英字新聞
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--The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 12010/10/02
EDITORIAL: Northern Territories
北方領土―訪問は不毛な対立深める

As if to take advantage of Japan's confrontation with China over sovereignty of the Senkaku Islands, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said he intends to visit the Northern Territories soon.
　尖閣諸島の領有をめぐって中国との緊張が高まる日本外交の足元を、見透かしたようなロシアの動きだ。
　メドベージェフ大統領が「北方領土を近く必ず訪問する」と表明した。

Unlike the situation in the Senkaku Islands dispute, Tokyo and Moscow agreed in the 1993 Tokyo Declaration and other official documents to aim at settling the Northern Territories issue through negotiation. This is why successive Russian leaders have avoided making a visit.
　尖閣と違って北方領土は、１９９３年の東京宣言をはじめとする公式文書で、両国政府が交渉で解決を目指すと確認している。だからこそロシアの歴代指導者も、訪問を避けてきた。

Russia has recently been emphasizing its claim that, as a result of World War II, ownership of the Northern Territories was transferred to the Soviet Union. The latest move is apparently aimed at highlighting Russia's effective control over the islands and undermining the position of Japan, which regards them as an integral part of the country. But such high-handed methods will render negotiations futile.
　今回の動きには、「第２次世界大戦の結果、帰属が我々に移った」との主張を強めるロシアが実効支配の現状を強調し、四島を固有の領土とする日本の立場を揺るがす狙いがうかがえる。だが、強引なやりかたは交渉を不毛なものにするだけである。

It was natural for Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara to convey Japan's apprehension to the Russian side, saying the visit could seriously undermine Japan-Russia relations. Japan should continue to strongly urge Russia to avoid the visit.
　「日ロ関係に重大な支障が生じる」と前原誠司外相が、ロシア側に懸念を伝えたのは当然だ。引き続き、強く訪問中止を働きかけるべきだ。

The Russian side has recently moved toward a more hard-line approach to territorial problems. First, it conducted a military exercise this summer with 1,500 troops on Etorofu Island, which is part of the Northern Territories.
　このところ、ロシア側には領土問題で強硬な動きが目立つ。まず夏には、北方領土の択捉島で兵士１５００人が軍事演習をした。

It has also designated Sept. 2, the date on which Japan signed the instrument of surrender to the Allied Forces in 1945, the memorial day of the end of World War II. Most recently, Medvedev issued a joint statement with his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, emphasizing their commitment to territorial integrity during a visit to China earlier this week.
　さらに日本が連合国への降伏文書に署名した９月２日を「第２次大戦終結記念日」に制定した。続いて今週、中国を訪問していた大統領が胡錦濤国家主席と、領土保全の原則的立場を保持するとの共同声明を出した。

In effect, the two countries were applying pressure on Japan by confirming the legitimacy of their respective claims to the Senkaku Islands and the Northern Territories.
尖閣や北方領土で主張の正当性を確認しあって日本に圧力をかけるような内容だ。

Russia may have become impatient with Japan, seeing that Tokyo's stance on the territorial problem had remained unchanged after the change of government from the Liberal Democratic Party to the Democratic Party of Japan. But we do not believe these moves will serve Russia's long-term interests.
　日本の政権が自民党から民主党に代わっても、領土問題で立場が変わらないのに業をにやしたのかもしれない。しかし、こうした動きがロシアの長期的な利益にかなうとは思えない。

The Russian economy, which relies heavily on oil, natural gas and other resources, suffered a serious blow in the global financial crisis that hit two years ago. For this reason, the Russian administration is pursuing a policy of building good relations with Europe, the United States and Japan, with the aim of modernizing its economy by attracting technology and investment from these countries.
　石油や天然ガスなどの資源に大きく依存するロシアの経済は、２年前の金融危機で大きな打撃を受けた。このためロシア政権は、経済の「現代化」を目指し、技術や投資の受け入れ先としての欧米や日本と良好な関係を築く政策に乗り出していた。

Russia is also trying to strengthen cooperation with countries in the Asia-Pacific region to support development in Siberia and the Far East, which are lagging behind other regions. That is why it plans to take part in the East Asia Summit and will host the summit meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in 2012 in Vladivostok in the Russian Far East.
　またロシアは、開発の遅れたシベリアや極東地区の底上げのために、アジア・太平洋諸国との協力強化に努めている。今後は東アジアサミットに参加し、２０１２年に極東のウラジオストクでアジア太平洋経済協力会議の首脳会議を主催するのもそのためだ。

In these circumstances, the Russian side should think hard about how much it could lose if it continues to be at loggerheads with Japan over territorial claims, at a time when it should instead be cooperating with Japan in the region.
　それなのに、地域で積極的に協力しあうべき日本と領土問題でもめ続ける損失の大きさを、ロシア側はよく考えるべきだ。

The DPJ administration also faces some urgent decisions.
　民主党政権にも課題がある。

Former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama proposed the concept of an East Asian community. But he stepped down without showing how to position Japan-Russia relations within that framework. Prime Minister Naoto Kan has met with Medvedev only briefly on one occasion. Meanwhile, Chinese and Russian leaders have met as often as five times since the beginning of this year.
　鳩山由紀夫前首相は、東アジア共同体構想を唱えたが、その中で日ロ関係をどう位置づけるかを示す間もなく退陣した。菅直人首相も、メドベージェフ大統領との会談は顔合わせ程度の一度きりだ。中ロの首脳会談は今年だけで５度を数える。

Japan needs to rebuild its East Asia policy and must address how it intends to deal with Russia.
　ロシアを含む日本の東アジア政策の立て直しが必要である。

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Oct. 2, 2010)
Russia on the prowl for northern territories
中露共同声明　「領土」を意識した対日圧力（10月1日付・読売社説）

The recent joint statement issued by Russia and China appears to be an attempt by Moscow to discourage Japan from further advancing its territorial claims. Russia--a nation with which Japan has had a long-standing dispute over four Russian-held islands off eastern Hokkaido--has chosen to keep step with Beijing, which claims sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture.
　日本との間で北方領土問題を抱えるロシアが、尖閣諸島の領有権を主張する中国と歩調を合わせて、日本をけん制したのだろう。

During talks in Beijing on Monday, the top Chinese and Russian leaders inked a joint statement marking the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II.
　北京で９月２７日に行われた中露首脳会談で、「第２次世界大戦終結６５周年に関する共同声明」が調印された。

The document stated that both the Soviet Union and China had fought "aggressors" in the war. It pointed the finger of blame at Japan and Germany, saying Russia and China would not "tolerate any attempts to rewrite the history of the great war and glorify the Nazis and militaristic elements."
　声明は第２次大戦でソ連と中国がともに「侵略者」と戦った歴史を自賛した上で、「大戦の歴史を改ざんし、ナチスと軍国主義分子を美化するたくらみを許さない」と日本やドイツを指弾した。

It is extremely unusual for any nations to issue a joint statement on their historical perceptions of World War II, especially 65 years after hostilities ended.
　先の大戦への歴史認識を戦後６５年も経て、共同声明として公表することは極めて異例である。

The statement also said that "China highly esteems the Soviet Army's role in staging a war of liberation in China's northeastern region."
　声明ではまた、「中国は、中国東北地方の解放戦役で果たしたソ連軍の役割を、高く評価する」としている。

Living in the past

Why does China think so highly of the Soviet Union's unlawful invasion of such territories as Manchuria (currently northeastern China)--which was home to the puppet state established in the region by prewar Japan--after it revoked the Russo-Japanese Treaty of Neutrality to enter the war immediately before its end?
　終戦直前にソ連が日ソ中立条約を破って参戦し、満州（現中国東北部）などに侵攻した不法行為を中国はなぜ高く評価するのか。

The statement also said the historical significance of engagement in World War II by China and the Soviet Union "cemented the foundation" of their current "strategic partnership for mutual cooperation."
　声明は、第２次大戦で中ソがともに戦った歴史が、現在の中露の「戦略的協力パートナーシップの基礎を固めた」とも指摘した。

The document makes no mention of the deep antagonism between the two countries from the 1960s to the '80s.
　１９６０～８０年代にかけて深刻な中ソ対立が続いた事実には、一切触れていない。

Russia had previously designated Sept. 2 as the date it would celebrate the end of the war. This date marks the Soviet "victory over Japan," given that our nation signed a document on its surrender to the Allied powers on Sept. 2, 1945. This appears to indicate that Russia's pride as a major power in the contemporary world is based on its status as a World War II victor.
　ロシアは、先に日本が第２次大戦の降伏文書に調印した９月２日を事実上の「対日戦勝記念日」に定めた。大国の誇りの拠(よ)り所である戦勝国意識の反映だろう。

There is no doubt that Russia's designation of Sept. 2 as the war-victory anniversary was intended to strongly deter Japan's demand for the return of the northern territories to Japanese rule.
　同時に、日本の北方領土返還要求を強くけん制したものであることは間違いない。

Japan's protest justified

After his trip to China, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visited Kamchatka in the Russian Far East. 　メドべージェフ露大統領は今回の訪中後に、極東ロシア・カムチャツカ地方を訪問した。

Medvedev told reporters that the northern territories were "a very important part of our country. I'll visit them in the near future without fail." Medvedev's statement signified a strong desire to ensure that a Russian head of state visits the northern territories for the first time. No Soviet leader visited the territories.
　大統領は記者団に対し、北方領土について「わが国の重要な地域だ。近い将来、必ず訪問する」と述べ、旧ソ連時代を通じ、国家元首による初めての北方領土訪問に強い意欲を示した。

This is another attempt by Russia to block Japanese moves to seek the reversion of the territories while also projecting Medvedev as "a strong leader."
　これも、日本の北方領土返還の動きを封じるとともに、「強い指導者」をアピールする狙いがあると見られている。

Medvedev's remarks prompted Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara to immediately summon Russian Ambassador to Japan Mikhail Bely to his ministry's head office, where he protested the China-Russia joint statement. "I have no choice but to question Russia's true motive [behind the statement]," Maehara reportedly told Bely.
　前原外相は直ちに駐日ロシア大使を呼び、中露共同声明について「ロシアの真意を疑わざるを得ない」と抗議した。

Maehara also warned the Russian ambassador that a visit to the northern territories by Medvedev would "seriously hinder Japan-Russia relations." The foreign minister had every reason to send this message.
　さらに、大統領が北方領土を訪問すれば、「日露関係に重大な支障が生じる」と警告した。当然の対応である。

All indications are that Russia is attempting to pressure Japan, hoping to turn the situation in its favor. Moscow apparently senses that the Japan-U.S. alliance has been shaken since the Democratic Party of Japan came into power last year, while Tokyo's relations with Beijing are deteriorating. The administration of Prime Minister Naoto Kan must turn around its approach to foreign relations as quickly as possible.
　民主党政権下で日米同盟が揺らぐ一方で、日中関係が悪化していることをにらみ、ロシアが日本側に圧力をかけている。菅政権の外交立て直しが急務だ。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 1, 2010)
（2010年10月1日01時28分 読売新聞）

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Oct. 1, 2010)
Release video to prove Japan was in the right
衝突ビデオ開示　正当性示すためにも不可欠だ（9月30日付・読売社説）

The government has indicated it will submit to the Diet video footage of the recent collision between a Chinese trawler and a Japan Coast Guard vessel near the Senkaku Islands.
　尖閣諸島沖の中国漁船衝突事件で、政府は巡視船上から海上保安官が撮影したビデオを国会に提出する方針を固めた。

The footage, taken by a JCG officer aboard the patrol vessel Mizuki, reportedly shows the Chinese vessel sailing parallel to the JCG vessel, then veering toward the Mizuki by turning to port, and colliding with the JCG vessel's starboard side.
　ビデオには、巡視船と並走していた中国漁船が左側にかじを切って近づき、巡視船の右舷に体当たりする映像が鮮明に残っているという。

This would be conclusive evidence that will show the international community how vicious and dangerous the criminal activities of the trawler were, and how misplaced China's demands for an apology and compensation from Japan are.
　悪質で危険な犯罪行為であることや、日本に謝罪・賠償を求める中国側主張の誤りを国際世論に訴える決定的証拠となろう。

The Naha District Public Prosecutors Office is holding the video as material evidence to build a case against the trawler's captain, who was arrested after the collision.
　ビデオは、逮捕した中国人船長を立件するための捜査資料として那覇地検が保管している。

Article 47 of the Criminal Procedure Code prohibits investigation materials from being released before a trial. Even if such materials are to be released in exceptional circumstances, they should be made public only when investigative authorities believe it would be in the public interest and appropriate, according to a provisory clause of the code.
　刑事訴訟法４７条は、そうした資料の公判前の公開を禁じており、例外的な公開も、捜査当局が公益上の必要性などを認め、公開相当と判断した場合に限られると但(ただ)し書きに規定されている。

Theoretically, a request from the legislative body to release the footage based on a Diet member's right to investigate state affairs would constitute public interest. Yet releasing the material will not be ruled necessary if it is considered to be the result of undue political interference in the judicature.
　学説上は、国会から国政調査権に基づく要請があった場合などに公益性が認められるが、政治による不当な司法干渉と見なされれば公開の必要性は否定される。

Submission precedent

There is a precedent in submitting to the Diet material set to be used in a trial. In 1976, a list of "high-ranking government officials suspected of corruption" in connection with the Lockheed bribery scandal was submitted to the Lockheed Select Committee of both Diet chambers after negotiations between the ruling and opposition parties.
　捜査資料の国会提出は１９７６年、ロッキード事件に絡む「灰色高官」リストが与野党の折衝の末、両院の調査特別委員会・秘密理事会に提出された例がある。

If the House of Representatives Budget Committee or a similar body passes a resolution calling for the video to be submitted to the Diet, the government plans to call on judicial and prosecution authorities to hand over the tape as this would be in the public interest.
　政府は今回、衆院予算委員会での決議などがあれば、法務・検察当局に公益性をアピールして国会提出の判断を求める方針だ。

The Chinese captain has been released and returned home, making it unlikely his case will be brought to trial. Of course, the rights of people involved in this case must be protected and undue influence on the trial must be legally prevented. However, we think submitting the video to the Diet is the right thing to do.
　船長はすでに釈放されて帰国し、公判の可能性は薄い。事件関係者の権利や裁判への不当な影響を防ぐという法の趣旨に照らしても、ビデオの国会提出は公益性が認められる妥当な措置だろう。

Don't expect about-face

Releasing the footage is unlikely to cause China to make an about-face and immediately concede the skipper and his crew acted illegally or change its hard-line stance toward Japan. On the contrary, China might hit back by claiming the video is fabricated.
　ビデオによって、直ちに中国側が船長らの犯罪行為を認め、日本への強硬態度を転換させることは予想しにくい。逆に「ビデオは捏造(ねつぞう)だ」といった反論も出よう。

But if the malicious actions of the Chinese trawler within Japanese territorial waters are revealed for all to see, we think the international community will realize that Japan has acted lawfully.
　しかし、日本領海内での中国漁船の悪質行為が示されれば、日本の対応に対する国際社会の理解が深まることが期待できる。

In 2001, a North Korean spy ship and JCG patrol vessels exchanged fire in the East China Sea southwest of Kyushu. The spy ship then blew itself up and sank. The JCG made footage of the incident available to the news media only two days later.
　２００１年、九州南西海域で北朝鮮の工作船と海保の巡視船が銃撃戦になり、工作船が自爆・沈没した事件の際は、海保は２日後、ビデオを報道機関に公開した。

The JCG was said to be initially willing to release video of the trawler collision. But after the government discussed the skipper's arrest, the footage was kept under wraps to avoid angering Beijing.
　今回の衝突事件でも、海保は当初、ビデオ公開に前向きだったが、船長の逮捕について政府内で協議する際、中国側を刺激したくないとの政治的配慮が働いた結果、見送られたという。

Some observers have suggested this decision weakened Japan's position. To prove to audiences at home and abroad that Japan acted legitimately, the footage must be submitted to the Diet.
　そのことが結果的に、日本の立場を弱くしたという指摘もある。日本の正当性を改めて内外に示すためにも、ビデオの国会提出は不可欠であろう。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 30, 2010)
（2010年9月30日01時31分 読売新聞）