The Yomiuri Shimbun (May. 31, 2010) MSDF should join cargo inspections 貨物検査法成立 海保と海自の連携を密にせよ（5月30日付・読売社説）
The Diet on Friday finally enacted into law a special measures bill to enable inspections of cargo transported on ships to and from North Korea. 北朝鮮に出入りする船舶に対する貨物検査を可能にする特別措置法が、ようやく成立した。
Cargo inspection was part of a U.N. Security Council resolution adopted in June last year imposing sanctions on North Korea after Pyongyang carried out a nuclear test despite international disapproval. However, Japan previously did not have a law under which it could conduct cargo inspections, preventing the nation from joining concerted international actions until now. 貨物検査は、核実験を強行した北朝鮮への制裁措置として、昨年６月の国連安全保障理事会決議に盛り込まれた。ところが、日本は貨物検査を実施できる根拠法がなく、国際協調行動の一翼を担えない状態が続いていた。
The establishment of the special measures law solved this legal shortcoming. However, the government should not leave cargo inspection only to the Japan Coast Guard, but should also actively utilize the Maritime Self-Defense Force. 特措法の制定で、法の不備は解消されたが、貨物検査は海上保安庁だけに任せず、海上自衛隊も積極的に活用すべきだ。
The special measures law authorizes the JCG and customs officials to inspect ships to check whether they are carrying weapons and other banned items. If captains of those ships refuse the inspections, the JCG and customs can order the ships to head for a nearby port. 特措法は、船舶が武器などを積んでいないか検査する権限を海保と税関に与えた。船長が検査に同意しない時は、最寄りの港に向かうよう回航命令を出せる。
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New law's tortuous path
The special measures bill was initially submitted to the Diet by the Cabinet of former Prime Minister Taro Aso, but was scrapped because the House of Representatives was dissolved for a general election. 特措法は、麻生前内閣が国会に提出したものの、衆院解散で廃案になった。
The Cabinet of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama partially revised the bill and resubmitted it to the Diet during its extraordinary session in autumn, but the law's enactment was delayed as the Cabinet placed priority on dealing with other bills. 鳩山内閣は、昨秋の臨時国会に法案を一部修正して再提出したが、他の法案処理を優先させ、成立を先送りしていた。
The legislation governing cargo inspections should have been enacted much earlier. 本来、もっと早く成立させなければならない法律だった。
In addition, the revised bill's contents contained a problem. The bill submitted by the Aso Cabinet stipulated the MSDF would be sent out when it became difficult for the JCG to deal with a case alone. The bill promulgated by the Hatoyama Cabinet deleted this provision in consideration of junior coalition partner the Social Democratic Party, which opposes utilizing the MSDF for cargo inspections. さらに問題なのは、法案の修正内容だ。麻生前内閣の法案では、海保で対応が困難な場合に海自が出動することを定めていたが、その規定を削除した。自衛隊の活用に否定的な社民党に配慮したためだった。
The government said no obstacles exist for the law's smooth implemention even without the provision, noting the government would be able to dispatch the MSDF when ordering a maritime police action based on the Self-Defense Forces Law. 政府は、この規定がなくても、自衛隊法に基づく海上警備行動を発令すれば、海自を出動させることができるとして、運用上の支障はないと説明している。
However, the law's lack of clarity over the MSDF's involvement in the cargo inspection mission could make the government hesitant about sending out the MSDF in times of emergency. だが、今回の特措法に海自の関与を明示しなかったことは、非常時に海自の出動をためらわせることにつながるのではないか。
We hope the government will exercise ingenuity in the law's operation by ensuring close coordination between the JCG and the MSDF to enable concerted action. 海保と海自の連絡を密にし、連携して行動が取れるよう、運用上の工夫を凝らしてほしい。
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MSDF strengths needed
Even after making use of the MSDF, there are still many problems that need to be solved to improve the effectiveness of cargo inspections. 海自を活用してもなお、貨物検査の実効性を高めるためには、課題が多い。
In the case of North Korean ships and captains, it appears unlikely they would readily accept cargo inspections and orders to head for a nearby port. There might be a case in which ships masquerading as merchant ships are actually heavily armed. In such a scenario, even if the government dispatches the MSDF by ordering a maritime police action, the MSDF vessels are not allowed to fire even warning shots. 北朝鮮籍の船舶や北朝鮮船長の場合は、貨物検査や回航命令に応じるとは考えにくい。商船を装って重武装しているケースも想定されるが、海上警備行動を発令して海自を出動させても、海自は警告射撃が認められていない。
Tension rose on the Korean Peninsula after the March sinking of a South Korean waship that was attributed to North Korea. 韓国哨戒艦沈没事件を機に、朝鮮半島情勢は緊迫している。
During summit talks with South Korean President Lee Myung Bak on Jeju Island in South Korea on Saturday, Hatoyama expressed his intention to actively conduct cargo inspections as the special measures bill was enacted into law the previous day. 鳩山首相は、韓国・済州島での日韓首脳会談で、特措法の成立に伴い、貨物検査に積極的に取り組む意向を表明した。
From now on, information- and role-sharing with the U.S. and South Korean navies will be extremely important. The MSDF is the organization better equipped to undertake smooth coordination. 今後、米韓海軍との情報共有や役割分担がきわめて大事になる。そうした連携も、海自の方がスムーズにいくだろう。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 30, 2010) （2010年5月30日01時34分 読売新聞）
(Mainichi Japan) May 30, 2010 Kaleidoscope of the heart: Change brings stress 香山リカのココロの万華鏡：変化はストレス ／東京
At the hospital I work at, there are sometimes layout changes, and this time my consultation room was to change floors. I was occupied and unable to help with the move, and when I came into work one day, the moving of my desk, computer, and everything else was complete. 勤務している病院の“構造改革”があり、精神科の診察室のフロアがかわることになった。私は都合で手伝えなかったのだが、ある朝、出勤すると机もパソコンもすべての移動が完了していた。
The staff had worked hard to complete the move without disrupting my consultations with patients, and I felt I owed it to them to continue my work without delay. I began seeing patients, but somehow things weren't going so smoothly. Everything I needed was there, but for some reason the consultations were taking longer than usual, and I ended up keeping other patients waiting for a long time. 診療に穴があかないように、と総力で引っ越し作業をしたスタッフのがんばりにこたえるためにも、とその日の外来診療を開始したのだが、なかなか調子が出ない。必要なものは以前通りにそろっているのに、なぜかいつもより診療に時間がかかり、患者さんたちを長時間、待たせることになってしまった。
"Why is this happening?" I wondered. Then it hit me. All my things were there. But my PC, patients' files, all sorts of things were in slightly different spots than where they had been previously. When I needed a patient's file, my arm would reach instinctively to the old spot. "Oh, that's right," I would remember, and move my arm a little to the left to the new location. 「どうしてだろう」と首をひねっているうちに、ふと気がついた。そこにあるものはすべて同じでも、パソコンや次の人のカルテが置かれている位置が、以前とは微妙に違う。からだが覚えている場所に手を伸ばしてもそこにカルテがなく、「あ、そうか」と少し左側に腕をずらしたりしなければならない。
This process of gradually retraining my body was more of an ordeal than I had expected. その「からだが自然に覚えていることを、少しずつ修正する」というのが、思った以上にたいへんだったのだ。
One moment, "I have to twist my body a little more than before to grab the medicine guide." The next, "The PC is a little farther into the room than it used to be." As I corrected each small action, I took almost twice as long as usual to finish the day's consultations. Naturally, by the end of the day, I was exhausted. I often explain to my patients, "Change is itself a source of stress," and now I felt I had just confirmed that through actual experience. 「薬のアンチョコを取るには前より体をひねって」「パソコンはこれまでより少し奥にあるんだ」とからだの感覚をいちいち修正しながら、いつもの２倍近くの時間をかけてその日の診察は終了。当然のことながらぐったりと疲れていた。「変化はそれだけでストレスなんですよ」とよく患者さんに説明するのだが、まさにそれを身をもって体験した感じ。
It's said that depression cases rise from April to May, the season of house moves, workplace moves, and the start of school in Japan, and this is very understandable. Say, for example, all that happened was your workplace changed from a 10-minute walk from the station to a 15-minute walk. Even if your brain understands that, your body takes time to adjust. Your feet and arms, thinking, "We should be arriving right about now," are ordered by your brain, "Nope, five more minutes," and get thrown off. You end up tired, feeling like the walk was longer than it really was. 引っ越し、転勤、入学などで環境が変わる４月から５月にかけてはうつ病などの心の病が増える、と言われるが、それももっともなこと。 たとえば駅から徒歩１０分の職場が徒歩１５分に変わっただけで、頭はそれを理解できても、からだの感覚はすぐには修正できない。 「いつもならそろそろ着くはず」と思い込んでいる足や腕は、「いや、あと５分歩いて」と命じられると戸惑い、実際よりよけいに疲労を感じてしまう。
Of course, we can't live refusing any and all change. Still, we should remember to take it slow when a change in our environment has occurred. Even if a change at our job brings no change to the workload, we should remember that "Change brings stress," and take breaks when we need them. もちろん、だからといってすべての変化を拒んでは、私たちは生きていけない。環境や状況が変わったときは、いきなりフルスピードでスタートしない、たとえ仕事量が増えていなくても「変化はストレス」と考えて十分な休養を取る、といった心がけが必要だろう。
I wish that the staff who worked so hard to smoothly complete the floor move could take a nice, long rest, too. Unfortunately, things don't often seem to work out that way. (By Rika Kayama, psychiatrist) フロアの引っ越しをがんばった病院のスタッフにも本来ならゆっくり休んでもらいたいが、なかなかそうもいかずちょっと心苦しい。
Interpol says no call received to arrest Thaksin Posted: 29 May 2010 0137 hrs
LYON, France: Cross-border police agency Interpol said on Friday it had received no request to track fugitive Thai ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra and that it would not arrest him on purely "political" grounds.
Thailand said Thursday it would request Interpol's co-operation after it issued an arrest warrant on terrorism charges for Thaksin, whom it accuses of funding protests that led to deadly clashes in Bangkok in recent months.
Interpol's headquarters in Lyon, France, quoted its Secretary General Ronald Noble as saying he had "no knowledge" yet of an official demand from Bangkok for help in the case.
If such a demand were made it would be subject to Interpol's "normal procedure" and referred to the agency's judicial advisers.
A spokesman for Interpol, which helps coordinate investigations between its 188 member countries, told AFP that its statutes forbid it to ask its member states to carry out arrests of a "political nature".
Thaksin was ousted in a 2006 coup and later went into exile to avoid a jail term for corruption. He has been living mainly in Dubai, with visits to other countries including Montenegro, France and Britain.
The Thai government accuses him of inciting unrest and bankrolling rallies by "Red Shirt" opposition protesters which have sparked deadly outbreaks of violence.
Thai deputy prime minister Suthep Thaugsuban said on Thursday that a request for Interpol's help would be sent "so any country that knows of his whereabouts can notify Thailand, so Thailand can begin the extradition procedure".
Thaksin said in a radio interview Wednesday that Interpol would recognise the accusations were "politically motivated". - AFP/de
The Yomiuri Shimbun (May. 30, 2010) Hatoyama responsible for base relocation chaos 普天間日米合意 混乱の責任は鳩山首相にある（5月29日付・読売社説）
After causing political confusion at home and in the Japan-U.S. relationship, he easily broke his "promise to the people." He apologized but will not take responsibility. These developments show the real nature of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama. 日本政治と日米関係を混乱させた末、「国民との約束」を簡単に破る。一応謝罪はするが、責任はとらない。これが鳩山首相の本質だろう。
The Japanese and U.S. governments issued a joint statement that stipulates the Henoko area in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, as the relocation site for the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station, also in the prefecture. 日米両政府は、米軍普天間飛行場の移設先を沖縄県名護市辺野古周辺と明示した共同声明を発表した。
Hatoyama then dismissed Social Democratic Party leader Mizuho Fukushima from his Cabinet after she refused to sign a Cabinet policy document regarding the base relocation because she opposed the Japan-U.S. agreement. Fukushima was the consumer affairs minister. 日米合意に反対し、閣議での政府対処方針への署名を拒否した社民党党首の福島消費者相を、鳩山首相は罷免した。
Even though she was the leader of a coalition partner of Hatoyama's Democratic Party of Japan-led government, she adamantly refused to approve of the government's relocation plan. It was therefore natural for the prime minister to dismiss her. 連立与党の一角を担う党首とはいえ、政府方針に同意しない以上、罷免は当然である。
◆福島氏罷免は当然だ◆
Policy U-turn was realistic
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The Hatoyama administration made a realistic judgment when it dropped a plan to move the base outside the prefecture, which was unpromising, and instead made a U-turn to a position very close to the previous plan to construct alternative facilities in the coastal area of Henoko. 鳩山政権が、展望のない県外移設を断念し、辺野古沿岸部に代替施設を建設する現行計画にほぼ回帰したのは、現実的判断だ。
But it took too much time for the administration to make this change. Residents in Okinawa Prefecture, who had approved the existing plan until last year, turned against it, an indication that very high hurdles remain before the relocation plan can be implemented. In this regard, the relocation issue should not be considered to have returned to the original point. Rather, the situation is worse than it was before the launch of the Hatoyama administration. だが、方針転換がいかにも遅すぎた。昨年までは現行計画を容認していた地元が反対に転じており、実現のハードルは高い。辺野古移設は迷走の末、元に戻ったというより、政権発足前より悪い状況に陥ったにすぎない。
The government should make all-out efforts to persuade the Okinawa prefectural government and the Nago municipal government to cooperate to realize the Japan-U.S. agreement. 政府は、日米合意の実現に向けて、沖縄県や名護市の説得に全力を挙げるべきである。
The joint statement listed eight areas in which measures could be taken to reduce the burdens on the people of Okinawa, such as relocating the training of U.S. forces and U.S. forces and Self-Defense Forces sharing base facilities. 共同声明は、沖縄の負担軽減策として、米軍訓練の分散移転や、自衛隊と米軍による米軍施設の共同使用など８項目を掲げた。
But the statement merely says many of such measures would be considered in accordance with progress made in completing the replacement facilities. It is unclear to what extent the measures can be materialized. ただ、その多くは、代替施設建設の進展に応じて「検討」するとされているだけだ。負担軽減がどの程度実現するかは不透明だ。
Taking into consideration the SDP's stance opposing the relocation within the prefecture, the government initially was considering not naming Henoko in a government policy document. But with Fukushima's dismissal, the government stipulated Henoko as the relocation site in the document. 政府は当初、県内移設に反対する社民党に配慮し、日米の共同声明にある移設先の「辺野古」を、対処方針には明示しない方向で調整していた。だが、福島党首の罷免に伴い、対処方針にも「辺野古」を明記した。
It was reasonable that the government did not apply a "double standard." The DPJ wants to avoid losing the support of the SDP in the upcoming House of Councillors election with the departure of the SDP from the ruling coalition. But it is not a good idea to leave national security issues ambiguous in order to win an election. 「二重基準」をとらなかったのは当然のことだ。民主党には、社民党が政権を離脱し、参院選での選挙協力ができなくなる事態を避けたい思惑がある。だが、選挙目当てで、安全保障にかかわる問題をあいまいにすべきではない。
The SDP maintains such positions as urging that the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty be turned into a peace and friendship treaty and insisting that the SDF is unconstitutional. It was, from the beginning, unreasonable for the DPJ to form a coalition with a party whose policies significantly differ. 社民党は、「日米安保条約は平和友好条約に転換させる」「自衛隊は違憲状態」との見解を維持している。そもそも、民主党が、基本政策の異なる政党と連立を組んだこと自体に無理があった。
Hatoyama has also caused confusion by declaring he was seeking to wean the nation from its dependence on the United States, making the achievement of national security without a permanent U.S. military presence in Japan his pet policy. 鳩山首相自身が、「常時駐留なき安保」を持論とし、“米国離れ”志向を見せていたことも、混乱を招く一因となった。
The SDP adamantly opposed the relocation of the Futenma base within Okinawa Prefecture but failed to offer any feasible alternatives. The party in this sense cannot escape responsibility over the meandering course that the government took over the issue. 社民党は、県内移設に反対するばかりで、実現可能な対案を出さなかった。普天間問題の迷走への責任は免れない。
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Dissolve coalition with SDP ◆社民との連立解消を◆
Confrontation over foreign and security policies will continue as long as Hatoyama maintains the coalition with the SDP. The prime minister must not hesitate to dissolve the coalition with the SDP. 社民党との連立が続く限り、外交・安保政策をめぐり、対立が繰り返されるだろう。首相は、この際、社民党との連立解消をためらうべきではあるまい。
Hatoyama set a self-imposed deadline to settle the Futenma issue by the end of May. He loudly proclaimed that he would obtain consent from the Okinawa prefectural government, all municipal governments concerned in hosting replacement facilities, the United States and the ruling coalition partners. Until recently, he also reiterated he would stake his position on the issue. 首相は、問題決着に「５月末」の期限を自ら設けた。それまでに沖縄県、移設先の自治体、米国、連立与党の同意を得ると「大風呂敷」を広げたうえ、最近まで「職を賭す」などと言い続けた。
But the current situation, in which Hatoyama only obtained consent from the United States--while the prefectural and municipal governments and the SDP opposed the relocation plan--should be deemed a betrayal of his own words. ところが、実際は、米国との合意を得ただけで、沖縄も移設先も社民党も反対している現状は、これらの発言を裏切るものだ。
If the head of the government breaks his promise to the people of the nation, he could end public trust in politics. 政府の最高責任者が「国民との約束」を反故(ほご)にすれば、政治への信頼は地に落ちる。
Hatoyama apologized at a press conference Friday night for his Cabinet's failure to gain the understanding of the people of Okinawa or the leader of the SDP before making a decision on the Futenma issue, saying he was sorry. He also stressed his pledge to settle the issue, saying, "It's my duty to continue to tenaciously work on the base issue." However, this is not something he can simply apologize away. 鳩山首相は２８日夜の記者会見で「誠に申し訳ない思いでいっぱいだ」と謝り、「今後も粘り強く基地問題に取り組むことが自分の使命だ」と強調したが、単なる謝罪で済まされるものではない。
Confusion over the base issue arose because the Hatoyama administration excluded bureaucrats who are experts on the Futenma issue from the discussions, and also because the prime minister, who lacks knowledge, experience and insight, and his ministers took ad hoc and inconsistent approaches. これは、鳩山政権が、普天間問題に詳しい官僚を外し、知識と経験、洞察力の乏しい首相と担当閣僚がバラバラで場当たり的に取り組んだ結果である。
It is unfortunate that neither the prime minister or ministers in charge are taking responsibility for their serious mismanagement of government under their "politician-led" handling of government affairs and that no strong criticism of them is being heard within the DPJ. 名ばかりの「政治主導」で、重大な失政を犯しながら、首相も担当閣僚も責任をとらず、民主党内から強い批判も出ないのは、あまりにお粗末だ。
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Executive ability lacking
This all brings Hatoyama's aptitude for being the nation's leader into serious question. His comments on the issue changed almost every day, and he was not able to demonstrate leadership or decisiveness. 鳩山首相は、その資質に深刻な疑問符が付いている。首相発言は日替わりのように変わり、指導力も決断力も発揮できなかった。
Responsibility for consequences is the issue here. Nobody respects someone who simply says, "I tried, but I couldn't make it." 政治で問われるのは結果責任だ。努力したが、できなかったでは、誰も評価しない。
What is required of the prime minister is not expressing his own peculiar thoughts or pandering to people he is talking to. What is necessary is an executive ability to resolve problems by making a final decision, having a well-defined goal and having a good command of Cabinet ministers and bureaucrats. 首相に求められるのは、自己流の「思い」を語ったり、会談相手に迎合したりすることではない。着地点を見極めつつ、閣僚と官僚を使いこなし、最後は自ら決断して問題を解決する実行力だ。
◆同盟強化が緊急の課題◆ The mutual trust among the Japanese government, the United States, Okinawa Prefecture and relevant local governments is seriously damaged because of Hatoyama's lack of competence. 鳩山首相の力量不足により、日本政府と米国や沖縄県、関連自治体との信頼関係は、大きく損なわれてしまった。
At the same time, the situation on the Korean Peninsula has become tense following North Korea's torpedoing of a South Korean warship in March. Strengthening the Japan-U.S. alliance is an urgent task in view of the uncertainty in East Asia, including China's military build-up and demonstrations of its military might. 北朝鮮の魚雷攻撃による韓国軍哨戒艦沈没事件で、朝鮮半島情勢は緊迫している。中国軍の増強や示威的活動の多発など、不透明な東アジア情勢を踏まえれば、日米同盟の強化は緊急の課題だ。
The government must keep these things in mind and seriously work on resolving the Futenma issue, which is still only halfway completed. 政府は、その視点を忘れず、道半ばの普天間問題の解決に真剣に取り組まなければならない。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 29, 2010) （2010年5月29日01時14分 読売新聞）
(Mainichi Japan) May 29, 2010 Okinawa residents express outrage over Japan-U.S. agreement on Futenma relocation 普天間問題：「沖縄差別そのもの」…徹底抗戦の構え
NAHA -- Okinawa residents expressed outrage Friday over a Japan-U.S. agreement to relocate U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma within Okinawa Prefecture without their consent, calling the agreement "invalid" and vowing to step up protests. A joint Japan-U.S. statement on the relocation released Friday stated that the base would be relocated in the Henoko area and adjacent waters in the Okinawa Prefecture city of Nago. 「地元の頭越しの日米合意は無効だ」「沖縄の反撃はこれからだ」。 日米両政府が２８日に発表した米軍普天間飛行場（沖縄県宜野湾市）に関する共同声明は、移設先を同県名護市の「辺野古」と明記した。 地元の了解のないまま、両政府が一方的に移設先について合意したことに、沖縄県では県内各地で激しい怒りの声が渦巻いた。県外移設を求める声は強まるばかりで、沖縄は徹底抗戦の構えだ。【斎藤良太、徳野仁子、井本義親】
The same day residents held an emergency meeting on the grounds of the Nago City Hall in protest against the statement. Organizers said the city-sponsored meeting, which was held outdoors in the rain, attracted about 1,200 participants. 移設先とされた名護市では、日米共同声明に抗議する緊急市民集会が市役所中庭であった。市などが主催し、雨の中、約１２００人（主催者発表）が参加。地元の頭越しでの日米合意に激しい怒りをぶつけた。
"We are boiling with rage like magma," said a 70-year-old farmer representing residents. "Can you call someone a prime minister after doing something like deceiving you?" Making a reference to Hatoyama's political philosophy of "fraternal love," he added: "Wouldn't true fraternal love be to reach out to the people who are suffering over the base issue? Our real fight starts from here." His comments drew applause from the crowd. 市民代表として登壇した農業、比嘉盛順さん（７０）が「マグマのような怒りが煮えたぎっている。人をだますようなことをして、首相と言えるのか。基地問題に苦しむ人に手をさしのべるのが、真の友愛ではないのか。これからが本当の闘いだ」と決意を表明すると、会場から拍手や歓声がわいた。
At the end of the gathering, protestors adopted a call for the abolishment of the Japan-U.S. joint statement, saying, "An agreement that forces yet another base on Okinawa is nothing more than discrimination against Okinawa." 集会は最後に「沖縄にさらに新たな基地を押しつけようとする合意は『沖縄差別』そのもの」として日米共同声明の撤回を求めるアピール文を採択した。
A separate protest was staged in the square in front of the Okinawa Prefectural Government offices in Naha, with about 1,500 in attendance, according to organizers. Diet members from the prefecture and Okinawa Prefectural Assembly members addressed the protesters, calling for the abolishment of the Japan-U.S. joint statement and other action. また、那覇市の県庁前広場であった抗議集会にも、労組や市民ら約１５００人（主催者発表）が駆けつけた。 県選出国会議員や県議らが次々とマイクを握り、日米共同声明の破棄などを訴えた。
Chobin Sugeran, a Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) member of the House of Representatives who is from Okinawa Prefecture, said the joint statement was meaningless. "The DPJ on the mainland and the DPJ in Okinawa are different. A joint statement that has no local consent has no meaning," he said to applause. 民主党の瑞慶覧長敏衆院議員（沖縄４区）が「本土の民主党と沖縄の民主党は違う。 地元合意のない共同声明には何の意味もない」と訴えると、会場からは拍手が起こった。
Protesters ended the gathering with chants of, "Prefectural residents do not accept the Japan-U.S. agreement," and "Stop passing bases around the prefecture." 最後に「日米合意を県民は認めないぞ」「基地の県内たらい回しをやめろ」などとシュプレヒコールで気勢を上げた。
The Yomiuri Shimbun (May. 29, 2010) New Keidanren chief has tough row to hoe 米倉経団連発足 逆風はね返し成長の実現を（5月28日付・読売社説）
Sumitomo Chemical Co. Chairman Hiromasa Yonekura has taken office as the new chief of the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren). 日本経団連の会長に、住友化学会長の米倉弘昌氏が就任した。
One challenge awaiting the new chairman of the nation's largest business lobby will be to confront the increasingly hostile environment surrounding the Japanese economy. 新会長を待つのは、日本経済を取り巻く環境の厳しさだ。
The domestic economy is shrinking due to deflation. Aggressive business activities in overseas markets by companies from emerging Asian and other economies are putting Japanese corporations' hard-earned international standing at risk. 国内経済はデフレによる市場の縮小に直面している。海外市場でも、アジアなど新興国企業の攻勢を受け、日本企業は国際的な地位を脅かされつつある。
Making matters worse, the administration of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama continues to implement economic policies that could antagonize the corporate sector. Last year's change of government has weakened the relationship between political circles and the business community, contributing to a decline in Nippon Keidanren's influence. しかも鳩山政権は、企業を敵対視するような経済政策を続けている。昨年の政権交代で、経済界と政治の関係が希薄になり、経団連の影響力も低下している。
With Yonekura at its helm, Nippon Keidanren must overcome these challenges and spearhead efforts to achieve economic growth. 米倉経団連は、こうした逆風をはね返し、経済成長を実現する先頭に立たねばならない。
In April, Nippon Keidanren put forward a growth strategy whose pillars included measures to increase the international competitiveness of domestic corporations and reform the tax and fiscal systems. An immediate task for the economic organization is to ensure its proposals are sufficiently reflected in a growth strategy the government will announce soon. 経団連は４月、企業の国際競争力強化や税財政改革を柱とした成長戦略を提言した。当面の課題は、この提言内容を、政府が近く打ち出す成長戦略にどこまで反映させることができるかだろう。
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Intl competitiveness falling
According to an international competitiveness yearbook compiled by a Swiss management research organ, Japan slumped to 27th this year, down from 17th in 2009. Japan has fallen behind China and South Korea in international corporate competitiveness. スイスの調査機関がまとめた今年の国際競争力ランキングで、日本は昨年の１７位から２７位へと大きく順位を落とし、中国や韓国より下位に転落した。
The nation's high corporate tax rate, a major factor behind the decline, has done much to undermine domestic companies' vitality. The high-cost structure of the nation's corporate sector, including the high tax rate, could accelerate an "industrial hollowing-out"--the drain of domestic manufacturing bases to other nations. その要因の一つである国際的に高い法人税率は、日本企業の活力を損なっている。税金を含む高コスト体質は、生産拠点が海外に流出する「産業空洞化」を加速させかねない。
Some members of the Hatoyama administration support Nippon Keidanren's proposal to lower the corporate tax rate. They should urge the government to reduce the tax rate as soon as possible. 経団連が提言する法人税率の引き下げについて、鳩山政権内にも賛同する声がある。政府に働きかけ、早期に実現を図るべきだ。
In some cases, success--or the lack of it--in winning contracts for construction and other infrastructure projects in emerging economies can primarily depend on whether bidders have the support of their governments. Winning contracts for such projects requires public-private cooperation. 新興国の社会基盤（インフラ）投資の受注などは、政府の後押しが決め手になる場合があり、官民の連携が求められる。
Given this fact, the government and business circles in this country have every reason to cooperate in this respect. By the same token, there are times when the business community must resolutely oppose government policies. こうした点で政府と経済界が協力するのは当然だ。しかし、経済界は、毅然(きぜん)として政府に異を唱えなければならない時もある。
It should persist in urging the government to revamp policies that could weigh on the corporate sector, including a ban on dispatching temporary workers to manufacturers and a far-reaching 25 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions. 製造業の派遣労働禁止や温室効果ガスの２５％削減など、企業活動の重荷になりかねない政策に対しては、粘り強く修正を求める必要があろう。
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Time for strategy rethink
Meanwhile, domestic corporations must reform themselves. Admittedly, there has been a long-awaited improvement in the corporate sector's performance. However, this gradual recovery is mainly attributable to increased profits arising from cuts in production and other costs, and comes despite falling earnings. This is to say the corporate sector has yet to grow out of its defensive mentality when it comes to devising business strategies. 一方、企業自らの改革も欠かせない。業績はようやく上向きつつあるが、コスト削減による「減収増益」が中心で、守りの経営から脱し切れていない。
The corporate sector also should rethink its overseas strategy. It will be impossible to tap expanding middle-income groups in emerging nations if the sector adheres to the formula that has hitherto been successful in overseas markets--that is, high-quality products can sell well even if they have high prices. 海外戦略の練り直しも重要だ。品質が良ければ高くても売れるといった過去の「成功体験」にすがっていては、拡大する新興国の中間所得層は取り込めまい。
Yonekura reportedly said he intends to put together a new growth strategy that will encourage private corporations to go it alone, without relying on the government. We hope the new Nippon Keidanren chief will advance proposals bursting with daring entrepreneurial spirit. 米倉新会長は、政府に頼らずに民間企業の自立を促す、新たな成長戦略を策定する意向という。攻めの企業家精神にあふれた提言になるよう期待したい。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun,May 28, 2010) （2010年5月28日01時26分 読売新聞）
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is the daughter of one of Burma's most cherished heroes, the martyred General Aung San, who led his country's fight for independence from Great Britain in the 1940s and was killed for his beliefs in 1947. Suu Kyi has equaled her father's heroics with her calm but passionate advocacy of freedom and democracy in the country now called Myanmar, a name chosen by one of the most insensitive and brutal military dictatorships in the world.
News Alert: Obama orders halt to operations at all 33 deep-water rigs in the Gulf 速報：オバマ大統領オイル流出をとめるための３３箇所にわたる深海ボーリング措置を中止
01:23 PM EDT Thursday, May 27, 2010
Obama announces a halt to drilling operations at all 33 deep-water rigs in the Gulf of Mexico for 6 months or until a presidential commission completes its work. Some of the rigs are already drilling and will have to stop. Others were preparing to drill and will have to stop those preparations until the commission finishes.
The Yomiuri Shimbun (May. 28, 2010) How should Japan boost competitiveness? 産業ビジョン 日本の競争力をどう強化する（5月27日付・読売社説）
What can Japan do to find a way out of the stalling economy and boost its international competitiveness? The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry has come up with a review of the nation's industrial policy. 日本経済の行き詰まりを打破し、競争力を強化するにはどうすべきか。経済産業省が産業政策の見直しを打ち出した。
The review refers to the ministry's "Industrial Structure Vision," which serves as a guideline for the nation's economic revitalization. The government hopes to make this a major pillar of the new growth strategy that it plans to decide on in June. 経済再生の指針とする「産業構造ビジョン」のことである。政府が６月中に策定する新成長戦略の柱にしたい考えだ。
As such countries as China and South Korea are quickly catching up with Japan, Japan's international competitiveness is on the decline. 日本は中国や韓国などに猛追され、競争力は相対的に低下している。
With the declining population at home, economic expansion will be limited if the nation relies too much on domestic demand. On the other hand, Japanese companies are accelerating their transfer of production abroad, raising the fear of a hollowing out of domestic industries. This sense of alarm underlies the ministry's vision. 人口減少で、内需だけでは先細りだ。一方で、企業の海外移転が加速し、国内産業の空洞化も懸念される――。そうした危機感がビジョンの背景にある。
The Yomiuri Shimbun made an emergency proposal in early May, calling on the government to advance bold policies for the nation's economic reconstruction. The ministry's vision contains many points that overlap with those contained in the proposal. Both are probably aiming at similar targets. 読売新聞社は５月初め、経済再生に向けて大胆な政策展開を求める緊急提言を行った。ビジョンは本紙提言と重なる内容が多い。目指す方向は同じだろう。
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5% tax cut in works
It is noteworthy that the administration of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has for the first time made clear its intention to lower the effective corporate tax rate by about 5 percent in the next fiscal year and lower it further to a range of 25 percent to 30 percent in the future.
Compared with corporate tax rates of about 30 percent in European countries and 25 percent or less in other Asian countries, Japan's effective corporate tax rate of 40.69 percent is strikingly high. 欧州の３０％前後、アジアの２５％以下に比べると、日本の実効税率は４０・６９％と突出して高い。
Such heavy tax burdens deprive Japanese businesses of their corporate vitality, causing them to curb capital investment and reducing their international competitiveness. 重い税負担が企業活力を奪い、設備投資などを抑制させて競争力を低下させている。
Many foreign companies are apparently reluctant to advance into the Japanese market because of the high corporate tax rate, which might partly explain the sluggish foreign investment in Japan. 日本への進出を躊躇(ちゅうちょ)する外国企業が多く、対日投資が伸びない原因でもある。
The Yomiuri Shimbun has proposed that the corporate tax rate be lowered to a range of between 20 and 30 percent. The government should accelerate internal discussion and slash the corporate tax at the earliest possible time. 本紙は法人税の２０％台への引き下げを提言した。政府内で議論を加速し、税率の大幅引き下げを早期に実現すべきだ。
The ministry's vision also points out the need to reinforce the framework of public-private cooperation in promoting the export of such infrastructure-related technologies as nuclear power generation systems and high-speed railways to other Asian countries or elsewhere. アジアなど向けに、原子力発電所や新幹線などの社会基盤を売り込む、官民を挙げた体制強化の必要性もビジョンは指摘した。
We can expect great demand for social infrastructure abroad, involving a large sum of money. It is important for the government to adopt a strategy to pursue the benefits of expansion in both domestic and foreign demand. 海外では巨額のインフラ需要が期待できる。内需と外需の二兎(にと)を追う戦略が肝要だ。
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'All Japan' system needed
Nevertheless, the international competition with countries in Europe, the United States and such Asian rivals as South Korea is fierce. For Japan--which has lagged behind these rivals in the export of infrastructure-related systems--to win the market competition, it has to establish an "All Japan" system and promote comprehensive support for the projects. Such support should range from the provision of funds to after-sales services, with the prime minister and concerned ministers showing diplomatic leadership. だが、欧米や韓国などとの競争も激しい。出遅れを挽回(ばんかい)するため、資金提供からアフターサービスまで、首相や閣僚を先頭に、オールジャパンで市場を勝ち取らねばなるまい。
The ministry's vision also includes the reinforcement of five strategic areas such as the development of next-generation vehicles, as well as the expansion of the economic partnership accords with other countries. ビジョンは、次世代自動車など五つの重点戦略分野の強化、経済連携協定（ＥＰＡ）の拡大なども盛り込んだ。
The government needs to tackle all these measures expeditiously to boost Japan's competitiveness in the international market. Japanese businesses should not lose business projects despite having superior technological prowess. 日本の競争力を強化するには、いずれも急いで取り組むべきテーマだ。技術で勝って、ビジネスで負ける事態は望ましくない。
Yet the mere presentation of the vision without its realization would be of no practical use. ただ、ビジョンを提示しても、実現できなければ絵に描いた餅に終わる。
Because the vision may conflict with similar growth strategies being advocated by other ministries including the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry, the government must coordinate these views and clearly prioritize policies. 国土交通省など他省の成長戦略とも競合するが、政府全体として調整し、政策の優先順位を明確にしなければならない。
The speed with which these policies are carried out will be a test for the political leadership in the days ahead. 日本の成長に弾みをつけるには、政治の指導力と、政策を実行するスピードが問われよう。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 27, 2010) （2010年5月27日02時04分 読売新聞）
(Mainichi Japan) May 27, 2010 Why is the U.S. sticking to relocating Futenma to Henoko? 木語：辺野古の核貯蔵施設＝金子秀敏 ＜ｍｏｋｕ－ｇｏ＞
Why do Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's words sound so light? 鳩山由紀夫首相の言葉を軽く感じるのはなぜだろう。
The weightlessness of his words obviously reminds numerous members of the public of an old buzzword, "burikko," which refers to someone who pretends to be good or cute. Kawaiko burikko means girls who try to act cute in the presence of boys in a bid to attract them, while iiko burikko refers to children who always try to be good boys or girls. むかし「ぶりっこ」という言葉があった。男の気を引くためにわざと女らしい仕草をするのは「かわい子ぶりっこ」。いつもいい子になるのは「いい子ぶりっこ」。
Hatoyama is a kind of iiko burikko. When he talked about the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, he insisted on "relocation out of the prefecture at least." When he met with U.S. President Barack Obama, he said, "Trust me," in English. 鳩山首相は、いい子ぶりっこだ。普天間飛行場の移設先は「最低でも県外」だし、オバマ米大統領に会えば「トラスト・ミー」と英語が出る。
Referring to U.S. Marines in Okinawa, he remarked, "As I learned about the situation, I came to notice they play an important role as a deterrent." He also said the reclamation of the sea off Camp Schwab in the Henoko district of Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, to build a substitute facility for Futenma base is a "profanation of nature." 沖縄の海兵隊は「学べば学ぶほど抑止力」で、沖縄の海を埋め立てるのは「自然への冒〓（ぼうとく）」である。
After the government's plan to relocate Futenma base out of Okinawa failed, he visited Okinawa and apologized to local residents saying, "We have no choice but to ask the community in an area around Henoko to host a substitute facility. It was a heartbreaking decision for me." それが行き詰まると、沖縄に出向いて「辺野古付近にお願いせざるを得ないとの結論に至った」と「断腸の思い」の謝罪をした。
Any word uttered by a prime minister is heavy. However, Hatoyama's words that should be heavy sound so light because he utters them so easily. 首相の言葉はどれをとっても非常に重い。その重い言葉がぺらぺらひらひら飛び交うから、軽く感じるのである。
The Okinawa governor as well as the mayors of the municipalities affected by the base relocation cannot help but wonder what to do with the fists they raised in anger in front of the iiko burikko, who bows his head so easily. あっさり頭を下げるいい子に向かって、沖縄県の知事も市長も振り上げたこぶしのやりばに困る。
It is obviously the case with Sadakazu Tanigaki, leader of the largest opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). 野党自民党の谷垣禎一総裁もやりにくいだろう。
"Since the prime minister said he would stake his job on the settlement of the issue, he should either resign or ask the public whether to support his administration," Tanigaki said. However, Tanigaki appears to lack the drive to force Hatoyama to dissolve the House of Representatives for a snap general election. 「職を賭すと言った首相は、辞めるか国民に信を問うべきだ」と語ったものの、本気で解散に追い込む気迫は感じない。
The previous LDP-led administration worked out the original plan to relocate Air Station Futenma to Henoko. Since the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ)-led administration says it will adopt and implement the plan, it would be irrational for the LDP to voice opposition to it and urge the prime minister to dissolve the chamber. そもそも普天間飛行場を辺野古に移設するというのは自民党政権下でできた案である。それを鳩山政権が採用するというのだから、これに反対して解散に追い込むのは筋が通らない。
The LDP should reverse its way of thinking. The LDP now has a good opportunity to demonstrate to the public that it can support the Japan-U.S. security arrangement by persuading Okinawa to accept the relocation of Futenma base to Henoko. If it can do this, it will open the way for the LDP to regain control of the government. 自民党は発想の転換をしたらどうだろう。民主党を差し置いて辺野古移設で地元沖縄を説得し、日米安保体制を支えるのは自民党という軸を明確にするチャンスだ。これができれば政権奪取に活路が開ける。
In any case, one cannot help but wonder why Washington is sticking to the plan to move the base to Henoko. それにつけても、米国はなぜ辺野古にこだわるのか。
A clue to the question can be found in a copy of a Japan-U.S. secret agreement on nuclear weapons in Okinawa, which was found in the drawer of the late former Prime Minister Eisaku Sato's desk earlier this spring. 今年の春、佐藤栄作元首相の机の引き出しの中から発見された「沖縄核密約」にはこのようなやりとりがあった。
The document states that the U.S. government requires that nuclear arsenals in Kadena, Naha and an area around Henoko, Okinawa Prefecture, be kept operational at all times so that they can be used in any serious emergency situation. 「（米国政府は）沖縄に現存する核貯蔵施設の所在地である嘉手納、那覇、辺野古及びナイキ・ハーキュリーズ基地を、いつでも使用可能な状態で維持し、重大な緊急事態の際には実際に使用できるよう求める」
It also says the Japanese government will be prepared to meet these requirements in cases where prior consultations are held over the use of the arsenals. 「（日本国政府は）そのような事前協議が行われた場合には、これらの要件を遅滞なく満たすであろう」
Then Prime Minister Sato and then U.S. President Richard Nixon signed the document designated as "top secret." 末尾に最高機密の指定とニクソン大統領、佐藤首相の署名がある。
The document shows that there was a nuclear arsenal in Henoko and that the two countries secretly agreed that U.S. forces would bring nuclear arms into the facility in case of a military conflict. 辺野古には核貯蔵施設があり、有事には核兵器をまた運びこむ密約である。
It raises suspicions that if a secret nuclear facility still exists in Henoko, what is called a "deterrent in Okinawa" refers to the facility. If so, no wonder the United States is sticking to relocating Futenma base to Henoko. 貯蔵施設が今でもあるなら、沖縄の「抑止力」の正体はこれではないか。それなら米国が辺野古に固執する理由も見える。
Lawyers for fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra filed an appeal yesterday seeking to revoke his arrest warrant on terrorism charges, issued on Tuesday. タクシン元首相の弁護士たちは５月２６日にタクシン元首相に出されているテロリストとしての逮捕状を撤回するよう求めた。
"I am prepared to explain to the court that core leaders of the red shirts were responsible for every move at the rally without any influence from Thaksin," he said. 今回のデモ騒乱に関してタクシン元首相はなんら関与していない。 赤シャツ隊の指導者たちの裁量ですべてなされたものである。
He said he could vouch for Thaksin that he was not a terrorist as charged. 弁護士はタクシン元首相がテロリストではないことを確信している。
Commenting on video links between Thaksin and the rally, he said Thaksin's last message to the rally was made on April 3, before the state of emergency was imposed on April 7. デモ隊とタクシン元首相の間でかわされたビデオリンク（実況中継）に関して弁護団は言及した。 タクシン元首相がデモ隊とビデオで交信したのは４月３日が最後であり、国家非常事態宣言はその後４月７日に発令されている。
During the emergency rule, Thaksin made just one video link to the rally in order to dispel a rumour about his death, he said. 緊急時の手段として、タクシン元首相はタクシン死亡説を一掃するために一回だけビデオ交信をした。
The defence contends the rally was declared unlawful and unconstitutional following the enforcement of emergency rule. 現政権は国家非常事態宣言発令後、デモが違法かつ憲法に違反して行われたと主張している。
Under Article 135/1 of the Criminal Code, a terrorism charge is not applicable to activities of public assembly as sanctioned by the Constitution. 犯罪コード135/1の規定では憲法により保証されている市民の集会に対してはテロリズムの条項は適用できない。
Interpol not act on political arrest warrant : Thaksin 国際刑事警察機構タクシン元首相の逮捕要請を拒否
The Thai Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Thaksin on terrorism charges for allegedly involving in the red protests in Bangkok that left 88 people dead. "In my mind, I always advocate ... peaceful protest," he said. "Thailand needs reconciliation." He described the burning of buildings blamed on his supporters as a "set up." "The big fire ... must be the work of (a) professional," he said. He said it was "definitely" not the work of a red shirt and "it must be well planned ahead." "As an ex-police (officer), I can assure you that this is a well planned and professionally done" act of arson, he said. Meanwhile he told New York Times he did not finance or organize the Red Shirt movement that had staged a two-month sit-in here. "No, no, no," he said. As evidence, he said that during the military crackdown last week when 15 people died, "I was in Paris ? they sent my picture ? shopping at Louis Vuitton with my daughter." After that, as red shirt leaders were being rounded up and arrested in Thailand, he said, he went to the Cannes film festival. "I am in contact with them, and they ask for advice sometimes," he said, describing his relationship with the protest leaders. Some of those leaders asserted that he was more directly involved. The telephone interview was one of several media interviews organized by lawyers for Thaksin, who was speaking from an undisclosed location outside Thailand, on the same day they filed an appeal against the terrorism accusation; the charge carries a maximum sentence of death. "I have been in Uganda, Moscow, Saudi and Lebanon," he said, naming just a few of the countries he has visited on what seems an endless world tour. "During what is happening in Thailand, I'm traveling for my business in many countries," he said. "How can I become a terrorist?"
note: 国際刑事警察機構とは ↓ Interpol, acronym for the International Criminal Police Organization, a worldwide clearinghouse for police information. Conceived in 1914, Interpol was formally established in 1923 with headquarters at Vienna. In 1938, it was effectively disbanded by Hitler's Anschluss of Austria. After World War II, the agency was reconstituted (1946) with headquarters in Paris. Its principal services are to provide its 188 member nations with information on the whereabouts of international criminals, to organize seminars on scientific crime detection, and to facilitate the apprehension of criminals. It does not apprehend criminals directly; Interpol has no officials who do policing or criminal investigative work. The organization claims to avoid those crimes that deal with political, military, religious, or racial matters. Interpol has been most successful with regard to counterfeiting, forgery, smuggling, and the narcotics trade.
Richard G. Drew, who had developed masking tape in 1926, took the idea a step further, and on this date in 1930, he and his employers at the 3M Company received a patent for cellophane ? aka scotch ? tape. 3M's main product before that was sandpaper. Drew was delivering sandpaper to auto manufacturers, and saw that they were having trouble keeping a neat line between the colors on two-toned cars. He came up with an adhesive tape that would lift easily off the car, without lifting the paint at the same time. When he then invented the transparent cellophane tape, it became a consumer favorite. Buyers immediately put it to work to: mend a book, put a note on a neighbor's door, wrap a package, seal an envelope whose glue has gone dry, temporarily reattach a flapping sole to the rest of your shoe, mat a picture, repair a torn check...
The Yomiuri Shimbun (May. 27, 2010) Step up the fight against amakudari 公益法人仕分け 天下りと独占受注を是正せよ（5月26日付・読売社説）
Budget screening by a government panel has underlined the need to sever the cozy relationship between public-interest corporations and former government officials who land lucrative jobs at these organizations--a practice called amakudari. In a typical case, these institutions monopolize government orders for certain operations and use their profits to pay high salaries to the former bureaucrats. 公益法人が国から事業を独占的に受注し、その利益を天下りしてきた官僚ＯＢの高額な給与に充てる。そんな癒着の構図に、徹底してメスを入れる必要がある。
The Government Revitalization Unit has completed the latest round of budget screening aimed at weeding out wasteful spending at public-interest corporations and other entities. Among 82 programs undertaken by 70 corporations, the panel proposed 37 programs be abolished, including management of airport parking lots by the Airport Environment Improvement Foundation, and the Japan Center for Local Autonomy's lottery promotional activities. 政府の行政刷新会議が、公益法人などを対象とする４日間の事業仕分け作業を終えた。７０法人の８２事業のうち、空港環境整備協会の空港駐車場管理、自治総合センターの宝くじの普及広報など、３７事業を廃止すべきだと判定した。
Previous budget screening sessions lacked a strategic perspective and smacked of political grandstanding. During the latest round that lasted four days, however, the unit dealt with a number of issues more familiar to the public and ripe for screening. If the panel's work helps correct problems that have gone unaddressed for years despite getting under the skin of many people, it would be a worthy achievement. 従来の事業仕分けは、戦略的視点を欠き、政治ショーの色彩が濃かったが、今回は、国民に身近で、仕分け向きのテーマが多かった。長年、多くの人が疑問を感じながら手付かずだった弊害が是正されるなら、成果と言えよう。
Currently, the Japan Traffic Safety Association is the sole organization commissioned to give courses to drivers when they renew their licenses. The panel called for this work to no longer be entrusted to a specific institution, and instead recommended the responsibility be shared by organizations chosen through open competition. The proposal aims to cut expenses--including the cost of producing booklets given to each driver--to reduce the cost of renewing a driver's license. 全日本交通安全協会による運転免許の更新時講習は、実施機関を１団体に任せず、競争的手法で決定するよう求めた。教本の作成を含め、コストを削減し、免許更新者の負担を軽くするためだ。
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Public losing out
The panel also questioned the certification program for fire extinguishers and other devices that is the exclusive domain of the Japan Fire Equipment Inspection Institute. The unit called for the program to be reviewed and private firms allowed to enter the business, saying it is problematic that the government has handed the institute a monopoly in this field. 日本消防検定協会の消火器などの検定業務も、国からの独占的な権限付与は問題だとして、民間参入できるよう見直しを求めた。
If the government assigns authority for a specific program to a single institution, its high-cost structure will remain unchanged because there is no competition to encourage it to cut costs. Commissioning programs to public-interest organizations is intended to make these operations more efficient. When the reality runs counter to the original purpose, the public loses out. 国が１団体だけに権限を与えれば、競争原理が働かず、高コスト体質は避けられない。公益法人への業務委託は、効率化が目的なのに、逆行しているようでは困る。
JKA, a public-interest corporation under the jurisdiction of the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry, provides subsidies funded by proceeds from keirin bicycle races. But the government panel decided the programs should be suspended until JKA tightens its "lenient" screening system. The panel also pointed out that many former ministry officials had slipped into cushy positions at organizations that received subsidies from JKA. 経済産業省所管の公益法人ＪＫＡは、競輪の売上金の一部を使った補助事業について「審査が甘い」として「審査体制を強化するまでは廃止」と判定された。補助金の交付団体に多数の経産省ＯＢが天下っている問題も指摘された。
But the problem with public-interest corporations does not stop there. Taxpayers' money and some of the handling fees charged by the corporations end up paying the huge salaries of retired government officials. This setup grates with the public. 競輪の売上金に限らず、税金や手数料の一部が、天下り官僚の高額な給与に浪費される構造は、国民の納得が得られない。
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DPJ facing uphill battle
A Yomiuri Shimbun survey showed that of 70 public corporations subject to the screening, 69 had accepted a total of 334 former bureaucrats as executives. The survey also showed 27 institutions had received a total of 74.6 billion yen a year in subsidies and commission fees from the central government and independent administrative institutions. 読売新聞の調査では、仕分け対象の７０法人のうち、６９法人に官僚ＯＢ３３４人が役員として天下りしていた。一方で、国や独立行政法人からの補助金・委託費は、２７法人で年間７４６億円に上る。
Reemployment of former bureaucrats should not be ruled out, provided they take positions that require their expertise. However, the government must cut the number of bureaucrats riding the amakudari gravy train, and the subsidies being dished out to public corporations. 適材適所の再就職までは否定しないとしても、天下りと補助金の双方を減らすことが必要だ。
At the same time, the central government should urgently review the current practice of urging its officials to leave their jobs before reaching retirement age, thereby reducing the number of amakudari bureaucrats. This would require the introduction of a new government personnel system that enables bureaucrats to work until retirement age. 同時に、天下りを減らす前提として、国家公務員の早期勧奨退職の慣行を見直し、公務員が定年まで働ける新しい人事システムの検討・導入を急がねばなるまい。
The outcome of budget screening so far suggests the Democratic Party of Japan will have its work cut out to meet its campaign pledge for last year's House of Representatives election to dig up 6.1 trillion yen by cutting subsidies to independent administrative institutions and public-interest corporations, among other measures. これまでの事業仕分けの実績を見る限り、独法や公益法人の補助金削減などで「６・１兆円を節約」とした昨年衆院選の民主党の政権公約は到底実現しそうにない。
The DPJ will need to clearly explain how it intends to address this shortcoming. 民主党は、この点について明確な説明が求められる。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 26, 2010) （2010年5月26日01時00分 読売新聞）
(Mainichi Japan) May 26, 2010 Overcome challenges to maintain confidence in prosecution inquest system 社説：検察審査会 課題克服し信頼保とう
The prosecution inquest system, under which panels comprised of those selected from members of the general public scrutinize whether prosecutors' decisions not to indict crime suspects are appropriate, is drawing growing attention from the public. 検察の不起訴処分が適切かどうかを市民が判断する検察審査会制度が注目されている。
Under the system, a prosecution inquest committee recommends that a suspect who evaded prosecution should be indicted if at least eight of its 11 members vote for it. 審査員１１人中８人以上が「起訴すべきだ」に賛成すれば起訴相当の議決となる。
A prosecution inquest committee unanimously voted to recommend that ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Secretary-General Ichiro Ozawa be indicted for violating the Law to Regulate Money Used for Political Activities over a political funding scandal involving his political fund management body. 民主党の小沢一郎幹事長の資金管理団体を巡る事件では先月、全員一致で起訴相当を議決した。
Under the law regulating the system amended in May last year, if such a panel votes for a second time to recommend that a suspect be prosecuted, a court-appointed panel of lawyers indicts the suspect on behalf of prosecutors. 昨年５月施行の改正法で権限が強化され、起訴相当２回で強制的に起訴される。
The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office once again decided not to indict Ozawa for a lack of evidence. If the panel votes again to recommend that he be indicted, he will be forcibly charged. Therefore, citizens appointed to prosecution inquest panels are required to assume heavy responsibilities. 東京地検が再び不起訴としたが、検審が再度、起訴すべきだと議決すれば、小沢氏は起訴される。実に重い判断を市民が担う。
Over the past year, prosecution inquest committees have recommended that suspects be prosecuted in a series of widely publicized cases that had a huge impact on society, stirring criticism of the system. Some legal experts question whether those who are not professionals should be allowed to decide whether to indict suspects through their emotional judgments, even though "reflecting on the sense of ordinary citizens" for criminal justice sounds justifiable. この１年、兵庫県明石市の歩道橋事故とＪＲ福知山線脱線事故で、元警察副署長と歴代社長らが既に強制起訴になっている。 社会的影響が大きい事件・事故で起訴相当の議決が相次ぎ、制度に批判的な声も出始めた。市民感覚といえば聞こえがいいが、素人の感情的な判断で重大な刑事処分を決めていいのか、といったものだ。
However, the panels make judgments while considering court precedence and the opinions of lawyers who join them as advisers. Therefore, even if the panels' evaluation of evidence is different from that made by prosecutors, it cannot be immediately determined that members of such panels made emotional judgments. だが、補助役の弁護士が加わり、判例なども踏まえて判断している。結果的に証拠に対する評価が検察とは異なっても、感情優先の議決をしたとは評価できまい。
After the recommendation that Ozawa be prosecuted, a DPJ parliamentary league pointed to the possibility of reviewing the system. The move appears to be hasty and opportunistic, even though anyone can freely discuss the issue. 小沢氏の議決後、民主党の議連が検審制度見直しに言及した。議論は自由だが、性急でご都合主義的だ。
In Japan, over 99 percent of those indicted are convicted, an extremely high level as compared with those in the West. This is because prosecutors who have the discretionary power to indict suspects file charges only in cases where they are confident that the defendants will be convicted. ９９％を超える日本の有罪率は、欧米に比べて断トツに高い。起訴裁量権を持つ検察が有罪を確信する事件しか起訴しないからである。
As a result, Japan's criminal justice system is dominated by legal professionals and closed to the public. Reflecting on this problem, the judicial system should be reformed into a more open one that reflects ordinary citizens' sound common sense. The lay judge system has been introduced and the prosecution inquest system strengthened as a means of the democratization of the judicial system. だが、このような刑事司法システムが、専門家だけの閉じた世界を作った。その反省を踏まえ、市民の「健全な社会常識」を取り入れた風通しのよいシステムに変えようというのが司法改革の原点である。いわば司法の民主化の手段として、裁判員制度が導入され、検審の機能強化が図られたのである。
Prosecution inquest panels' recommendations that suspects be indicted are not demands that suspects be convicted. Through such recommendations, the panels rather leave judgment to the courts. Defendants in criminal trials are presumed to be innocent until final rulings are handed down on them, and court-appointed lawyers who indict suspects on behalf of prosecutors are responsible for proving that they are guilty. Members of the general public are required to raise their own awareness of these rules on criminal justice. 検審の起訴相当議決は「裁判で有罪にしろ」ということではない。裁判で決着すべきだとの意思表示である。被告には無罪推定が働き、有罪立証の責任は、検察官役の弁護士にある。刑事司法のルールについて私たち自身の意識改革が必要だ。
Needless to say, politicians suspected of involvement in incidents are required to fulfill their accountability apart from criminal responsibility. To that end, they are required to provide a clear explanation of such cases at important stages of developments in the incidents. むろん、政治家が絡む事件では、刑事責任と別に政治責任が生じる。その説明責任がさまざまな節目で問われるのは言うまでもない。
Problems involving the prosecution inquest system have also surfaced. How such panels make judgments are completely withheld. 新たな制度の課題も浮き彫りになってきた。どんな議論を経て結論に至ったのか一切、表に出てこない。
Since they have broad authority, they need to disclose certain information on their decisions, including the process of their deliberations. 強大な権限を持つ以上、審議経過も含め一定の情報公開は必要だ。
They should also ensure that the wording of their decisions is objective to avoid giving the public the impression that they make decisions based on emotional judgments. また、「市民感覚」を「市民感情」と判断されないために、客観性を保った表現など議決書の書き方にも工夫を重ねてほしい。
Various challenges should be overcome to ensure that prosecution inquest system retains the public's confidence. 課題を克服し、広く国民の信頼を得る制度にしていきたい。
If you're looking for a job, the employment section of the newspaper is often a good place to start. The first American woman in space got there by answering such an ad. When she was 26 years old, with four degrees already under her belt, Sally Ride saw an advertisement for an astronaut program placed by NASA in the Stanford University newspaper. Ride and some 8,000 others responded; 35 were accepted to the program, including six women, Sally Ride among them. Six years later, Ride went up in the maiden voyage of the space shuttle Challenger; in 1984, she returned to space, this time on an eight-day mission. Ride has written several books for children, all of them about space and the solar system, and she has created organizations to encourage girls to pursue studies in math, science and technology. Happy birthday to Sally Ride, who turns 59 today.
The Yomiuri Shimbun (May. 26, 2010) UNSC must condemn North Korean attack 韓国大統領談話 安保理は北朝鮮の責任を問え（5月25日付・読売社説）
South Korean President Lee Myung Bak said Monday in a nationwide speech that the March 26 sinking of a South Korean naval patrol ship was "a military provocation by North Korea" and that Seoul would refer the incident to the U.N. Security Council and ask the international community to discuss severe punishment for Pyongyang. 韓国の李明博大統領が国民向けの談話で、哨戒艦の沈没事件を「北朝鮮の軍事的挑発」だと断定し、国連安全保障理事会に提起して厳しく責任を問う方針を表明した。
A multinational team of investigators concluded last week, based on physical evidence, that a torpedo attack by a North Korean submarine destroyed the Cheonan corvette, killing 46 sailors near the Koreas' western maritime border. As the South Korean president said, this is nothing but an act of war. 乗組員４６人の命を奪った沈没事件の原因については、先に国際的な合同調査団が、「北朝鮮の魚雷攻撃だった」とする結果を物的証拠とともに明らかにしている。大統領が言うとおり、「戦争行為」以外のなにものでもあるまい。
It is a matter of course for the Security Council to condemn North Korea over such an outrage. 安保理は当然、こうした非道な行為を指弾すべきである。
Much of the diplomatic focus is currently on how China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council, will respond to this situation. Beijing has so far been very cautious about discussing the sinking in the council, which will make it difficult for the Security Council not only to issue a resolution for additional sanctions but even to issue a presidential statement condemning North Korea. 焦点は、拒否権を持つ常任理事国の中国の対応だ。事件を安保理で扱うことに慎重で、これでは新たな制裁決議は無論、議長声明すら困難との見方がある。
Beijing may be thinking that it would be counterproductive to drive Pyongyang into a corner. 中国は、北朝鮮を追い込むことは逆効果と考えているのかもしれない。
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Attack can't be brushed off
In April last year, the Security Council adopted a nonbinding presidential statement condemning North Korea for test-launching a long-range ballistic missile. This angered Pyongyang, which conducted a second nuclear test in spite of international opposition. 昨年４月、安保理は、長距離弾道ミサイルを発射した北朝鮮を非難する議長声明を採択した。北朝鮮は激高し、２度目の核実験を強行した。
It is feared North Korea would conduct a third test and raise tensions on the Korean Peninsula if the Security Council imposes additional sanctions on the communist state. 今回も、安保理が制裁に動けば３度目の核実験を行い、情勢は緊迫するとの懸念がある。
However, if the Security Council fails to issue even a presidential statement regarding the sinking, North Korea will take the current sanctions resolution, which demands Pyongyang not conduct nuclear or missile testings, even more lightly. Such a situation would damage not only peace and stability in East Asia but China's national interests as well. だが、安保理がこの問題で議長声明すら出せないようでは、北朝鮮は、核実験やミサイル発射をしないよう求めた現行の制裁決議をなおさら軽視しよう。
こうした事態は東アジアの平和と安定を損ない、中国のためにもなるまい。
Japan, South Korea and the United States should strive to persuade China to work with them so Pyongyang's actions will not be brushed off. The Strategic and Economic Dialogue between the United States and China, which opened Monday in Beijing, would be a significant opportunity for that purpose, as would the China-South Korea and Japan-China-South Korea summit talks to be held after the dialogue. 日米韓は、北朝鮮の行為を看過しないため共同歩調をとるよう、中国の説得に努めるべきだ。開幕した米中戦略・経済対話、それに続く中韓首脳会談、日中韓首脳会談はそのための重要な機会だ。
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Japan must stand firm
As South Korea's own sanction measures, Lee declared all trade and exchanges between the two Koreas would be suspended, except the operations of a joint factory park in the North Korean border town of Kaesong. 李大統領は、韓国が独自にとる制裁措置として、開城工業団地の操業を除く「南北交易と交流の中断」を宣言した。
The South Korean government also will push Washington harder to restore North Korea to its list of terrorism-supporting states so that the international community will impose heavier sanctions on the country. 韓国は国際的な制裁圧力の強化を狙って、北朝鮮をテロ支援国に再指定するよう、米国への働きかけを強めるだろう。
Lee strongly warned North Korea that Seoul would invoke its right of self-defense against any armed invasion. He also said South Korea will play an active role in the Proliferation Security Initiative to prevent weapons of mass destruction and related materials from being redeployed or trafficked, and conduct joint antisubmarine military exercises with the United States. 李大統領は、「武力侵犯」には自衛権を発動する、と北朝鮮に強く警告した。韓国政府は、大量破壊兵器・関連物資の移転や輸送を防ぐ拡散阻止構想（ＰＳＩ）に積極的に参加し、米韓合同の対潜水艦訓練も実施するという。
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama told the Security Council of Japan to support South Korea's position and to study what additional sanctions Japan could impose on North Korea. 日本も、鳩山首相が安全保障会議で、韓国の立場を支持するとともに、独自の追加制裁措置を検討するよう指示した。
Japan should adopt a strong line against any North Korean provocation or violation of the Security Council resolution. 日本は、北朝鮮のいかなる挑発にも、安保理決議の違反にも、断固として対応すべきだ。
Japan must immediately review the Self-Defense Forces' warning, surveillance and information-gathering systems to heighten the effectiveness of the Japan-U.S. alliance. 自衛隊の警戒・監視や情報収集態勢を再点検し、日米同盟の実効性を強化することは待ったなしの課題だ。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 25, 2010) （2010年5月25日01時09分 読売新聞）
(Mainichi Japan) May 24, 2010 Decision to relocate Futenma base within Okinawa may spark more gov't turmoil 社説：首相辺野古明言 沖縄の反発強める愚策
The government's decision to relocate U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma within Okinawa Prefecture could trigger further turmoil in the administration of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama. Even if the government returns to the original plan, which appears almost infeasible and without rational reasons, it will never lead to a solution. 道理もなく、実現性も見えない案に回帰したところで道が開けるはずはない。米軍普天間飛行場（沖縄県宜野湾市）の同県名護市辺野古への移設案は、鳩山政権の新たな混迷の引き金になる可能性さえある。
Hatoyama visited Okinawa on Sunday, and met with the heads of local governments concerned, including Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima and Susumu Inamine, the mayor of Nago that the national government has asked to host a substitute facility for Futenma base in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture. In his meetings, Hatoyama for the first time identified the site for a substitute facility as an area around the Henoko district of Nago, Okinawa Prefecture. 鳩山由紀夫首相は２３日、沖縄を再訪して仲井真弘多県知事、稲嶺進名護市長ら沖縄北部市町村長と相次いで会談した。この場で首相は初めて具体的な移設先を明らかにした。
In his talks with Nakaima, the prime minister apologized for being unable to keep his pledge to move the base out of the prefecture, and told the governor that there is no choice but to build a substitute facility around Henoko. "We have no choice but to ask the community around Henoko to host the base. I've made the heartbreaking decision," Hatoyama was quoted as telling Nakaima. In return, Hatoyama offered to take measures to reduce Okinawa's burden of hosting a large portion of U.S. forces in Japan by shifting many of their training sites out of the prefecture. 知事との会談で首相は、県外移設の約束が守れなかったことを謝罪するとともに、「（普天間の）代替地は辺野古付近にお願いせざるを得ない」「断腸の思いで下した結論だ」と語り、訓練移転など沖縄の負担軽減を図る考えを伝えて理解を求めた。
In response, Nakaima told Hatoyama that it is difficult for the local community to accept the relocation plan. "It's extremely regrettable. There is an extremely wide gap between the decision and prefectural residents' earnest calls for relocation out of the prefecture and out of the country." 知事は辺野古移設について「大変遺憾だ」「極めて厳しい」「県外、国外という県民の熱い思いとの落差が非常に大きい」と述べた。受け入れは困難との表明である。
Mayor Inamine flatly rejected the relocation plan. "It's extremely regrettable, and I can't help but express anger at the decision. The plan is almost infeasible," he said. また、首相と市町村長の会合で、稲嶺市長は辺野古移設について「極めて残念で怒りを禁じ得ない」「実現可能性はゼロに近い」などと、明確に受け入れを拒否した。
On Saturday, Tokyo and Washington had reached a basic agreement to build a runway off U.S. forces' Camp Schwab in Henoko while considering moving some of the Futenma base's functions out of the prefecture. 日米両政府は２２日、移設問題で米軍キャンプ・シュワブ沿岸部（辺野古）に滑走路を建設し、普天間の基地機能の県外への分散移転を検討することなどで基本合意した。
The relocation site is almost the same as the one proposed by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)-led previous administration. A decision on other matters related to the relocation has been postponed. 移設先は現行の日米合意案とほぼ同じだ。それ以外は事実上の先送りである。
In other words, Prime Minister Hatoyama's declaration that his administration would settle the Futenma relocation issue by the end of May after reaching an agreement with Washington and the ruling coalition parties has turned out to be an empty promise. The settlement of the Futenma issue will be indefinitely postponed without any prospects for a solution. 首相が国民に約束した、移設先、米政府、連立与党の合意による「５月末決着」は空証文に終わった。普天間問題は展望が開けないまま先送りされることが確実になった。
"The decision has triggered a sense of disappointment (among prefectural residents) at being betrayed," Gov. Nakaima told reporters after meeting with the prime minister. There is absolutely no chance that Okinawa will accept the prime minister's request. 仲井真知事は会談後、首相の辺野古移設案について「（県民の間で）失望感というか、裏切られたという感じが非常に強くなっている」と語った。率直な思いであろう。地元・沖縄が「首相の要請」を受け入れる状況は、今まったくない。
Moreover, the governor expressed displeasure at the central government informing Okinawa of the decision only after reaching agreement on it with the U.S. government. His complaint is fair enough. In the eyes of Okinawa residents, Hatoyama appeared to be a mere messenger who visited the prefecture to notify them of the inter-governmental accord. また、知事は日米両政府が辺野古移設で合意後、県に方針を伝えた手法について「（日米）政府間の話は、決まってからでしか地元に（報告が）ない」と不信感を表明した。もっともである。日米合意の翌日に沖縄を訪れた首相は、県民には政府間合意を伝えるメッセンジャーとしか映っていない。
More than a decade has passed since the Futenma relocation issue emerged. Efforts to settle the issue have been prolonged because it is difficult to win consent from any local community that is asked to host a substitute facility. If the Hatoyama administration ignores this lesson learned from its confusion over the issue and tries to force a base on Henoko, there will be no prospects for finding a solution. 普天間問題が浮上して１０年以上になる。移設先の合意を取り付ける難しさこそが、解決に長期間を要している最大の理由である。新たな基地を建設するには、地元の理解が必須であることは明らかだ。鳩山政権が、この教訓を無視して基地建設を押しつけても成算はない。
Prime Minister Hatoyama announced the decision on Sunday in an apparent bid to make it look as if he kept his pledge to settle the issue by the end of May. However, he should be aware that the worst-case scenario of continued use of Futenma base is becoming increasingly realistic. 首相の方針は「５月末決着」の体裁を繕うものに過ぎない。最悪の事態である普天間の継続使用が現実味を増していることに気付くべきだ。
The Yomiuri Shimbun (May. 25, 2010) Delaying Futenma decision has high price 首相沖縄再訪 決断先送りのツケは大きい（5月24日付・読売社説）
The government undoubtedly will pay a high price for not resolving the Futenma relocation issue by the end of last year, in line with what Japan and the United States agreed on in 2006. Many difficulties lie ahead. 昨年末に現行案での決着を図らなかったツケはあまりに大きい、と言わざるを得ない。前途は多難である。
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama visited Okinawa Prefecture again Sunday and told Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima of the government's intention to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station to the Henoko district of Nago. The visit came after Japan and the United States reached a basic agreement to construct Futenma's replacement facilities off the coast of the marines' Camp Schwab in the district. 鳩山首相が沖縄県を再び訪問し、米軍普天間飛行場の移設先を名護市辺野古周辺にする意向を仲井真弘多知事に伝えた。辺野古の米軍キャンプ・シュワブ沿岸部に代替施設を建設するとの日米の大筋合意を受けたものだ。
Nakaima, however, disapproved of the government plan. The governor said the government's choice was "extremely regrettable" and it would be "exceedingly difficult" to implement the plan. だが、知事は、辺野古移設について、「大変遺憾で、極めて厳しい」と難色を示した。
Nakaima had originally accepted the 2006 relocation plan to construct Futenma replacement facilities in Henoko. But as Hatoyama dillydallied on the matter and public calls for the base to be shifted outside the prefecture grew louder, Nakaima changed his stance and now believes relocating the Futenma base within the prefecture will be difficult. 仲井真知事は当初、辺野古に代替施設を建設する現行案を容認していた。だが、首相が決断を先送りし、沖縄で県外移設を求める世論が高まる中、県内移設は困難との立場に転じてしまった。
Susumu Inamine, a staunch opponent of the relocation to Henoko, was elected Nago mayor in January. This threw a wrench in the central government's attempts to make a final decision on the relocation issue. １月の名護市長選で、移設受け入れに反対する稲嶺進氏が当選したことも状況を厳しくした。
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Buck stops with Hatoyama
Had Hatoyama adhered to the 2006 plan last year by overriding the opposition of the Social Democratic Party, the tumultuous to-ing and fro-ing that has occurred this year could have been avoided. Hatoyama bears a heavy responsibility for this politically damaging misjudgment. 昨年末に首相が社民党の反対を押し切り、現行案での実施を決断していれば、その後の展開は全く違ったはずだ。致命的な判断ミスであり、首相の罪は重い。
During his meeting with Nakaima, Hatoyama insisted the government would lessen Okinawa's burden by dispersing U.S. military exercises to other prefectures. He pointed out the deterrent provided by the U.S. military presence in Okinawa is critical as tensions rise on the Korean Peninsula, and sought Nakaima's support for the government plan. 鳩山首相は会談で、米軍の訓練の県外への分散移転などを通じて沖縄の負担軽減に努める考えを強調した。緊迫する朝鮮半島情勢を踏まえた米軍の抑止力の重要性も指摘し、知事の理解を求めた。
To prevent the latest relocation plan from becoming deadlocked due to opposition from the prefectural government and Okinawa residents, the central government must persuade the governor to change his mind. This will not be simple, though. 日米合意ができても、沖縄県や地元の反対で行き詰まる事態を避けるためには、簡単ではないが、引き続き知事を説得し、翻意するよう求める必要がある。
Since its inauguration in September, the Hatoyama administration has been at sixes and sevens over the Futenma relocation because it had no "control tower" overseeing the matter. This strained the trust between the government and the prefectural and Nago municipal governments and residents. Before anything else, the administration must steadily rebuild these relationships. 鳩山政権発足以来の８か月余、司令塔不在で普天間問題が迷走を重ねる中、政府と沖縄県や名護市との信頼関係は冷え切っている。政府はまず、この関係を地道に立て直さなければなるまい。
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Lay it on the line
The 2006 plan calls for moving the Futenma base from a crowded area of Ginowan to the sparsely populated Henoko district in the northern part of prefecture, the transfer of 8,000 marines to Guam, and the return of Futenma and five other U.S. military facilities to Japan's sovereignty. The government needs to honestly explain that implementing the 2006 deal can considerably reduce the burden that hosting the U.S. military places on Okinawa residents. 住宅密集地にある普天間飛行場を人口の少ない県北部に移す。米海兵隊８０００人をグアムに移転し、普天間など米軍６施設を返還する。一連の日米合意の実施が相当な地元負担軽減になることを丁寧に説明することも大切だ。
The SDP's strident opposition to the Futenma transfer to Henoko also has complicated the move. 普天間飛行場の辺野古移設にはほかにもハードルがある。社民党が強く反対していることだ。
Some members of the Democratic Party of Japan want the government's decision on the final relocation plan postponed until after the scheduled end-of-May deadline. But such inconsistency would be an inexcusable repeat of the misjudgment the government made last year regarding a final settlement deadline. 民主党内には、社民党に配慮して、月末に予定される政府案決定の先送りを求める声もあるが、そんな無定見な対応は許されない。昨年末の二の舞いになる。
The DPJ holds more than 400 seats in both houses of the Diet. If the DPJ-led government allows itself to be pushed around by the SDP, a tiny coalition partner with only about 10 Diet seats, and fails to decide on matters that affect national security, it would run counter to the national interest. 民主党は衆参両院で４００議席超を有する。それが、わずか１０議席余の社民党に振り回され、国の安全保障にかかわる問題が決められないようでは、国益に反する。
Resolving this issue will test Hatoyama's resolve and leadership to the limit. 鳩山首相の決断力と指導力が厳しく問われよう。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 24, 2010) （2010年5月24日01時16分 読売新聞）
(Mainichi Japan) May 23, 2010 Kaleidoscope of the Heart: Is talking about mental illness taboo? 香山リカのココロの万華鏡：心の病はタブーか ／東京
It has already been two months since the beginning of the new Japanese school year. First year students at the university I teach at seem like they've got used to the campus, and have started talking to me casually. 新学期が始まって早くも２カ月近く。大学でも、新入生たちはずいぶんキャンパスに慣れてきたようで、教員をしている私にもあれこれと話しかけてくれるようになった。
One thing I have noticed at the university over the past several years is how many more students speak to me openly about their own illnesses, saying things such as, "You're a psychiatrist, right? Actually, I'm in treatment for depression." Most of these students are dressed well and greet the world with a smile, and at first glance it's impossible to see anything wrong. "I'm schizophrenic, actually. I was having delusions until just a little while ago," one says with a smile in a loud voice as those around us listen with natural interest. How times have changed. ここ数年、大学で気づくのは、「先生、精神科医ですよね？ 私、うつ病で心療内科に通っているんですよ」などと自らの病気や治療について、積極的に語ってくれる人が増えたことだ。この人たちの多くは、服装もおしゃれで表情も明るく、一見したところ、どこも調子が悪そうには見えない。「統合失調症でね、ちょっと前まで妄想があったんですよ」とニコニコしながら大きな声で話し、まわりの友人たちも「へえー」と自然に聞いている。時代は変わったんだな、とつくづく思う。
When I first became a psychiatrist 25 years ago, such openness simply did not happen. Students with psychological problems would head to the hospital with their parents, looking like they were trying to avoid all eye contact. If I had to tell them that they needed treatment, both parents and child would ask sadly, "Is it better to give up university?" Even if I told them that they would probably only need a short break and then they could get back to school, many heartbroken young patients would say, "Whatever happens, I don't want the people at school to know. Isn't there any way to avoid missing school?" 私が精神科医になった約２５年前には、こうはいかなかった。心の病を患った学生たちは、親に連れられ、ひと目を避けるようにして病院にやって来た。「治療が必要ですね」と言うと、親も本人も「大学はあきらめたほうがいいでしょうか」と落ち込んだ。ちょっとのあいだ休めば、たぶん復学できると思いますよ、と伝えても、「どうしても学校には知られたくないんです。なんとか休学しない手はないでしょうか」と悲痛な表情で訴える人が多かった。
Even in cases where students' conditions worsened, leading to skipped classes and reports not handed in, they could not talk openly to their professors about their problems. Unlike physical ailments, signs of mental illnesses cannot be seen from the outside, and some students suffered through being scolded by their instructors for lack of motivation. 病気を隠しながら通学を続ける学生は、たとえ症状が悪くなって出席できない、リポートが出せないといった事態になっても、理由を担当の教員に説明することができない。からだの病気と違って外からはまったくわからないので、「やる気がないんじゃないのか」などと叱（しか）られ、つらい思いをする学生もいた。
Things are certainly better now, as students can speak of their problems with ease. However, perhaps they can speak to me because I am a psychiatrist. Perhaps some students with psychological problems still feel they can't reveal them to professors of economics or physics. それに比べ、学生たちが気軽に自分の心の病を語ることができるようになったのは、本当によいことだ。ただ、もしかするとそれは私が精神科医だからで、経済や物理の教員にはやはり「言い出せない……」と悩んでいる学生もいるのだろうか。
The National Police Agency recently released the latest suicide figures for Japan, and among the sad numbers the rising suicide rate among people in their 20s stood out in particular. I wonder if among those young women and men, there were students suffering from psychological problems who tried to keep on with school as normal, their conditions worsening as they tried to do the impossible, leading to the worst of all possible outcomes. 先日、発表された警察庁の自殺統計でも、２０代など若い世代の自殺率の上昇が目立った。こういう中には、心の病を患い、それを学校などで明かすことができないまま、無理を重ねて最悪の結果に、という人たちもいるのではないだろうか。
I hear that especially in the workplace mental illness is still taboo. とくに職場ではまだまだ心の病はタブー、という話もよく聞く。
"I'd like you to know that I'm undergoing treatment for depression, so would it be all right to skip overtime for awhile?" 「私、うつ病で治療中なんですよ。だから、残業はしばらくパスということにしてもらえませんか」
"I understand. No problem." 「わかりました」
"That's a big help, thanks. I'll let you know as soon as I've improved." 「助かります。よくなったらすぐに言いますんで」
"Well, don't push yourself too hard." 「まあ、無理しないでね」。
At Japanese companies, it may be a long time before such conversations between bosses and employees become natural. 日本の社会でこんな会話が自然にできるようになるには、しばらく時間がかかりそうだ。
The Yomiuri Shimbun (May. 24, 2010) Improve lay judge system by examining past trials 裁判員制度 １年間の検証を改善に生かせ（5月23日付・読売社説）
One year has passed since the law governing the lay judge system came into effect. Lay judge trials have not faced major troubles so far. 裁判員法が施行されてから１年が経過した。裁判員裁判は、概(おおむ)ね順調に実施されている。
However, some problems have begun to emerge. It is essential to solve these problems by closely examining past lay judge trials. だが、一方で課題も見えてきた。これまでの公判の綿密な検証を行い、問題点を改善していくことが大切だ。
According to the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office, verdicts have been handed down to 530 defendants since the law took effect on May 21 last year. Six citizen judges are chosen per case, meaning more than 3,000 people have served as lay judges nationwide. 最高検によると、裁判員法が施行された昨年５月２１日からの１年間に、対象事件で５３０人に判決が言い渡された。一つの事件で６人の裁判員が選ばれることから、これまでに全国で３０００人以上が裁判員を務めたことになる。
In many cases, trials ended after three to four days. However, one trial for which the Kyoto District Court handed down a ruling on Thursday lasted nine days, which appeared to be the longest lay judge trial so far. This is because quite a bit of time was spent to hear trial testimony, including that of an expert witness who performed a psychiatric examination of a defendant charged with injury resulting in death. 多くの公判は３～４日間で終了している。だが、京都地裁で２０日に判決が出た事件の公判は、これまでで最長とみられる９日間を要した。傷害致死罪などに問われた被告の精神鑑定医らの証人尋問に多くの時間が割かれたためだ。
There likely will be even more prolonged trials in the future, in cases where the application of capital punishment, for example, becomes a major contention. 今後は死刑の適用などを巡り、より長期化する公判もあろう。
It is vital, therefore, that judges as well as prosecutors and lawyers take heed to ensure efficient trial proceedings and fully examine cases, while giving consideration to lay judges to ensure that excessive burdens are not placed on them. 裁判員に過度の負担がかからないよう配慮しながら、十分に審理を尽くすためには、裁判官はもちろん、検察官、弁護人が効率的な公判の進行に留意することが肝要である。
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Sex crime trials major issue
A major issue that has surfaced in the past year was how to conduct trials for sex crimes, which accounted for about 20 percent of lay judge trials. 大きな課題として浮かび上がったのが、裁判員裁判の約２割を占める性犯罪の公判のあり方だ。
In April, the Oita prefectural police arrested a man who allegedly raped and injured a woman on her way home, but sent him to prosecutors only on suspicion of rape instead of rape resulting in bodily injury, which is not subject to a lay judge trial. 帰宅途中の女性に乱暴し、負傷させた男について、大分県警が、裁判員裁判の対象である強姦(ごうかん)致傷容疑ではなく、対象外の強姦容疑で送検したケースがあった。
The police did so because, they said, the victim did not want the incident to be known to lay judges or the case to be handled by a lay judge trial. 女性が、「事件を知られたくない。裁判員裁判だけは嫌」と訴えたからだという。
Yet in the end, the Oita District Public Prosecutors Office indicted the man for rape resulting in bodily injury, and he faced a lay judge trial. 検察は結局、強姦致傷罪で起訴し、被告は裁判員裁判で裁かれることになった。
Considering the fact that the woman was injured, the prosecutors' response to this case was appropriate from the viewpoint of fair punishment. But due consideration should be given to protect the victim's privacy during court hearings. 女性が負傷した以上、検察の対応は、公正な処罰の観点から適切だったといえるが、公判では、被害者のプライバシーの保護に、十分に配慮しなければならない。
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Need for privacy, speedy trials
At present, courts introduce measures, including a video link system by which victims can testify from a separate room without giving their names. It might be necessary to have repeated discussions about whether these measures are sufficient to protect victims' privacy. 現在、法廷では、被害者の氏名を明らかにせず、被害者が証言する際には、別室からモニターを通じて語るビデオリンク方式などを用いている。こうした措置だけで十分なのかどうか、検討を重ねていく必要があるだろう。
There is concern that more and more victims might cry themselves to sleep without filing criminal charges, as they shy away from lay judge trials. 懸念されるのは、裁判員裁判を敬遠するために被害届を出さずに泣き寝入りする被害者が増えるのではないかということである。
In addition, some people point out the problem of too much time elapsing as a case proceeds from indictment to trial. このほか、起訴から公判まで時間がかかり過ぎるといった問題点も指摘されている。
The law governing the lay judge system stipulates the system should be reviewed, if necessary, in 2012 or later. 裁判員法は、必要があれば２０１２年以降に制度を見直すよう定めている。
We hope that legal circles will strive to improve the lay judge system in the light of opinions and experiences of those people who have served as lay judges. 法曹界は、裁判員経験者の意見を参考に、制度の改善に努めてほしい。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 23, 2010) （2010年5月23日01時18分 読売新聞）
タイ国アピット首相に関するニューヨークタイムズの記事です。 翻訳は英文を読んで頭に残っているものを日本語で表現しました。 短時間で仕上げましたが、かなり雑だと思います。 srachai from khonkaen, thailand
(Extracted from New York Times)
The New York Times
Abhisit Vejjajiva アピシット ウェジャジーワ
Abhisit Vejjajiva, who was elected prime minister of Thailand on Dec. 15, 2008, in a parliamentary vote, has taken on the twin challenges of political turmoil and economic crisis that wounded two previous Thai governments in 2008. ２００８年１２月１５日、アピシット氏は議会の選挙で首相に選ばれたが、政治と経済の安定という大きな難問が待ちかまえている。
His fragile government has faced a challenge from protesters loyal to his chief rival, ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. In May 2010, Mr. Abhisit offered a reconciliation plan crafted to end an impasse with the protesters that had ground the wheels of government to a halt. The offer was later revoked and a military crackdown followed. The protest leaders surrendered on May 19 and their followers dispersed, clashing with soldiers and setting fire to at least 40 buildings. The six-week standoff resulted in at least 60 deaths with hundreds injured. この弱体政府はすぐに国外退去処分中のタクシン元首相を支持する人々の抗議を受けることになった。 ５月の始め、アピシット首相は和解案を提示、混乱を収拾しようとしたが、後に撤回された。 そして軍の介入による鎮圧が始まった。 １９日にデモ隊の指導者たちはこれ以上犠牲者を出せないという考えのもと投降した。 （実際この解散の演説中にも軍から銃弾がうちこまれ女性が一人犠牲になったらしいです） 解散後一部のデモ隊や外部者が入り乱れ、建物に放火したり略奪したりのパニック状態。 ６週間のデモ活動がもたらしたものは、６０人に及ぶ死者と数百人の負傷者。
The protests in their broadest terms have pitted the rural and urban poor against the more affluent middle-class establishment of the capital of Bangkok as Thailand struggles to redefine its political balance of power. The protests stem from a 2006 military coup that removed Mr. Thaksin, a tycoon turned prime minister, after which the political party he led and a successor party were dissolved by the courts. Mr. Thaksin, who lives in exile and has been sentenced in absentia on corruption charges, remains very popular in rural areas. 貧しい農村や都市の貧困層とバンコクの富裕層の対立がこのプロテスト運動の基幹をなすものでタイの政権のバランスを再編成する動きだ。 2006年の軍のクーデターによるタクシン元首相が国外退去処分がこの抵抗運動を引き起こした。 タクシン氏の国外追放の後、党は司法により解散させられている。 タクシン氏は国外退去処分中、司法により有罪が言い渡されているが、それでも地方ではかなりの人気を保っている。
The Long Arm of Mr. Abhisit's Rival タクシン氏の教唆？
Thousands of protesters roared into Bangkok in March 2010, occupying a central area and demanding that Mr. Abhisit dissolve Parliament and call new elections. Identified by their red shirts, the anti-government demonstrators and their leaders, brought the city to its knees, causing the closure of hotels, banks, shopping malls and other major downtown businesses. They also called for amnesty for Mr. Thaksin, who was accused of financing the protest movement by the government. ３月デモ隊はアピシット政権の退陣と総選挙を求めてバンコクに押し寄せた。 赤シャツ団と呼ばれている。 この反政府組織は都市機能を麻痺させた。ホテル、銀行、ショッピングモールなどの閉鎖を余儀なくされた。
On April 7, 2010, Mr. Abhisit declared a state of emergency after the red shirts broke into the Parliament building, forcing government officials to flee by helicopter. The protests were reminiscent of the months-long sit-in that weakened the last pro-Thaksin government; it eventually fell when the constitutional court ruled that the governing party was guilty of election fraud. 4月７日、アピシット首相は非常事態宣言を発令。 赤シャツ団が議会に乱入、議員らをヘリコプターで脱出させた。 座り込みの抗議は数ヶ月続いた。 最終的には司法が現政権の選挙違反を認めた。
A failed attempt to disperse the rallies on April 10 resulted in 24 deaths and 900 injured. The clash ? the worst political violence in Thailand in nearly 20 years ? resolved nothing: The protesters held their ground and the government refused their demand to step aside. 4月のデモ隊鎮圧で２4人が死亡、９００人が傷ついた。 この２０年間で最悪の結果となった。 デモ隊は活動の根拠を確信したが、現政府はデモ隊の要求を無視した。
Two days after repulsing the bloody military crackdown, the protesters cheered jubilantly at the announcement that the country's election commission had recommended that the Democrat Party of Mr. Abhisit be disbanded on charges of receiving an illegal donation. このいまわしい二日間の鎮圧の後、司法による民主党解体（解散）の提示がなされた。 理由は違法献金の受理。
The red shirts expanded their sit-in on April 15, turning Bangkok's central shopping area into a tent city and vowing to make it their "final battleground." 4月１５日、デモ隊は規模を拡大してバンコクの中心街をテント村にしてしまった。 ここが死に場所だ。ここで戦う。と…
A Plan for Reconciliation 和解（調停）案
Mr. Abhisit, while toughening his rhetoric against the protesters, sought to break the deadlock by offering a "reconciliation plan" in early May that included elections proposed for November, which would cut short his four-year term by more than a year. While welcoming the plan, the protesters demanded more details before agreeing to end their occupation. ５月の始めアピシット首相はデモ隊に対する厳しい態度を保ちながらも一方では打開策を模索していた。 １１月の総選挙やそれに先立つ議会の解散などが具体案だ。任期の４年を１年残しての総選挙となるはずだった。 ところがデモ隊はこの調停案を歓迎したが、さらに細かい要求をつきつけてきた。（ステープ副首相の警察出頭などの条件）
The proposed compromise won praise from people on many sides of Thailand's fragmented political scene, primarily as a way to defuse an intense confrontation that has raised fears of widespread violence or possibly civil war. The protesters, however, wavered, first accepting and later rejecting the agreement and then tacking on new demands. In the end, Mr. Abhisit revoked it and the military cracked down on the group, ending the stalemate. この調停案は各方面からの賛同を受けた。バンコク富裕層と貧しい農村層が戦闘状況となるのを回避するために必要なものだと考えられていた。 だがこの時点でデモ隊は揺れ動いてしまった。調停案を受け入れるかと思えばさらなる要求をつきつけてこれの受諾を拒否した。 ついにアピシット首相はこの調停案を撤回、軍によるデモ隊の強制排除を決断し収拾のつかない事態を招いてしまった。 （日本ではデモ隊を取り締まるのは警察と機動隊ですね。自衛隊は出てこれません。タイでは軍隊が場合により出動してきます。）
The arrests of three leaders and the dispersal of the crowd were rare victories for the embattled government of the prime minister. But the volatile, defiant mood of the crowd on May 19 signaled a possible radicalization of a movement that leaders found difficult to control. デモ隊のリーダーたちの逮捕、デモの終結解散はアピシット政権にとっては勝利だとはいえる。 だがそれで怒りが収まらない群集は暴徒化し、リーダーたちの制止を振り切って蛮行に走った。
Mr. Abhisit, born in Newcastle, England, to parents who were both professors of medicine, was educated at Eton and at Oxford, where he graduated with first-class honors in economics, politics and philosophy. After teaching economics at Thammasat University, he joined the Democrat Party in 1992 and became at the age of 27 one of the youngest representatives to serve in Parliament. At the age of 44, he became one of the youngest prime ministers in Thai history. アピシット・ウェーチャチーワ新首相は1964年８月３日英国ニューキャッスル生まれの４６歳。両親は医師。イートン大学とオックスフォード大学で経済学、政治学、哲学を修める。 タマサート大学講師を経て1992年に民主党の議員となる。２７歳で民主党代表となり、44歳のとき史上最年少の首相となった。（今年で4６歳となる）
事実だとすれば許しがたい行為です。 セントラルワールドの放火には外国人が関与。 (extracted from AFP Bangkok) ↓
Thai government accuses foreigners in Bangkok arson タイ政府バンコクの放火で外国人関与を捜査中
BANGKOK (AFP) -- Thailand's government said Saturday that two foreigners were involved in arson attacks on major buildings, unleashed after a crackdown on "Red Shirts" protests in Bangkok. デモ解散後に行われたビルへの放火で外国人２名が関与したとタイ政府発表。
Thailand's biggest shopping mall, Central World, was left gutted and partly collapsed in Wednesday's mayhem that saw 36 buildings torched, including the stock exchange and bank branches. タイ証券取引所や銀行の支店など３６箇所のビルが放火された水曜日の騒乱でセントラルワールドは崩壊、その一部が倒壊している。
"A white Westerner was involved in the arson attack on Central World, convincing them to set fire to it. And an Asian was also involved in the arson attacks on the banks," said government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn. セントラルワールドの放火に白人の西洋人がこれに関与。放火をそそのかす。多数の銀行への放火にはアジア人が関与。
Panitan did not give any names but a video of a British man urging the burning and looting of the shopping mall, taken several days before it was set on fire, has been circulating on the YouTube video sharing website. 詳細は明らかにされていない。放火の数日前にイギリス人が放火して略奪することをそそのかす情景がインターネットのユーチューブで放映された。
The man was identified by the British media as Jeff Savage, a resident of the seaside resort of Pattaya, east of Bangkok. In interviews he reportedly defended his conduct but said he did not take part in the arson attack. 関与のイギリス人のジェフ サベッジ。パタヤのリゾートに居住。彼はやっていないと答えている。
The Red Shirts, who are campaigning for elections to replace a government they say is illegitimate, mounted two months of rolling demonstrations that saw clashes and blasts that left 86 dead and 1,900 injured. 違法な現政権を倒すために選挙を要求している赤服団は２ヶ月にわたりデモを繰り返したが、軍と衝突し８６人の死者と１９００人の負傷者を出している。
In the face of an overwhelming military crackdown, Reds leaders surrendered and asked their thousands of supporters to disperse from Bangkok's top shopping district which they had occupied for six weeks. デモ隊にくらべ圧倒的に強いタイ国軍の鎮圧作戦で降伏、デモ解散を指示した。６週間にわたり商業地区を占拠していた。
The Yomiuri Shimbun (May. 23, 2010) Japan-U.S. accord on Futenma an urgent task 日米外相会談 現行案軸に「普天間」合意急げ（5月22日付・読売社説）
This is no time for Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama to be overly concerned about his personal pride. If he aims to reach a Japan-U.S. agreement on the issue of relocating the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture, he should not cling to superficial revisions but go back to the original plan agreed upon by Japan and the United States in 2006. もはや鳩山首相はメンツにこだわっている時ではない。米軍普天間飛行場の移設問題で日米合意を目指すなら、小手先の修正に固執せず、現行案に回帰する決断をすべきだ。
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada during a brief visit to this country Friday, and confirmed that the two nations would continue to work toward the announcement of a bilateral agreement on the Futenma issue within the month. 来日したクリントン米国務長官が岡田外相と会談し、普天間問題の日米合意を月内にまとめる方向で調整を急ぐ方針を確認した。
"I am confident we will resolve this matter in a way that reflects the very best of our alliance, the strength of that alliance," Clinton stressed in a joint press conference with Okada. 長官は記者会見で、「日米同盟の強さを反映する形で解決できると確信している」と強調した。
The Hatoyama administration initially rejected the original 2006 plan, which calls for the reclamation of a coastal area in the Henoko district of Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, to construct an alternative facility to the Futenma Air Station. 鳩山政権は当初、沖縄県名護市辺野古の沿岸部を埋め立てて普天間飛行場の代替施設を建設する現行案に否定的だった。
However, the administration recently changed its approach to settling the issue by partially revising the 2006 plan on such points as the location of the alternative facility and the construction method. This is because the administration's attempts to obtain the cooperation of new candidate sites for relocation--such as Tokunoshima island in Kagoshima Prefecture--failed one after another, mainly due to opposition from local governments and residents. だが、最近、現行案の代替施設の位置や建設工法を一部修正することで決着を目指す方針に転じた。鹿児島県・徳之島など新たな移設先候補が、地元の反対で次々と頓挫したためだ。
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Too late but practical
As there is almost no hope Hatoyama will be able to keep his promise of settling the issue by the end of May, the administration appears to want to demonstrate that the problem has been solved by at least managing to reach a Japan-U.S. agreement. 鳩山首相が約束した５月末の問題決着が絶望的となる中、せめて日米合意をまとめ、体裁を繕おうという思惑があるようだ。
The policy change comes too late, but it is practical and desirable from the viewpoint of lessening the burden on Okinawa Prefecture while at the same time maintaining the Japan-U.S. alliance. 遅すぎた方針転換だが、日米同盟を堅持しつつ、沖縄の負担軽減を実現する観点からは、現実的で望ましい方向と言えよう。
As long as the administration is reversing its policy, it should immediately abandon the idea of changing the construction method from reclamation to the quick installation platform method in the name of "giving serious consideration to the environment." 方針転換した以上、「環境重視」の名目で埋め立てを杭(くい)打ち桟橋方式に変更することなどは、早く断念した方がいい。
The government should give more consideration to the fact that an administrative organization of residents in the Henoko district--people who will feel the impact of the relocation most strongly--accepted the 2006 reclamation plan, albeit conditionally. 代替施設の影響を最も受ける辺野古地区の住民組織が埋め立てによる現行案を容認していることをもっと重視する必要がある。
Hatoyama advocated transfer of the Futenma functions to somewhere outside the prefecture due to his lack of understanding of the problem and was unable to make a decision to go forward with the 2006 plan in December last year. He should apologize to the public for these failures in a straightforward manner and ask for the understanding of local governments and residents of Okinawa Prefecture. 鳩山首相は、普天間問題に関する理解不足から「県外移設」を主張したり、昨年末に現行案での決着を決断できなかったりした自らの過ちを率直に謝罪し、沖縄や地元の理解を求めるべきだ。
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China's cooperation key
During the Okada-Clinton talks, the two ministers agreed their countries would support South Korea and cooperate with that nation regarding the March sinking of a South Korean Navy patrol vessel. A multinational team of investigators concluded Thursday the ship sank as the result of a torpedo attack by a North Korean submarine. 日米外相会談では、「北朝鮮の魚雷攻撃」が原因と判明した韓国軍哨戒艦沈没事件について、日米両国が韓国の立場を支持し、連携していく方針で一致した。
Although it was South Korea that was directly affected by the incident, Japan cannot view it as someone else's problem. We must recognize it as a serious issue that concerns our own security. It is important for Japan to discuss the issue closely and continuously with the United States, a mutual ally of Japan and South Korea. 被害を受けたのは韓国だが、日本にとっても決して人ごとではない。日本自らの安全保障にかかわる重大な問題と認識したうえ、日韓共通の同盟国である米国と緊密に協議を重ねることが大切だ。
If South Korea brings the case to the U.N. Security Council, Japan should naturally extend the utmost cooperation toward adoption of a strict, effective resolution at the council and the formation of an international coalition against North Korea. 韓国が国連安全保障理事会に事件を提起すれば、実効性のある厳しい決議を採択し、北朝鮮包囲網を構築するよう、日本が最大限協力するのは当然である。
The important thing is to win the cooperation of China, which has a certain level of influence over North Korea. In that sense, the talks scheduled for next Saturday and Sunday between the foreign ministers of Japan, China and South Korea will be an important diplomatic forum. Hatoyama must align his steps with those of South Korea in persuading China. 重要なのは、北朝鮮に一定の影響力を持つ中国の協力を得ることだ。２９、３０両日の日中韓首脳会談が重要な外交の場となる。鳩山首相は、韓国と足並みをそろえ、中国を説得せねばならない。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 22, 2010) （2010年5月22日01時16分 読売新聞）
I would like to express my sincere condolences to the people who died unfortunately in this democratization movement in the Kingdom of Thailand. May everybody rest in peace. (Srachai)
