日朝宣言１０年 原点に返って交渉を立て直せ

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Sep. 18, 2012)
Revive talks with North Korea based on 2002 joint declaration
日朝宣言１０年　原点に返って交渉を立て直せ（9月17日付・読売社説）

Monday marks 10 years since Junichiro Koizumi became the first Japanese prime minister to visit North Korea, where he signed the Japan-North Korea Pyongyang Joint Declaration with then North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.
　日本の首相として初めて北朝鮮を訪れた小泉首相が、金正日総書記と日朝平壌宣言に署名してから１７日で１０年となる。

In the decade since then, however, the problem of Japanese abducted by North Korean agents has not been resolved, and North Korea's missile and nuclear threats to Japan have increased.
　この間、拉致問題は解決できず、北朝鮮の核・ミサイルの脅威は増大した。

Tokyo must confirm the validity of the Pyongyang Declaration--the starting point for resolving bilateral issues--with North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, the first secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, to put intergovernmental negotiations on pending issues on track.
　政府は、金正恩第１書記との間で原点の平壌宣言の有効性を確認し、政府間交渉を軌道に乗せる必要がある。

During the 2002 summit talks, Kim Jong Il admitted for the first time that his government had been involved in abducting Japanese, and apologized.
　日朝首脳会談で金総書記は、国家が関与した日本人拉致を初めて認め、謝罪した。

The Pyongyang Declaration stipulated, "North Korea will take appropriate actions to prevent a recurrence of incidents that threaten the lives and safety of Japanese nationals."
宣言は、北朝鮮が「日本国民の生命と安全に関わる懸案問題」を再び起こさぬよう適切な措置をとると明記した。

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Abduction issue far from over

About one month later, five abductees, including Hitomi Soga and Kaoru Hasuike, returned to Japan. Koizumi visited North Korea again in May 2004, a trip that resulted in the abductees' families being allowed to come to Japan--more progress in the right direction.
　約１か月後、曽我ひとみさん、蓮池薫さんら拉致被害者５人が帰国、２００４年５月の小泉首相再訪朝を機に、さらに被害者の家族が帰国するなど前進はあった。

However, the whole truth of this matter is still nowhere near being revealed. Pyongyang said during its 2008 talks with Tokyo that it would reinvestigate the abduction issue, but it has unilaterally broken this promise and has not lifted a finger on this issue to this day.
　だが、全容解明にはほど遠い。北朝鮮は０８年の協議で拉致問題の再調査を表明しながら、一方的に反古(ほご)にし、今日に至っている。

We think it is extremely regrettable that North Korea has not sincerely tried to live up to its end of the bargain.
　誠実に対応しようとしない北朝鮮の態度は極めて遺憾である。

At the end of August, officials from Japan and North Korea, which is under the new regime of Kim Jong Un, held governmental talks for the first time in four years. Both delegations agreed to discuss a "broad range of issues of interest to both sides," with the abduction issue apparently in mind. This agreement seems to indicate a sign of change in North Korea.
　金正恩体制下の先月末、４年ぶりの日朝政府間協議では、拉致問題を念頭に「双方が関心を持つ事項」について協議することで一致した。北朝鮮に変化の兆しが出てきたようにも見える。

North Korea claims other Japanese abduction victims, including Megumi Yokota, have already died. However, Jin Matsubara, state minister in charge of the abduction issue, said it is a fact that he has received a lot of information from various contacts that suggest the abductees are still alive.
　北朝鮮が死亡したと主張する横田めぐみさんらの消息に関して、松原拉致問題相は「多くの生存情報が様々な接触から寄せられていることは事実だ」と述べた。

We hope the government will engage in talks with the North Korean government after reassembling its strategy to ensure the repatriation of all the abductees to Japan as soon as possible.
　政府は被害者全員の早期帰国が実現するよう、戦略を立て直して交渉に臨んでもらいたい。

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Spell out path to normalized ties

As steps toward the normalization of Japan-North Korea diplomatic relations, the Pyongyang Declaration also confirmed international agreements would be observed to solve North Korea's nuclear issue and dialogue promoted among countries concerned over the nuclear, missile and other security issues. Following the declaration, six-party talks among Japan, North Korea, the United States, China, South Korea and Russia were launched.
　平壌宣言は、日朝国交正常化に向けて、核問題解決のため「国際的合意の順守」を確認し、核・ミサイルなど安全保障でも関係国間の対話の促進を明記した。宣言を受けて、北朝鮮と日米中韓露による６か国協議が発足した。

After the start of these talks that aimed to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, however, North Korea ignored repeated warnings by the international community and charged ahead with ballistic missile and nuclear weapon tests. North Korea now proclaims to be a "nuclear power." The six-party talks also have ground to a halt.
　北朝鮮は、朝鮮半島の非核化を目指す６か国協議の開始後、国際社会の度重なる警告を無視して弾道ミサイル発射や核実験を強行した。今や「核保有国」を自称する。６か国協議も行き詰まった。

North Korea has quite rightly been placed under U.N. economic sanctions, and it also has been slapped with additional sanctions by Japan.
　北朝鮮が、国連の経済制裁下に置かれ、日本独自の制裁対象にもなったのは当然である。

If Pyongyang wants to revive its economy in the future, it will need to depend not just on China's assistance but also to improve its relationship with the international community.
　今後、北朝鮮が経済を再建するためには、中国の支援に依存するだけではなく、国際社会との関係を改善することが必要だろう。

North Korea will be able to normalize diplomatic ties with Japan only after the abduction, nuclear and missile issues are comprehensively resolved. Japan must make Kim Jong Un fully aware of that.
　日本との国交正常化は、拉致や核・ミサイル問題の包括的な解決が前提だ。それを金第１書記に認識させていかねばならない。

To achieve this goal, domestic political stability in Japan is essential.
　そのためにも、日本政治の安定が欠かせない。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 17, 2012)
（2012年9月17日01時20分  読売新聞）