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, Oct. 5
EDITORIAL: Abe government's 'inward-looking' diplomacy serves no purpose
（社説）外務省ＨＰ　外交が内向きすぎる

The Foreign Ministry on Sept. 18 updated the “History Issues Q&A” section on its Japanese website. The timing suggests that the ministry intentionally held off the update to coincide with the passage of new national security legislation that allows Japan to exercise its right to collective self-defense.
　集団的自衛権の行使を可能にする安全保障関連法の成立を待っていたかのように、外務省のホームページ（ＨＰ）にある「歴史問題Ｑ＆Ａ」の内容が更新された。

Gone from the updated Q&A is any mention of Japan’s “colonial rule and aggression” against its Asian neighbors. And the streamlined content only provides URL links to the (Tomiichi) Murayama statement and the (Junichiro) Koizumi statement that acknowledged Japan’s colonialism and aggression.
　以前は掲載されていたアジア諸国への「植民地支配と侵略」という言及がなくなり、それらを認めた「村山談話」や「小泉談話」などのリンク先を紹介するだけに簡ログイン前の続き略化された。

On Aug. 14, the day Prime Minister Shinzo Abe issued his statement for the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, the Q&A section was abruptly deleted from the ministry’s website. After questions were raised in the Diet about the deletion, the website ran a notice to the effect that the content was being revised to reflect the Abe statement.
　それに先立ち、「Ｑ＆Ａ」は、戦後７０年の「安倍談話」が出された８月１４日に突然、削除されていた。国会で質問されると、「（安倍）談話を踏まえ、現在改訂中です」と表示した。

But why did the revision take more than a month? It is only natural to assume that the ministry decided to delay the revision to avoid any negative impact on Diet deliberations on the contentious security legislation.
　削除から１カ月以上たってからの改訂は、安保関連法の審議に悪影響を与えまいとの配慮が働いたためではないか。そう見られても仕方あるまい。

“Japan has repeatedly expressed the feelings of deep remorse and heartfelt apology for its actions during the war,” Abe’s 70th anniversary statement said, even though Abe never made it clear if he himself felt such remorse. And he went on, “Such a position articulated by the previous Cabinets will remain unshakable into the future.”
　安倍首相は談話で、自分がそう考えているとは明言しなかったものの、「わが国は先の大戦における行いについて、繰り返し、痛切な反省と心からのお詫（わ）びの気持ちを表明してきた」とし、「歴代内閣の立場は今後も揺るぎない」と訴えた。

But the fact that the Foreign Ministry immediately deleted the symbolic expression “colonial rule and aggression” from its website would only suggest that the Abe administration’s perception of history is not what it was made to appear in the prime minister’s 70th anniversary statement.
　にもかかわらず、談話が出されるや即座に外務省ＨＰから「植民地支配と侵略」という象徴的な記述がなくなったとなれば、安倍政権の歴史認識に揺らぎを感じざるをえない。

Something similar occurred on the Foreign Ministry website last year.
　外務省ＨＰでは昨年も似たような問題があった。

At that time, the ministry abruptly deleted a document calling for contributions to the Asian Women’s Fund that was set up to represent Japan’s national effort to compensate Asia’s wartime “comfort women.”
　日本が慰安婦問題で国民的な償いを試みた「女性のためのアジア平和国民基金（アジア女性基金）」への参加を呼びかけた文書が急に削除されたのだ。

The Japanese government always used to bring up the Asian Women’s Fund as proof of its sincerity in dealing with the comfort women issue. By deleting the document, the Foreign Ministry effectively undermined the government’s position, instead of playing it up.
　基金は、これまで慰安婦問題で日本も努力してきたと主張する根拠となっている。だが、それを強調するどころか自らの手で見えにくくしてしまった。

The national security legislation, which Abe insists is “necessary for protecting Japanese peoples’ lives and the peaceful life of Japanese citizens,” was promulgated on Sept. 30. But the fears of this law’s opponents have not gone away at all. They are deeply apprehensive, not only of the law itself, but also of the likelihood of a substantive change in Japan’s postwar pacifism because the prime minister did not use the “I” in expressing the nation’s deep remorse for and heartfelt apology for its past history of aggression.
　首相が「国民の命と平和な暮らしを守り抜くために必要」と訴えた安保法は先週公布された。だが、その法制に反対する国民は不安を抱いたままだ。法の中身だけでなく、過去の侵略や、おわびの意思を自分の主体的な見解として明言しない首相によって、日本の戦後平和主義は変質してしまうのではないかとの危惧もあるのではないか。

Defensive capabilities alone cannot protect the nation’s security. Constant diplomatic efforts to ease tensions in the international community, of which Japan is a member, are indispensable. So long as Japanese diplomacy remains thoroughly inward-looking, it will serve no purpose.
　国の安全を守るのは防衛力だけではない。不断の外交努力によって日本を取り巻く国際社会の緊張をやわらげることが不可欠だ。そのための外交が内向きに終始しては話にならない。

Before Abe, the Japanese government always reassured the Japanese people and neighboring nations by trying to face the past squarely and admitting mistakes made in the past.
　日本はこれまで、過去と向き合い、過ちを認めることで国民と近隣国に安心感を与えてきた。

Humility about history is what is obviously lacking in the Abe administration that overstresses recent changes in Japan’s security environment.
最近の安保環境の変化を強調する政権に今、足りないのは歴史への謙虚さではないか。

October 14, 2015 (Mainichi Japan)
Editorial: Okinawa Gov. Onaga compelled to revoke landfill work approval
社説：辺野古取り消し　やむを得ない知事判断

Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga has revoked the approval of land reclamation work off the Henoko district of Nago for the planned relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. With the move, the conflict between the national government and the Okinawa Prefectural Government has heightened, and it's likely that the matter will ultimately be brought to a court of law. It's unfortunate to see how the issue has developed into such an abnormal state of affairs.
　沖縄県の米軍普天間飛行場（宜野湾市）の移設計画をめぐり、翁長雄志（おながたけし）知事が移設先の名護市辺野古の埋め立て承認を取り消した。国と県の対立は決定的となり、最終的に法廷闘争に持ち込まれる可能性が高まった。異常な事態であり、残念だ。

Okinawa claims that the approval for landfill work given by former Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima has "flaws," while the central government argues no such errors exist. While the two parties strongly disagree with one another, it is difficult to judge which one makes a viable legal point.
　県は、前知事による埋め立て承認に「瑕疵（かし）があった」と主張し、国は「瑕疵はない」という。言い分は真っ向から食い違い、法的にどちらに理があるかは、まだ判断し難い。

However, isn't the latest development the result of the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's move to force the relocation of the U.S. air station within the island prefecture without hearing the voices of Okinawa? We believe that the situation required Okinawa to cancel the landfill work approval.
　だが、今回のことは、安倍政権が県の主張に耳を傾けず、移設を強行しようとした結果ではないか。県の取り消し判断はやむを得ないものと考える。

Looking back at the month-long "intensive consultation" with the national government this past summer, Gov. Onaga expressed dissatisfaction with the central government during an Oct. 13 news conference, saying, "The (Abe) Cabinet has little interest in solving problems while caring about the people of Okinawa."
　翁長氏は、記者会見で、今夏の１カ月間の政府と県の集中協議などを振り返って「内閣の姿勢として、沖縄県民に寄り添って問題を解決していきたいというものが薄い」と政府への不満を語った。

Meanwhile, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga criticized Onaga's decision, telling an Oct. 13 morning news conference that the Okinawa governor's move ignores a series of efforts taken by parties involved with Okinawa and the central government since Japan and the U.S. reached an agreement toward removing the risk of hosting the Futenma base. Suga's comment underscored the wide gap between the national government and Okinawa.
　菅義偉官房長官は、県の取り消し決定について「日米合意以来、沖縄や政府の関係者が重ねてきた普天間の危険性除去に向けた努力を無視するものだ」と批判した。溝の深さを改めて見せつけられるようだった。

The Okinawa government's decision to revoke the landfill work approval has deprived the central government of the legal ground for the work and drilling survey, a preliminary step toward the land reclamation project.
　今回の取り消しにより、政府は埋め立て工事と前段のボーリング調査について、法律上の根拠を失う。

As a countermeasure against Okinawa's move, the national government has filed an appeal to the land, infrastructure, transport and tourism minister for an administrative review based on the Administrative Appeal Act and also requested for a stay of execution against the Okinawa governor's revocation. Once the request is granted, the central government will restart the drilling survey off Henoko and embark on full-fledged construction as early as next month.
　政府は対抗措置として、行政不服審査法に基づき国土交通相に対し不服審査請求をする予定だ。あわせて取り消し処分の一時執行停止も申し立てる。執行停止が認められれば、政府はボーリング調査を再開し、来月にも本格工事に着手する構えだ。

However, the Administrative Appeal Act is originally intended to protect the rights of the people from administrative operations. It's strange when a central government appeals to itself and the same government makes a judgment on the matter.
　だが行政不服審査法は、行政に対して国民の権利を守るのが本来の趣旨だ。国が国に訴え、それを同じ国が判断することには違和感がある。

It's expected to take several months to see the result of the administrative review, after which either the national government or the prefectural government will likely take legal action against the land ministry's decision. Even if the central government built an alternative facility for the Air Station Futenma in Henoko after going through such a complicated procedure, the stable operation of the new base is unlikely.
　不服審査の結果が出るまでには数カ月かかるとされ、最終的には国か県のいずれかが結果を不服として提訴すると見られる。そこまでして辺野古に代替基地を造ったとしても、安定的に運用できないだろう。

In the 10 months since Onaga assumed office, the Abe administration lacked the willingness to acknowledge Okinawa's claim in terms of the U.S. base relocation plan. Top government officials at one point refused to meet with Onaga.
　翁長氏が知事に就任して１０カ月。この間、安倍政権は辺野古移設計画を進めるにあたり、県の意向をくみ取ろうとする姿勢に乏しかった。一時期は、翁長氏と会おうともしなかった。

Along with a notice of withdrawal of the approval, the Okinawa Prefectural Government submitted a 15-page report as to why Okinawa has decided to revoke the authorization for landfill work. In the long list of questions regarding the plan to relocate the U.S. base to the Henoko district, Okinawa argues that Japan will not lose its defense deterrence factor to a level that is intolerable even if the air station in Ginowan moves out of Okinawa to another prefecture.
　今回、県は、取り消しの通知書とともに、１５ページにわたって理由を記した文書を政府側に提出した。そこには「普天間が他の都道府県に移転しても、沖縄には依然として米軍や自衛隊の基地があり、抑止力が許容できない程度にまで低下することはない」など、辺野古移設への疑問が列挙されている。

The central government should not force the base relocation to Henoko, but rather halt the drilling survey and other work related to the relocation plan and face Okinawa sincerely to provide answers to these questions.
　政府が今すべきは、強引に辺野古移設を進めることではなく、移設作業を中止し、これらの疑問にきちんと答えることではないだろうか。

毎日新聞　2015年10月14日　東京朝刊

The Yomiuri Shimbun
People’s understanding, confidence indispensable to My Number system
マイナンバー　国民の理解と信頼が不可欠だ

The My Number system, under which 12-digit identification numbers are assigned to everyone in the nation, has started. Everyone should be notified of his or her identification number through November. The numbers will be used to handle administrative and other procedures beginning next January.
　全国民に１２桁の番号を割り当てる共通番号（マイナンバー）制度が始まった。来月にかけて番号が通知され、来年１月以降、行政手続きなどで番号が利用される。

The system is key to realizing fair and efficient systems for taxation and social security. The people’s understanding and confidence are indispensable to the implementation of the system because it is closely linked with their lives. The government must provide meticulous explanations and make sufficient arrangements.
　公正で効率的な税や社会保障の実現に向けた重要な基盤だ。生活に密接に関わるだけに、定着させるには国民の理解と信頼が欠かせない。政府には丁寧な説明と十分な体制整備が求められる。

Under the My Number system, personal information that has until now been managed separately to handle such things as income, taxation and pensions will be integrated under one number. My Number identification cards will be distributed to those who request them.
　マイナンバーは、所得や納税、年金など、別々に管理されてきた個人情報を一つの番号で結びつける仕組みだ。希望者には身分証になる番号カードが交付される。

Administrative organizations will collate the personal information on these matters and use them to impose proper taxation and provide welfare benefits. This can contribute greatly to enhancing the efficiency of clerical work. Application procedures can be made easier by merely producing identification numbers in such situations as applying for child allowances.
　行政機関は、これらの情報を照らし合わせて、適正な課税や社会保障給付に役立てる。大幅な事務の効率化も期待できる。国民は児童手当の申請時などに番号を提示すれば、手続きが簡単になる。

The use of the integrated identification numbers will be limited for the time being to taxation, social security and relief at the time of disaster. It is reasonable to start the operation of the My Number system discreetly while attaching importance to protection of personal information.
　マイナンバーの利用範囲は、当面、税と社会保障、災害時の支援の分野に限定される。個人情報の保護を重視し、慎重に運用を始めるのは妥当だろう。

To make the system function effectively, however, it is necessary to widen the scope of its use in phases.
　ただし、制度を有効に機能させるには、段階的に利用範囲を広げていく必要がある。

Beginning in 2018, the identification numbers will be linked to the savings accounts if the account holders approve. This is aimed at determining personal assets accurately, thereby preventing such things as tax evasion and illegal receipt of livelihood protection. The government is looking into the possibility of making it mandatory to integrate the savings accounts under the My Number system in 2021.
　２０１８年以降は、本人の同意を条件に預貯金口座にマイナンバーを連結できるようになる。個人資産を正確に把握し、脱税や生活保護の不正受給などを防ぐ狙いだ。政府は２１年を目途めどに義務化することも検討している。

Firm info management vital

Amid ballooning social security costs, it is imperative to call on the elderly to share the burden according to their economic capabilities and to switch over to a system under which benefits are provided for those in need. To this end, correctly grasping personal information on income and assets is indeed important.
　社会保障費が膨張する中、高齢者にも経済力に応じた負担を求め、本当に援助すべき人に絞って給付する方式への転換が必要だ。そのために、収入や資産の正確な把握が重要なのは確かだろう。

Utilization of the My Number system in the medical field is also a task to be tackled. Integration of information on medical care and checkups into the system would help prevent duplication of examinations and medication, thereby enhancing the efficiency of medical treatment and reining in medical costs.
　医療分野での活用も課題だ。診療や検診の情報が連結されれば、検査や投薬の重複防止など医療の効率化と費用の抑制に役立つ。

Given the personal data breach of the Japan Pension Service, the people have deep concerns about the divulging and abuse of personal information. The government must expedite efforts to strengthen information management systems with the involvement of municipalities and businesses that handle identification numbers.
　日本年金機構の個人情報流出問題を受け、国民には情報漏洩ろうえいや悪用への不安が強い。政府は、番号を扱う自治体や企業も含め、情報管理体制の強化を急ぐべきだ。

In connection with the new system, the Finance Ministry abruptly proposed a plan to use My Number cards ostensibly to lessen the burden on consumers when the consumption tax is raised from the current 8 percent to 10 percent. Under the plan, price data for food and drinks would be collected after My Number identification cards are swiped in terminal devices at store counters, and money equivalent to the tax payments of two percentage points would be paid back for qualified purchases.
Caution must also be taken against fraud and other crimes whose perpetrators may try to exploit the introduction of the My Number system.
　制度導入に便乗した詐欺などの犯罪も警戒せねばならない。
　疑問なのは、消費税率１０％時の負担緩和策として、財務省が唐突に番号カードを利用する案を示したことだ。カードを店頭の情報端末にかざすと飲食料品の購入額データが蓄積され、申請すれば２％分が給付されるという。

The proposed system would force consumers to follow complicated procedures and increase the dangers of card losses and thefts. This may increase the people’s anxiety about the consequences of implementing the My Number system. The ministry must withdraw the plan immediately.
　消費者に煩雑な手続きを強いる上、カードの紛失や盗難の危険も増す。マイナンバー制度導入への国民の不安感を高めかねない。即刻撤回されるべきである。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 12, 2015)

October 11, 2015 (Mainichi Japan)
Kaleidoscope of the Heart: Girls who reject the prospect of life as adults
香山リカのココロの万華鏡：おとなを拒否する少女　／東京

Yet another sad crime occurred in Japan recently, as a third-year female high school student in Mie Prefecture was fatally stabbed in the chest by a male student attending the same school. The student who stabbed the girl was quoted as telling investigators that she had asked him to kill her, and her friends had said that she was suicidal.
　また悲しい事件が起きた。三重県で高校３年の女子生徒が同じ学校の男子生徒に刃物で胸を刺されて殺害されたのだ。取り調べで少年は「頼まれて殺した」と述べ、友人らは女子生徒に「自殺願望があった」と語っている。

Many details of this crime remain unclear, so from here on I would like to comment from a general perspective.
　事件の詳細はまだ明らかでない部分も多いのでここからは一般的な話をしたい。

It's not uncommon for teenage girls to say that they don't want to become adult women. Girls undergo major physical developments on their path to adulthood, and it's not uncommon for them to be repulsed by the changes. Young girls with anorexia commonly say that thin bodies, like those of boys, are "clean," while the curvy figures of women are "dirty." Such girls sometimes project that "dirtiness" onto their mothers. There are accordingly many girls who rebel, saying that they don't want to grow up to be like their mothers.
１０代の少女は、しばしば「おとなの女性になりたくない」と口にする。女の子の場合、おとなへと成長する中でからだの変化も激しく、それを嫌悪することもめずらしくない。食事を極端に減らす拒食症の少女は、よく「ほっそりした少年のようなからだは清潔、豊満な女性のからだはきたない」と語る。その「きたない」というイメージが母親に投影され、「お母さんのようなおとなの女になりたくない」と反発する少女もいる。

Sometimes, these girls think, "If I'm going to become an adult woman in mind and body, then it would be better for me to die as an unsullied young girl." But it's quite often the case that death for these girls is an event from the world of stories and illusions; they don't have a real grasp of its actual meaning.
　その中に、まれではあるが「心もからだもおとなの女性になるくらいなら、その前にきれいな少女のまま死んだほうがよい」と考えるケースもある。しかし、この少女たちにとって「死」は空想や物語の世界の出来事で、実際に何を意味しているのかの実感はあまりない場合が多い。

One girl I encountered remarked, "I wonder how much my parents would suffer if I disappeared. I'd like to see that." I replied, "But if you died, you couldn't see it," to which she expressed shock. She had apparently read a novel portraying people as being able to see the world after dying, and had swallowed the whole story.
「私がいなくなったら親はどれくらい苦しむかな。それを見たい」などと話す少女に「でも、死んだらその様子を見ることもできないよ」と伝えてハッとした顔をされたこともある。どうも彼女は「死後も現実の世界を見続けることができる」といった内容の小説を読み、それをうのみにしていたようだった。

Young girls who think that adult women are "dirty," and reject maturity often talk about "things that only cool adults can do." Well, people forge their own paths in life, so these girls can choose to live as women they themselves would respect. I've often had conversations that go something like this:
　「おとなの女性はきたない」と思い込み、成熟を拒否する少女たちとは、よく「カッコいいおとなにしかできないこと」といった話をする。自分の人生は自分で切り開けるのだから、すてきな女性として生きる生き方を選べばよいのだ。

"Surely you don't hate all adults?"
「おとなはみな嫌い、というわけじゃないでしょう」

"No, I saw a woman on TV working as a doctor in Africa or somewhere like that and I was impressed."
「うん。アフリカとかで医者をやっている女性をテレビで見て感動した」

"Well then let's aim for that."
「じゃ、それを目指そうよ」といった会話も何度かした。

Once I became an adult, I realized that my heart wasn't that much different from when I was a teenager; in fact, I've had more opportunities to venture out and do whatever I want.
　実際におとなになってみると、心の中は１０代の頃とそれほど変わるわけではなく、むしろ好きなことを思い切りやることだってできる。

As an adult I might have gained a few pounds and acquired a few extra wrinkles, but have realized that it's wrong to think that adults are "dirty."
体重やシワが増えたりすることはあるけれど、「きたない」と思うほうが間違っているとも気づいた。

Paths of life that can be considered clean or pure aren't determined by age or looks.
「きれい、清潔」と思える生き方かどうかは、年齢や見た目が決めるのではない。

I hope that girls who don't want to become adults now go on to do so without fear, allowing their unique selves to blossom freely.
「おとなになりたくない」少女たちには、恐れずにおとなの女性になって自分らしさを十分に花開かせてほしいと願っている。

（精神科医）
(By Rika Kayama, psychiatrist)
毎日新聞　2015年10月06日　地方版

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Unacceptable for UNESCO to add Nanjing Incident to memory list
世界記憶遺産　容認できない南京事件の登録

Could the latest UNESCO registration be misunderstood as a stamp of approval given by an international organization to China’s one-sided claim concerning historical perception? This is a serious situation.
　歴史問題を巡る中国の一方的な主張に、国際機関が「お墨付き」を与えたと誤解されないか。憂慮すべき事態である。

“Documents of Nanjing Massacre,” which China recommended to UNESCO, were added to its Memory of the World list.
　国連教育・科学・文化機関（ユネスコ）の世界記憶遺産に、中国が申請した「南京大虐殺の文書」が登録された。

After the selection by UNESCO’s International Advisory Committee, the U.N. organization’s director general, Irina Bokova, made the final decision. Another item recommended by China — materials related to so-called comfort women — was not registered in the list.
　ユネスコの国際諮問委員会の選考作業を踏まえ、イリナ・ボコバ事務局長が最終決定した。中国が同時に申請した「慰安婦に関する資料」は登録されなかった。

The Memory of the World list was originally meant to preserve or utilize historically important documents and other materials.
　世界記憶遺産は本来、歴史的に重要な文書などの保存や活用を目的にしたものだ。

We cannot accept China’s stance of using a system for protecting cultural assets for political purposes in a campaign against Japan and trying to fix its self-righteous historical perception in the international community.
　文化財保護の制度を「反日宣伝」に政治利用し、独善的な歴史認識を国際社会に定着させようとする中国の姿勢は容認できない。

“Documents of Nanjing Massacre” include written rulings on Japanese war criminals at the Nanjing Incident tribunal after the end of World War II. The written rulings put the number of victims in the incident at “more than 300,000.”
　「南京大虐殺の文書」には、南京軍事法廷が戦後、日本人の戦犯を裁いた判決書などが含まれる。判決書は、南京事件の犠牲者を「３０万人以上」としている。

However, in Japan, the dominant view is that, based on demographic statistics for Nanjing at that time and other factors, a death toll of “more than 300,000” is far removed from reality. In a report released by a joint research team of Japanese and Chinese historians, Japanese scholars pointed out that “there are varying estimates on the number of victims in the incident, ranging from 20,000 to 40,000 to up to 200,000.”
　だが、日本では、当時の人口動態などから、実態とかけ離れているとの見方が支配的だ。日中歴史共同研究でも、日本は「２０万人を上限に、４万人、２万人など様々な推計がある」と指摘した。

Concerning the registration on the list, the Japanese Foreign Ministry questioned the “integrity and authenticity” of the documents and said their registration was problematic for “an international body that should be neutral and fair.” The ministry’s stance is quite natural.
　登録について、外務省が文書の「完全性や真正性」に疑問を呈し、「中立・公平であるべき国際機関として問題」とユネスコを批判したのは、当然である。

Selection process opaque

This time, other items recommended by Japan, such as “Return to Maizuru Port” records including diaries and letters of Japanese detainees in Siberia, were added to the list. They reflect historical facts, and there were no objections to the registration from Russia.
　今回、日本からはシベリア抑留者の日記や手紙で構成する「舞鶴への生還」などが登録された。史実を反映したもので、ロシアからも異論は出ていない。

This contrasts with the “Nanjing” case in which Japan repeatedly conveyed its concern about the registration to the UNESCO secretariat.
　日本がユネスコ事務局に登録への懸念を度々伝えていた「南京」のケースとは事情が異なる。

UNESCO’s International Advisory Committee comprises 14 experts — mainly researchers of library science and those involved in archives. The selection process, which is not open to the public, is too opaque.
　ユネスコの諮問委員会は１４人の専門家で構成されている。図書館学の研究者や公文書館関係者が中心で、選考過程は公開されていない。余りにも不透明だ。

Japan’s annual financial contribution to UNESCO is ¥3.7 billion, about 10 percent of its yearly budget, and Japan substantially supports the activities of the world body. It is indispensable to urge UNESCO to improve the registration system for the Memory of the World list.
　日本はユネスコ予算の約１割にあたる年間３７億円の分担金を支払い、その活動を実質的に支えている。記憶遺産の登録制度の改善を働きかけることが欠かせない。

There is a possibility that China could again recommend materials related to “comfort women.” South Korea also is preparing for a registration of testimonies by comfort women in two years.
　「慰安婦」の資料については、中国が再申請する可能性がある。韓国も慰安婦証言の２年後の登録を目指し、準備を進めている。

When Japan’s Meiji era (1868-1912) industrial revolution sites were added to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list in July this year, South Korea opposed the registration, claiming that Korean workers were requisitioned during the war. After negotiations with South Korea over the issue, Japan finally was able to realize registration. However, Japan was swayed by Seoul’s political maneuvering.
　今年７月に「明治日本の産業革命遺産」が世界文化遺産に登録される際には、韓国は、大戦中に朝鮮人労働者の徴用があったとして、反対した。日本は韓国との交渉の末、登録にこぎつけたが、韓国の政治工作に翻弄された。

Japan needs to quickly reconsider its strategy for UNESCO.
　日本は早急に、対ユネスコ戦略を練り直さねばならない。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 11, 2015)

The Yomiuri Shimbun
TPP task force should not limit itself to agricultural protection
ＴＰＰ総合対策　農業以外への目配りも大切だ

We hope the government’s newly established TPP task force will not disappoint by coming up with measures focusing only on agricultural protection. It is essential that it consider how to utilize the vast, envisioned free-trade area to develop our economy.
　単なる農業保護策では困る。巨大な自由貿易圏を活用し、経済を成長させる視点が大切だ。

The government recently established the task force, which includes all Cabinet ministers, following a broad agreement on the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal. It plans to compile a policy outline by year-end that includes measures to reinforce agriculture.
　環太平洋経済連携協定（ＴＰＰ）交渉の大筋合意を踏まえ、政府は、全閣僚で構成するＴＰＰ総合対策本部を設置した。年内にも、農業強化などの政策大綱を策定する。

When the TPP takes effect, more than 400 tariffs on agricultural, forestry and fishery products will gradually be abolished or reduced. On the one hand, consumers will benefit from increased imports of cheaper foreign products; but on the other, it is unavoidable that domestic farmers will be dealt a blow.
　ＴＰＰが発効すると、４００を超える農林水産物の関税が順次、引き下げ・撤廃される。安い外国産品の輸入が増え、消費者は恩恵を受ける一方、国内農家に打撃が及ぶのは避けられない。

Thus, it is understandable for the government to take certain measures to support agriculture and mitigate any negative impacts on farmers.
　影響を緩和するため、一定の農業支援を行うのは理解できる。

However, the key to agricultural protection does not lie in a surging agricultural budget. What is important is to enhance the productivity of farmers and create an environment that helps them survive international competition.
　肝心なのは、農業予算を大幅に増やすことではない。農家の生産性を高め、国際競争を勝ち抜く環境を創り出すことだ。

In this sense, a recent remark by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was appropriate. “We’ll make the TPP deal a chance for [Japan’s] agriculture to shift to the offensive,” he said.
　安倍首相が「ＴＰＰを『攻めの農業』に切り替えるチャンスにする」と述べたのは適切である。

The government has spent ¥6 trillion to cope with the partial opening of its rice market following the 1993 Uruguay Round trade agreement. However, experts believe the measure had little effect because most of the money was used for measures such as agriculture public works.
　１９９３年のウルグアイ・ラウンド合意では、コメ市場の部分開放に備えて６兆円を投じたが、大半は農業土木事業などに流れ、効果は乏しかったとされる。

Some members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party insist the government spend more than ¥6 trillion on measures to support agriculture. Such demands for the government to raise its expenditure are expected to increase because next summer’s House of Councillors election is looming. We must remain vigilant.
　自民党内では、６兆円を上回る対策を求める声が出ている。来年夏の参院選向けに、歳出圧力が高まることに警戒が怠れない。

Avoid excessive support

A point of concern is the government’s move to overly support farmers.
　気がかりなのは、政府がコメ農家への支援策を必要以上に手厚くしようとしていることだ。

Japan will establish tariff-free import quotas for rice from the United States and Australia totaling nearly 80,000 tons. This is not a big amount — it is equivalent to about 1 percent of the rice produced in Japan — but the government said it will increase the volume of domestic rice it buys up as emergency stock, citing the possibility of those quotas causing the price of the nation’s rice to drop.
　日本は、米国と豪州向けに計８万トン弱のコメの無関税輸入枠を新設する。国内生産量の約１％分に過ぎないのに、政府は、米価下落を招きかねないとして、備蓄米の買い上げ量を積み増すという。

We want to remind the government that bullish measures aimed at maintaining the price of domestic rice will not only increase its financial burden but also diminish the consumer benefits of the free trade agreement.
　強引な米価維持策は、財政負担を膨らませるうえ、消費者のメリットを小さくしてしまおう。

After the deal takes effect, the United States will expand its tariff-free import quotas for Japanese beef. There are measures that could help promote domestic beef, such as utilizing information technology to improve the quality of the meat, as well as enlarging foreign markets.
　ＴＰＰ発効後、米国は日本産牛肉の無関税輸入枠を広げる。和牛を売り込むため、情報技術（ＩＴ）活用による肉質の向上や、海外の販路拡大の対策を講じたい。

It is also essential to pay attention to areas other than agriculture.
　農業以外の分野にも目配りが欠かせない。

The task force has set a policy of using the TPP as a catalyst for promoting technological innovation and creating new industries. We urge the government to increase its efforts for product development based on the needs of importing countries, and also utilize advanced technologies to enhance the competitiveness of Japanese products.
　対策本部は、ＴＰＰをテコに、技術革新の促進や新産業の創出に取り組む方針を掲げた。輸出先のニーズを踏まえた製品開発や、先端技術を応用した競争力の強化に力を入れることが重要だ。

The TPP agreement encompasses deals such as the removal of tariffs on most industrial goods and deregulation of trade and investment, as well as establishing rules for settling disputes. We hope this helps reduce the risks for small and medium-sized companies advancing into emerging nations.
　協定には、工業製品の関税撤廃や、貿易・投資の規制緩和、紛争処理ルールが含まれる。中小企業が新興国に進出するリスクを減らす効果が期待される。

The government should back up ambitious small and medium-sized companies by helping them establish regional supply chains and providing information on foreign markets.
　域内サプライチェーン（供給網）の構築支援や、外国市場に関する情報提供などを通じ、意欲的な中小企業を後押しすべきだ。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 10, 2015)