英字新聞

January 07, 2013(Mainichi Japan)
Editorial: Japan should brush up its diplomatic instincts
社説:２０１３年を展望する　「外交の勘」を磨きたい

Japan's diplomatic policy for the New Year is set to begin. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is responsible for the new agenda, is the grandson of former Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, while Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Taro Aso, who supports Abe, is the grandson of former Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida.
　新しい年の外交が始動する。それを担う首相・安倍晋三氏は岸信介元首相の孫、安倍氏を支える麻生太郎副総理兼財務相兼金融担当相は吉田茂元首相の孫だ。

Yoshida signed the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty with the United States, which has served as the foundation for Japan's postwar development and stability, and Kishi revised it into its current form.
戦後日本の発展と安定の基盤をなしてきた日米安保条約は吉田元首相が結び、岸元首相が改定して現在の形にした。

The grandsons of these two former prime ministers are set to work closely in breaking the diplomatic impasse amid growing concern about what is widely perceived as a diplomatic crisis.
外交危機が叫ばれる今、２人の血を受け継ぐ孫がコンビを組んで難局打開にあたることになったわけである。

Kishi based his governing of Japan on the country's security policy.
　岸元首相は国家を運営する基礎を安全保障に置いた。

In his book, "Oiso Zuiso" ("Essay from Oiso"), Yoshida quoted Colonel Edward House, a foreign policy adviser to former U.S. President Thomas Woodrow Wilson, as saying that countries that have no diplomatic instincts would fail.
吉田元首相は自著「大磯随想」で「外交の『勘』のない国民は亡（ほろ）びる」とのウィルソン元米大統領側近エドワード・ハウス大佐の言葉を紹介している。

　◇対症療法外交は限界だ

Prudent diplomatic policy is indispensable for not only the survival of countries but also to allow governments to put their utmost efforts into domestic policy issues, including economic revitalization, social security and education. Moreover, intensifying friction with other countries could fuel the public's anxiety and eventually give rise to exclusive nationalism. To prevent such a situation, it is necessary for the Japanese government to reconfirm that diplomatic policy is the basis for ensuring the country's stability.
　賢明な外交は単に国家の生存にとどまらず、経済再生や社会保障、教育などの内政課題に政権が全力を注ぐためにも不可欠な条件であろう。また、外国との摩擦が激しくなれば国民の不安感が強まり排他的なナショナリズムが勢いを増しかねない。そうした状況を作り出さないためにも、外交が国の安定を支える根幹であることをまず確認したい。

A diplomatic crisis, which should be dubbed a "national crisis," has continued in Japan in recent years as tensions between Japan and its neighbors heightened over territorial issues. The year 2013 must be the year when the wisdom of the whole nation will be fully utilized to break the deadlock.
　そのうえでここ数年を振り返るなら、領土で係争を抱えた近隣諸国すべてと緊張が高まり、国難とも言うべき外交危機が続いてきた。今年はその局面転換に国の知恵を総結集する年にしなければならない。

Prime Minister Abe took over the reins of government after bitterly criticizing as a "diplomatic defeat" Japan's friction with China, South Korea and Russia over the Senkaku Islands, the Takeshima Islands and the Northern Territories, respectively, as well as the meandering over the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa Prefecture under the previous administration. There is no denying that the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ)-led previous administration that lacked diplomatic instincts brought about the mess. However, no one can tell for sure that Japan would not have suffered the same diplomatic defeat if the LDP had been in power.
　尖閣諸島や竹島、北方四島の領土摩擦や普天間飛行場移設をめぐる日米同盟の迷走などを安倍首相は「外交敗北」と厳しく批判し、政権を奪還した。確かに「外交の勘」のない民主党政権の不手際がこうした混乱を招いた面は否定できない。
　だが、自民党なら外交敗北はなかったと言い切れるだろうか。

The current diplomatic crisis is attributable to the ambiguous diplomatic policy carried out by the longstanding LDP-led administration. It was when the LDP was in power that China enacted a law on its territorial waters in 1992 to recognize the Senkaku Islands as part of its territory, which was an overture to its provocative acts around the area. The dispute over the relocation of the Futenma base is the result of the past LDP-led administration's longstanding appeasement policy in which it forced Okinawa to host an excessive number of U.S. bases in return for massive financial assistance.
　今日の外交危機は、長年の自民党政権のあいまいな外交がもたらしたものでもあろう。中国が９２年に領海法を制定して尖閣諸島を自国の領海に組み込み、今に至る挑発行為の先触れとしたのは自民党政権の時代だった。沖縄の問題も、経済支援を組み合わせて重い米軍基地負担を事実上固定化する懐柔策のツケがここにきて噴出しているのである。

The world is undergoing rapid changes. The current international situation is different from that when the LDP was in power until 2009 when the DPJ took over the reins of government. The United States' influence on the world has relatively declined while China, which has replaced Japan as the No. 2 economic power, is also showing military ambitions. South Korea now needs to rely less on Japan. Russia and India have also been increasing their presence as new regional players. Simply responding to changes in the situation in its neighboring countries and complying with U.S. wishes is no longer effective.
　世界の動きは速い。今の国際情勢は自民党が政権を担ってきた数年前までと同じではない。米国の国力が相対的に落ち、日本を抜いて世界第２の経済大国となった中国が軍事面でも野心を隠さず、韓国はかつてほど日本を必要としなくなっている。地域の新しいプレーヤーとしてロシア、インドの存在感も大きくなってきた。周囲の変化や米国の意向に合わせた対症療法的な外交では、もはや日本は立ち行かないのだ。

As such, Prime Minister Abe is required to work toward rearranging and stabilizing Japan's diplomatic policy that fits with the times instead of rehashing the LDP's previous diplomatic policy. He should begin efforts to strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance by seriously considering the purpose of the agreement.
　よって安倍首相は自民党時代の焼き直しではなく、新しい時代に合わせた発想と行動で外交の立て直しと安定に取り組む必要がある。再三強調する日米同盟強化についても、何のための同盟かを常に自問自答することから始めるべきである。

Former Prime Minister Yoshida wrote in his book that both Japan and the United States should hold frank discussions on enforcing the Japan-U.S. security treaty, noting that both countries signed the accord from the standpoint of their respective national policies.
"I think the United States signed the bilateral security treaty out of the need for its Pacific strategy and from the standpoint of a broad U.S. national policy. Japan, for its part, also signed the treaty from the standpoint of its own defense and broad national policy," he wrote. "In enforcing this treaty, our two countries should frankly discuss a wide variety of matters."
　吉田元首相は日米安保を「アメリカがただ日本が可愛くて結んだものではないだろう。アメリカの太平洋の戦略的必要から、またアメリカの国策的な見地から結んだものであろうと思う」として、「日本も、日本自身の防衛と、国策的な考え方から結んだものである」「この条約を実施して行く上に、もっと率直にいろいろ話し合っていいのではないか」と書いた（「大磯随想」）。

　◇歴史問題でつまずくな

The Japan-U.S. alliance will remain solid as long as the two countries need each other. However, the pact will collapse if either side deems that such cooperative relations detrimentally affect their national interests. Japan should clearly show its policy of responding to the Senkaku Islands issue and the relocation of U.S. bases in Okinawa and pursue a solution that will contribute to both countries' national interests and to the stability in the whole region through frank dialogue. Japan and the United States are required to transform the bilateral alliance from one in which Japan unilaterally follows and relies on the United States.
　日米が互いに必要だと考える限り日米同盟は強力であり、どちらかが国益にプラスにならないと判断すればその命運は尽きる。尖閣諸島への対処も沖縄の基地移設も、まずは日本側の方針を明確に示し、率直な話し合いを通じて日米双方の国益と地域全体の平和と安定にプラスとなるような道を探るべきだ。米国の言いなりでも、日本が一方的に頼るのでもない同盟のあり方を、改めて作り上げることが求められよう。

At the same time, Japan should strengthen its solidarity with the entire international community. Media outlets throughout the world have expressed grave concern and criticism of China's provocative acts over the sovereignty of the Senkaku Islands. Japan's position over the issue has been supported by the international community. Behind such support is the world's understanding that Japan is a country that peacefully settles its disputes with other countries through negotiations and that Japan attaches importance to broad-minded nationalism, in which it seeks to peacefully coexist with other countries, rather than narrow-minded nationalism.
　同時に、国際社会との連帯をいっそう深めたい。尖閣諸島の問題では中国の乱暴な振る舞いに世界のメディアが「中国が差し控えるべきことは武力で現状を変えることだ」（米紙）、「日本は外交解決を追求し続けているが中国は軍事力の行使を好む」（イタリアの通信社）などとして懸念と批判を強めている。
　日本の立場と主張は国際社会に支持されている。その背景にあるのは日本が外国との係争を平和的に話し合いで処理する国であり、偏狭なナショナリズムより、相手と共存を図るナショナリズムを大事にする国だという世界の理解であろう。