英字新聞

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Who caused alienation in hearts of Japanese, South Korean people?
朴・舛添会談　国民の心を遠ざけたのは誰か

It was regrettable to see South Korean President Park Geun-hye continue her anti-Japan position of unilaterally criticizing this nation when she met Tokyo Gov.
　歴史問題で一方的に日本を非難する反日姿勢に変化がなかったことは、残念である。

Yoichi Masuzoe for talks in Seoul on Friday.
　韓国の朴槿恵大統領がソウルで、東京都の舛添要一知事と会談した。

Park stressed that the deterioration in Japan-South Korean relations stemmed from the “words and acts of some politicians,” and added that it was necessary for the two nations to share a correct perception of history if they want their relationship to develop. These comments are a repetition of her pet opinion critical of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s historical perception.
　朴氏は、日韓関係の悪化について「一部政治家の言動」が原因だと強調した。関係発展には「正しい歴史認識」の共有が必要だとも語った。安倍首相の歴史観を批判する持論を繰り返したものだ。

Park also indicated that she would put top priority on solving the issue of so-called comfort women, which she said was “a matter related to universal human rights.”
　朴氏は、いわゆる従軍慰安婦問題について「普遍的な人権に関する問題だ」と述べ、その解決を最優先する考えも示した。

Ahead of Masuzoe’s talks with Park, Abe asked him to convey a message to the president. The message said, “The door for dialogue is always open,” indicating his desire to hold a bilateral summit meeting. Park’s comments, however, can be taken to show her continued determination to make the settlement of the comfort women issue and other issues a precondition for meeting with Abe.
　今回の会談に先立ち、安倍首相は「対話のドアは常に開いている」と日韓首脳会談を望むメッセージを舛添氏に託していた。だが、朴氏の発言は、慰安婦問題の解決などを首脳会談の前提条件とし続けたものと受け止められよう。

Park did hail an exchange project under consideration between Tokyo and Seoul and supported a plan for parties concerned to cooperate in hosting the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
　朴氏は、東京・ソウルの自治体交流構想を評価し、東京と平昌の日韓双方の五輪開催に向けて関係者が協力することも支持した。

But such exchanges will inevitably be limited under this abnormal situation, in which Park has been refusing to meet Abe ever since she was inaugurated nearly 1½ years ago.
　しかし、朴氏が就任後、１年半近くも首脳会談を拒否している異常な状況下では、こうした交流にも限界があるだろう。

Park part of the problem

“It’s regrettable that a difficult political situation seems to be alienating [Japanese and South Korean] people’s hearts from each other,” Park said during her talk with Masuzoe. We found it odd for her to speak as if she were not a party to this problem.
　朴氏が会談で、「政治的に困難な状況になり、（日韓の）国民の心まで遠くなっていくようで残念に思う」と人ごとのように語ったことには違和感を覚える。

Her backbiting diplomacy of criticizing Japan in front of foreign dignitaries has provoked ire in Japan. What does she think about her own responsibility for this?
　他国要人の前で日本を批判する朴氏の「告げ口外交」は、日本で強い反発を招いている。自らの責任をどう考えているのか。

After the March summit meeting among Japan, the United States and South Korea, which was mediated by U.S. President Barack Obama, Tokyo and Seoul started talks by foreign affairs officials at the director general level.
　オバマ米大統領の仲介による３月の日米韓首脳会談を受けて、日韓の局長級協議が始まった。

The South Korean officials are seeking concessions from their Japanese counterparts over the comfort women issue, while the Japanese side took up the issue of lawsuits filed by South Koreans conscripted to work in factories in Japan during World War II. No progress has been made in their talks.
　韓国側は、慰安婦問題で日本の譲歩を求め、日本側は、韓国人元徴用工の訴訟問題などを取り上げたが、議論は進んでいない。

Early this month, a Seoul hotel abruptly refused to provide a venue for an event commemorating the inauguration of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces, in response to a flood of protests it received after an influential South Korean newspaper blasted the event.
　今月上旬には、ソウルのホテルが突然、自衛隊創設記念行事の開催を拒否する事態が起きた。韓国有力紙が行事を批判したのがきっかけで、ホテルに抗議が殺到したためだという。

This was a result of Park spreading anti-Japanese sentiment throughout South Korean society.
　朴氏が韓国社会に反日ムードを蔓延まんえんさせた結果だろう。

What should not be overlooked is her stance of joining forces with China’s leadership over historical issues. During her talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Park and Xi jointly expressed alarm over recent progress in Japan-North Korean talks.
　看過できないのは、朴氏が歴史問題などで、中国との共闘姿勢を見せていることだ。習近平国家主席との会談では、最近の日本と北朝鮮の協議進展を警戒する点でも、足並みをそろえた。

In addition to North Korean issues, there are many issues that require cooperation between Japan and South Korea, including the conclusion of a bilateral economic partnership agreement and the implementation of measures to deal with air pollution from China. We wonder if Park believes no efforts are necessary to break the impasse over bilateral relations.
　日韓が連携すべき課題は、対北朝鮮政策のほか、日韓自由貿易協定、中国からの大気汚染対策など、数多い。朴氏はこのまま、日韓関係停滞の打開策を探らなくてもいいと考えているのだろうか。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, July 26, 2014)