英字新聞

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Jan. 7, 2013)
South Korean refusal to extradite Yasukuni arson suspect unjust
靖国放火容疑者　韓国の引き渡し拒否は不当だ（1月6日付・読売社説）

An unjust decision by the South Korean judicial authorities could seriously affect relations with Japan.
　日韓関係を損なう韓国司法の不当な決定だ。

Japan's request to the South Korean government to extradite a Chinese suspected of setting fire to the Shinmon main gate of Yasukuni Shrine was turned down by the Seoul High Court, which called the arson attack a "political crime." The suspect is now back in China.
　東京の靖国神社の神門に放火した疑いで日本政府が韓国政府に身柄引き渡しを求めていた中国人容疑者について、ソウル高裁が「政治犯」と認定して引き渡しの拒否を決定し、容疑者は中国に帰国した。

Beijing openly requested that the suspect be repatriated to China, arguing that he should be handled like a "political prisoner." The South Korean decision to comply with that request indicates the country shows more consideration to China than Japan.
　容疑者の身柄引き渡しを巡っては、中国が政治犯としての処遇を求めて強制送還を公然と要求していた。日本より中国への配慮が強くにじみ出た決定と言えよう。

It was natural for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to say: "South Korea effectively ignored the bilateral treaty on extradition. It is extremely regrettable and I would like to strongly protest."
　安倍首相が「韓国の対応は日韓犯罪人引き渡し条約を事実上、まったく無視したものだ。極めて遺憾で、強く抗議したい」と述べたのも当然である。

The suspect was sentenced to 10 months in South Korea for throwing a Molotov cocktail at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul in January last year. During questioning, he reportedly confessed to setting a fire at Yasukuni in December 2011.
　この容疑者は、昨年１月にソウルの日本大使館に火炎瓶を投げ込んだ罪で韓国で懲役１０月の実刑判決が確定し服役した。取り調べ中に、一昨年１２月の靖国神社への放火についても自供していた。

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'Comfort woman' motive

Asked for a motive for the series of attacks on Japanese facilities, the suspect reportedly said his grandmother was a so-called comfort woman and he was angry over the Japanese government's views on history and its responses.
　日本の施設を連続して狙った犯行の動機について、容疑者は、祖母がいわゆる従軍慰安婦で、日本政府の歴史認識や対応への怒りからだと供述していたという。

The Seoul High Court said Yasukuni enshrines war criminals convicted for leading a war of aggression and the shrine is a "political symbol" as it is used as a national facility and is visited by cabinet ministers and other people.
　ソウル高裁は、靖国神社について、「侵略戦争を主導し、有罪判決を受けた戦犯が合祀(ごうし)」され、閣僚らが参拝するなど国家施設として使用されている「政治的象徴性がある」と指摘した。

The court ruled that the arson attack on Yasukuni was a crime with the political purpose of changing Japan's policies. It turned down extradition on the grounds that the arson was tantamount to a "political crime."
　そのうえで、放火は日本の政策変更を狙った政治的な目的による犯行で、引き渡しを拒否できる「政治犯罪」にあたるとした。

This is a surprising ruling, as it equates the exoneration of an arsonist with absolving a person who commits a serious crime in the name of a political cause based on historical events. This is the same as saying that anything can be done to Yasukuni Shrine.
　驚くべき判断だ。これでは、過去の歴史と絡めて、放火という重大な犯罪に“政治的大義”を認め、放免したに等しい。靖国神社には何をしても許されると言ったも同然ではないか。

We are concerned that the court ruling may induce other people to commit similar crimes.
　同種の犯罪を誘発しないかと危惧せざるを得ない。

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Gap in historical views

A huge gap exists in the views on historical events between Japan and South Korea. However, it is totally unreasonable to imply that arson is a political crime.
　日本と韓国の間に過去認識を巡って大きな溝が存在するのはまぎれもない事実だ。だが、放火という犯罪に政治的な意味合いを持たせるのは明らかにおかしい。

The South Korean judicial authorities have ruled on other historical issues.
　歴史問題に絡んだ韓国の司法当局の判断は他にもある。

In August 2011, the South Korean Constitutional Court ruled it was unconstitutional for the South Korean government to have failed to make an effort to solve the issue of compensation rights of former comfort women.
　一昨年８月に憲法裁判所は、韓国政府が元慰安婦の賠償請求権について解決に努力しないのは憲法違反にあたると判断した。

In May last year, the South Korean Supreme Court ruled that the individual compensation rights of former Korean laborers who were brought to work at Japanese companies during World War II were valid.
　昨年５月には最高裁が、第２次大戦中に日本企業に徴用された韓国人元労働者の個人の賠償請求権は有効とする判断を示した。

The issue of such compensation rights was settled "completely and finally" under one of the bilateral agreements concluded when bilateral relations were normalized. The Japanese government should continue to firmly maintain this position.
　請求権問題は国交正常化の際の協定で「完全かつ最終的に」解決されている。その立場を、日本政府は今後も堅持すべきである。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Jan. 6, 2013)
（2013年1月6日01時21分 読売新聞）