacturers 41 years ago, some of the facilities had to be sold to other companies after the FTC warned that the combination could limit competition in the sector. But the current business environment for steel makers is totally different from the situation four decades ago.
41年前の新日鉄誕生では公取委から競争制限の恐れがあると勧告され、結局、他社に設備を譲って合併を実現した。だが今は当時と環境が全く違う。
The combined steel production of Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal would still be only half of the output of ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steel maker. In terms of size, the combination would not overwhelm South Korea's Pohang Iron and Steel Co. (POSCO), the Japanese companies' main foreign rival in terms of product quality.
今回の合併が実現しても生産量は首位のアルセロール・ミッタルのほぼ半分。品質でしのぎを削る韓国のポスコを圧倒する規模にもならない。
More to the point, Japan had just become the second-largest economy in the free world after years of rapid economic growth when Nippon Steel was born. In contrast, the Japanese economy has achieved little nominal growth in the past two decades, and China has overtaken Japan as the world's second-largest economy.
なによりも、新日鉄が誕生したころの国内市場は高度成長の末に経済規模で自由世界第2位となったばかりだった。ところが、今の日本はこの20年間で名目成長率はほぼゼロ。中国に世界第2位の経済大国の座も譲った。
The administration of Prime Minister Naoto Kan is stepping up efforts to conclude free trade agreements. The administration's new push to "open up the nation" has been driven by the drastic change of Japan's status in the world economy.
菅政権が「国を開く」と自由貿易協定の拡大に本腰を入れる背景にも、世界経済の中の日本の位置づけが様変わりしたという事情がある。
The number of Japanese companies that consider mergers as a key part of their global strategies will increase in the coming years as competitiveness in the global market has become a major factor for their long-term viability.
グローバルな市場での競争が生き残りを左右する大きな要因となった以上、世界戦略として統合を考える企業は今後増えていくはずだ。
In addition to the emergence of behemoths in the world steel market, soaring raw materials prices are another factor that has driven Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal into the deal. The international markets for such raw materials as coal and iron ore are now dominated by a small number of resources giants. That means steel makers need to be large if they want to have enough leverage in negotiations over prices with the suppliers of raw materials.
ライバル企業の巨大化だけでなく、資源価格の高騰も、新日鉄と住友金属の合併へと背中を押した要因である。石炭や鉄鉱石など海外の資源会社の寡占化も進んでおり、価格交渉力を確保できる規模の大きさも必要となっているという現実がある。
Given these radical changes in the business environment, the FTC should approve the merger between the two firms. The watchdog needs to develop new criteria for its antitrust investigations for the new era and make them clear to other global companies that may be considering similar consolidation moves.
こうした環境の激変を考えれば、公取委は両社の合併を認めるべきだろう。新時代に対応した新たな審査指針をつくり、同様の統合を模索するグローバル企業に対しても、それを明確に示してほしい。
It is also the FTC's important job to ensure that the creation of a new steelmaking titan will not bring disadvantages to the many small and medium-sized manufacturers dependent on the domestic market.
もちろん、巨大な鉄鋼メーカーの誕生が、国内市場で生きている多くの中堅・中小メーカーの不利益とならないよう目を光らせ続けるのも、公取委の大事な仕事である。
--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 4
鉄鋼大合併―世界仕様の再編の始まり
EDITORIAL: Steel megamerger
A huge merger between two leading Japanese steel makers, which constitute an important part of the nation's industrial base, was announced Thursday. Nippon Steel Corp., the largest Japanese steel manufacturer in terms of crude steel production, and Sumitomo Metal Industries Ltd., the No. 3 player, said they are planning to merge in autumn next year.
日本の産業の土台ともいえる鉄鋼メーカーの大合併が浮上した。粗鋼生産量で国内トップの新日本製鉄と3位の住友金属工業が来年秋を目標に合併を検討する、と発表した。
If the two companies bring together their competitive technologies and improve the efficiency of production, they will be able to supply steel products of higher quality to manufacturing industries at lower prices. The deal could bolster efforts to revitalize the floundering Japanese economy.
それぞれの強みがある技術を持ち寄り、生産を効率化すれば、より高品質な鉄を、より安く加工産業に供給することが可能となる。日本経済の再生を支援する効果も期待できよう。
This is not a defensive merger by two companies trying to protect themselves from takeovers or integrating themselves because of poor earnings performances. This is a strategic move for "aggressive investment in the global market," according to Nippon Steel President Shoji Muneoka.
これは買収からの企業防衛や、経営不振で肩を寄せ合うような守りの統合策ではない。「グローバル市場に積極的に投資する」(宗岡正二・新日鉄社長)という攻めの発想だ。
The new steel giant will have a greater ability to meet swelling demand in fast-growing emerging countries through local production and make the large investment needed to develop technologies to fight global warming and enhance competitiveness.
高い成長が続く新興国での現地生産で需要に対応できるうえ、地球温暖化対策や競争力強化のための新技術開発に向けた巨額投資もしやすくなる。
The Anti-Monopoly Law will be the largest obstacle to the proposed megamerger. The outlook of the deal will become murky if the Fair Trade Commission decides to focus on the combined share of the two companies in the domestic market in its antitrust scrutiny of the plan.
実現への最大のハードルとなるのが独占禁止法である。公正取引委員会が、国内市場の占有率に重きを置いて審査するなら判断は微妙になろう。
Some industry observers say the two steel makers, which formed a capital tie-up eight years ago, have been deterred from moving toward their merger by concerns about whether the deal will receive the green light from the antitrust watchdog.
8年前に資本提携した両社が統合へ進むのをためらってきたのは、その点にあるとの見方も産業界にある。
When Nippon Steel was created through a merger of two steel manufacturers 41 years ago, some of the facilities had to be sold to other companies after the FTC warned that the combination could limit competition in the sector. But the current business environment for steel makers is totally different from the situation four decades ago.
41年前の新日鉄誕生では公取委から競争制限の恐れがあると勧告され、結局、他社に設備を譲って合併を実現した。だが今は当時と環境が全く違う。
The combined steel production of Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal would still be only half of the output of ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steel maker. In terms of size, the combination would not overwhelm South Korea's Pohang Iron and Steel Co. (POSCO), the Japanese companies' main foreign rival in terms of product quality.
今回の合併が実現しても生産量は首位のアルセロール・ミッタルのほぼ半分。品質でしのぎを削る韓国のポスコを圧倒する規模にもならない。
More to the point, Japan had just become the second-largest economy in the free world after years of rapid economic growth when Nippon Steel was born. In contrast, the Japanese economy has achieved little nominal growth in the past two decades, and China has overtaken Japan as the world's second-largest economy.
なによりも、新日鉄が誕生したころの国内市場は高度成長の末に経済規模で自由世界第2位となったばかりだった。ところが、今の日本はこの20年間で名目成長率はほぼゼロ。中国に世界第2位の経済大国の座も譲った。
The administration of Prime Minister Naoto Kan is stepping up efforts to conclude free trade agreements. The administration's new push to "open up the nation" has been driven by the drastic change of Japan's status in the world economy.
菅政権が「国を開く」と自由貿易協定の拡大に本腰を入れる背景にも、世界経済の中の日本の位置づけが様変わりしたという事情がある。
The number of Japanese companies that consider mergers as a key part of their global strategies will increase in the coming years as competitiveness in the global market has become a major factor for their long-term viability.
グローバルな市場での競争が生き残りを左右する大きな要因となった以上、世界戦略として統合を考える企業は今後増えていくはずだ。
In addition to the emergence of behemoths in the world steel market, soaring raw materials prices are another factor that has driven Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal into the deal. The international markets for such raw materials as coal and iron ore are now dominated by a small number of resources giants. That means steel makers need to be large if they want to have enough leverage in negotiations over prices with the suppliers of raw materials.
ライバル企業の巨大化だけでなく、資源価格の高騰も、新日鉄と住友金属の合併へと背中を押した要因である。石炭や鉄鉱石など海外の資源会社の寡占化も進んでおり、価格交渉力を確保できる規模の大きさも必要となっているという現実がある。
Given these radical changes in the business environment, the FTC should approve the merger between the two firms. The watchdog needs to develop new criteria for its antitrust investigations for the new era and make them clear to other global companies that may be considering similar consolidation moves.
こうした環境の激変を考えれば、公取委は両社の合併を認めるべきだろう。新時代に対応した新たな審査指針をつくり、同様の統合を模索するグローバル企業に対しても、それを明確に示してほしい。
It is also the FTC's important job to ensure that the creation of a new steelmaking titan will not bring disadvantages to the many small and medium-sized manufacturers dependent on the domestic market.
もちろん、巨大な鉄鋼メーカーの誕生が、国内市場で生きている多くの中堅・中小メーカーの不利益とならないよう目を光らせ続けるのも、公取委の大事な仕事である。
2011年02月03日
エジプト危機―ムバラク氏は即時辞任を
2011/02/02
--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 1
EDITORIAL: Deepening Egypt crisis
エジプト危機―ムバラク氏は即時辞任を
Only a week ago, foreign tourists were flocking to Egypt where the winter tourist season has begun. Now, foreigners are scrambling to airports to get out of the country.
つい1週間前まで、エジプトは冬の観光シーズンを迎えて外国人観光客でにぎわっていた。今は国外への避難を求める外国人が空港に殺到している。
Nobody could have predicted how rapidly the situation would deteriorate in Egypt after popular anger exploded last week against the nation's autocratic regime of 30 years.
30年続いた非民主的な強権支配に、民衆の怒りが一気に噴き出した。事態が数日の間にこれほど切迫すると誰が予測しただろう。
With the populace demanding democracy while President Hosni Mubarak refuses to step down, the crisis in Egypt is deepening.
民主化を要求する民衆と、居座るムバラク大統領との間で、エジプト危機はますます深まっている。
Clashes between street demonstrators and security forces escalated over the weekend. According to some reports, 100 people were killed by police fire.
デモ隊と治安部隊の衝突は先週末に激化し、警察の銃撃などで100人の死者が出ているとの報道がある。
The government has since imposed a curfew and mobilized the military. The latter, rather than the police and security forces, is now responsible for restoring order.
政府は夜間外出禁止令を出して軍を出動させた。警察や治安部隊は治安維持の任務を解かれた。
After the police vanished from the streets, looting occurred in some areas. But local residents immediately organized their own militias to protect their neighborhoods.
警察が姿を消した後、一部では略奪が起こったが、即座に地域の住民たちが自主的に自警団を組織して町を守る動きが広がっている。
However, if the police remain out of the picture over a protracted period, civic life is bound to collapse before long.
ただし、警察不在の状態が長引けば国民生活は早晩、危機に直面する。
Schools, banks and government offices remain closed. Some cities are already beginning to be hit by food and gasoline shortages.
学校も、銀行も、政府機関も、閉まったままだ。都市部では食料やガソリンなどの不足が出始めている。
To stop demonstrators from communicating with one another, the government cut off the Internet and temporarily disabled mobile phone services. But the people could not be stopped.
政府はデモに参加する人々の連絡を絶つため、インターネットを停止し、一時は携帯電話も止めた。しかし民衆を止めることはできなかった。
The people have proved their power by protecting the safety of their own communities. This suggests that human ties are strong in Egyptian society. And the fact that the people are not fighting among themselves is proof that democratization has the support of a broad segment of the population.
民衆パワーは、自分たちで地域の安全を守ることでも発揮されている。エジプトでの社会のつながりを感じさせるとともに、民衆の間での対立とならないのは、民主化が幅広い国民の支持を得ている証しでもある。
Mubarak bears the responsibility for inviting this national crisis by having lost popular support to this extent. He should resign immediately, not wait until his presidency expires this autumn.
ここまで国民の支持を失ったムバラク大統領には、国を危機に陥れた責任がある。今秋の任期満了を待つことなく、直ちに辞任すべきだ。
For Egypt to make a fresh start, it is vital that the task be entrusted to a provisional government in which all political parties are represented, and that a presidential election and a parliamentary election be called as soon as possible.
国の再出発は全政治勢力が参加する暫定政府に委ね、できるだけ早期に大統領選挙と議会選挙をして、民意を問うべきである。
Even the United States, the staunchest supporter of the Mubarak administration, is in favor of Egypt's "transition" to a democratic regime. The Japanese government should also make its wishes quite clear.
ムバラク政権の一番の支援者だった米国も、エジプトでの民主的な政権への「移行」を支持した。日本政府も明確な意思を伝えるべきだ。
To avert any further bloodshed and chaos, the international community must appeal to the Mubarak regime firmly and without delay.
情勢の激化の速さは予想を超えている。これ以上の流血と混乱を避けるため、国際社会はムバラク政権に強く、迅速に働きかけてほしい。
So long as the Egyptian government refrains from suppressing pro-democracy demonstrators, the latter remain peaceable. We hope there will be no clashes in the days ahead with the military, which is now policing the streets.
民主化を求めるデモ隊は政府が抑えつけようとしないかぎり、平和的に訴えている。心配なのは、警察に代わって配置されている軍との衝突だ。
The military has so far denied any use of arms against demonstrators. They must maintain this noninterference policy even if the situation becomes more urgent.
軍はデモ隊への武力行使を否定しているが、今後、情勢がさらに緊迫しても不介入の方針を貫くべきだ。
Mubarak is a former military officer, and so is Omar Suleiman, whom he named vice president last week. The democratization of Egypt spells not only Mubarak's resignation, but also an end to military rule.
ムバラク大統領も、今回指名された副大統領も軍出身である。民主化は、ムバラク退陣だけでなく、軍主導体制の終わりを意味する。
The international community needs to apply pressure on both the Mubarak regime and the military. The last thing we need is the military pointing guns at the people.
ムバラク政権と軍の双方に、国際的な圧力が必要だ。軍が民衆に銃を向ける事態だけは避けねばならない。
--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 1
EDITORIAL: Deepening Egypt crisis
エジプト危機―ムバラク氏は即時辞任を
Only a week ago, foreign tourists were flocking to Egypt where the winter tourist season has begun. Now, foreigners are scrambling to airports to get out of the country.
つい1週間前まで、エジプトは冬の観光シーズンを迎えて外国人観光客でにぎわっていた。今は国外への避難を求める外国人が空港に殺到している。
Nobody could have predicted how rapidly the situation would deteriorate in Egypt after popular anger exploded last week against the nation's autocratic regime of 30 years.
30年続いた非民主的な強権支配に、民衆の怒りが一気に噴き出した。事態が数日の間にこれほど切迫すると誰が予測しただろう。
With the populace demanding democracy while President Hosni Mubarak refuses to step down, the crisis in Egypt is deepening.
民主化を要求する民衆と、居座るムバラク大統領との間で、エジプト危機はますます深まっている。
Clashes between street demonstrators and security forces escalated over the weekend. According to some reports, 100 people were killed by police fire.
デモ隊と治安部隊の衝突は先週末に激化し、警察の銃撃などで100人の死者が出ているとの報道がある。
The government has since imposed a curfew and mobilized the military. The latter, rather than the police and security forces, is now responsible for restoring order.
政府は夜間外出禁止令を出して軍を出動させた。警察や治安部隊は治安維持の任務を解かれた。
After the police vanished from the streets, looting occurred in some areas. But local residents immediately organized their own militias to protect their neighborhoods.
警察が姿を消した後、一部では略奪が起こったが、即座に地域の住民たちが自主的に自警団を組織して町を守る動きが広がっている。
However, if the police remain out of the picture over a protracted period, civic life is bound to collapse before long.
ただし、警察不在の状態が長引けば国民生活は早晩、危機に直面する。
Schools, banks and government offices remain closed. Some cities are already beginning to be hit by food and gasoline shortages.
学校も、銀行も、政府機関も、閉まったままだ。都市部では食料やガソリンなどの不足が出始めている。
To stop demonstrators from communicating with one another, the government cut off the Internet and temporarily disabled mobile phone services. But the people could not be stopped.
政府はデモに参加する人々の連絡を絶つため、インターネットを停止し、一時は携帯電話も止めた。しかし民衆を止めることはできなかった。
The people have proved their power by protecting the safety of their own communities. This suggests that human ties are strong in Egyptian society. And the fact that the people are not fighting among themselves is proof that democratization has the support of a broad segment of the population.
民衆パワーは、自分たちで地域の安全を守ることでも発揮されている。エジプトでの社会のつながりを感じさせるとともに、民衆の間での対立とならないのは、民主化が幅広い国民の支持を得ている証しでもある。
Mubarak bears the responsibility for inviting this national crisis by having lost popular support to this extent. He should resign immediately, not wait until his presidency expires this autumn.
ここまで国民の支持を失ったムバラク大統領には、国を危機に陥れた責任がある。今秋の任期満了を待つことなく、直ちに辞任すべきだ。
For Egypt to make a fresh start, it is vital that the task be entrusted to a provisional government in which all political parties are represented, and that a presidential election and a parliamentary election be called as soon as possible.
国の再出発は全政治勢力が参加する暫定政府に委ね、できるだけ早期に大統領選挙と議会選挙をして、民意を問うべきである。
Even the United States, the staunchest supporter of the Mubarak administration, is in favor of Egypt's "transition" to a democratic regime. The Japanese government should also make its wishes quite clear.
ムバラク政権の一番の支援者だった米国も、エジプトでの民主的な政権への「移行」を支持した。日本政府も明確な意思を伝えるべきだ。
To avert any further bloodshed and chaos, the international community must appeal to the Mubarak regime firmly and without delay.
情勢の激化の速さは予想を超えている。これ以上の流血と混乱を避けるため、国際社会はムバラク政権に強く、迅速に働きかけてほしい。
So long as the Egyptian government refrains from suppressing pro-democracy demonstrators, the latter remain peaceable. We hope there will be no clashes in the days ahead with the military, which is now policing the streets.
民主化を求めるデモ隊は政府が抑えつけようとしないかぎり、平和的に訴えている。心配なのは、警察に代わって配置されている軍との衝突だ。
The military has so far denied any use of arms against demonstrators. They must maintain this noninterference policy even if the situation becomes more urgent.
軍はデモ隊への武力行使を否定しているが、今後、情勢がさらに緊迫しても不介入の方針を貫くべきだ。
Mubarak is a former military officer, and so is Omar Suleiman, whom he named vice president last week. The democratization of Egypt spells not only Mubarak's resignation, but also an end to military rule.
ムバラク大統領も、今回指名された副大統領も軍出身である。民主化は、ムバラク退陣だけでなく、軍主導体制の終わりを意味する。
The international community needs to apply pressure on both the Mubarak regime and the military. The last thing we need is the military pointing guns at the people.
ムバラク政権と軍の双方に、国際的な圧力が必要だ。軍が民衆に銃を向ける事態だけは避けねばならない。
2011年01月31日
エジプトデモ―民主化宣言し流血避けよ
2011/01/29
--The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 28
EDITORIAL: Egyptian turmoil
エジプトデモ―民主化宣言し流血避けよ
Demonstrations to try to force Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to step down are spreading across Egypt. There have already been several casualties in confrontations between demonstrators and the security police.
エジプトでムバラク大統領の退陣を求める市民のデモが広がった。治安部隊との衝突で死傷者も出ている。
In Cairo, a clash occurred near the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities (Egyptian Museum), which holds the world-famous gold mask of King Tutankhamen.
カイロで衝突があったのは、ツタンカーメンの黄金のマスクで有名なエジプト考古学博物館のそばである。
We are surprised at these uprisings in a place known in Japan as a tourist destination.
日本人にも観光地として人気があるエジプトで、このような騒ぎになっていることは驚きである。
But the country has been under the thumb of Mubarak's authoritarian regime for three decades. Mubarak, a former military officer, has had five consecutive terms.
しかし政治的には、軍人出身のムバラク大統領が5期30年に及ぶ長期の強権体制をしいている国である。
Throughout that whole period, the country has been in a state of emergency, which was declared immediately after the assassination of President Anwar El Sadat, Mubarak's predecessor, in 1981. Citizens are not free to hold rallies, freedom of speech is controlled, and people who criticize the administration can be detained without an arrest warrant.
1981年に前任のサダト大統領の暗殺直後に出された非常事態宣言が今も続く。そのため人々の集会は規制され、言論の自由も制限され、政権を批判すれば逮捕状なしで拘束される。
In parliamentary elections last fall, major opposition groups decided to boycott the elections halfway through the campaign because of blatant interference by the police in the electoral process.
As a result, the parliament is almost completely dominated by the ruling party.
昨秋にあった人民議会選挙では、警察の露骨な選挙干渉によって、主要野党勢力が選挙を途中でボイコットし、与党が議席をほぼ独占している。
Egypt also faces an unemployment rate of nearly 10 percent, growing poverty, prices rising at nearly 20 percent a year and a widening gap between the rich and the poor. There is growing discontent at corruption among the leadership centering on the president.
非民主的な体制に加えて、10%近い失業率、年率20%近い物価上昇で貧困や貧富の差が広がる。さらには大統領周辺の腐敗に対する不満も強い。
In Tunisia, demonstrations led to the collapse of an authoritarian regime and sent the president into exile. A similar situation is also developing in Egypt.
市民のデモで大統領が国外に脱出して強権体制が崩れたチュニジアと似たような状況がエジプトにもある。
The people of Egypt are facing an even worse situation than the Tunisians.
エジプトの民衆の窮状はより深刻である。
The per capita national income of Egypt, which has a population of 80 million, is only 60 percent of that of Tunisia, which has 10 million people.
人口8千万を抱えるエジプトの1人あたりの国民所得は、人口1千万のチュニジアの6割しかない。
Mubarak's term expires this fall.
ムバラク大統領は今秋に改選を迎える。
There are rumors that he wants to hand over the presidency to his son.
息子への世襲のうわさもある。
However, there is strong criticism in Egypt of either the prospect of the 82-year-old president, who has had health problems, seeking re-election or of a nepotistic succession.
国民の間では、82歳の高齢で健康不安を抱える大統領の続投にも、世襲にも批判が強い。
The Mubarak regime is at a critical juncture.
このように見ていくと、ムバラク体制を取り巻く状況は、危機的と言わざるをえない。
Egypt has diplomatic ties with Israel and has a friendly relationship with the United States. It also serves as a go-between for Arab nations and a mediator in the Middle East peace process.
エジプトはイスラエルとも国交がある親米国家で、中東和平やアラブ諸国間の仲介役、調整役でもある。
Political turmoil in this regional power could destabilize the whole Middle East.
そんな地域大国の政治的混乱は、中東の不安定化につながりかねない。
To prevent the situation in Egypt from getting out of control, bloodshed must be avoided at all costs. We must not have a situation in which security forces and police are aiming guns at their own people.
エジプトを最悪の事態にしないためには、治安部隊や軍が市民に銃を向けるような流血の悲劇は何があっても避けなければならない。
The only way forward is for Mubarak to announce that he will retire when his current term expires. He must declare a free and democratic election to choose the next president.
そのためには、ムバラク大統領が任期満了で引退を表明し、次の大統領を選ぶ自由で民主的な選挙の実施を宣言するしかないのではないか。
If the government uses force, Islamic terrorists will win the people's hearts.
政府が暴力を使えば、イスラム過激派のテロが人々の心をつかむ。
If it treads a democratic path, it can win over Muslim moderates who support participation in elections.
民主主義による解決を進めれば、選挙参加を支持するイスラム穏健派を政治に取り込むことができる。
We want Mubarak to go down in history as the leader who introduced democracy to Egypt, not as the dictator who suppressed it.
ムバラク大統領には民主化をつぶした独裁者としてではなく、エジプトに民主化をもたらした指導者として歴史に名を残してもらいたい。
Japan is one of the main providers of aid to Egypt.
日本はエジプトに対する主要援助国の一つである。
The Japanese government should work with Western countries to persuade the Mubarak regime to make the right choice for its country and its people.
欧米諸国とも相談しつつ、国と国民の将来のために賢い選択をするよう働きかけたい。
--The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 28
EDITORIAL: Egyptian turmoil
エジプトデモ―民主化宣言し流血避けよ
Demonstrations to try to force Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to step down are spreading across Egypt. There have already been several casualties in confrontations between demonstrators and the security police.
エジプトでムバラク大統領の退陣を求める市民のデモが広がった。治安部隊との衝突で死傷者も出ている。
In Cairo, a clash occurred near the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities (Egyptian Museum), which holds the world-famous gold mask of King Tutankhamen.
カイロで衝突があったのは、ツタンカーメンの黄金のマスクで有名なエジプト考古学博物館のそばである。
We are surprised at these uprisings in a place known in Japan as a tourist destination.
日本人にも観光地として人気があるエジプトで、このような騒ぎになっていることは驚きである。
But the country has been under the thumb of Mubarak's authoritarian regime for three decades. Mubarak, a former military officer, has had five consecutive terms.
しかし政治的には、軍人出身のムバラク大統領が5期30年に及ぶ長期の強権体制をしいている国である。
Throughout that whole period, the country has been in a state of emergency, which was declared immediately after the assassination of President Anwar El Sadat, Mubarak's predecessor, in 1981. Citizens are not free to hold rallies, freedom of speech is controlled, and people who criticize the administration can be detained without an arrest warrant.
1981年に前任のサダト大統領の暗殺直後に出された非常事態宣言が今も続く。そのため人々の集会は規制され、言論の自由も制限され、政権を批判すれば逮捕状なしで拘束される。
In parliamentary elections last fall, major opposition groups decided to boycott the elections halfway through the campaign because of blatant interference by the police in the electoral process.
As a result, the parliament is almost completely dominated by the ruling party.
昨秋にあった人民議会選挙では、警察の露骨な選挙干渉によって、主要野党勢力が選挙を途中でボイコットし、与党が議席をほぼ独占している。
Egypt also faces an unemployment rate of nearly 10 percent, growing poverty, prices rising at nearly 20 percent a year and a widening gap between the rich and the poor. There is growing discontent at corruption among the leadership centering on the president.
非民主的な体制に加えて、10%近い失業率、年率20%近い物価上昇で貧困や貧富の差が広がる。さらには大統領周辺の腐敗に対する不満も強い。
In Tunisia, demonstrations led to the collapse of an authoritarian regime and sent the president into exile. A similar situation is also developing in Egypt.
市民のデモで大統領が国外に脱出して強権体制が崩れたチュニジアと似たような状況がエジプトにもある。
The people of Egypt are facing an even worse situation than the Tunisians.
エジプトの民衆の窮状はより深刻である。
The per capita national income of Egypt, which has a population of 80 million, is only 60 percent of that of Tunisia, which has 10 million people.
人口8千万を抱えるエジプトの1人あたりの国民所得は、人口1千万のチュニジアの6割しかない。
Mubarak's term expires this fall.
ムバラク大統領は今秋に改選を迎える。
There are rumors that he wants to hand over the presidency to his son.
息子への世襲のうわさもある。
However, there is strong criticism in Egypt of either the prospect of the 82-year-old president, who has had health problems, seeking re-election or of a nepotistic succession.
国民の間では、82歳の高齢で健康不安を抱える大統領の続投にも、世襲にも批判が強い。
The Mubarak regime is at a critical juncture.
このように見ていくと、ムバラク体制を取り巻く状況は、危機的と言わざるをえない。
Egypt has diplomatic ties with Israel and has a friendly relationship with the United States. It also serves as a go-between for Arab nations and a mediator in the Middle East peace process.
エジプトはイスラエルとも国交がある親米国家で、中東和平やアラブ諸国間の仲介役、調整役でもある。
Political turmoil in this regional power could destabilize the whole Middle East.
そんな地域大国の政治的混乱は、中東の不安定化につながりかねない。
To prevent the situation in Egypt from getting out of control, bloodshed must be avoided at all costs. We must not have a situation in which security forces and police are aiming guns at their own people.
エジプトを最悪の事態にしないためには、治安部隊や軍が市民に銃を向けるような流血の悲劇は何があっても避けなければならない。
The only way forward is for Mubarak to announce that he will retire when his current term expires. He must declare a free and democratic election to choose the next president.
そのためには、ムバラク大統領が任期満了で引退を表明し、次の大統領を選ぶ自由で民主的な選挙の実施を宣言するしかないのではないか。
If the government uses force, Islamic terrorists will win the people's hearts.
政府が暴力を使えば、イスラム過激派のテロが人々の心をつかむ。
If it treads a democratic path, it can win over Muslim moderates who support participation in elections.
民主主義による解決を進めれば、選挙参加を支持するイスラム穏健派を政治に取り込むことができる。
We want Mubarak to go down in history as the leader who introduced democracy to Egypt, not as the dictator who suppressed it.
ムバラク大統領には民主化をつぶした独裁者としてではなく、エジプトに民主化をもたらした指導者として歴史に名を残してもらいたい。
Japan is one of the main providers of aid to Egypt.
日本はエジプトに対する主要援助国の一つである。
The Japanese government should work with Western countries to persuade the Mubarak regime to make the right choice for its country and its people.
欧米諸国とも相談しつつ、国と国民の将来のために賢い選択をするよう働きかけたい。
2011年01月29日
オバマ演説―寛容と品位を求めた
2011/01/28
--The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 27
EDITORIAL: State of the Union
オバマ演説―寛容と品位を求めた
American coins are inscribed with the motto "E pluribus unum," a Latin phrase meaning "Out of many, one." It derives from the United States' fight for independence from Britain, and the unity of the 13 colonies that founded the nation. Now, however, it has a broader connection to the idea that the United States is made up of people from diverse racial and religious backgrounds.
米国の硬貨には、ラテン語で「エ・プルリブス・ウヌム(多から生まれる一つ)」という標語が刻まれている。13の植民地が結束して独立を達成したことに由来するが、現在ではもっと広く、多様な人種、宗教からなる米国が統合されていることを指す。
U.S. President Barack Obama seemed to be aiming at a regeneration of that spirit of unity in the State of the Union address Tuesday in the U.S. House of Representatives.
25日の米連邦議会で一般教書演説をしたオバマ大統領の念頭には、この国家理念の再生があったのではないか。
The Obama administration, which took power two years ago promising to deliver change, has passed the halfway mark of its current term. In last year's midterm election, his Democratic Party suffered a crushing defeat to the Republican Party, which now holds a majority in the House of Representatives.
「チェンジ」の合言葉とともに2年前に誕生したオバマ政権は、折り返し点を迎えた。昨年の中間選挙で与党の民主党は大敗。下院の主導権を共和党に奪われた。
In the State of the Union address, Obama once again called for nonpartisanship, appealing to all parts of the political spectrum to realize that there is no realistic option other than to work together. In the context of the history of the United States, this represents much more than empty political rhetoric.
内政・外交の基本方針を示す一般教書演説で、大統領は改めて超党派路線を呼びかけた。それは、両党の歩み寄り以外に現実に可能な選択肢がないことを意味しているのだが、歴史に照らすと、単なる政治的便宜主義を超えた意味がある。
Since the 1960s, American society has seen strong reactions among conservatives to the civil rights movement, the anti-war movement, feminism, and other waves of change. Those clashes have embroiled the country in a "culture war." The rift between conservatives and liberals has grown, and Congress, where bipartisan compromise had once been a matter of course, has turned into a battleground of fundamentalisms. The grass-roots conservative Tea Party movement has spread across the nation. Radio talk shows and the Internet are amplifying the hatred.
1960年代以降の米社会は、公民権運動、反戦運動、女性解放をめぐるフェミニズムの動きなどに、保守層が激しく反発し、文化戦争の様相を呈してきた。保守とリベラルに二極化した社会の亀裂は深まるばかりで、党派を超えた歩み寄りが当たり前だった議会は今や、原理主義の戦場となった。各地で草の根保守の茶会旋風が吹き、ラジオのトークショーやインターネットの言論が憎しみを増長させている。
The president, who was born to a white mother and an African father, tried to position himself as "a bridge" linking different ideas and cultures. However, the health-care reform bill on which he staked his administration's fate has been labeled as "socialist." It barely made it onto the statute book, and then only after a significant revisions. There are no signs of the rift in U.S. politics narrowing. Discord peaked with the shooting of a Democrat congresswoman in Tucson, Arizona, earlier this month. Some liberals have blamed radical speech by the conservatives. Conservatives have hit back at liberals, saying they are using a crime by a mentally disturbed person for political gain.
白人女性とアフリカ人男性の間に生まれた大統領は、単に黒人の立場を主張するのではなく、異なる主義や文化をつなぐ「ブリッジ」を目指して政権に就いた。しかし、政権の命運をかけた医療保険法は「社会主義」のレッテルを貼られ、かろうじて修正成立したものの分極化は止まらない。先のアリゾナ州トゥーソンの民主党議員狙撃事件で、対立は頂点に達した。リベラル派は保守派の過激な言論が背景だと言い、保守派は精神病患者の犯罪を政治利用しているとなじった。
A speech by the president mourning the shooting victims was a breakthrough in this difficult situation. Recounting stories of each victim's life, he called on the nation to transcend partisan differences and to recover civility in public discourse. He called on U.S. society to live up to the ideals of the victims of the shootings. The speech has been described as his best since taking office.
この難しい局面を打開したのが、大統領の追悼演説だった。凶弾に倒れた一人ひとりのかけがえのない人生の物語を紡ぎながら、党派を超えて犠牲者たちの願いにふさわしい品位を社会に取り戻そうと訴えた。就任以来最も優れた演説だと評価されている。
A spirit of compromise has also been apparent in policies such as the lowering of corporate tax rates. An extension of tax breaks for the wealthy, accepted by the president at the end of last year, was also a concession to the Republicans. At the same time, the president also showed his toughness in winning approval for a U.S.-Russian nuclear disarmament treaty.
歩み寄りは、法人税率の引き下げなど政策でも表れた。大統領が昨年末に受け入れた富裕層に対する優遇税制の延長は、共和党への妥協である。その取引の中で、米ロの核軍縮条約の承認を勝ち取るしたたかさも見せた。
The United States is not the only country where political rhetoric has intensified and deteriorated, or where the art of compromise has been lost. Intolerance is a disease common to advanced democracies. It is a self-destructive illness. The United States' struggle over the ideals encapsulated by the motto "E pluribus unum" (out of many, one) is also our own problem.
政治のレトリックが激化、そして劣化し、妥協の技術が失われているのは米国だけではない。不寛容は先進民主主義国共通の病であり、社会を自壊させかねぬ病理である。多様でありながら一つである、という米国の理念をめぐる格闘は我々の課題でもある。
--The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 27
EDITORIAL: State of the Union
オバマ演説―寛容と品位を求めた
American coins are inscribed with the motto "E pluribus unum," a Latin phrase meaning "Out of many, one." It derives from the United States' fight for independence from Britain, and the unity of the 13 colonies that founded the nation. Now, however, it has a broader connection to the idea that the United States is made up of people from diverse racial and religious backgrounds.
米国の硬貨には、ラテン語で「エ・プルリブス・ウヌム(多から生まれる一つ)」という標語が刻まれている。13の植民地が結束して独立を達成したことに由来するが、現在ではもっと広く、多様な人種、宗教からなる米国が統合されていることを指す。
U.S. President Barack Obama seemed to be aiming at a regeneration of that spirit of unity in the State of the Union address Tuesday in the U.S. House of Representatives.
25日の米連邦議会で一般教書演説をしたオバマ大統領の念頭には、この国家理念の再生があったのではないか。
The Obama administration, which took power two years ago promising to deliver change, has passed the halfway mark of its current term. In last year's midterm election, his Democratic Party suffered a crushing defeat to the Republican Party, which now holds a majority in the House of Representatives.
「チェンジ」の合言葉とともに2年前に誕生したオバマ政権は、折り返し点を迎えた。昨年の中間選挙で与党の民主党は大敗。下院の主導権を共和党に奪われた。
In the State of the Union address, Obama once again called for nonpartisanship, appealing to all parts of the political spectrum to realize that there is no realistic option other than to work together. In the context of the history of the United States, this represents much more than empty political rhetoric.
内政・外交の基本方針を示す一般教書演説で、大統領は改めて超党派路線を呼びかけた。それは、両党の歩み寄り以外に現実に可能な選択肢がないことを意味しているのだが、歴史に照らすと、単なる政治的便宜主義を超えた意味がある。
Since the 1960s, American society has seen strong reactions among conservatives to the civil rights movement, the anti-war movement, feminism, and other waves of change. Those clashes have embroiled the country in a "culture war." The rift between conservatives and liberals has grown, and Congress, where bipartisan compromise had once been a matter of course, has turned into a battleground of fundamentalisms. The grass-roots conservative Tea Party movement has spread across the nation. Radio talk shows and the Internet are amplifying the hatred.
1960年代以降の米社会は、公民権運動、反戦運動、女性解放をめぐるフェミニズムの動きなどに、保守層が激しく反発し、文化戦争の様相を呈してきた。保守とリベラルに二極化した社会の亀裂は深まるばかりで、党派を超えた歩み寄りが当たり前だった議会は今や、原理主義の戦場となった。各地で草の根保守の茶会旋風が吹き、ラジオのトークショーやインターネットの言論が憎しみを増長させている。
The president, who was born to a white mother and an African father, tried to position himself as "a bridge" linking different ideas and cultures. However, the health-care reform bill on which he staked his administration's fate has been labeled as "socialist." It barely made it onto the statute book, and then only after a significant revisions. There are no signs of the rift in U.S. politics narrowing. Discord peaked with the shooting of a Democrat congresswoman in Tucson, Arizona, earlier this month. Some liberals have blamed radical speech by the conservatives. Conservatives have hit back at liberals, saying they are using a crime by a mentally disturbed person for political gain.
白人女性とアフリカ人男性の間に生まれた大統領は、単に黒人の立場を主張するのではなく、異なる主義や文化をつなぐ「ブリッジ」を目指して政権に就いた。しかし、政権の命運をかけた医療保険法は「社会主義」のレッテルを貼られ、かろうじて修正成立したものの分極化は止まらない。先のアリゾナ州トゥーソンの民主党議員狙撃事件で、対立は頂点に達した。リベラル派は保守派の過激な言論が背景だと言い、保守派は精神病患者の犯罪を政治利用しているとなじった。
A speech by the president mourning the shooting victims was a breakthrough in this difficult situation. Recounting stories of each victim's life, he called on the nation to transcend partisan differences and to recover civility in public discourse. He called on U.S. society to live up to the ideals of the victims of the shootings. The speech has been described as his best since taking office.
この難しい局面を打開したのが、大統領の追悼演説だった。凶弾に倒れた一人ひとりのかけがえのない人生の物語を紡ぎながら、党派を超えて犠牲者たちの願いにふさわしい品位を社会に取り戻そうと訴えた。就任以来最も優れた演説だと評価されている。
A spirit of compromise has also been apparent in policies such as the lowering of corporate tax rates. An extension of tax breaks for the wealthy, accepted by the president at the end of last year, was also a concession to the Republicans. At the same time, the president also showed his toughness in winning approval for a U.S.-Russian nuclear disarmament treaty.
歩み寄りは、法人税率の引き下げなど政策でも表れた。大統領が昨年末に受け入れた富裕層に対する優遇税制の延長は、共和党への妥協である。その取引の中で、米ロの核軍縮条約の承認を勝ち取るしたたかさも見せた。
The United States is not the only country where political rhetoric has intensified and deteriorated, or where the art of compromise has been lost. Intolerance is a disease common to advanced democracies. It is a self-destructive illness. The United States' struggle over the ideals encapsulated by the motto "E pluribus unum" (out of many, one) is also our own problem.
政治のレトリックが激化、そして劣化し、妥協の技術が失われているのは米国だけではない。不寛容は先進民主主義国共通の病であり、社会を自壊させかねぬ病理である。多様でありながら一つである、という米国の理念をめぐる格闘は我々の課題でもある。
2011年01月23日
日中GDP逆転―共に豊かさを問う時代
2011/01/22
--The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 21
EDITORIAL: China now No. 2 in GDP
日中GDP逆転―共に豊かさを問う時代
Today's China, which has climbed from third to second place in the world's economic standings, in many ways resembles the Japan of four decades ago. A chorus will soon arise, if it has not already, of people in China questioning the meaning of wealth amid this economic leap forward.
経済力の指標が3位から2位になる中国の姿は、約40年前の日本と重なる。躍進の中で、豊かさを問い直すうねりも本格化するだろう。
In May 1970, The Asahi Shimbun started publishing a series about the downside of Japan's economic growth, under the title "Down with GNP." At that time, Japan's economy was in the final stage of what was called the Izanagi boom of prolonged expansion, and Expo 70 was running in Osaka.
「くたばれGNP」という連載を朝日新聞が始めたのは、1970年5月だった。いざなぎ景気の終末期。大阪万博が開かれていた。
Two years earlier, Japan had overtaken West Germany to become the second-largest economy in the free world. "Isn't there any other way to measure the affluence of a society?" asked the first piece in the Asahi series. It went on to highlight the undesirable byproducts of economic growth, such as waste, pollution, overwork and depopulation.
その2年前に国民総生産(GNP)で西ドイツを抜き自由経済圏で2位に躍り出た。浪費、公害、過労、過疎など成長の暗部をえぐった連載の初回には「ほかに社会の豊かさをはかる物差(ものさし)はないのか」とある。
Japan's economic growth, however, would soon lose steam amid the negative effects of the "Nixon shock" and the oil crisis. Osamu Shimomura, an economist who was the chief architect of the government's economic policy aimed at doubling national income during the high growth era, declared, "Now that the economic environment has changed, we have to accept zero growth."
間もなくニクソン・ショック、石油ショックに見舞われて日本経済は減速。所得倍増論のプランナー下村治氏は「環境が変わった以上、ゼロ成長しかない」と喝破した。
But neither Japan's political leaders nor the public accepted that new reality with such philosophical resignation. The country simply kept on pursuing economic growth even at the costs of sharply rising government debt and soaring land prices. In 1993, Japan switched its leading measure of economic output from gross national product to gross domestic product.
だが、為政者も国民もそこまで達観できず、国債増発や土地の高騰まで甘受しつつ成長にこだわった。その指標は、93年から国内総生産(GDP)になった。
Japan surpassed the former Soviet Union when it became the second-largest economy in the world. But the economic bubbles that formed in the late 1980s eventually collapsed. The government responded to the ensuing downturn with a string of fiscal stimulus packages composed mainly of public works spending. The government has since issued more and more bonds to finance these stimulus packages amid a revenue shortage. As a result, Japan's outstanding government debt is now close to 200 percent of its GDP.
旧ソ連を抜いて世界第2位になる一方でバブルが崩壊。公共事業に偏った景気対策の連発や税収不足などで国債は増発の一途をたどる。残高は今やGDPの2倍に近い。
Japan's economic growth is too feeble to pull the nation out of deflation. The government has mapped out a new "growth strategy," but no one knows if it will be effective.
成長力が弱く、デフレから抜けられない。「成長戦略」はできたが、その効果はあいまいだ。
The bigger question is whether government policies should focus more on the quality and security of life than on enlarging the economic pie. There has been little progress toward the fundamental reforms needed in taxation, fiscal responsibility and social security to deal with this question.
経済全体のパイを大きくするだけでなく、生活の質や安心こそ大切ではないか、との問いは膨らむばかり。だが、それに答えるはずの税財政、社会保障の抜本改革は、いっこうに進まない。
Japan's situation has much to teach people in China as they ponder the future course of their country.
こうした日本の状況は、中国の人々が今後の進路を考える上で大いに参考になるに違いない。
China's per capita GDP is still one-10th that of Japan. But China has reached a stage of economic development where people are starting to demand a higher quality of life. Japan also went through an era when people's calls for more of freedom, justice, environmental protection and security had huge political repercussions, even while new cars sold like hotcakes. China seems bent on ensuring that its economy will keep growing at strong annual rates of 8 percent or higher, partly to ease the political pressure.
中国のGDPも1人当たりでは日本の10分の1だが、ここまで来ると生活の「質」への要求が高まる。自動車が飛ぶように売れる半面、自由や公正、環境、安心への要求が政治を揺さぶることは日本で経験済みだ。政治への圧力を和らげるためにも、中国は年8%以上の高度成長を維持しようとしているようである。
China will eventually become an economic superpower. But there is also the danger that China may follow the path of Japan as problems accumulated through rapid economic growth, such as a wider income gap, inefficient investment and pollution, lead to the bursting of bubbles and economic stagnation. That's why pursuing only high economic growth would be risky for China.
中国はいずれ経済超大国になろう。だが、格差の拡大や非効率な投資、環境汚染など経済のひずみが蓄積され、日本のようなバブル崩壊から停滞に陥る恐れもある。だからこそ、高い成長を追い求めるだけでは危うい。
Beijing should make serious efforts to ensure stability reigns in the lives of people and balanced economic development.
国民生活の安定を図り、均衡のとれた発展の道を歩むことが必要だ。
Tackling this challenge effectively requires promoting democracy in both the political and economic spheres. China needs to end its current system in which the Communist Party and the government are solely responsible for economic management. Instead, it should opt for allowing business greater independence and individuals and households more freedom of choice.
それには政治と経済の両分野にわたる民主化が避けて通れない。共産党と政府が経済運営の全責任を負う方式を改め、企業の自律や個人と家計の選択の自由を拡大することだ。
What is true affluence? Japan has long struggled to find a satisfactory answer to this question. China will inevitably face the same question in coming years. As it tries to figure out an answer, a maturing China may find a new vision for its relations with Japan and the rest of the world.
真の豊かさとは何か。日本が答えあぐねてきた問いを、中国もまた自問してゆくのだろう。その先に、成熟へ向かう中国と日本、そして世界の新しい関係が描かれる。
--The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 21
EDITORIAL: China now No. 2 in GDP
日中GDP逆転―共に豊かさを問う時代
Today's China, which has climbed from third to second place in the world's economic standings, in many ways resembles the Japan of four decades ago. A chorus will soon arise, if it has not already, of people in China questioning the meaning of wealth amid this economic leap forward.
経済力の指標が3位から2位になる中国の姿は、約40年前の日本と重なる。躍進の中で、豊かさを問い直すうねりも本格化するだろう。
In May 1970, The Asahi Shimbun started publishing a series about the downside of Japan's economic growth, under the title "Down with GNP." At that time, Japan's economy was in the final stage of what was called the Izanagi boom of prolonged expansion, and Expo 70 was running in Osaka.
「くたばれGNP」という連載を朝日新聞が始めたのは、1970年5月だった。いざなぎ景気の終末期。大阪万博が開かれていた。
Two years earlier, Japan had overtaken West Germany to become the second-largest economy in the free world. "Isn't there any other way to measure the affluence of a society?" asked the first piece in the Asahi series. It went on to highlight the undesirable byproducts of economic growth, such as waste, pollution, overwork and depopulation.
その2年前に国民総生産(GNP)で西ドイツを抜き自由経済圏で2位に躍り出た。浪費、公害、過労、過疎など成長の暗部をえぐった連載の初回には「ほかに社会の豊かさをはかる物差(ものさし)はないのか」とある。
Japan's economic growth, however, would soon lose steam amid the negative effects of the "Nixon shock" and the oil crisis. Osamu Shimomura, an economist who was the chief architect of the government's economic policy aimed at doubling national income during the high growth era, declared, "Now that the economic environment has changed, we have to accept zero growth."
間もなくニクソン・ショック、石油ショックに見舞われて日本経済は減速。所得倍増論のプランナー下村治氏は「環境が変わった以上、ゼロ成長しかない」と喝破した。
But neither Japan's political leaders nor the public accepted that new reality with such philosophical resignation. The country simply kept on pursuing economic growth even at the costs of sharply rising government debt and soaring land prices. In 1993, Japan switched its leading measure of economic output from gross national product to gross domestic product.
だが、為政者も国民もそこまで達観できず、国債増発や土地の高騰まで甘受しつつ成長にこだわった。その指標は、93年から国内総生産(GDP)になった。
Japan surpassed the former Soviet Union when it became the second-largest economy in the world. But the economic bubbles that formed in the late 1980s eventually collapsed. The government responded to the ensuing downturn with a string of fiscal stimulus packages composed mainly of public works spending. The government has since issued more and more bonds to finance these stimulus packages amid a revenue shortage. As a result, Japan's outstanding government debt is now close to 200 percent of its GDP.
旧ソ連を抜いて世界第2位になる一方でバブルが崩壊。公共事業に偏った景気対策の連発や税収不足などで国債は増発の一途をたどる。残高は今やGDPの2倍に近い。
Japan's economic growth is too feeble to pull the nation out of deflation. The government has mapped out a new "growth strategy," but no one knows if it will be effective.
成長力が弱く、デフレから抜けられない。「成長戦略」はできたが、その効果はあいまいだ。
The bigger question is whether government policies should focus more on the quality and security of life than on enlarging the economic pie. There has been little progress toward the fundamental reforms needed in taxation, fiscal responsibility and social security to deal with this question.
経済全体のパイを大きくするだけでなく、生活の質や安心こそ大切ではないか、との問いは膨らむばかり。だが、それに答えるはずの税財政、社会保障の抜本改革は、いっこうに進まない。
Japan's situation has much to teach people in China as they ponder the future course of their country.
こうした日本の状況は、中国の人々が今後の進路を考える上で大いに参考になるに違いない。
China's per capita GDP is still one-10th that of Japan. But China has reached a stage of economic development where people are starting to demand a higher quality of life. Japan also went through an era when people's calls for more of freedom, justice, environmental protection and security had huge political repercussions, even while new cars sold like hotcakes. China seems bent on ensuring that its economy will keep growing at strong annual rates of 8 percent or higher, partly to ease the political pressure.
中国のGDPも1人当たりでは日本の10分の1だが、ここまで来ると生活の「質」への要求が高まる。自動車が飛ぶように売れる半面、自由や公正、環境、安心への要求が政治を揺さぶることは日本で経験済みだ。政治への圧力を和らげるためにも、中国は年8%以上の高度成長を維持しようとしているようである。
China will eventually become an economic superpower. But there is also the danger that China may follow the path of Japan as problems accumulated through rapid economic growth, such as a wider income gap, inefficient investment and pollution, lead to the bursting of bubbles and economic stagnation. That's why pursuing only high economic growth would be risky for China.
中国はいずれ経済超大国になろう。だが、格差の拡大や非効率な投資、環境汚染など経済のひずみが蓄積され、日本のようなバブル崩壊から停滞に陥る恐れもある。だからこそ、高い成長を追い求めるだけでは危うい。
Beijing should make serious efforts to ensure stability reigns in the lives of people and balanced economic development.
国民生活の安定を図り、均衡のとれた発展の道を歩むことが必要だ。
Tackling this challenge effectively requires promoting democracy in both the political and economic spheres. China needs to end its current system in which the Communist Party and the government are solely responsible for economic management. Instead, it should opt for allowing business greater independence and individuals and households more freedom of choice.
それには政治と経済の両分野にわたる民主化が避けて通れない。共産党と政府が経済運営の全責任を負う方式を改め、企業の自律や個人と家計の選択の自由を拡大することだ。
What is true affluence? Japan has long struggled to find a satisfactory answer to this question. China will inevitably face the same question in coming years. As it tries to figure out an answer, a maturing China may find a new vision for its relations with Japan and the rest of the world.
真の豊かさとは何か。日本が答えあぐねてきた問いを、中国もまた自問してゆくのだろう。その先に、成熟へ向かう中国と日本、そして世界の新しい関係が描かれる。
2011年01月22日
米中首脳会談―次の30年を見据えて歩め
2011/01/22
--The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 21
EDITORIAL: U.S.-China summit
米中首脳会談―次の30年を見据えて歩め
While recognizing each other's differences as differences, U.S. President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, showed their willingness to mend relations. The summit between the two leaders in Washington turned out as they planned.
対立は対立として認めて、関係修復を演出する。双方の思惑どおりの首脳会談だった。
President Hu, who visited the United States as a state guest, received a red carpet welcome with a 21-gun salute that boomed across the White House lawn. Obama also invited Hu to dinner in the residential wing where he lives with his family.
ホワイトハウスの庭に礼砲がとどろき、国賓として米国を訪問した中国の胡錦濤(フー・チンタオ)国家主席は、最大限の歓迎を受けた。オバマ大統領は家族と暮らす居住棟での夕食にも招いた。
"With this visit, we can lay the foundation for the next 30 years," Obama said as he welcomed Hu. Since Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping (1904-1997) visited the United States in 1979 when the two nations established diplomatic ties, they have built bilateral relations over the last 30-odd years.
今回の訪米を、オバマ氏は「今後30年間の基盤を作りうる」とたたえた。米中両国が国交樹立した1979年にトウ(トウは登におおざと)小平(トン・シアオピン)氏が訪米し、以後30年余の関係を築いた。
Obama wants to follow that example. Hu also vowed to advance a positive, cooperative and comprehensive relationship.
その歴史に習おうというのだ。胡主席も「前向きで協調的、かつ包括的な関係を進める」と語った。
The joint statement that was released covers 41 items, including cooperation on space development and the Sudan peace process. However, we hear no calls about the advent of a G-2 framework with the United States and China at the helm as we did when Obama visited China in autumn 2009. During this time, U.S.-China relations were fraying.
発表された共同声明は、宇宙開発の協力からスーダン和平まで41項目にわたる。だが、オバマ大統領が09年秋に訪中した際のような米中主導(G2)時代の到来を唱える声は聞こえてこない。この間の米中関係は、きしみばかりが目立った。
When the Obama administration first started, it advocated the establishment of strategic trust with China and expressed expectations for China to play a role as a responsible major power.
オバマ政権は発足当初、中国との「戦略的信頼の確立」を掲げ、中国が「責任ある大国」としての役割を果たすことに期待を寄せた。
But China would not easily follow plans envisioned by the United States. On the problem of climate change, China stressed its position as "a developing country," causing U.S. enthusiasm to shrivel. When the Obama administration stuck to its policy to sell weapons to Taiwan, China took retaliatory measures.
しかし、米国が思い描いた図式に、中国は簡単には乗らない。気候変動問題では「途上国の立場」に回り、米国の意気込みは空振りした。オバマ政権が台湾への武器売却の方針を維持したことには、報復措置をとった。
Also in the summit this time, no progress was made on such key issues as the revaluation of the Chinese yuan and human rights.
今回の会談でも、人民元切り上げや人権問題は平行線のままだった。
Sticking to his government' basic stance, Hu said, "China and the United States should respect each other's choice of development path and each other's core interests."
胡主席は「お互いが選んだ発展の道筋と核心的利益を尊重すべきだ」と、原則的な姿勢を変えなかった。
Still, the joint statement expressed "concern" over North Korea's uranium enrichment program. Dialogue on human rights will also resume. Although it is a small step, we welcome it as a step forward.
それでも、共同声明は北朝鮮のウラン濃縮計画に「懸念」を明記した。人権対話も再開される。小さい一歩だが、前進と評価したい。
There is a limit to cooperation among countries whose values and political systems differ.
価値観や政治体制が異なる国が協調するのには、おのずから限界がある。
Perhaps it is natural for a rapidly advancing major power and one that has maintained its position as No. 1 for a long time to become rivals. At the same time, the two nations are rapidly becoming increasingly dependent on each other.
急速に台頭する大国と、長年ナンバーワンの大国が、ライバル関係になるのは当然かもしれない。同時に、両国は急速に相互依存を深めつつある。
Because the two countries have "a complex relationship," as Obama put it, with intricately diversified interests, the top leaders need to confirm common interests.
多様な利害が絡まり合う「複雑な関係」(オバマ氏)だから、トップ同士で共通の利益を確認しあう必要がある。
"China's peaceful rise is good for the world and it's good for America," Obama said.
オバマ氏は「中国の平和的台頭は米国や世界にとって良いことだ」と述べた。
It was Hu who came up with the idea of "peaceful rise." However, China is advancing its military buildup with the construction of an aircraft carrier. Its intention is unclear. China should show its determination to follow the path of cooperation with action. To maintain growth, a peaceful environment is indispensable.
ここでいう「平和的台頭」路線を打ち出したのは胡主席である。だが、空母の建造など軍備増強を進める意図は不透明だ。協調路線を歩む決意を、中国は行動で示すべきだ。成長を維持するには、平和な環境が絶対条件ではないか。
If superpowers scramble for food and energy, global resources would become exhausted. There are many problems that cannot be effectively dealt with without U.S.-China cooperation, such as nuclear disarmament and global warming. We urge them to look to 30 years ahead and gather trust as superpowers in an age of globalization.
超大国が食糧やエネルギーの争奪戦を繰り広げたのでは、地球の資源はもたない。核軍縮から温暖化対策まで、米中両国が協力しなければ対応できない課題は多い。30年先を見据えて、グローバル時代の超大国として信頼を集める関係を築いてほしい。
--The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 21
EDITORIAL: U.S.-China summit
米中首脳会談―次の30年を見据えて歩め
While recognizing each other's differences as differences, U.S. President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, showed their willingness to mend relations. The summit between the two leaders in Washington turned out as they planned.
対立は対立として認めて、関係修復を演出する。双方の思惑どおりの首脳会談だった。
President Hu, who visited the United States as a state guest, received a red carpet welcome with a 21-gun salute that boomed across the White House lawn. Obama also invited Hu to dinner in the residential wing where he lives with his family.
ホワイトハウスの庭に礼砲がとどろき、国賓として米国を訪問した中国の胡錦濤(フー・チンタオ)国家主席は、最大限の歓迎を受けた。オバマ大統領は家族と暮らす居住棟での夕食にも招いた。
"With this visit, we can lay the foundation for the next 30 years," Obama said as he welcomed Hu. Since Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping (1904-1997) visited the United States in 1979 when the two nations established diplomatic ties, they have built bilateral relations over the last 30-odd years.
今回の訪米を、オバマ氏は「今後30年間の基盤を作りうる」とたたえた。米中両国が国交樹立した1979年にトウ(トウは登におおざと)小平(トン・シアオピン)氏が訪米し、以後30年余の関係を築いた。
Obama wants to follow that example. Hu also vowed to advance a positive, cooperative and comprehensive relationship.
その歴史に習おうというのだ。胡主席も「前向きで協調的、かつ包括的な関係を進める」と語った。
The joint statement that was released covers 41 items, including cooperation on space development and the Sudan peace process. However, we hear no calls about the advent of a G-2 framework with the United States and China at the helm as we did when Obama visited China in autumn 2009. During this time, U.S.-China relations were fraying.
発表された共同声明は、宇宙開発の協力からスーダン和平まで41項目にわたる。だが、オバマ大統領が09年秋に訪中した際のような米中主導(G2)時代の到来を唱える声は聞こえてこない。この間の米中関係は、きしみばかりが目立った。
When the Obama administration first started, it advocated the establishment of strategic trust with China and expressed expectations for China to play a role as a responsible major power.
オバマ政権は発足当初、中国との「戦略的信頼の確立」を掲げ、中国が「責任ある大国」としての役割を果たすことに期待を寄せた。
But China would not easily follow plans envisioned by the United States. On the problem of climate change, China stressed its position as "a developing country," causing U.S. enthusiasm to shrivel. When the Obama administration stuck to its policy to sell weapons to Taiwan, China took retaliatory measures.
しかし、米国が思い描いた図式に、中国は簡単には乗らない。気候変動問題では「途上国の立場」に回り、米国の意気込みは空振りした。オバマ政権が台湾への武器売却の方針を維持したことには、報復措置をとった。
Also in the summit this time, no progress was made on such key issues as the revaluation of the Chinese yuan and human rights.
今回の会談でも、人民元切り上げや人権問題は平行線のままだった。
Sticking to his government' basic stance, Hu said, "China and the United States should respect each other's choice of development path and each other's core interests."
胡主席は「お互いが選んだ発展の道筋と核心的利益を尊重すべきだ」と、原則的な姿勢を変えなかった。
Still, the joint statement expressed "concern" over North Korea's uranium enrichment program. Dialogue on human rights will also resume. Although it is a small step, we welcome it as a step forward.
それでも、共同声明は北朝鮮のウラン濃縮計画に「懸念」を明記した。人権対話も再開される。小さい一歩だが、前進と評価したい。
There is a limit to cooperation among countries whose values and political systems differ.
価値観や政治体制が異なる国が協調するのには、おのずから限界がある。
Perhaps it is natural for a rapidly advancing major power and one that has maintained its position as No. 1 for a long time to become rivals. At the same time, the two nations are rapidly becoming increasingly dependent on each other.
急速に台頭する大国と、長年ナンバーワンの大国が、ライバル関係になるのは当然かもしれない。同時に、両国は急速に相互依存を深めつつある。
Because the two countries have "a complex relationship," as Obama put it, with intricately diversified interests, the top leaders need to confirm common interests.
多様な利害が絡まり合う「複雑な関係」(オバマ氏)だから、トップ同士で共通の利益を確認しあう必要がある。
"China's peaceful rise is good for the world and it's good for America," Obama said.
オバマ氏は「中国の平和的台頭は米国や世界にとって良いことだ」と述べた。
It was Hu who came up with the idea of "peaceful rise." However, China is advancing its military buildup with the construction of an aircraft carrier. Its intention is unclear. China should show its determination to follow the path of cooperation with action. To maintain growth, a peaceful environment is indispensable.
ここでいう「平和的台頭」路線を打ち出したのは胡主席である。だが、空母の建造など軍備増強を進める意図は不透明だ。協調路線を歩む決意を、中国は行動で示すべきだ。成長を維持するには、平和な環境が絶対条件ではないか。
If superpowers scramble for food and energy, global resources would become exhausted. There are many problems that cannot be effectively dealt with without U.S.-China cooperation, such as nuclear disarmament and global warming. We urge them to look to 30 years ahead and gather trust as superpowers in an age of globalization.
超大国が食糧やエネルギーの争奪戦を繰り広げたのでは、地球の資源はもたない。核軍縮から温暖化対策まで、米中両国が協力しなければ対応できない課題は多い。30年先を見据えて、グローバル時代の超大国として信頼を集める関係を築いてほしい。