The Yomiuri Shimbun March 18, 2014
Megumi’s absence casts shadow over parents’ meeting with granddaughter
横田夫妻と孫娘　対面にめぐみさん不在の重み（3月18日付・読売社説）

“Something like a dream come true.” “She [our granddaughter] looks like Megumi when she was young.”
　「夢のようなことが実現した」「若い時のめぐみによく似ている」

The words of Shigeru Yokota and his wife Sakie show that being able to meet their granddaughter was a pleasure greater than they had dreamed of.
　孫娘とようやく出会えたことは、やはり望外の喜びだっただろう。

The Yokotas met Kim Eun Gyong, the daughter of their daughter Megumi—one of the many Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea—for the first time in Ulan Bator from March 10 to 14. The pair said they also met their 10-month-old great-granddaughter.
　北朝鮮による拉致被害者・横田めぐみさんの両親の横田滋さん、早紀江さん夫妻が、めぐみさんの娘、キム・ウンギョンさんとモンゴルのウランバートルで、初めて対面した。生後１０か月のひ孫にも会えたという。

The Yokotas had expressed a desire to meet their granddaughter since her existence became known in 2002. But they had refrained from doing so for fear that if they visited North Korea to meet her, Pyongyang would use the visit as an excuse to say the abduction issue had been put to rest.
　夫妻は、孫娘の存在が判明した２００２年から、会いたいとの意向を示していた。だが、訪朝すれば、拉致問題の幕引きに利用されかねないと見送ってきた。

With Shigeru at 81 and Sakie at 78, the government considered the advanced ages of the Yokotas an important humanitarian concern and did all it could do to make the meeting possible through negotiations with North Korea.
　夫妻が高齢であることなど、「人道的な見地」を重視して、政府が北朝鮮と交渉し、面会実現に尽力したことは評価したい。

Senior Foreign Ministry officials reportedly began a series of secret meetings with their North Korean counterparts in Hanoi and Hong Kong in late January to make arrangements to allow the meeting to happen in a third country. The realization of this meeting could be the first step in resolving the abduction issue, on which Prime Minister Shinzo Abe places great priority.
　外務省の幹部は今年１月下旬以降、ベトナム・ハノイや香港で北朝鮮の当局者と極秘に接触し、第三国での対面の実現に向けて調整したという。拉致問題の解決を前面に掲げる安倍首相にとって、具体的な一歩だと言える。

The fact remains, however, that Megumi was not present when the Yokotas met their granddaughter, and no information about her safety has been ascertained. Her absence must be taken seriously.
　ただ、その場にめぐみさんの姿はなく、安否に関する情報は得られなかった。その重みもまた、かみしめなければならない。

North Korea insists that Megumi died, and provided Japan with what it claimed to be her remains, but the remains provided were later shown not to be hers. After that discovery, Pyongyang pledged to restart investigations of the abductions of Japanese nationals, but has postponed delivering on that promise. The country has shown an extremely disingenuous attitude.
　北朝鮮は、めぐみさんが「死亡した」と主張し、日本に遺骨を提供したが、別人のものだった。その後も、拉致問題の再調査を約束しながら、一方的にこれを見送った。極めて不誠実な態度だ。

What’s behind concession?

The intentions of North Korea in accepting the meeting between the Yokotas and Eun Gyong in a third-party country should be examined carefully.
　第三国でのウンギョンさんとの対面を受け入れた北朝鮮側の意図を十分見極めたい。

The North Korean administration of Kim Jong Un purged Choe Thae Bok, who had served as a link with China, in December, and in doing so threw cold water onto bilateral relations between the two, further exacerbating the country’s economic plight. Pyongyang is expected to use the abduction issue as a bargaining chip to call for Tokyo to ease its economic sanctions, hoping to ward off the people’s discontent.
　昨年１２月、金正恩政権は中国とのパイプ役だった張成沢氏を粛清し、中国との関係が冷え込んだ。経済は一層困窮している。国民の不満をかわそうと拉致問題で駆け引きし、見返りに日本に経済制裁の緩和を求めてくるだろう。

Behind North Korea’s conciliatory move is a quickly tightening international noose around North Korea over the abduction issue.
　背景には、拉致問題を巡る北朝鮮包囲網の強まりもある。

A U.N. investigation panel on human rights abuses has compiled a report accusing North Korea of infringing on human rights under its state leaders. Pyongyang evidently wants to calm international criticism of the country by improving relations with Tokyo.
　国連の調査委員会が、北朝鮮は国家ぐるみで拉致など人権侵害を行っていると糾弾した報告書をまとめた。北朝鮮は、対日関係の改善を図ることで、国際的な批判を和らげたいのではないか。

Japan must tackle the abduction issue seriously. At the same time, it needs to seek a comprehensive solution to North Korea’s nuclear and missile development programs, which threaten the international community. Japan must firmly maintain its stance of holding dialogue with and applying pressure on North Korea.
　日本は、拉致問題に真剣に取り組まねばならない。同時に、国際社会を脅かす核・ミサイル問題の包括的な解決も求めていく必要がある。北朝鮮への「対話と圧力」を堅持していくべきだ。

Japan and North Korea will hold an unofficial meeting of foreign ministerial division directors in Shenyang, China, on Wednesday and Thursday. It is essential for Japan to seek to build on the unofficial meeting to schedule official meetings and sound out North Korea’s response.
　日朝両政府は１９、２０の両日に中国・瀋陽で外務省課長級による非公式協議を行う。これを正式な協議に格上げするとともに、北朝鮮の出方を探ることが肝要だ。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 18, 2014)
（2014年3月18日01時59分  読売新聞）

The Yomiuri Shimbun March 15, 2014
Sendai reactor checks must be 1st step in ending nuclear power suspension
「川内」優先審査　原発を再活用する第一歩に（3月15日付・読売社説）

The Nuclear Regulation Authority has selected the Nos. 1 and 2 reactors at Kyushu Electric Power Co.’s Sendai nuclear power plant in Kagoshima Prefecture as priority targets for confirming their safety, a prerequisite for resuming operations. 　
　原子力規制委員会が、再稼働に向けて優先的に安全性を確認する原子力発電所として、九州電力川内原発１、２号機（鹿児島県）を選んだ。

This must be made a step toward ending the long-running suspension of nuclear power generation. 　
　原発の長期停止を脱する一歩としなければならない。

Currently, the NRA is screening the safety of 17 reactors at 10 nuclear plants. The Sendai plant is the first candidate likely to pass the screening, with legal procedures expected to be completed as early as this summer for resuming operations. 　
　規制委は、１０原発１７基の安全審査を進めている。川内原発は、その中で初の「合格」候補となった。今夏にも再稼働に向けた法的手続きが終わる見通しだ。

With all the nation’s 48 nuclear power reactors suspended in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake, fuel costs for alternative thermal power generation have jumped, resulting in higher electricity charges. Some utilities are considering additional increases in charges.
　東日本大震災の影響で、国内の全４８基の原発が停止する中、代替の火力発電用燃料費が増加し、電気料金が上がった。再値上げを検討中の電力会社もある。

The seriousness of this situation, which is affecting industry and people’s livelihoods, should never be underestimated.
　産業や国民生活への影響が深刻であることを軽視すべきではない。

In July, the NRA compiled a new set of standards for regulating nuclear power plants that takes into consideration what happened during the outbreak of the nuclear crisis at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima No. 1 power plant. The NRA originally estimated that safety screenings based on the standards would be “completed in a half-year or so.”
　規制委は昨年７月、東京電力福島第一原発事故を踏まえた原発の新規制基準を策定した。それによる安全審査は、「半年程度で終わる」との見通しを示していた。

But the NRA and utilities had been at odds for a while over the kinds of data necessary for the screenings and interpretations of the new standards, dimming prospects for completing the screenings any time soon.
　しかし、規制委と電力会社の間で、必要なデータの種類や、データの解釈などを巡って見解が食い違い、審査終了の見通しが立たない状況が続いていた。

New framework built To break the impasse, the NRA last month came up with a framework to set priorities in screening, a move that merits praise.
　規制委が先月、優先審査の仕組みを打ち出したのは、現状打開の観点から評価できる。

Under the framework, the NRA would deploy screening experts to plants on a priority basis and expedite compilation of a screening document equivalent to a pass certificate, if the scale of earthquakes and other scenarios studied by the utility are deemed appropriate. It may compile a draft of screening results as early as next month.
　想定すべき地震の規模などで電力会社の検討内容が適切と判断した原発については、優先的に審査官を配置し、「合格証」に相当する審査書作りを急ぐ。早ければ来月にも審査書案をまとめる。

It is hoped that the NRA and Kyushu Electric will effectively proceed with screening work.
　規制委と九電は、効率的に審査を進めてもらいたい。

What is worrying is that the NRA is planning to solicit public opinion and hold public hearings when the draft is compiled.
　懸念されるのは、規制委が、審査書案の段階で意

A considerable number of officials will be needed to deal with the vast number of opinions expressed, which could lead to insufficient staff for the screening work at the Sendai plant. It will inevitably have adverse implications on how screening of other reactors will proceed.
　膨大な意見への対応に相応の人員を割くことになり、肝心の川内原発の審査が手薄にならないか。川内原発以外の原発の審査にも、しわ寄せが出るだろう。

Asking for outside opinion on any draft that the NRA itself compiles from a scientific perspective will harm the NRA’s credibility.
　そもそも、自らが科学的観点からまとめた審査書案に、改めて外部の意見を求めるのは、規制委の信頼を損なうものだ。

The NRA’s stance has invited criticism among many members of the Liberal Democratic Party. “It’s akin to a judge soliciting opinions on a draft document giving his or her ruling” and “It’s trying to skirt responsibility for making a decision” are some of the skeptical comments made by members of the LDP project team discussing nuclear regulation issues.
　規制委の姿勢に対しては、自民党内にも批判が多い。党原子力規制プロジェクトチームからは、「裁判官が判決文の案に意見を募集するようなもの」「判断の

The NRA should cancel its plans to solicit public opinion and hold public hearings.
　規制委は、意見公募、公聴会の実施を取りやめるべきだ。

Many residents near the Sendai plant want to see it reactivated. Municipalities in the vicinity of the plant are making progress in compiling evacuation plans. The government and Kyushu Electric should make their utmost efforts to persuade local residents to accept how important restarting the plant is.
　川内原発の地元では再稼働を期待する声が多い。周辺自治体では避難計画の策定も進んでいる。政府は、九電とともに再稼働の重要性について、丁寧に理解を得ていかねばならない。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 15, 2014)
（2014年3月15日01時33分 読売新聞）

お知らせ
いまからバンコクに所用で出かけますので英字新聞投稿は数日間お休みします。
（スラチャイ）

The Yomiuri Shimbun March 15, 2014
Urawa Reds bear heavy responsibility for inaction against supporters’ folly
浦和レッズ処分　愚行を放置した責任は重い（3月15日付・読売社説）

Many soccer fans have been troubled by the problematic act of a handful of Urawa Reds’ supporters and the club’s clumsy handling of the case. The team has also lost the public’s confidence. The incident could be regarded as an alarm for the sports world as a whole.
　一部のサポーターの問題行動と、チーム側の拙い対応のために、多くのファンが迷惑を被る。チームの信頼も失墜する。スポーツ界全体への警鐘と言えるだろう。

The J.League has administered an unprecedentedly heavy punishment in ordering the club to play a home game without any spectators in the stands.
　Ｊリーグは、浦和レッズに対し、無観客試合の実施という過去に例のない重い処分を下した。

The club faces such a heavy penalty due to their fans displaying a banner, which could be perceived as racist, and for leaving the banner up until the end of a recent game despite the club confirming the banner’s existence. The incident left a huge blemish on the J.League’s history, which began in 1993.
　浦和のサポーターが、人種差別とも受け取れる垂れ幕を試合の際に掲げ、クラブ側はそれを確認しながら、試合終了まで撤去しなかった、という理由からだ。１９９３年にスタートしたＪリーグの歴史における大きな汚点である。

The banner in question bore the words “JAPANESE ONLY” in English, which could be taken as a message to deny entry to foreign nationals into the area for supporters.
　問題の垂れ幕には「ＪＡＰＡＮＥＳＥ　ＯＮＬＹ」と書かれていた。「日本人以外、お断り」との意味にとれる。

The banner was hung in front of an entrance to the Urawa supporters’ section behind a goal post, which is located inside the concourse of Saitama Stadium, during a home match with Sagan Tosu on March 8.
　埼玉スタジアムで８日に行われた浦和―鳥栖戦で、浦和サポーターが陣取るゴール裏観客席の入場口に、グラウンドとは反対向きに掲示された。

The three Reds’ supporters who made the banner were quoted as saying during an investigation by the club: “The area behind the goal post is our domain. We don’t want to see other people, especially foreigners, entering that area.”
　垂れ幕を作った３人は、クラブの調査に対し、「ゴール裏は自分たちのエリア。他の人たち、特に外国人が入ってくるのは困る」などと説明したという。

Petty motive

Do such fans believe they, as fanatic supporters, have the right to select spectators? Many soccer fans might have felt extreme displeasure over the incident as they sensed the perpetrators’ narrow-minded motive to eliminate foreigners.
　熱狂的ファンである自分たちには、入場者を選別する権利があるとでも思っているのだろうか。よそ者を排除しようという狭量な意図を感じ、不快感を覚えたファンは多かっただろう。

It took more than one hour for the club to remove the banner after confirmation of its existence, showing its poor handling of the incident. The J.League slapped the heavy penalty on the club because it took the fact the banner was left up for such a long time especially seriously.
　垂れ幕の撤去までに１時間以上を要したクラブ側の対応は、お粗末だった。Ｊリーグが重い処分に踏み切ったのは、クラブの落ち度を重くみたためだ。

J.League Chairman Mitsuru Murai denounced the club, saying, “The club’s failure to remove the racist banner immediately is tantamount to the club having a hand in this racist act.” His criticism was reasonable.
　村井満チェアマンが「差別的な掲示を放置したのは、差別的な行為に加担したのと同じ」と批判したのは、もっともである。

It is hard to understand the club’s custom that a supporters’ permission is needed to remove banners they put up. This manifests the club’s stance of conceding anything to avoid trouble.
　垂れ幕の撤去にはサポーターとの合意が必要だとするクラブの慣習も、理解に苦しむ。サポーターといざこざを起こしたくない事なかれ主義の表れだ。

In a May 2010 game with Vegalta Sendai, Urawa supporters made racist calls toward opponent players. The club was ordered to pay a fine for that.
　浦和のサポーターは、２０１０年５月の仙台戦でも、人種差別的な言葉を仙台の選手に浴びせ、クラブは制裁金の処分を受けた。

Urawa will not be able to earn about ¥100 million in admission fees because it was ordered to host a home match on March 23 without any spectators. This could be the price the club must pay for the failure to take measures to prevent a recurrence of racist incidents.
　無観客試合により、入場料収入だけで１億円近い減収となるのは、クラブが再発防止策を怠った代償と言える。

Racist words and deeds by supporters, such as slander toward African soccer players, have been emerging as a big issue in soccer worldwide. If such an incident as that committed by the Urawa supporters happened during an international match, it could adversely affect the relationship between the two countries concerned.
　世界のサッカー界では、アフリカ選手に対する中傷など、サポーターの差別的な言動が大きな問題となっている。国際試合で今回のような行為があれば、国家間の関係にも悪影響を及ぼそう。

In cooperation with the international soccer governing organization, FIFA, preventive measures must be urgently worked out at home by all involved in the sport.
　国際サッカー連盟（ＦＩＦＡ）と連携し、日本のサッカー界挙げての防止策が急務である。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 15, 2014)
（2014年3月15日01時33分  読売新聞）

The Yomiuri Shimbun March 14, 2014
Referendum on Crimea joining Russia would only deepen turmoil
クリミア危機　住民投票は新たな混乱を呼ぶ（3月14日付・読売社説）

The Autonomous Republic of Crimea in the southern part of Ukraine, having effectively come under the military control of Russia, is poised to proceed with plans to merge with the Russian Federation through a referendum in the Crimean Peninsula.
　実質的にロシアの軍事支配下にあるウクライナ南部クリミア自治共和国が、住民投票によってロシアへの編入を進めようとしている。

If carried out, the referendum would almost certainly create a critical showdown between Russia, the United States and European countries over the Ukrainian crisis. Moscow should rethink its actions regarding Ukraine.
　実施されれば、ロシアと米国・欧州との対立は決定的だ。ロシアは、ウクライナへの対処方針を見直すべきである。

The Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol—a city on the Baltic Sea coast that has a special status in Ukraine—is scheduled to hold a referendum on Sunday on whether to break from Ukraine and join Russia. Given that a large majority of the residents are Russian speakers, the planned merger with Russia is expected to be approved if the local plebiscite takes place.
　クリミア自治共和国とセバストポリ特別市は、編入の是非を問う住民投票を１６日に行う予定だ。住民の多数はロシア系のため、承認されるのは確実と見られる。

The parliament of the autono-mous republic has already adopted a “declaration of independence” in the run-up to its incorporation into Russia. Moscow has thrown its support behind the declaration.
　自治共和国議会は既に、編入の前提となる「独立宣言」を採択しロシア政府は宣言を支持した。

In response, leaders of the Group of Seven major economies declared in a joint statement Wednesday their decision not to recognize the outcome of the referendum, which the G-7 believes would be in violation of Ukraine’s constitution.
　これに対して、日米欧などの主要７か国（Ｇ７）首脳は、共同声明で、住民投票はウクライナ憲法違反であり、投票結果を認めないとの方針を示した。

The constitution of Ukraine stipulates that alterations to Ukraine’s borders require national referendums. It is therefore obvious that any unilateral decision by the autonomous republic on the border issue would be null and void. The argument on the part of the G-7 is absolutely reasonable.
　ウクライナ憲法は、領土変更には国民投票による承認が必要だと定めている。自治共和国だけの決定が無効なのは明らかだ。Ｇ７の主張は当然である。

It is also reasonable that the joint statement points out that the annexation of Crimea by Russia violates international law, including the U.N. Charter, which forbids threatening another country’s territorial integrity through military force.
　声明が、クリミアのロシアへの編入を、他国領土の一体性を武力で脅かすことを禁じている国連憲章などの国際法に違反するとしたのも、もっともだ。

This statement came about because the current problems facing Ukraine come against the background of Russia’s hard-line posture in which it thinks nothing of exercising military force for the sake of severing the Crimean Peninsula from the rest of Ukraine.
　今回の問題の背景に、クリミアをウクライナから切り離すためには軍事力行使をためらわないロシアの強硬姿勢があるからだ。

Battle of sanctions looming

Moscow has indicated the possibility of military intervention in the eastern region of Ukraine in the name of “protecting Russian-speaking residents” there. Since residents of the Crimean Peninsula, including those who speak Russian, are members of the nation of Ukraine, Moscow’s argument must be seen as nothing more than a pretext for sending troops to the autonomous republic.
　ロシアは、「ロシア系住民の保護」を名目に、ウクライナ東部での軍事介入の可能性も示唆している。ロシア系といえどもウクライナ国民であり、派兵のための口実と取られても仕方ないだろう。

The G-7 has proposed prodding Russia to accept three measures: the withdrawal of Russian troops from Crimea, allowing international observers into Ukraine and direct consultations with the provisional Ukrainian government. Moscow should promptly agree to the proposal.
　Ｇ７は、ロシアに対して、軍部隊の撤収と、ウクライナへの国際監視団の受け入れ、ウクライナ暫定政府との直接協議の３点に応じるよう提案している。ロシアは速やかに受け入れるべきだ。

If the referendum is carried out as planned, which could lead to Crimea’s merger with Russia, it would be inevitable for the United States and Europe to impose sanctions on Russia, such as visa bans and asset freezes on influential Russian individuals responsible for Moscow’s intervention in Ukraine.
　このまま住民投票が実施され、編入へと発展すれば、米欧がロシアに対し、要人の渡航禁止や資産凍結などの制裁措置を実際に発動するのは避けられまい。

U.S. President Barack Obama has firmly warned that the international community will be “forced to apply a cost to Russia’s violation of international law and encroachment on Ukraine,” if Moscow continues on its current aggressive path.
　オバマ米大統領は、ロシアが態度を変えない限り、「国際法違反とウクライナ侵犯の代償を払わせる」と強く警告している。

For its part, Moscow has hinted at taking countermeasures against sanctions, giving rise to anxieties about a battle of punitive actions. That would certainly adversely affect the global economy.
　ロシアも対抗措置を取るとしており、制裁合戦になることが懸念される。世界経済にも悪い影響が及ぶのは必至だ。

With the aim of breaking the impasse, foreign ministerial talks are scheduled for Friday between Russia and the United States. The Japanese government has sent Shotaro Yachi, head of the secretariat for the government’s National Security Council, to Moscow.
　事態打開を目指す米露外相会談が１４日に予定される。日本政府は谷内正太郎国家安全保障局長をロシアに派遣した。

Japan must do its best to pursue ways of resolving the crisis by continuing to make diplomatic endeavors along with the United States and European countries.
日本は、米欧と共に外交努力を続け、解決策を模索することが肝要である。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 14, 2014)
（2014年3月14日01時23分  読売新聞）

The Yomiuri Shimbun March 13, 2014
New weapons export rules needed to clarify national security stance
武器輸出新原則　安全保障の観点を重視したい（3月13日付・読売社説）

In streamlining arms export rules, it is important to give serious consideration to how to respond to the new security environment surrounding Japan, taking into account changes in the times.
　時代の変化を踏まえ、新たな日本の安全保障環境への対応を重視することが肝要である。

The government has presented to the ruling parties a draft on “three principles on transferring defense equipment” to replace the current three principles on arms exports. After gaining the consent of the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito, the government aims to obtain Cabinet approval this month.
　政府が、武器輸出３原則に代わる「防衛装備移転３原則」の原案を与党に示した。与党の了承を経て、月内の閣議決定を目指している。

The contents of the current three principles became very complicated because the government has so far authorized as many as 21 exceptions by way of statements by chief cabinet secretaries and other measures after a de facto total ban on arms exports was adopted in 1976 by the cabinet of then Prime Minister Takeo Miki. It is appropriate to reorganize all the rules into easier-to-understand principles.
　武器輸出３原則は、１９７６年の三木内閣による実質的な全面禁輸後、官房長官談話などで計２１件もの例外を認め、複雑な内容となった。全体を整理し、分かりやすい新原則にすることは妥当だ。

The government said it would change the name of the principles to “three principles on transferring defense equipment” to more accurately reflect reality. For instance, heavy machinery used in international cooperation activities by the Self-Defense Forces, and other things which may not appear to be a type of weapon, is subject to the arms export rules.
　３原則の名称を「防衛装備移転」に改めるのは、国際協力活動で使う重機など、武器には見えないものも対象とする実態を、より正確に反映するためだという。

According to the draft, the government will continue to ban exports to countries engaged in conflict, as it will not allow exports to such countries if they may hinder international peace and security. On the other hand, it will allow exports after a strict screening process if the exports contribute to peace, international cooperation and Japan’s national security.
　原案は、国際的な平和と安全を妨げる場合は輸出しないとして、紛争当事国への禁輸を継続した。一方で、平和貢献・国際協力や日本の安全保障に資する場合は、厳格な審査を経て輸出を認める。

It also contains a policy that in very important cases, final decisions on exports will be made by the National Security Council, not the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry, which basically oversees the rules.
　重要案件は、主管の経済産業省でなく、国家安全保障会議（日本版ＮＳＣ）が輸出の可否を最終判断する方針も示している。

It is quite significant that the draft clarifies the stance on national security in arms exports.
　武器輸出における安全保障の観点を明確化した意義は大きい。

Arms exports, as well as their joint development and production, are not just trade. As a form of defense cooperation, they are extremely meaningful in the relations between the countries involved.
　そもそも武器の輸出や共同開発・生産は、単なる貿易にとどまらず、防衛協力として、国家間の関係に極めて重要な意味を持つ。

Important diplomatic tool

Japan has been promoting Japan-U.S. joint development and production of a ballistic missile defense system and the next-generation main fighter F-35 with the goal of strengthening the two nations’ alliance through sharing of state-of-the-art defense technologies.
　日本が弾道ミサイル防衛システムや次期主力戦闘機Ｆ３５の日米共同開発・生産を進めたのは、最新鋭の軍事技術の共有により、同盟関係を強化する狙いがあった。

Expansion of defense equipment cooperation with the United States, European countries and Australia, for instance, will ensure the peace and security of Japan itself.
It would also follow the policy of “proactive contribution to peace” advocated by the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. On some occasions, it may serve as an important diplomatic trump card.
　米国や、欧州各国、豪州などと装備面の協力を拡大することは、日本自身の平和と安全の確保につながり、安倍政権の「積極的平和主義」とも合致する。時には、有力な外交カードともなろう。

For instance, there would be mutual advantages for Japan and the countries that become export destinations in such cases as Japan exporting anti-tank helicopter parts whose production has been discontinued in the United States or providing weapons to coastal countries along Japan’s sea lanes.
　例えば、米国で生産中止となった対戦車ヘリコプター部品の輸出や、日本の海上交通路の沿岸国への武器提供は、日本と輸出先の双方にメリットがある。

In light of the need to maintain domestic defense production and technology bases amid concerns over their decline due to continued defense budget cuts in recent years, excessive controls on arms exports should be relaxed.
　近年続いた防衛費削減で衰退が懸念される国内防衛生産・技術基盤を維持する必要性も踏まえ、過剰な規制は緩和すべきだ。

In the draft, international organizations such as the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons were added as export destinations. The new addition will enable Japan to respond swiftly in such cases as the one in December last year in which rifle ammunition was supplied to South Korean forces in South Sudan through the United Nations.
　原案は、輸出先として、国連や化学兵器禁止機関（ＯＰＣＷ）など国際機関を追加した。昨年１２月の南スーダンにおける国連経由の韓国軍への弾薬提供のケースなどで、円滑な対応が可能になる。

In cases of weapons transfers to third countries from export destinations, the draft obliges the countries that originally imported the equipment to obtain prior consent from Japan in principle. Naturally, strict export controls will be a requirement in determining such rules. However, they should be made practical to have a flexible framework that simplifies the process of issuing permission for a very small portion of weapons parts.
　輸出先からの第三国移転には、基本的に日本の事前同意を義務づけた。厳格な輸出管理を求めるのは当然だが、武器のごく一部の部品については、同意を簡略化する柔軟な仕組みが現実的だろう。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 13, 2014)
（2014年3月13日01時22分  読売新聞）

The Yomiuri Shimbun March 13, 2014
Lessons from 2011 quake must be put to use for Japan and the world
３・１１の誓い　震災の記憶を防災に生かそう（3月12日付・読売社説）

Every possible effort must be made to prevent and mitigate damage from major natural disasters that may strike in the future. It is essential to learn from the many lessons of the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, to ensure that our nation is better prepared for natural calamities in the future.
　様々な教訓を将来への備えに生かせるよう、防災・減災に全力で取り組まねばならない。

A government-sponsored ceremony in Tokyo paid tribute to the memory of those who died in the 2011 catastrophe on Tuesday. The event was attended by about 1,200 people, including the Emperor and Empress. Also present at the ceremony were the chiefs of the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government, including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, along with representatives of the victims’ families and foreign ambassadors to this country. All prayed for the souls of the departed.
　政府主催の東日本大震災追悼式が東京で開かれた。天皇、皇后両陛下をはじめ、安倍首相ら三権の長、遺族代表、各国駐日大使ら約１２００人が参列し、犠牲者の冥福を祈った。

Attendants included Mikiko Asanuma, who represented the families of the deceased in Iwate Prefecture. “The pain of those who fell victim [to the earthquake], and the great sorrow and suffering of their families must be conveyed to future generations,” she said in her memorial address at the ceremony.
　岩手県遺族代表の浅沼ミキ子さんは、「亡くなった方々の無念さと、その数倍もの遺族の悲しみと悔しさを未来へと語り伝えていかねばなりません」と訴えた。

The prime minister reiterated his determination to see implemented a set of measures that his administration has pursued to render Japan disaster-ready and disaster-resistant. “I take to heart the valuable lessons learned from the ordeal, and I will promote efforts to build a country that can resist and withstand damage from disasters in order to steadfastly defend our people from future disasters,” Abe said before the assembled crowd.
　首相は「試練から我々が得た貴重な教訓を胸に刻み、災害から国民を守り抜くため、災害に強い強靱(きょうじん)な国づくりを進める」と述べ、政権が掲げる国土強靱化政策の推進に改めて意欲を示した。

The hurdles are high and numerous. They include making seismic retrofits of existing buildings to make them more quake-resistant and revamping outdated infrastructure. There is also an urgent need to prepare in earnest for disasters that have been forecast, including a quake centered just below the surface of Tokyo or a quake in the Nankai Trough. Either one of these envisaged disasters could strike any day.
　建物の耐震化や老朽化した社会資本（インフラ）の更新など、課題は山積している。いつ起きても不思議ではない首都直下地震と南海トラフ巨大地震の対策にも、本腰を入れる必要があろう。

But we must avoid the pointless allocation of massive budgets to nonessential public works projects. What is needed instead is an examination of whether the costs a given project will incur will be worth the benefits derived from it.
　ただし、不要不急の公共事業に巨額の予算を投入するようなことがあってはならない。費用対効果の十分な吟味が求められる。

In pursuing improved disaster-resistance, it is important not to limit ourselves to improving the quake resistance of buildings and infrastructure, but to incorporate human expertise, experience and other intangible resources related to disaster management.
　ハード面だけでなく、ソフト面のアプローチも大切だ。

Raising public awareness

According to a Cabinet Office survey conducted in late 2013, just over 60 percent of respondents said they had discussed how to cope with disasters with their families in the past one or two years. That figure is nearly double the number from a similar poll taken in 2002.
　内閣府が昨年末に実施した防災に関する世論調査によると、この１～２年に家族らと災害時の対応を話し合った人は、６割強に上っている。２００２年の前回調査と比べると、２倍近くに増えた。

The 2011 disaster did much to raise the public’s awareness of disaster damage prevention. This improvement must be exploited to help make each local community better prepared for disaster management.
　東日本大震災後に高まった防災意識を、地域社会の体制作りにつなげることが肝要である。

Learning the skills that can help mitigate disaster damage should start in childhood. We should teach how earthquakes and tsunami are generated and the ways they can strike people and buildings. We should teach people history of their communities, and build awareness of the sorts of of disaster likely to hit their community, and the areas most at risk. This will all require improvements to disaster-mitigation education and evacuation drills.
　災害への対応力は、子どもの時から養いたい。地震や津波の仕組みを学び、地域の歴史を調べて、起きやすい災害や危険な場所を知る。それには、防災教育や避難訓練の充実が欠かせない。

People should always be encouraged to recognize the importance of helping one other within their communities in the event of a disaster.
　近隣で助け合う「共助」に日頃から心掛けておくべきだろう。

At a House of Councillors Budget Committee session, the prime minister emphasized the importance of imparting this nation’s hard-won knowledge to the rest of the world to promote disaster damage management worldwide. He said in the Diet that doing so “is Japan’s obligation as a nation that received helping hands from so many other countries in the wake of the [2011] great earthquake.”
　首相は参院予算委員会で、防災に役立つ知見を世界に発信することが「大震災で多くの国々から支援の手を差し伸べられた日本の責務だ」との認識も示している。

Our nation is extraordinarily prone to such natural calamities as earthquakes, typhoons and landslides due to heavy rainfalls.
　日本は、地震や台風、土石流など自然災害が突出して多い。

For years, our nation has offered disaster-damage reduction technologies to less developed countries in the form of official development assistance. The invaluable lessons Japan has learned from the various disasters it has overcome should be put to use to improve diplomatic relations with other countries.
これまでも政府開発援助（ＯＤＡ）で途上国に防災技術を供与してきたが、多様な災害から得た貴重な情報は外交にも生かすべきだ。

In March next year, the United Nations’ third World Conference on Disaster Reduction will be held in Sendai to discuss guidelines for disaster-damage management.
　来年３月、仙台市で第３回国連防災世界会議が開かれ、防災政策の指針について話し合う。

Japan should not only lead discussions in the U.N. meeting. It should use the conference as an opportunity to show the rest of the world how far post-quake rehabilitation has come in areas hit by the 2011 catastrophe and demonstrate its efforts to make each community in this country strong and resilient against disaster damage.
　日本にとっては、議論を主導するだけでなく、被災地の復興と災害に強い町づくりを国際社会にアピールする場としたい。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 12, 2014)
（2014年3月12日01時32分  読売新聞）

The Yomiuri Shimbun March 11, 2014
Housing reconstruction remains an urgent task 3 years after disaster
復興加速へ　住まいの再建が喫緊の課題だ（3月11日付・読売社説）

　◆支援の「格差」是正に目配りを

Today marks the third anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake.
　東日本大震災から３年を迎えた。

In addition to 18,500 people who died or went missing in the earthquake and ensuing tsunami, disaster-related deaths have continued to rise. As many as 270,000 people are still living as evacuees, while 100,000 are living in prefabricated temporary housing.
　１万８５００人の死者・行方不明者に加え、震災関連死も増え続ける。今も２７万人が避難生活を余儀なくされ、プレハブ仮設住宅で暮らす人は１０万人に上る。

It must be stressed anew that all-Japan efforts are needed to assist the disaster victims.
　国を挙げて被災者を支援していく。その思いを新たにしたい。

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a news conference Monday that reconstruction is still just “halfway” done. “I am determined to make the people feel reconstruction this year,” Abe said. He announced plans to move people to higher ground in 200 locations and build more than 10,000 housing units by next March.
　安倍首相は１０日、復興の現状について「道半ば」との認識を示した。「復興を実感できる１年にする決意だ」とも語り、来年３月までに、２００か所の高台移転や１万戸以上の住宅建設を実現させると表明した。

It is essential to carry out policies steadily to accelerate reconstruction.
　政策を着実に実行し、復興の加速につなげることが肝要だ。

Difficulty in land acquisition
　◆宅地確保が進まない

To secure stable housing, local governments in the disaster-affected areas are taking such measures as promoting mass moves to higher ground and construction of recovery housing units.
　安定した住まいの確保策として被災地の自治体が進めているのが、高台への集団移転や復興住宅建設などである。

The government has come up with a policy to spur housing reconstruction by establishing a system under which measures are discussed by bureau-chief level officials of the government ministries and agencies concerned under the leadership of Takumi Nemoto, state minister for reconstruction. This is praiseworthy, to a degree, as a reinforcement of the Reconstruction Agency’s role as a control tower.
　政府は、根本復興相の指揮下で関係省庁の局長級が対応を協議する仕組みを作り、住宅再建の促進策を打ち出してきた。復興庁の司令塔機能強化の具体策として、一定の評価はできよう。

The fact remains, however, that housing lots and reconstruction housing units made available to the disaster survivors in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures as of early February amounted to the equivalent of 985 units, a mere 2.1 percent of the total planned number. Thus, the delay in housing reconstruction is serious.
　しかし、岩手、宮城、福島３県で、２月初めまでに被災者に引き渡された宅地や復興住宅は、総計画数の２・１％の９８５戸分に過ぎない。住宅再建の遅れは極めて深刻である。

One reason for that is the difficulty in acquiring land. It takes time to ascertain the rights related to plots of land because their owners are often unknown, posing a significant obstacle for land transactions.
　原因の一つは、用地取得の難しさだ。所有者が不明で、権利関係の把握に時間のかかる土地が多いことが、障害になっている。

The Iwate prefectural government has asked the central government to allow starting construction without an owner’s permission in the case of land whose owners are not accounted for. The prefecture did so probably because it felt that only a limited effect can be obtained by implementing the government policies, such as shortening the screening period for land expropriation.
　岩手県は、所有者不明の土地の場合、所有者の同意がなくても着工できる制度を設けるよう、政府に要望した。土地収用手続きの審査期間短縮といった政府の対策だけでは、限界があると実感しているのだろう。

Spikes in construction material prices and manpower shortages have further delayed housing projects.
　建設資材の高騰や人手不足も、住宅整備の遅れに追い打ちをかけている。

Bidding on contracts to build reconstruction housing has failed time and again.
復興住宅建設などに絡む入札不調も相次いでいる。

The longer housing reconstruction is delayed, the more residents leave, thereby further accelerating the decline of disaster-stricken areas. The government must cope with the situation swiftly and flexibly by listening to the needs of local governments and residents.
　住宅の整備が遅れるほど、住民が流出し、被災地は一層衰退してしまう。政府は、地元の要望に耳を傾け、迅速かつ柔軟に対応していくことが大切である。

Consensus needed fast
　◆防潮堤合意を急ぎたい

Some communities were indeed protected from the quake-triggered tsunami by seawalls, so the central and local governments have been going ahead with seawall construction plans to prevent future tsunami deaths.
　東日本大震災では、防潮堤に守られた集落があった。行政側は、住民を二度と津波の犠牲にしたくないとして、防潮堤の建設計画を進めている。

But residents in some areas are asking for a review of construction plans for seawalls in their communities. Some of the primary objections include the fear that a high seawall could lead to complacency, making people become too dependent on seawalls for safety and lowering their guard against tsunami, and the impact that a high seawall can make on natural scenery.
　一方、住民の間には、計画の見直しを求める動きがある。防潮堤に頼り、かえって津波への警戒心が薄れる。高すぎて景観が損なわれる、といった理由からだ。

Abe said: “Residents’ feelings have become gradually settled [compared with immediately following the disaster]. With regards to the review [of the construction plans], the central government needs to consider the plans, while consulting with local governments.”
　首相も、震災直後に比べて「住民の気持ちがだんだん落ち着いてきた。今後、見直しについて、国も自治体と相談しながら考えていく必要がある」と述べた。

In some districts, a compromise between residents and local governments has been reached over seawall plans by relocating the building site of a seawall to a higher, inland ground, allowing a decrease in the height of the seawall corresponding to the elevation.
　防潮堤の場所を、標高の高い内陸側に移し、その分、高さを抑えることで折り合った地区もある。

Because the height of seawall construction is closely tied to the specifics of community reconstruction plans, including the location and extent of work to raise elevations in disaster-hit areas, local governments and residents should expedite their efforts to negotiate.
防潮堤の高さは、被災地のかさ上げの範囲など、地域の再興計画とも密接に関わるだけに、自治体と住民は協議を急ぐべきだ。

Compared with Iwate and Miyagi prefectures, post-disaster reconstruction in Fukushima Prefecture has been much delayed. In areas near Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima No.1 nuclear power station, there are districts where even the removal of debris has made almost no progress.
　岩手、宮城両県に比べ、福島県は復興の遅れが目立つ。東京電力福島第一原発周辺では、がれきの処理さえ進まない地域がある。

The government’s new guidelines on the reconstruction of Fukushima Prefecture, made public in December, shift from the previous policy of “eventually having all those who were forced to live as evacuees return home” to include for the first time support measures for evacuees who have decided to live elsewhere than their hometown.
　政府が昨年１２月に公表した福島復興の新指針は、これまでの「全員帰還」の方針を転換し、古里以外で住居を設けることにした避難者への支援策を初めて盛り込んだ。

In municipalities with districts that have unclear prospects for decontamination, and that have been deemed difficult for former residents to return to, a growing number of residents have chosen not to return to their original homes. The new guidelines do right by incorporating such ideas and facing up to reality.
　除染の見通しが立たない帰還困難区域を抱える自治体などでは、元の家に戻らないと決めた住民も増えている。新指針は、そうした現実を直視した妥当な内容である。

Compensation from TEPCO has opened a separate and worrisome rift between residents who have received payment and those who have not. Residents are also divided over the amount of compensation they are receiving.
　気がかりなのは、東電からの賠償金の有無や額を巡り、住民の間に溝が生まれていることだ。

In some cases, compensation amounts have differed among residents, even though their houses are located near the crippled power plant, with only small differences in distance. It is quite natural for residents to feel unconvinced. If sizable differences in the assistance distributed to residents exist, emotional conflicts could arise among them.
　福島第一原発からのわずかな距離の違いで、受給額などに差が出るケースがある。住民が割り切れない思いを抱くのも無理はない。住民への支援に大きな格差が生じれば、感情的な対立までもが引き起こされる。

Long delays in Fukushima
　◆遅れ目立つ福島の再生

Central and local governments must cooperate and hammer out measures that can relieve the sense of unfairness among them as much as possible.
　政府と自治体が連携し、住民の不公平感を少しでも解消する方策を検討せねばならない。

In Fukushima Prefecture, incumbent mayors were defeated one after another in mayoral elections held last year in Koriyama, Iwaki and Fukushima cities. Their defeats are said to have stemmed from the voters’ demand for change, as residents seemed to be gripped by a feeling of helplessness over the poor progress made in reconstruction.
　福島県では昨年、郡山、いわき、福島の３市長選などで現職が相次ぎ落選した。復興が進まないことによる閉塞感から、有権者が変化を求めた結果とみられている。

Residents were instructed to evacuate 11 cities, towns and villages. On April 1, evacuation instructions will be lifted for the first time for one district in the city of Tamura where the radiation level has declined thanks to the decontamination efforts. The lifting of evacuation instructions is a new step forward in post-disaster reconstruction.
　１１市町村に及ぶ避難指示区域のうち、除染の効果で放射線量が低減した田村市の対象地域で、来月１日、初めて避難指示が解除される。復興に向けた新たな一歩と言えるだろう。

If the people of Tamura are able to bring their daily lives back on track, it will give hope to others in the prefecture.
　帰還者の生活が軌道に乗れば、福島の人々に希望を与えよう。

The reconstruction of Fukushima Prefecture is essential to move forward beyond the ravages of the quake and tsunami.
　震災の惨禍を乗り越えるには、福島の復興が不可欠である。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 11, 2014)
（2014年3月11日01時05分  読売新聞）

The Yomiuri Shimbun March 10, 2014
Need for mental care for children in disaster areas facing crucial phase
被災地の教育　心のケアはこれから正念場だ（3月10日付・読売社説）

In areas devastated by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, many children suffer anxiety disorders for such reasons as the deaths of relatives in the disaster and subsequent drastic changes to their living conditions.
　東日本大震災の被災地では、肉親との死別や生活環境の変化などから、心に不安を抱える子供が少なくない。

It took three years after the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake for the number of primary and middle school students requiring psychological care in connection with the earthquake to peak, and so the need to provide children affected by the March 2011 calamity with such mental care is entering a critical phase.
　１９９５年の阪神大震災の３年後に、精神面の配慮が必要な小中学生の数がピークとなったことを考えると、これからが心のケアの正念場と言える。

According to a survey by a Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry study team, which released its findings earlier this month, about 30 percent of children in the three Tohoku prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima aged 3 to 5 at the time of the disaster exhibited symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, such as flashbacks of their horrific experiences.
　今月発表された厚生労働省研究班の調査結果によると、岩手、宮城、福島の東北３県で３～５歳の時に震災を経験した子供の３割に、怖い体験がよみがえるといった心的外傷後ストレス障害（ＰＴＳＤ）の症状がみられた。

The more painful events a child has experienced, such as witnessing his or her home being swept away by tsunami and losing friends, the more likely the child is to show PTSD symptoms, according to an analysis of the findings.
　津波で家屋が流されるのを目撃したり、友達を亡くしたりするなどのつらい体験を多く経た子供ほど、ＰＴＳＤの症状が出やすいと分析している。

Many children are under great stress because they suppress their sadness and other disaster-related feelings out of consideration for people around them.
　周囲に気兼ねして、悲しみなどの感情を抑え込み、ストレスをためる子供も多いとされる。

It is extremely important for homeroom teachers as well as school nurses to be mindful of the well-being of the students by creating a classroom atmosphere in which they can confide their worries to teachers. If a child is suspected of developing psychological anomalies, it may be necessary for the problem to be diagnosed by a medical institution.
　担任の教師や養護教諭が、日頃から子供たちの様子に目を配り、子供が悩みを打ち明けやすい雰囲気を作ることが大切だ。心の変調が疑われる場合には、医療機関に診断を求める必要もあろう。

The truancy that has become conspicuous at schools in the disaster areas is also worrisome.
　被災地で、不登校が顕在化していることも問題だ。

Power of neighborhoods

According to a survey recently conducted by The Yomiuri Shimbun in 42 cities, towns and villages in the coastal regions of the three disaster-struck prefectures and in the vicinity of Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, 2,414 students enrolled at publicly operated primary and middle schools refused to go to school during the school year that ended on March 31, 2013. That was an increase of 76 from the figure just before the disaster.
　読売新聞が東北３県の沿岸部や東京電力福島第一原子力発電所周辺の４２市町村を調べたところ、２０１２年度に不登校となった公立小中学校の子供は２４１４人で、震災前より７６人増えた。

About half the municipalities surveyed cited the impact of the earthquake and the nuclear crisis at the TEPCO plant as reasons behind the rise in truancy. Some students reportedly were distressed about attending school after being repeatedly shunted from one place to another because of the nuclear crisis.
　原因として、震災や原発事故の影響を挙げている市町村が約半数にのぼった。原発事故で避難を繰り返すうちに、学校に通う気力をなくした子もいるという。

The Yomiuri Shimbun survey’s findings are particularly disturbing, given that truancy has declined on a nationwide basis.
　全国的に見ると、不登校の小中学生は減少傾向にあるだけに、気がかりな結果である。

Children’s parents and other guardians in the disaster areas are often on the verge of a nervous breakdown because of the instability of their livelihoods.
　生活が安定しない被災地の保護者は、精神的な余裕をなくしがちだ。

Both the central and local governments should improve counseling arrangements through such steps as increasing school social workers, who would visit children’s homes and help improve living environments.
子供の家庭を訪問し、環境改善を図るスクールソーシャルワーカーの増員など相談体制の強化が、国や自治体に求められる。

As they have spent a long time living in temporary housing with little floor space, many children have difficulty finding sufficient time to study at home.
　手狭な仮設住宅の暮らしが長期化する中、家庭学習の時間が確保しづらいという傾向もある。

In the town of Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture, the nonprofit organization Katariba has been running Onagawa Kogakukan, an after-school tutoring course in cooperation with the local board of education. About 30 percent of the town’s primary and middle school students attend.
　宮城県女川町では、ＮＰＯ法人「カタリバ」が教育委員会と協力して、放課後の学習塾「女川向学館」を運営している。町の小中学生の約３割が通ってくる。

Instructors at Onagawa Kogaku- kan, including a former lecturer at a preparatory school, inform the children’s guardians and their schoolteachers about what the children are learning there. This undertaking seems to be designed to help improve disaster-affected children’s scholastic abilities on the strength of the collective effort of local neighborhoods.
　塾の中で子供たちがどのように学習しているかを、指導役の元塾講師らが学校の教師や保護者にも伝えている。地域ぐるみで学力向上を図る仕組みだ。

Cooperation between the government and public sectors should be encouraged to ensure a good learning environment for children.
　官民の連携で、こうした試みを継続し、学習環境を整えたい。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 10, 2014)
（2014年3月10日00時55分  読売新聞）

The Yomiuri Shimbun March 09, 2014
LDP should have in-depth talks on collective right to self-defense
集団的自衛権　行使容認へ与党の議論深めよ（3月9日付・読売社説）

As a first step toward reviewing the government’s current constitutional interpretation to enable the country to exercise its right to collective self-defense, it is crucial for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to accelerate intraparty discussions to develop a common perception and consensus among party members.
　集団的自衛権の行使の容認を実現するため、まずは与党内で大いに議論し、共通理解と合意を形成することが大切だ。

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last week told LDP Secretary General Shigeru Ishiba and other senior officials to hold in-depth discussions with the party’s coalition partner, New Komeito, with an eye on seeking Cabinet approval to revise the constitutional interpretation on the right to collective self-defense.
　安倍首相が自民党の石破幹事長らに対し、集団的自衛権に関する憲法解釈の変更の閣議決定に向けて自民、公明両党内の調整を本格化するよう指示した。

The LDP will hold an unofficial meeting of its General Council members later this month, in addition to a study session open to all party members.
　自民党は月内に総務懇談会や、全議員対象の勉強会を開く。

The Advisory Panel on Reconstruction of the Legal Basis for Security is scheduled to release a report next month, after which the ruling camp is expected to start discussions on revising the constitutional interpretation on the right to collective self-defense.
４月に予定される政府の有識者会議の報告後には、解釈変更に関する与党協議が始まる見通しだ。

Abe and Ishiba are among LDP members who favor the revision, while others remain skeptical. Komeito takes an even more cautious stance.
　首相や石破氏らは解釈変更に前向きだが、自民党の一部には消極論もある。公明党は、より慎重だ。

Yoshio Urushibara, chairman of Komeito’s Diet Affairs Committee, has criticized Abe, saying: “In expressing his views, the prime minister fails to consider a most important element—listening to the voices of the public. We can’t agree with him.”
漆原良夫国会対策委員長は「首相の考えは『国民の声を聴く』という一番大切な部分が欠落しており、賛成できない」と主張する。

Some Komeito members insist that Cabinet approval should be put off. However, it is unreasonable for the party to try to postpone a decision on this issue before talks have even started.
　公明党には閣議決定の見送り論があるが、最初から結論の先送りを図るのはおかしい。

How can Japan maintain the nation’s peace and prosperity in the face of the deteriorating security environment? Komeito should take a positive stance in holding discussions on the right to collective self-defense.
日本の安全保障環境が悪化する中、いかに平和と繁栄を維持するか。この観点から前向きな議論をすべきだ。

It is not problematic for the government to review its current constitutional interpretation on the matter after taking steps in the right direction—which include ensuring consistency with past government views and seeking Cabinet approval.
　政府が、過去の見解との論理的整合性を取り、閣議決定などの手続きをきちんと踏んで、解釈を見直すことに何ら問題はない。

Avoid misconceptions

However, it is important for the LDP to hold in-depth intraparty discussions to avoid misconceptions that the government planned to review its constitutional interpretation on the basis of decisions taken by a limited number of officials. These efforts will promote public understanding about why the current government constitutional interpretation should be reviewed and that the steps needed to carry out the process are justified.
　ただ、一部の独断で解釈を変更するかのような誤解を招かないためには、与党内での徹底した議論が欠かせない。それが、解釈変更の必要性や正当性への国民の理解を広げることにつながろう。

We hope Abe and Ishiba will exercise leadership in this respect.
　首相や石破氏は、積極的に論議を主導してもらいたい。

Shinichi Kitaoka, acting chairman of the government-appointed expert panel, has set five conditions to allow Japan to exercise the right to collective self-defense. For example, it should be exercised only when a nation with which Japan has close ties comes under attack and when the nation’s security would be seriously threatened if Japan did not do anything for a particular situation.
　有識者会議の北岡伸一座長代理は、集団的自衛権の行使に必要な５条件を示している。「密接な関係にある国への攻撃」「放置すれば日本の安全に大きな影響が出る」

Two other conditions cited by Kitaoka were obtaining Diet approval first and receiving a request for Japan’s help when that country came under attack.
「当該国からの明確な要請」「国会承認」などだ。

We believe these conditions are reasonable. The most important condition is that Japan’s right to collective self-defense should be exercised when the nation’s security is seriously threatened if Japan did not do anything for a particular situation.
　妥当な内容である。特に重要なのが「放置すれば日本の安全に大きな影響が出る」との条件だ。

Japan has been able to maintain its security since the end of the World War II mainly because of its alliance with the United States. Under the government’s current constitutional interpretation on its right to collective self-defense, however, Japan would not be able to help even if a U.S. warship came under attack in international waters. The Japan-U.S. alliance would collapse if Japan were confronted by such an event.
　日本が戦後、自国の安全を確保できたのは日米同盟に負う部分が大きい。だが、米軍艦船が公海上で攻撃されても、現行の憲法解釈では、日本は「放置」するしかない。実際にそんな事態に直面すれば、同盟関係は崩壊しかねない。

Japan should not remain aloof if the United States or any other country comes under attack. Under a revised constitutional interpretation, even if Japan acted in such a situation, this action would not be deemed as exceeding the “minimum action necessary” to defend the nation, as permitted under the Constitution.
　米国などが攻撃され、日本として「放置」できない事態は、起こり得る。その際の日本の反撃は、憲法の認める「必要最小限の実力行使」の範囲内にとどまる、という新解釈は十分成り立とう。

Needless to say, it is necessary to take steps to prevent the right to collective self-defense from being abused. It is time for the LDP to launch in-depth discussions on when the right to collective self-defense should be exercised and how to put a brake on it.
　無論、集団的自衛権の際限のない拡大は防ぐ必要がある。どんな場合に行使を可能にし、どう歯止めをかけるのか。与党は、そうした具体論を始める時である。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 9, 2014)
（2014年3月9日01時22分  読売新聞）

The Yomiuri Shimbun March 08, 2014
Construct facilities to store N-waste to get decontamination work on track
中間貯蔵施設　「２町集約」で早期完成目指せ（3月8日付・読売社説）

Constructing interim facilities for the bulk storage of radioactive waste is key to quickly pushing forward with the reconstruction of Fukushima Prefecture.
　福島の復興を加速させるカギとなるのが、放射性物質に汚染された廃棄物を一括保管する中間貯蔵施設の建設だ。

It is indispensable for the Environment Ministry to give thorough explanations to local residents about why such facilities are needed and what kinds of safety measures will be taken, and finish building the storage sites as soon as possible.
　環境省は地元住民に必要性や安全対策を丁寧に説明し、早期完成を図る必要がある。

The facilities will store soil contaminated by the crisis at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, and ash from burning contaminated items. They will accommodate enough waste to fill Tokyo Dome more than 20 times. The government has decided to procure ¥1.1 trillion in construction costs from part of revenues from the promotion of power-resource development tax.
　中間貯蔵施設に搬入するのは、東京電力福島第一原子力発電所の事故により汚染された土や焼却灰だ。最大で東京ドーム２０杯分以上の廃棄物を保管する。政府は１・１兆円の建設費に電源開発促進税を充てることを決めている。

Contaminated soil removed during decontamination work and other waste is now being stored at temporary sites at municipalities across the prefecture. As there has been no progress in the plan to construct the facilities, contaminated waste is stuck at the temporary sites. In addition, such sites are in short supply.
　除染作業で除去された汚染土などは現在、県内各地の仮置き場で保管されている。中間貯蔵施設の建設が前に進まないため、仮置き場から動かせない。仮置き場も不足している。

As the things stand now, the vicious cycle in which the shortage of storage sites is suspending decontamination work cannot be broken.
　このままでは、除染作業が滞る悪循環は解消しない。

Last December, Environment Minister Nobuteru Ishihara asked that the three towns of Futaba, Okuma and Naraha, which are located close to the crippled nuclear power plant, host the storage facilities. Under the proposal, the state would purchase a total of 19 square kilometers of land tracts for the facilities.
　石原環境相は昨年１２月、福島第一原発に近い双葉、大熊、楢葉の３町に建設の受け入れを要請した。用地として、計１９平方キロを国有化する計画だった。

Fukushima Gov. Yuhei Sato consulted with the three towns and other parties concerned last month, and asked Ishihara to drop Naraha from the list and make Futaba and Okuma the only candidate sites for construction.
　これに対し、福島県の佐藤雄平知事が先月、３町などと調整した上で、楢葉町を建設候補地から除外し、双葉、大熊両町に集約するよう石原環境相に要請した。

Naraha’s airborne radioactive material readings have been lower than those of Futaba and Okuma, which has raised the prospect of evacuated residents making an early return. It is therefore understandable that Naraha residents do not want to have a large facility storing high-level radioactive waste in their town.
　楢葉町は、双葉、大熊両町に比べ、空間放射線量が低い。住民の早期帰還が期待できるだけに、高濃度汚染ごみの大規模保管施設を町内に設置してほしくないという住民の声は理解できる。

Encouraging residents’ return

Naraha Mayor Yukiei Matsumoto, while giving thoughtful consideration to the other two towns, has commented that if the town is excluded from the list of candidate sites, it will likely increase the number of evacuated residents who want to return.
　楢葉町の松本幸英町長は、両町に配慮しつつ、建設地から外れることで、「楢葉に戻りたいという住民が増えるのでは」と語る。

Accepting such facilities would likely be an agonizing choice for Futaba and Okuma, where there are currently no prospects of allowing their residents to return, made to facilitate the reconstruction of the prefecture as a whole.
　一方、住民帰還の見通しが立たない双葉、大熊両町にとっては、福島全体の復興を考慮した苦渋の選択だと言えよう。

Aiming to start sending radioactive waste to the new facilities in January 2015, the Environment Ministry plans to present a new construction plan to the prefectural government. It is hoped that narrowing down the candidates to the two towns will break the impasse.
　環境省は２０１５年１月の搬入開始を目指し、近く新たな建設案を県側に示す。２町集約を早期建設の突破口としたい。

The government plans to propose regional promotion measures for Futaba and Okuma. What kinds of promotion measures will be effective for the towns, where contamination makes it difficult for residents to return? It is essential for the government to grasp the needs of evacuated residents and provide them with finely tuned support.
　政府は、双葉、大熊両町の地域振興策も提示する方針だ。帰還困難な地域に、どのような振興策が効果的なのか。避難住民のニーズを把握し、きめ細かい支援に徹することが重要である。

The interim storage sites are to operate for up to 30 years. On final disposal sites beyond that, the government said it intends to build them outside the prefecture, but there are no prospects for such sites.
　中間貯蔵施設での保管期間は最長３０年だ。しかし、その先の最終処分場について、政府は県外設置の方針を明らかにしただけで、全くメドがついていない。

Residents of the candidate sites for the interim facilities continue to suspect that the sites will eventually be used for final disposal facilities. The government must take the lead in working to select final disposal sites.
　中間貯蔵施設候補地の住民の間では、「結局、最終処分場になるのではないか」という不信感が根強い。政府は、最終処分場の選定についても、前面に出て対応していかねばならない。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 8, 2014)
（2014年3月8日02時02分  読売新聞）