英字新聞

The Yomiuri Shimbun July 3, 2013
Japan, S. Korea should compromise to reconstruct vital relationship
日韓外相会談　関係再構築へ双方が歩み寄れ（7月2日付・読売社説）

At a time when the situation in East Asia has become increasingly unstable, cooperation between Japan and South Korea is becoming even more important. Both sides should step closer to each other to put bilateral relations back on a more normal footing.
　東アジア情勢が不安定化する中、日韓協力は一段と重要になっている。両国関係の正常化へ、双方が歩み寄るべきだ。

Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung Se recently held talks in Brunei and agreed to stably develop a “future-oriented” bilateral relationship.
　岸田外相と韓国の尹炳世外交相がブルネイで会談し、「未来志向の日韓関係」を安定的に発展させる方針で一致した。

These were the first such talks between Japanese and South Korean foreign ministers in about nine months. It was extraordinary that the neighoring nations had not held any summit or foreign ministerial meetings since the administration of South Korean President Park Geun Hye was launched in February.
　日韓外相会談の開催は約９か月ぶりだ。２月の朴政権発足後、隣国間で首脳・外相会談が一度もなかったのは異常な事態だった。

There are many issues that Japan and South Korea should jointly address, such as North Korea’s nuclear and missile development programs and China’s rise in the military and economic spheres. The stalemate over economic issues, as exemplified by the prolonged suspension of talks for a bilateral free trade agreement, also cannot be overlooked.
　北朝鮮の核・ミサイル問題や中国の軍事、経済両面での台頭など、日韓が連携して対処すべき課題は多い。自由貿易協定（ＦＴＡ）交渉中断の長期化など、経済分野の停滞も看過できない。

China playing hardball

Meanwhile, the United States has been indirectly trying to improve Japan-South Korea ties apparently because it believes the deterioration in the bilateral relationship would undermine peace and prosperity in East Asia.
　米国が日韓関係の改善を側面支援するのも、両国の関係悪化は東アジアの平和と繁栄の障害だとの問題意識があるためだろう。

China has reportedly stated that it will only hold a Japan-China summit meeting on the condition that Tokyo acknowledges a territorial dispute exists over the Senkaku Islands. Once again, a meeting between the foreign ministers of Japan and China was not held this time. Given the possibility that high-ranking officials of Tokyo and Beijing cannot hold talks for an extended period, the necessity of rebuilding Japan-South Korea relations takes on even greater importance.
　中国は、尖閣諸島の領土問題の存在を認めることを日中首脳会談の条件にしているとされる。今回も外相会談は見送られた。日中高官が会談できない状態が長く続く事態も想定すれば、日韓関係を再構築する必要性は一段と高い。

Japan and South Korea have been trading jabs over territorial and historical perception issues involving the Takeshima islands and so-called wartime comfort women. The South Korean foreign minister told his Japanese counterpart that if Japan “fails to carefully deal with the history issue, it will hurt the soul of the [Korean] people.”
　日韓間には、竹島、いわゆる従軍慰安婦問題など領土や歴史認識をめぐる対立がある。尹外相は、歴史認識の重要性を強調し、「歴史問題を細心に扱えない場合、民族の魂を傷つける」と述べた。

But we believe that an intrinsic role of diplomacy in this context is to ensure both nations have substantive cooperation over North Korea and other issues while keeping their differences to the absolute minimum.
　だが、両国が意見の相違を最小限に抑えつつ、北朝鮮問題などで実質的に協力することこそが、外交本来の役割のはずである。

Lee started the chill

The current chilly state of relations between Japan and South Korea was originally caused by a visit by former South Korean President Lee Myung Bak to the Takeshima islands and his demand for “an apology” from the Emperor last summer.
　そもそも現在の日韓関係の悪化は、昨年夏の李明博前大統領の竹島訪問と天皇陛下「謝罪」要求発言が発端となっている。

South Korea should resist the temptation to bring up issues regarding differences over historical perception with Japan at such occasions as summit talks with U.S. and Chinese leaders. Japan, for its part, should give some consideration to the impact of visits by Cabinet ministers to Yasukuni Shrine. It is essential that both sides tenaciously engage in dialogue and make efforts in areas in which they disagree and search for common ground.
　韓国は、米中両国との首脳会談などで日本との歴史認識の問題を持ち出すのは自制する。日本も、閣僚の靖国神社参拝で一定の配慮を行う。双方が、対立する分野でも粘り強く対話と努力を重ね、接点を探ることが欠かせない。

We urge both nations to make the latest Japan-South Korea foreign ministerial meeting a stepping stone that can expedite coordinations to realize a bilateral summit meeting later this year.
　今回の日韓外相会談を足がかりに、今年後半には、首脳会談が実現するよう調整を急ぎたい。

At a trilateral meeting between the foreign ministers of Japan, the United States and South Korea, which was held prior to the Kishida-Yun talks, the three top diplomats confirmed they would not accept the possession of nuclear weapons by North Korea and would urge it to take concrete actions toward denuclearization.
　日韓外相会談に先立つ日米韓外相会談では、北朝鮮の核保有を容認せず、非核化への「具体的な行動」を求める方針を確認した。

North Korea recently has shown a greater willingness to hold dialogues with other nations that have a stake in the nuclear issue. However, more important than resuming six-nation talks and other channels of dialogue is having North Korea take tangible steps to abandon its nuclear weapons.
　北朝鮮は最近、関係国との対話に前向きの姿勢を示している。しかし、肝心なのは、６か国協議などの対話の再開ではなく、核放棄を具体化することである。

Japan, the United States and South Korea must hold a series of consultations and maintain their current solidarity to keep pressuring North Korea through Chinese channels to make Pyongyang take substantive actions toward its denuclearization.
　非核化に向けて実質的な行動を取るよう、中国を通じて北朝鮮に圧力をかけ続けるためにも、日米韓が協議を重ね、現在の結束を維持しなければならない。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, July 2, 2013)
（2013年7月2日01時26分 読売新聞）