2015年03月の記事一覧 | 英字新聞

（社説）辺野古移設　沖縄の問いに答えよ

--The Asahi Shimbun, March 24EDITORIAL: High time for government to answer Okinawa’s questions（社説）辺野古移設　沖縄の問いに答えよHow long will the central government continue to blatantly and completely ignore Okinawa Prefecture’s requests and questions concerning the plan to relocate a key U.S. air base?　政府はどこまで問答無用の姿勢を続けるつもりなのか。Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga on March 23 ordered the Okinawa Defense Bureau to suspend within a week all work to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in the crowded city of Ginowan to the Henoko district of Nago. The ongoing work includes a seabed drilling survey to prepare for land reclamation off Henoko.　沖縄県の翁長雄志知事はきのう、米軍普天間飛行場（宜野湾市）の名護市辺野古沖への移設に伴う埋め立て工事に向けたボーリング調査など一連の作業を１週間以内に停止するよう、沖縄防衛局に指示した。If the bureau refuses to obey his order, Onaga warns he will revoke the prefectural government’s permission, issued by his predecessor, Hirokazu Nakaima, in August last year, for rock reefs to be destroyed for the construction work.　指示に従わなければ、昨年８月に仲井真弘多・前知事が出した「岩礁破砕許可」を取り消すとしている。In a March 23 news conference, Onaga said, “I’ve made up my mind.” His move should be regarded as a strong signal of Okinawa’s will that this is effectively an ultimatum by the prefecture.　翁長知事は会見で「腹を決めている」と述べた。沖縄側の最後通告ともいえる意思表示と考えるべきだろう。In pursuing the plan to build an airbase in Henoko to replace the Futenma facilities, the central government has repeatedly said it would continue efforts to win support from people in Okinawa. In reality, however, the government has been quietly but steadily going ahead with the plan without paying any attention to Okinawa’s calls.　これまでの経緯を振り返ると、「沖縄の方々の理解を得る努力を続けながら」と言ってきたはずの政府が実際には、沖縄の訴えに耳を閉ざして「粛々と」作業に突き進んできた状況がある。Destruction of the rock reefs will alter the configuration of the seabed. To prevent a negative impact on marine resources, prefectural fisheries coordination regulations require advance permission from the prefectural governor for the destruction of such reefs.　岩礁破砕は海底の地形を変化させる行為。水産資源への影響を避けるため、県漁業調整規則で知事の許可が必要だ。The current row between the administration and the prefectural government began in January, when the Okinawa Defense Bureau, the Defense Ministry’s local branch, sank a number of massive concrete blocks onto the seabed as anchors for buoys and floats that indicate the off-limits zones.　ことの発端は１月、沖縄防衛局が海底に大型のコンクリートブロックをいくつも沈めたことだった。The blocks were sunk along the borders of the off-limits zones, which surround the areas where Nakaima approved the destruction of rock reefs for the construction work. This raised concerns about possible damage to coral reefs and other natural elements, prompting the prefectural government to start an on-site inspection on its own.　ブロックの投下は、許可区域を広く取り囲むように設定された立ち入り禁止区域に沿って行われ、許可区域外の海底のサンゴ礁などが傷ついているおそれがある。県は独自調査に取り組み始めていた。But the prefecture’s attempt to conduct an inspection in the off-limits areas was rejected by the U.S. military. The local government again submitted a request for U.S. permission for the inspection. When he ordered a suspension of the work, Onaga also asked the Defense Bureau to help with the prefectural government’s inspection.　しかし立ち入り禁止区域での調査は米軍に拒まれ、県は再度調査を申請している。翁長知事は今回、防衛局に調査への協力も求めた。Onaga, who defeated Nakaima in a gubernatorial election in November, initially called for a suspension of the work until an independent committee set up to assess Nakaima’s approval of land reclamation off Henoko reaches its conclusion.　翁長知事は仲井真前知事が出した埋め立て承認を検証する第三者委員会の結論が出るまで、作業の中止を要求した。But the Abe administration ignored his request and forged ahead with the drilling survey.それを無視して政権側はボーリング作業に突き進んだ。As for the sinking of concrete blocks, the administration has kept repeating that the Okinawa government headed by Nakaima said the act is not subject to procedures for approval. Tokyo has ignored the Okinawa government’s argument that its permission is required for sinking such massive blocks.　政府はブロック投下について「（前知事時代に）県から岩礁破砕手続きの対象とならないと示されていた」と主張し続け、「対象となる」とする県の言い分に聞く耳を持たない。Onaga was elected on a pledge to stop the relocation of the Futenma air base to Henoko. It is only natural for him to use his administrative powers to take action to promote Okinawa’s position on the issue.　知事選で辺野古移設阻止を公約して当選した翁長知事にしてみれば、知事の行政権限を駆使して沖縄の立場を訴える行動に出るのは当然の流れだろう。Criticizing Onaga’s move, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said, “I hope he will give a little more consideration to the interests of Okinawa Prefecture and Japan’s national security in thinking” about the issue.　知事の姿勢を、中谷防衛相は「もう少し沖縄県のことや日本の安全保障を踏まえて考えていただきたい」と批判する。But people in Okinawa Prefecture, which is home to an overwhelmingly large proportion of the U.S. bases in Japan, have many questions about the government’s security policy, such as why a base must be built in Henoko and why U.S. Marines have to be stationed in the prefecture.　だが、米軍基地が集中する沖縄の県民にとっては、国の安全保障政策は「なぜ辺野古か」「なぜ沖縄に海兵隊か」といった疑問だらけである。The administration should make sincere and straightforward responses to these serious questions asked by Okinawa.沖縄からの深刻な問いかけに、政府はまず向き合うべきだ。

プーチン発言　「核準備」の恫喝は認められぬ

The Yomiuri ShimbunPutin’s allusion to being prepared to use nuclear arms is intolerableプーチン発言　「核準備」の恫喝は認められぬIt was a threat in which an allusion was made over the use of nuclear weapons. His remarks, made as a leader of a nuclear power, were extremely inappropriate and irresponsible.　核兵器に言及した威嚇である。核大国の指導者として極めて不穏当、無責任と言うほかない。 Russian President Vladimir Putin said, “We were ready to do it,” when asked if Russia was prepared to put its nuclear forces on alert over the country’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula last March.　昨年３月のロシアによるウクライナのクリミア半島編入の経緯を巡り、プーチン露大統領が、核戦力を臨戦態勢に置くことについて「そうする用意があった」と発言した。However, he defended himself by saying he believed the Crimea crisis would not evolve into a situation where Russia’s nuclear forces would actually be put into a state of combat readiness.　一方で、クリミアの事態が核の臨戦態勢には発展しないと考えていた、とも弁明している。Nonetheless, his remarks contain extremely serious elements and must not be ignored.　それでも、発言は重大な問題を含んでおり、看過できない。Under the basic guidelines governing its use of nuclear weapons, Russia will use nuclear weapons only in response to an all-out attack by weapons of mass destruction or if the existence of the Russian Federation is threatened.　ロシアの核兵器運用の基本指針は、核の使用を、大量破壊兵器などの攻撃を受けた場合と、国家の存続が脅かされた場合に限る。Around the time Russia annexed Crimea, it was not expected that the country would have to fight for its survival. Thus, Putin’s remarks made a mockery of these guidelines.クリミア編入時にロシアが存続の危機に陥ることは想定されず、発言は基本指針を軽視している。A senior official of the Russian Foreign Ministry said, “Russia, in principle, reserves the right to deploy its nuclear arsenal in Crimea.”　露外務省高官は、「ロシアはクリミアに核を配備する権利を原則として持つ」とまで語った。The series of remarks by Putin are construed as an attempt by Russia to make its control of Crimea a fait accompli by intimidating the United States and European countries to forestall any intervention.　一連の発言には、米欧を恫喝どうかつし、その干渉を排することにより、クリミア支配の既成事実化を図る狙いがうかがえる。Russia’s wisdom must be called into question. As a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, the country is responsible for maintaining world peace.　世界の平和に責任を持つべき国連安全保障理事会の常任理事国としての見識が疑われよう。Running counter to NPTA U.S. State Department spokeswoman criticized Putin’s remarks, saying the Russian president has admitted to the whole world that Russian troops not only intervened in Crimea but also were ready to take more aggressive action. Her criticism cannot be faulted.　米国務省報道官は、プーチン発言について「ロシア軍によるクリミア介入にとどまらず、もっと攻撃的な行動を取る用意すらあったと世界中に公言したことになる」と批判した。当然だろう。The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty calls on signatory countries, including Russia, not to threaten the territorial integrity of other nations with the use of force. It is obvious that Putin’s latest remarks run counter to the spirit of this international treaty.　核拡散防止条約（ＮＰＴ）は、ロシアを含む加盟国に、他国の領土保全を武力で脅かさないよう求めている。今回の発言がＮＰＴの精神にも反するのは明らかだ。What is of great concern is that Russia over the past few years has built up its nuclear capability. This also runs against the international trend of nuclear disarmament in the post-Cold War era, a trend symbolized by the signing of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty by the United States and Russia.　懸念されるのは、ロシアがここ数年、核戦力を増強していることだ。米露の中距離核戦力（ＩＮＦ）全廃条約など、冷戦後の核軍縮の流れに逆行する。In his latest remarks, Putin said, “We never thought about severing Crimea from Ukraine until the moment that these events began [with the Ukraine] government overthrow.” With this comment, he admitted that Russia took actions to annex Crimea immediately after Ukraine’s pro-Moscow government led by President Viktor Yanukovych was overthrown in February last year.　プーチン氏は今回、「ウクライナ政変まではクリミアを奪取しようと考えていなかった」と述べた。昨年２月の親露派ウクライナ政権の崩壊直後、クリミア編入に向けて動いたことを認めたものだ。His remarks contradicted his earlier assertion that Russia annexed Crimea because he respected the results of the referendum held last March.　クリミア編入は「（昨年３月の）住民投票結果を尊重した」との従来の主張を覆したことになる。It has been pointed out that Russian special forces intervened and conducted various maneuvers to have the referendum carried out in Crimea.実際、クリミアの住民投票を実現するため、ロシア軍の特殊部隊が介入し、様々な工作活動を実施したとの指摘が出ている。Putin, who has unilaterally been changing the status quo by force, is becoming a serious cause of uncertainty.　一方的な「力による現状変更」を進めるプーチン氏は、重大な不安定要因となりつつある。The international community, while financially supporting Ukraine and maintaining its pressure on Russia, must call on Putin to refrain from embarking on any more adventures through words or deeds.　国際社会は、ウクライナを財政支援しつつ、対露圧力を維持し、プーチン氏に冒険主義的な言動の自制を促さねばならない。(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 18, 2015)