英字新聞
読売、毎日、朝日各社英字新聞の主として社説を学習研究します

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 26
EDITORIAL: Doubts remain after top court apologizes for leprosy trials
（社説）ハンセン病　司法の差別、決着せぬ

The Supreme Court has officially admitted it made a serious mistake by allowing lower courts to hold criminal and other trials for leprosy patients outside regular courtrooms. But the mea culpa from the top court, which is regarded as the “bastion of human rights,” doesn’t answer key constitutional questions.
　「人権の砦（とりで）」たる最高裁として、これで問題が決着したといえるのだろうか。

The Supreme Court on April 25 officially apologized to former leprosy patients and other people who suffered from this practice, saying it “deeply regrets having degraded the personalities and dignity of the patients and apologizes.”
　ハンセン病患者の裁判がかつて、隔離された「特別法廷」で開かれていたことをめぐり、最高裁はきのう、元患者らに「患者の人格と尊厳を傷つけたことを深く反省し、お詫（わ）びする」と謝罪した。

The top court acknowledged that its approvals of the special separate trials for leprosy sufferers were discriminatory in nature and violated the court organization law.
　裁判を隔離した判断のあり方は差別的だった疑いが強く、裁判所法に違反すると認めた。

It is extremely unusual for the nation’s highest court to admit having made a misjudgment concerning judicial procedures and offering such an apology. It took a step in the right direction by examining the issue.
最高裁が司法手続き上の判断の誤りを認めて謝罪するのは極めて異例であり、検証作業をしたこと自体は評価できるだろう。

However, the key question in this controversy was the constitutionality of the policy. The top court concluded that the “special trials” didn’t violate the constitutional principle of open trials.
　だが、注目された違憲性の判断に関しては、憲法上の「裁判の公開」の原則には反しない、と結論づけた。

The Supreme Court should ask itself whether this conclusion is acceptable to former patients and their families who suffered from discrimination and prejudices against leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease.
　果たしてハンセン病への差別や偏見に苦しめられてきた元患者や家族に受け入れられる判断だろうか。

The opinions of the court’s expert panel on the issue, released at the same time, raised two important constitutional questions.
　同時に公表された最高裁の有識者委員会の意見は、憲法上の二つの点で疑問を突きつけている。

First, the panel said there is no denying that the special trials for leprosy patients violated the constitutional principle of equality under the law. Secondly, the panel argued that it is hard not to suspect that the policy also violated the constitutional principle of public trials.
まず、法の下の平等に照らして特別法廷は「違反していたといわざるを得ない」と断じている。さらに裁判の公開原則についても「違憲の疑いは、なおぬぐいきれない」とした。

In 2005, an independent inquiry panel set up by the health ministry had already pointed out similar constitutional questions concerning the practice.
　すでに０５年、厚生労働省が設けた検証会議も、同様の憲法上の問題点を指摘していた。

It is difficult to claim that the Supreme Court’s conclusion, issued after many years of failing to respond to the criticism, offers convincing, straightforward answers to these questions.
それを長く放置してきた最高裁が出した今回の判断は、たび重なる指摘に正面から答えたとは言いがたい。

The health ministry’s panel referred to a controversial murder trial of a man from Kumamoto Prefecture who was said to have leprosy. In this case, known as the “Kikuchi Incident,” the defendant was eventually executed despite claiming his innocence.
　検証会議はこの時、ハンセン病患者とされた熊本県の男性が殺人罪に問われ、無実を訴えながら死刑執行された「菊池事件」にも言及していた。

The ministry panel said the man had effectively been tried in a closed-door proceeding.
男性が裁かれた特別法廷について、「いわば『非公開』の状態で進行した」と指摘していた。

The Supreme Court started looking into this issue after it received a demand for an examination of the legitimacy of the special trials. The demand came from lawyers and former leprosy patients who were seeking a retrial for the Kumamoto man.
　事件の再審を求める弁護団や元患者らが、特別法廷の正当性の検討を最高裁に求めて始まったのが今回の検証だった。

Unsurprisingly, an organization of former leprosy patients involved in this campaign has denounced the top court’s failure to acknowledge the unconstitutionality of the practice. The organization said it strongly demands that the court “sincerely admit its own mistake.”
それだけに元患者団体は「自らの誤りを真摯（しんし）に認めることを強く求める」と、違憲性を認めなかったことに反発している。

In its probe into the matter, the Supreme Court avoided making any judgment about individual cases on the grounds of the independence of judges.
　今回の最高裁の検証では、「裁判官の独立」を理由に、個別の事件の判断は避けられた。

But flawed judicial procedures could cast doubts on the appropriateness of the trials themselves.
だが、手続きに問題があれば、裁判そのものに疑いが生じかねない。

The top court should have scrutinized individual cases for possible relief for victims and restoration of their honor.
本来なら個別事件も検証し、被害救済や名誉回復まで考慮すべきだろう。

The judiciary should seriously consider any request for a retrial from a victim of the system.
今後、再審請求があれば、裁判所は真剣に対応すべきだ。

The challenge facing the Japanese judiciary is how to use the results of the investigation to promote efforts to eliminate discrimination and prejudices from society.
　差別や偏見のない社会に少しでも近づけるために、今回の検証をどう役立てるのか。

The Supreme Court should move beyond this apology and continue performing its responsibility to tackle this challenge.
謝罪を超え、最高裁はさらにその責任を負い続けなくてはならない。

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 24
EDITORIAL: Improved system needed to assist disabled people in disasters
（社説）震災避難　障害者への支援確保を

Many people with disabilities have been unable to enter crucially important evacuation shelters in areas hit hard by the recent succession of earthquakes in Kumamoto and other prefectures.
　熊本県を中心に続く震災で、命をつなぐはずの避難所に入れない障害者が続出している。

“I was told that people on wheelchairs are not allowed because the hall has bumps on the floor,” one of them said.
　「ホールに段差があり、車いすの人は入れないと断られた」

“I got no information from anywhere, so I spent nights in a car for a week,” said another.
　「どこからも情報が来ず、１週間、車中泊を続けた」

“Welfare evacuation shelters” were supposed to be set up for people with disabilities and elderly people, who would find it difficult to live in evacuation shelters for the general public.
　一般の避難所では生活が難しい障害者や高齢者には、「福祉避難所」が用意されるはずだった。

Welfare evacuation shelters refer to schools, welfare facilities and other institutions that have signed agreements with municipal governments in preparation for a possible disaster.
災害に備えて、あらかじめ市区町村と協定を結んだ学校や福祉施設などである。

But the system failed in the face of the real earthquake disaster.
　だが、震災の現実の前には、うまく機能しなかった。

Some 35,000 people in Kumamoto, the capital of Kumamoto Prefecture, are registered as “persons requiring support,” who were expected to need help in evacuating from a disaster.
　熊本市では、避難の際に手助けが要る「要支援者」の名簿に登録された人は約３万５千人いる。

While 176 institutions had signed agreements to serve as welfare evacuation shelters, the number of institutions that actually accepted people in need was slow to grow.
これに対し、福祉避難所の協定をもつ施設は１７６あったが、実際に受け入れる施設はなかなか増えなかった。

Some of the institutions were short-staffed because care providers became quake victims themselves. Some of the buildings were destroyed, and water supply was cut.
　ケアする人が被災して人手不足だったり、建物が壊れて水道も止まったりと、施設の環境が整わなかった事情がある。

After volunteer workers were recruited, 33 welfare evacuation shelters were opened by April 22. But only 80-odd people have entered those shelters. Officials at one shelter have complained that all they can do is to provide space because they cannot afford to provide assistance.
　ボランティアを募り、２２日までにやっと３３カ所が開設した。だが入所者は８０人超どまり。介助の余裕がなく場所の提供しかできない、と嘆く施設もある。

People with disabilities and others who remain out of welfare evacuation shelters may face serious difficulties from the prolonged consequences of the earthquake disaster. Checking for their safety has turned out to be more difficult than initially expected.
　福祉避難所に入れない障害者らにとって、長引く震災は深刻な生活苦をもたらす。安否確認も思うように進まなかった。

Given the situation, Kumamoto Gakuen University has been drawing attention for its activities. The university in Kumamoto city has made its presence felt by accepting up to 60 or so people who are disabled or elderly.
　こうした中、熊本市の熊本学園大の活動が注目されている。最大６０人ほどの障害者や高齢者を受け入れ、存在感を示す。

Initially, the university only had its athletic field designated as a wide-area evacuation ground. As local residents began to assemble on its campus amid the succession of powerful earthquakes, however, the university decided to let local inhabitants use four of its classrooms.
　もともとはグラウンドが広域避難場所に指定されていただけだったが、相次ぐ強震で住民が集まり始めたため、４教室を住民に開放した。

It also designated a grand hall in one of its buildings for exclusive use by "persons requiring support." University officials have arranged a framework, whereby certified care workers with connections to the university and volunteering students are available 24 hours a day to watch those evacuees who require support.
さらに校舎内の大ホールを要支援者専用にし、大学関係の介護福祉士や学生ボランティアらが２４時間、避難者を見守る態勢をつくった。

The law on the elimination of disability discrimination, which took effect this month, says public institutions are obliged to “provide reasonable accommodation.” They are supposed to respond, to a reasonable extent, to the requests of disabled people to eliminate social barriers.
Kumamoto Gakuen University’s undertaking is a pioneering attempt at fleshing out the spirit of that law.
　今月施行された障害者差別解消法は、「合理的配慮の提供」を公的機関の義務と定めている。障害者から社会的な障壁を取り除く要請があれば、無理ない範囲で対応する。その精神を実現する先駆的な試みだ。

Two professors at the university, who were involved in opening the evacuation shelter, have worked with groups of disabled people and their supporters to set up a “center for people with disabilities in disaster areas.”
　避難所づくりに携わった同大の教授２人は障害者・支援者団体と協力して「被災地障害者センター」も設けた。

Instead of bringing disabled people together in a single evacuation shelter, the center will serve as a hub for providing appropriate information to people with disabilities in different areas, and will continue to give them necessary support until they can return to their previous lifestyles.
一つの避難所に集約するのではなく、各地の障害者に適切な情報を提供する拠点となり、元の生活に戻るまで必要な支援を続ける。

Close to 80,000 people continue to live in evacuation following the Kumamoto earthquakes. And it is never easy for people with disabilities to live the same way as people without disabilities.
　避難者は今も８万人近い。その中で障害者らは、健常者と同じように暮らすのは難しい。

In normal times, we should prepare mechanisms, for example, to use the list of “persons requiring support” to determine their safety status in emergencies and to allow welfare institutions to dispatch staff members to each other on a broader regional scale.
要支援者名簿をもとに安否を確認する仕組みや、広域で福祉施設同士が職員を派遣し合う枠組みなどを平時から準備したい。

Doing so would be one way to prepare for the next disaster, which could hit any part of Japan.
日本中どこで起きるかわからない「次の災害」に備えて。

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 21
EDITORIAL: 40-year rule for nuclear reactors on verge of being a dead letter
（社説）原発４０年規制　早くも骨抜きなのか

The 40-year lifespan for nuclear reactors, established after the catastrophic accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in 2011, is now in danger of being watered down to irrelevance.
The rule requires the decommissioning of aging reactors, starting with the oldest, for a gradual, carefully controlled process of phasing out nuclear power generation in this country.
　古い原発は廃炉とし、計画的に原発の数を減らしていく――東京電力福島第一原発事故への反省から決めたルールが、早くも骨抜きになろうとしている。

The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) on April 20 formally decided that the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors at Kansai Electric Power Co.’s Takahama nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture, which have been in service for over 40 years, meet new nuclear safety standards introduced after the devastating 2011 accident.
　原子力規制委員会は、運転開始から４０年を超えた関西電力高浜原発１、２号機（福井県）について、新規制基準を満たしていると正式に決めた。

This is the first license renewal for a reactor that has been in operation for more than four decades under the new standards.
新基準のもとで４０年超の老朽原発の運転延長が認められるのは初めてだ。

If they pass the remaining regulatory inspections concerning technical details by the July deadline, the reactors will likely continue to generate electricity for two more decades.
残る細かい審査を７月の期限までに終えれば、あと２０年、運転が続く公算が大きい。

The 40-year lifespan provision was introduced through a revision to the law after the Fukushima disaster.
　「４０年ルール」は福島での事故後、法律を改正して導入された。

Just one service life extension of up to 20 years is allowed, but only as an “extremely exceptional” measure.
「１回だけ、最長２０年間」と定められた運転延長は「極めて例外的」と位置づけられた。

This exception was made to avoid a shortage of electricity. But concerns about any serious power crunch have virtually dissipated thanks to a marked rise in levels of power and energy conservation in society.
あえて例外を設けたのは電力不足に備えるためだったが、節電や省エネの定着で懸念は解消していると言っていい。

The NRA’s formal decision to extend the life of the two aging reactors came amid a series of earthquakes rocking central Kyushu around Kumamoto Prefecture which have been described by the Japan Meteorological Agency as “a deviation from the rules extracted from past experiences.”
　おりしも熊本県を中心に「今までの経験則からはずれている」（気象庁）という地震が続く。

Many Japanese are concerned that the quakes could affect Kyushu Electric Power’s Sendai nuclear plant in neighboring Kagoshima Prefecture. The NRA’s decision to grant an exception to the rule so quickly could have the effect of relaxing the safety standards and deepening public distrust of the government’s nuclear regulation.
隣の鹿児島県で運転中の九州電力川内原発に影響が及ばないか、不安を感じている国民は少なくない。いきなり例外を認め、規制のたがを緩めるような対応は、原発行政への不信を高めるだけではないか。

The Abe administration is leaving all licensing decisions on individual reactors entirely to the NRA. But it has mapped out a long-term energy supply plan based on the assumption that the service life of reactors will be extended.
　安倍政権は個別原発の可否の判断を規制委に丸投げしつつ、運転延長を前提にしたエネルギー計画を立てた。

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who repeatedly pledged to lower Japan’s dependence on nuclear power as much as possible, has been changing his stance little by little without announcing any clear policy shift.
「原発依存度を可能な限り低減する」と繰り返していた首相は、なしくずしに方針を転換してきた。

The NRA’s mission is to enhance the safety of nuclear plants from a scientific viewpoint.
But the way the nuclear watchdog assessed the safety of the reactors at the Takahama plant has raised questions about its appropriateness. The NRA has, for instance, allowed Kansai Electric Power to delay required quake resistance tests.
　規制委は、あくまで科学的見地から原発の安全性を高めることが役割だが、今回の審査では耐震性の試験を後回しにすることを関電に認めるなど、手順に疑問が残る。

If it has scheduled its assessment work in a way to ensure that the July deadline will be met, the agency has got its priorities completely wrong.
７月の審査期限をにらんだスケジュールありきだったとすれば、まさに本末転倒である。

A troubling situation is now emerging where decisions on whether to decommission specific reactors are effectively left to the utilities that operate them. As a result, these decisions are being based primarily on whether extending the life of the reactors will pay.
　結局、廃炉にするかどうかの実質的な判断は電力会社に委ねられ、運転延長が採算に合うかどうかという観点から決まるという状況になりつつある。

Operating many nuclear reactors in Japan, a small country with a large population that is highly prone to earthquakes and other natural disasters, inevitably entails a large risk.
　狭い国土に多くの人が住み、地震など自然災害も多い日本で、多くの原発を抱えていくリスクは大きい。

This grim reality was the starting point for the reform of the nuclear power policy prompted by the Fukushima accident.
福島での事故を経て、そこが原子力行政見直しの出発点だったはずだ。

If the government sticks to the policy of maintaining nuclear power generation, the burden on society, including the costs of disposing of nuclear waste, could increase over the long term.
　原発を維持する政策をとり続ければ、廃棄物の処理などで長期的には国民負担も増えかねない。

There is a clear global trend toward raising energy self-sufficiency through efforts to develop renewable energy sources.
エネルギー自給率は再生エネルギーの育成で高めようというのが世界の大勢だ。

A transition period may be necessary. But the only policy that makes sense is to shut down reactors steadily over a period of years.
　移行期間は必要だとしても、着実に原発を閉じていく政策にこそ合理性があろう。

The 40-year rule is one of the key principles of this policy. The government should remember this fact.
４０年規制はそのための柱の一つである。そのことを思い起こすべきだ。

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Osprey aircraft prove valuable in earthquake relief operations
自衛隊熊本支援　オスプレイの活用は効果的だ

The Self-Defense Forces have mobilized more than 20,000 personnel to carry out rescue and relief operations for victims of the Kumamoto Earthquake.
　熊本地震で、自衛隊が２万人以上を動員し、被災者の救助・支援活動を展開している。

The operations are difficult, and rescuers face dangers from secondary disasters such as aftershocks and landslides caused by heavy rains. But we know they will make their utmost efforts as they engage in the operations.
　余震や大雨による土砂崩れなど二次災害の危険が伴う困難な任務だが、全力で取り組んでもらいたい。

The Defense Ministry has set up a joint task force of the Air, Ground and Maritime Self-Defense Forces. The task force is based at the GSDF’s Western Army Headquarters in Kumamoto. About 120 aircraft, mainly helicopters, and 10 transport and other vessels have been dispatched to the task force.
　防衛省は、陸海空３自衛隊の統合部隊を編成した。熊本市の陸自西部方面総監部に司令部を置き、ヘリコプターなど約１２０機、輸送艦など約１０隻も派遣した。

The SDF personnel engage in such activities as searching for missing people, transporting the sick and injured and providing meals and water. SDF personnel are transporting food and daily necessities directly to evacuation centers and other locations to cover the lack of manpower at local governments.
　不明者の捜索や、患者の輸送、給食・給水などに従事している。食料や生活物資の輸送では、被災自治体の要員不足を補うため、避難所などへの直接搬送も担う。

The SDF is a self-sustaining organization, providing its own food, clothing and shelter. Due to lessons learned from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, the SDF has enhanced telecommunication and other equipment and strengthened cooperation with local governments through disaster-response drills.
　自衛隊は、衣食住を自力で賄える自己完結型組織だ。東日本大震災の教訓を踏まえ、通信機器などを充実させ、防災訓練を通じて自治体との連携も強化してきた。

In the wake of the latest disaster, the SDF dispatched liaison personnel to relevant local governments, including the Kumamoto and Oita prefectural governments, and this action has facilitated the relief operation. To prevent duplication of efforts with local governments and police, proper sharing of tasks is crucial.
　今回、熊本、大分両県など関係自治体に連絡調整要員を派遣したことで、支援活動を円滑にしている。自治体や警察などとの業務の重複を避けるためには、適切な役割分担が欠かせない。

U.S. cooperation appreciated

We would like to acknowledge the unreserved cooperation of U.S. forces, which follows Operation Tomodachi in the wake of the 2011 Tohoku disaster.
　東日本大震災時の「トモダチ作戦」に続き、米軍が全面的に協力していることに感謝したい。

Based on the Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation Guidelines — which were renewed in April last year — the SDF and the U.S. forces have set up a joint coordination center at the SDF’s task headquarters. The coordination center is now serving as the control tower of rescue operations.
　昨年４月策定の新たな日米防衛協力指針（ガイドライン）に基づき、統合部隊司令部に設置された自衛隊と在日米軍の共同調整所が司令塔となっている。

The U.S. forces dispatched four Osprey transport aircraft belonging to Futenma Air Station. The Ospreys shuttled back and forth to carry drinking water, food, blankets, portable toilets and other supplies to Kumamoto Prefecture’s Minami-Aso, a village isolated due to the collapse of a national highway, playing a very important role in sustaining the daily lives of many evacuees.
　米軍は、普天間飛行場所属の輸送機オスプレイ４機を投入した。国道の崩落で孤立した熊本県南阿蘇村に飲料水・食料、毛布、簡易トイレなどをピストン輸送し、多くの被災者の生活を維持するうえで、重要な役割を果たした。

Compared to conventional transport helicopters, the Osprey has great superiority in its maximum speed, payload and range. Also, it has been pointed out that the Osprey’s ability to operate in mountainous areas because of its ability to take off and land vertically makes it useful for disaster response.
　オスプレイは、従来の輸送ヘリより最大速度、搭載量、航続距離のいずれも大幅に優れている。垂直離着陸の機能を有し、山間部でも対応可能なため、かねて災害派遣に有効と指摘されていた。

The opposition parties have criticized the use of Ospreys in relief operations — an act totally incomprehensible. Saying there are concerns over the safety of the aircraft, former Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Kazuhiro Haraguchi of the Democratic Party (Minshinto) said: “People who are taking refuge are worried. We thank the U.S. Forces for their cooperation, but we want them to stop.”
　理解できないのは、野党内に、オスプレイ活用に批判があることだ。民進党の原口一博・元総務相は安全性に懸念があるとして「避難している皆さんも不安に思っている。米軍の協力はありがたいが、やめてほしい」と発言した。

However, the risk of serious accidents involving the Osprey is lower than that of other U.S. military aircraft. It has a successful track record in relief operations after a typhoon in the Philippines and the recent earthquake in Nepal. If Ospreys had not been used for the latest earthquake, provision of supplies could have been stalled, creating greater anxiety for the disaster victims.
　だが、他の米軍機に比べても重大事故率は低く、フィリピンの大型台風やネパール地震で支援実績もある。活用しなければ、物資供給が滞り、被災者のより大きな不安を招いたのではないか。

The Ground Self-Defense Force plans to introduce 17 Ospreys by fiscal 2018 to be based in Saga Airport. The conjecture that the use of Ospreys in the Kumamoto relief operation may have been an effort to smooth the way for the Saga deployment should be rejected.
　陸自も２０１８年度までに、オスプレイ１７機を導入する予定で、佐賀空港への配備を目指す。その受け入れの地ならしではないかとの臆測も否定しておきたい。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, April 23, 2016)

The Yomiuri Shimbun
As families wait, expedite efforts to retrieve remains of war dead
戦没者遺骨収集　遺族の思いを汲んで速やかに

Seventy years have passed since World War II ended, and the families of Japan’s war dead are growing older. Efforts to find and retrieve remains of those who died in countries far from home must be accelerated.
　終戦から７０年を経て、戦没者の遺族の高齢化が進む。異郷の地で死亡した戦没者の遺骨収集を急ぎたい。

This month, a law to promote collection of the remains of the war dead came into force. The law’s main points are that it clearly positions retrieval of these remains as “the responsibility of the state,” and sets a nine-year period starting from this fiscal year as an intensive implemen-tation period for government efforts to find and repatriate remains.
　戦没者遺骨収集推進法が今月、施行された。遺骨収集を「国の責務」と明確に位置づけ、今年度からの９年間を集中実施期間としたのが主眼だ。

The law requires the government to collect remains systematically and effectively. The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry set aside ¥2.1 billion from this fiscal year’s budget to cover costs associated with this undertaking.
　推進法は、計画的かつ効果的な収集を政府に求めている。厚生労働省は、収集事業費として今年度予算に２１億円を計上した。

Returning remains to Japan has not progressed as well as hoped. Of 2.4 million Japanese who died on foreign battlefields or in Siberian internment camps after the war, the remains of 1.13 million still rest at sites overseas. In the past 10 years, the government has collected only 28,000 sets of remains.
　遺骨の帰還は、思うように進んでいない。海外の戦地やシベリア抑留で死亡した２４０万人のうち、１１３万人の遺骨は、いまだに現地に残されたままだ。政府がこの１０年間で収集した遺骨は、２万８０００柱にとどまる。

Many people are dissatisfied with the ministry’s efforts, saying they are “not well planned.”
　厚労省の取り組みに対しては、「計画性を欠いている」といった不満も少なくない。

The law was passed as legislation was proposed by lawmakers cooperating across party lines. We applaud the fact that the law promotes attempts to make up for the inadequacy revealed in efforts to date. We hope putting the law into effect will add momentum to the collection of remains.
　推進法は超党派の議員立法で成立した。これまでの不十分だった点を補うよう促していることは評価できる。施行を収集に弾みをつける契機にしたい。

Bumps in the road

An especially important element of the law is the stipulation that greater efforts will be made to study documents stored at public records offices and other facilities overseas to collect information regarding where Japanese war dead are buried. It is clear that the conventional method of relying on the memories and other information provided by fellow soldiers has its limits.
　推進法で特に重要なのは、埋葬地の情報を収集するため、海外の公文書館などで文献調査を進めるよう定めたことだ。戦友の記憶などに頼る従来の手法では、限界があるのは明らかだ。

Spelling out that the health, labor and welfare minister will work closely with the foreign minister and other ministers to ensure smooth progress in negotiations with governments of nations where remains lie is also an appropriate measure.
　現地政府との折衝を円滑に進めるため、厚労相が外相らと連携するよう規定したのも、妥当な措置だと言えよう。

In 2011, it was revealed that remains collected in the Philippines by a nonprofit organization commissioned by the welfare ministry had been mixed with remains of people other than Japanese soldiers.
　厚労省から委託を受けたＮＰＯ法人がフィリピンで収集した多数の遺骨の中に、旧日本兵以外のものが混じっていたことが、２０１１年に判明した。

Reflecting on this, the new law says the government will designate a public corporation as a task force to handle collection of the remains. The new corporation is scheduled to be set up by people involved in groups for families of the war dead. The welfare ministry will establish an expert panel to check progress in these activities.
　この反省から、推進法には、収集にあたる公的法人を政府が指定し、実動部隊とすることも盛り込まれた。新法人は遺族団体の関係者らによって設立される予定だ。厚労省は、活動状況をチェックする有識者会議を設置する。

The government will soon settle on a basic plan encompassing these specific policies, and will launch it this fiscal year. The new structure must function effectively.
　政府は、これらの具体策を網羅した基本計画を近く策定し、今年度中に始動させる。新たな体制を有効に機能させねばならない。

Many problems remain unaddressed. Because DNA examinations are essential for identifying remains, the government is working on a database of samples that can be tested. We hope a system in which these samples can be smoothly compared with DNA provided by relatives will quickly be put in place.
　課題もある。遺骨の身元特定には、ＤＮＡ鑑定が不可欠なため、政府は、鑑定可能な検体のデータベース化を進める。遺族のＤＮＡとスムーズに照合できる仕組みの構築を急ぎたい。

About 230,000 sets of remains still lie in China, where remains cannot be collected because anti-Japan sentiment has hampered this operation, and North Korea, a nation with which Japan does not have diplomatic relations. At present, there is no timeframe for when remains might be collected from these countries.
　対日感情が障害となって収集ができない中国や、国交のない北朝鮮には、２３万柱が眠る。現時点で収集の見通しは立っていない。

Families are ardently waiting for remains to be returned home. With their feelings in mind, we request that every possible effort be made to realize their wishes.
　遺骨が手元に戻ることを待ち望む遺族の思いを汲くみ、可能な限りの取り組みを求めたい。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, April 22, 2016)

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 21
EDITORIAL: Kyushu quake exposes potential safety problem for Shinkansen
（社説）新幹線脱線　地震対策の総点検を

The powerful earthquake in Kyushu has exposed a potential weakness of Japan’s reputed Shinkansen technology by disrupting operations of the Kyushu Shinkansen Line.
　熊本地震は九州新幹線を直撃した。

An out-of-service bullet train carrying no passengers derailed about 1.3 kilometers south of JR Kumamoto Station following the earthquake that rocked southern Japan on April 14.
Kyushu Railway Co. (JR Kyushu) has also found damaged Shinkansen facilities at about 150 locations, including cracks in elevated bridges and fallen parts of noise-blocking walls.
熊本市内で回送列車が脱線したほか、高架橋の亀裂や防音壁の落下といった損傷が約１５０カ所にのぼった。

JR Kyushu on April 20 resumed operations on a section of the Shinkansen line between Shin-Minamata Station in Kumamoto Prefecture and Kagoshima-Chuo Station in Kagoshima Prefecture. But there is no telling when the company can restart operations on the remaining northern portion from Shin-Minamata Station to Hakata Station in Fukuoka.
鹿児島中央―新水俣間はきのう運転を再開したが、博多までの全線が復旧するめどは立たない。

This is the third derailment caused by an earthquake in the Shinkansen’s history of over half a century, following one in 2004 caused by the Niigata Chuetsu Earthquake and one in 2011 triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
　半世紀を超す新幹線の歴史で、地震による脱線は０４年の新潟県中越地震と１１年の東日本大震災に続いて３回目になる。

The Kyushu Shinkansen train ran off the rails after the nighttime April 14 quake, which measured a maximum 7 on the Japanese intensity scale in Mashiki.
　今回脱線したのは、最大震度７の地震が起きた１４日夜だ。

The violent shaking derailed all six cars of the train, which was running at a speed of around 80 kph. Fortunately, no passengers were on the train, and the driver was not injured.
時速８０キロ程度で走っていた列車が揺れに見舞われ、全６両が脱線した。幸い乗客はおらず、運転士にもけがはなかった。

If the train were carrying passengers at a higher speed, however, it could have been a major disaster.
もし高速で営業運転中だったら、大惨事になっていた恐れもある。

Safety should be the absolute top priority for Shinkansen operations, which carry large number of passengers at very high speeds.
　多数の乗客を高速で運ぶ新幹線の安全確保は、とりわけ重要だ。

The derailment should prompt all JR companies offering Shinkansen services to make sweeping reviews of their bullet train systems and operations to secure greater safety.
ＪＲ各社はこれを機に過去の対策を総点検し、いっそうの安全向上をめざすべきだ。

Shinkansen lines are equipped with a system to detect preliminary tremors and stop the trains. However, as the Kumamoto accident shows, this system doesn’t work when earthquakes occur close to the lines.
　新幹線には地震の初期微動を検知して列車を止めるシステムがある。しかし、今回のように震源が近い直下型地震では間に合わない。

Since this problem was exposed by the Niigata Chuetsu Earthquake, JR companies have been taking steps to prevent quakes from causing derailments.
その限界があらわになった中越地震の後、各社は地震で揺れても脱線を防ぐ装置の整備に力を注いできた。

JR Kyushu has been working to install “derailment prevention guards” for 55 km of the Kyushu Shinkansen Line, or slightly over 10 percent of both the inbound and outbound bullet train lines.
　ＪＲ九州は、九州新幹線の上下線の１割超にあたる５５キロに「脱線防止ガード」を敷く計画を進めてきた。

The guard is designed to prevent the wheels from veering off the track by sandwiching them with the rail. The company has already installed the guards on 48 km of the planned sections.
ガードとレールで車輪を挟んで脱線を防ぐ仕組みで、４８キロは設置済みだ。

The project covers sections in areas over active faults. But the accident site was not covered.
　活断層があって激しい揺れが予想される区間を対象としているが、熊本の脱線現場は含まれていなかったという。

JR companies have made their own decisions on which sections of their Shinkansen lines should be protected by anti-derailment guards. Their decisions are based on estimates of the risks of severe quakes.
　ガードをどの区間に整備するかは、地震の危険度を踏まえ、各社が独自に判断してきた。

Central Japan Railway (JR Tokai) decided to install the guards for 596 km, or 60 percent, of the Tokaido Shinkansen Line. The company has already finished work for 360 km under the project.
　ＪＲ東海は東海道新幹線の６割の５９６キロで整備を計画し、うち３６０キロは工事を終えた。

On the Sanyo Shinkansen Line, operated by West Japan Railway Co. (JR West), the protection guards had been installed on 110 km as of the end of last year. JR West plans to extend the protected sections by another 110 km.
山陽新幹線では昨年末までに１１０キロのガードが敷かれ、ＪＲ西日本はあと１１０キロ延長する予定だ。

East Japan Railway Co. and Hokkaido Railway Co. are installing different types of anti-derailment systems on their Shinkansen lines.
ＪＲ東日本と北海道も、形式が異なる脱線防止装置の設置を進めている。

The Kumamoto earthquake underscores the risk of a huge destructive force occurring at unexpected locations directly below urban areas.
　熊本の地震は、思わぬ場所で起きる直下型地震の怖さを示した。

The JR companies should seek opinions of experts to reassess the effectiveness of their current plans to protect their Shinkansen lines from such quakes.
今の整備計画で大丈夫か。専門家の意見を聞くなど、いま一度確かめる必要がある。

Derailment prevention systems are costly, requiring hundreds of millions of yen per kilometer. In addition, work to install such systems can only be done around midnight when the service is off.
But the JR companies should try to figure out ways to implement their plans ahead of schedule.
　脱線防止装置の設置には１キロあたり億単位の金がかかる。深夜しか工事ができない制約もあるが、できる限り整備を前倒しすることも検討してほしい。

The 2011 earthquake damaged poles supporting overhead electric lines beside the tracks.
　東日本大震災では線路脇の架線柱が損壊した。

This time, a chimney of a plant located along the Shinkansen line fell and blocked the rails.
今回も沿線の工場の煙突が倒れ、新幹線の線路をふさいだ。

Giant quakes always create unexpected problems. All we can do is glean all possible lessons from each big quake and make steady efforts to enhance safety.
大地震は常に新たな「想定外」を突き付けてくる。教訓を引き出し、安全網を着実に強めていくしかない。