海自特殊部隊

(Mainichi Japan) November 14, 2008

What's happening behind the scenes in the MSDF's Special Boarding Unit?

記者の目：海自特殊部隊「格闘訓練死」の背景＝滝野隆浩

25-year-old petty officer of the Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF), in training to become a member of the MSDF's Special Boarding Unit -- the first such unit to be created within the Self-Defense Forces, collapsed during a "training fight" and died soon afterwards. Defense Ministry affairs being my turf, I e-mailed an acquaintance who happens to be a former unit member. In his reply, he expressed anger towards the unit:

　自衛隊初の特殊部隊である海上自衛隊の特別警備隊（特警隊）の養成課程にいた２５歳の隊員が、格闘訓練中に倒れて死亡した。防衛省を担当する私が知人の元隊員にメールを送ったところ、部隊に対する怒りの文面が返ってきた。

"Having a trainee face 15 opponents one after the other may not be a problem in itself, but I wonder why it was done, and whether they were prepared to deal with the risks. I suspect the instructors simply wanted to be harsh, knowing the young men would do whatever they were told to do."

　「１５人のかかりげいこが悪いとは言いませんが、やる理由をどう説明し、リスクをどうマネジメントしたのか。教官は『やれ』と言われればやる学生を使って、ただ過酷なことをやってみようとしただけなのではないでしょうか」

I met with the former member of the unit several times to talk over drinks. He would laugh and wave away any questions that touched on job-related secrets, but he was clearly keen on the need to maintain a strong unit. He professed a dislike of spiritual gunghoism, and said the mission of the Special Boarding Unit was to become strong by scientific means. "They have no business training just for the sake of training," he said. He is very angry about the September incident.

　この元隊員とは何度か酒を飲みながら話し込んだ。職務上の秘密の部分は笑ってはぐらかすが、部隊を強くするための心情は熱っぽく語った。精神主義を嫌い、科学的に強くなることが特警隊の役割で、「訓練のための訓練などやっちゃだめだ」と。元隊員は今回の事件にすごく腹を立てている。

The Ministry of Defense publicized an interim report about the incident on Oct. 22. The unit members who took part in the training session reportedly told the investigative committee that the training session had been intended as a "keepsake event." This is a far cry from my idea of the Special Boarding Unit, or at least, from the one I got from my acquaintance. Is it supposed to be a kind of fraternity club, I wondered?

　防衛省は１０月２２日、中間報告を公表した。訓練に立ち会った隊員たちは「思い出づくりだった」と事故調査委員会に話しているという。元隊員から聞いた「特殊部隊」のイメージとはかけ離れている。特警隊とはそんな「仲良しクラブ」だったのだろうか。

The Special Boarding Unit was created after the "mystery boat" incident off Noto Peninsula in March 1999. Very little has been made public, but there was apparently an extremely high level of anxiety on board the destroyer Myoko as the MSDF prepared to chase, board, and inspect the suspicious vessel.

　特警隊は、９９年３月の能登半島沖での不審船事件を契機に創設された。ほとんど明らかにされていないが、当時、不審船を追跡し「立ち入り検査」の準備をしていた護衛艦「みょうこう」の艦内は、極度の緊張感に包まれていたという。

Unlike the Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF), MSDF members get very little target practice. There were no bulletproof vests available on board. Nevertheless, the situation called for the boarding and inspection of an unknown ship that very possibly carried a number of armed special agents. Some crew members are said to have written their wills, all the while trembling in fear. One crew member stuffed a thick volume of "Shonen Jump" (a weekly manga magazine) under his shirt, hoping it might serve as ersatz protection.

　陸上自衛隊と異なり、海上自衛隊の隊員はほとんど個人の射撃訓練をしない。護衛艦内には防弾チョッキもなかった。にもかかわらず、特殊工作員が銃を構えている可能性が極めて高い不審船に、乗り移って検査しなければならない状況だった。震えながら遺書を書いた隊員もいたという。分厚い漫画週刊誌「少年ジャンプ」を戦闘服の腹に押し込んだ隊員もいた。気持ちばかりの「防弾効果」を期待してのことだった。

The order to board the enemy vessel was never given, but the incident impressed the MSDF with the need to create a special unit. The U.S. navy declined to help, but the British military agreed to send instructors. A program was worked out by trial and error, and prospective members were rigorously trained. "We don't want to repeat the humiliation of the 'mystery boat' affair," they said. Two years later, the MSDF had its first unit.

　結局、立ち入り検査の出動命令は出されなかったが、これを機に海自は特殊部隊の必要性を痛感する。同盟国の米海軍からは協力を断られたものの、英軍から講師を招いた。手探りで情報を集めながら独自にメニューを作り、過酷な訓練を課してきた。「不審船事件の時のようなみじめな気持ちにはなりたくない」。２年かかって、部隊はできあがった。

Seven years have passed since the unit was launched. "It's pretty good now, even in comparison to those of other countries," says my acquaintance, who remains in touch with active members. But, he adds, "I've been hearing more complaints from them in the past few years. There's a lot of frustration in the air."

　創設から７年。「他国軍と比べても、かなりのレベルになった」と、いまも現役隊員と交流を持つ、別の元隊員は評価する。一方で、こうも付け加えた。「ここ数年、現役のやつらからよく愚痴を聞くようになった。みんな行き場のない不満を感じている」

It's because they have "no sense of accomplishment," he says.

　その理由は「達成感のなさ」だという。

Their single mission is to board and search suspicious vessels, but the unit has never been called into action. It was considered several times, but never realized. Meanwhile, the training is hard, both physically and mentally, and pay is bad because the men are not assigned to ships and they have never been called out. They are trained within an inch of their lives, they await the next order in a state of perpetual tension, they drink to ease the tension, and they go back to training again. It's oppressive just to think about it. I wonder if this atmosphere of oppression was the backdrop against which the young man, who was planning to leave the course, met with what appeared to be group assault or bullying. The interim report makes absolutely no effort to delve into the background of the incident.

　立ち入り検査を唯一の任務とする特警隊に、これまで出動命令は一度も出されていない。数度検討されたが、具体化しなかった。肉体的、精神的に厳しく、艦艇勤務ではない分、手当は激減し、それでいて出動機会を与えてこられなかった隊員たち。死にものぐるいで訓練して、緊張しながら待機し、酒を飲んで発散して、また訓練……。想像するだけで息の詰まる日々ではないか。養成課程を辞する隊員に「集団リンチ」や「いじめ」としか思えない訓練が行われた今回の事件の背景には、そういった重苦しい雰囲気はなかったのか。中間報告は、事件の背景について一切、踏み込んでいない。

My acquaintance, the former unit member, said softly, "I hope it doesn't end like Silmido..." I shuddered. "Silmido" was a true-life novel -- the tragedy of a special unit trained during the Cold War on a deserted island called Silmido in South Korea. The unit underwent harsh training, only to be abandoned when the international situation changed. The tale became famous as a motion picture of the same name. In the novel, the unit chooses to blow itself up in a final act of despair. I don't think that Japan's special unit has reached that point yet, but the comparison makes me uncomfortable.

　元隊員は「『シルミド』みたいにならなきゃいいけど……」とぽつんと漏らした。ぞっとした。東西冷戦期、この名を持つ韓国の孤島に集められ、過酷な訓練に耐えた特殊部隊が、国際情勢の変化に伴い見捨てられた悲劇を描いた実話小説である。映画化もされ話題になった。小説では、隊員たちは無念の自爆死を選択する。特警隊員はまさかそこまで思い詰めてはいないだろうが、落ち着かない気持ちになる。

On the day of the interim report, a 26-year-old participant of the same training course was given a dishonorable discharge after being AWOL for 99 days. What is going on in the Special Boarding Unit?

　中間報告と同じ日、同じく養成（基礎）課程の２６歳の隊員が、９９日間行方不明になっていたため懲戒免職処分にされていた。特警隊に何が起きているのか。

I am a complete outsider with regard to the training and activation of the unit and its members, but I sincerely hope that they can continue to train in a way that is fulfilling for them and that will make them capable of dealing with any incidents that may come their way. How about joining them to the GSDF's Special Operation Group? Or arranging joint-training sessions with special units of the police department or of the Coast Guard? It's not a bad idea for units with similar jobs to give each other some stimulus. Needless to say, the reasons behind the September incident must be made clear. Failing that, all their training may lead to naught. (By Takahiro Takino, City News Department, Mainichi Shimbun)

　特殊部隊の隊員養成や運用については門外漢の私だが、いつ起こるか分からない不審船事案に備え、隊員たちが充実した気持ちで訓練を続けてほしいと心から思う。そのために、陸上自衛隊の「特殊作戦群」と統合してみてはどうだろう。あるいは、警察や海上保安庁の特殊部隊と、もっと共同訓練をしてみたら。同じような任務の部隊同士で刺激しあうことはあっていい。もちろん、まずは事故の要因をきちんと解明すること。それなしに、有益な教訓は引き出せない。（東京社会部）

毎日新聞　2008年11月11日　0時02分