日米同盟 肝心なのは「深化」の具体策だ

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Dec. 11, 2012)
Concrete measures needed to deepen Japan-U.S. alliance
日米同盟　肝心なのは「深化」の具体策だ（12月9日付・読売社説）

To make the Japan-U.S. alliance function more effectively, it is indispensable to work out concrete measures rather than merely mouth empty slogans.
　日米同盟の実効性を高めるには、掛け声だけでなく、具体的な政策の裏付けが欠かせない。

In their campaign platforms for the upcoming House of Representatives election, the Democratic Party of Japan, the Liberal Democratic Party, New Komeito and Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party) call for deepening or bolstering the alliance.
　民主、自民、公明、日本維新の会の各党はいずれも衆院選公約に日米同盟の「深化」や「強化」を掲げている。

The DPJ-led administration of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama destabilized the bilateral alliance by fumbling the issue of relocating the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station within Okinawa Prefecture. As a result of this chaotic situation, relations with China, South Korea and Russia deteriorated.
　民主党の鳩山政権が米軍普天間飛行場の移設問題を迷走させ、日米関係を不安定化させた。その混乱が波及する形で中国、韓国、ロシアとの関係も悪化した。

This view probably is shared by the four parties in their calls for deepening or bolstering the Japan-U.S. alliance.
そうした共通認識があるのだろう。

North Korea's announced plan to launch a ballistic missile seriously affects Japan's national security. To deal with this, Japan-U.S. relations must be put on a solid and stable footing.
　北朝鮮の弾道ミサイル発射予告が日本の安全を揺るがしている。こうした問題に対処するには、強固で安定的な日米関係が欠かせない。

The U.S. Senate has unanimously approved an amendment to the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act that confirms the Senkaku Islands are covered by the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty. This may serve to check China, which also claims sovereignty over the islands.
　尖閣諸島への日米安全保障条約の適用を確認する国防権限法案の米上院可決が、中国への一定の牽制(けんせい)となっているのも事実だ。

That the four major parties want to deepen the Japan-U.S. alliance is a significant step forward in rebuilding the nation's diplomacy.
　日本外交の立て直しには、まず日米同盟の深化、との立場で主要政党がそろった意義は大きい。

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Expand cooperation

The deepening of the bilateral alliance is a concept that emerged during the process of reviewing the Guidelines for Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation and promoting the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan, as new roles for the alliance were explored following the end of the Cold War.
　そもそも同盟深化とは、東西冷戦終結後、日米同盟の新たな役割を模索し、防衛協力指針（ガイドライン）見直しや在日米軍再編を進める中で生まれた発想だ。

It is essential to enhance the nature of cooperation between the Self-Defense Forces and U.S. military, which forms the core of the alliance. At the same time, it is vital to broaden cooperation in the political and economic fields as well as in such new fields as the environment, cyberspace and outer space.
　同盟の中核である自衛隊と米軍の協力の「質」を高める。同時に政治、経済は無論、環境や宇宙・サイバーなど新分野でも、連携の「幅」を広げることが重要だ。

In this sense, the calls to end reliance on nuclear power generation as advocated by the DPJ and Komeito will make it impossible for the two countries to cooperate in promoting the peaceful use of nuclear power and nuclear nonproliferation. This will run counter to moves to strengthen the alliance.
　その意味で、民主、公明両党が掲げる「脱原発」では、原子力の平和利用や核不拡散に関する日米協力は成り立たず、同盟深化に逆行することにもなりかねない。

Among the parties vying in Sunday's election, the LDP listed the largest number of concrete measures to strengthen the alliance in its campaign platform. The party proposed the enactment of a basic law on national security that would uphold the exercise of the right to collective self-defense, revision of the Guidelines for Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation and expansion of the number of SDF personnel and equipment.
　今回、同盟深化の具体策を最も多く公約に明記したのは自民党である。集団的自衛権の行使を認める国家安全保障基本法の制定、日米ガイドラインの再改定、自衛隊の人員・装備の拡充などだ。

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Halt defense spending cuts

These measures will help boost Japan's role in the security field. Ten consecutive years of cuts in Japan's defense spending must not be ignored as our neighbors have boosted their defense spending significantly. Japan must change direction and increase its defense budget.
　いずれも日本の安保面の役割を拡大させる。周辺国が国防費を大幅に伸ばす中、１０年連続の日本の防衛費削減は看過できない。早く増加に反転させてもらいたい。

The DPJ's pledges lack concrete measures to strengthen the alliance as it only presented a policy of realigning U.S. troops stationed in Japan. But the DPJ's policy agenda, though not mentioned in its manifesto, corresponds with that of the LDP in many respects. These include revision of the Guidelines for Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation and establishment of a national security council.
　民主党は、米軍再編の推進などを示した程度で、同盟深化の具体策は物足りない。ただ、ガイドライン再改定、国家安全保障会議創設など、公約にはないが、自民党と一致する政策も少なくない。

Ishin no Kai, for its part, approves the exercise of the right to collective self-defense and reviewing standards for the use of weapons by the SDF as well as the issue of defense spending cuts. This stance is laudable.
　維新の会も、集団的自衛権の行使容認や自衛隊の武器使用基準の見直し、防衛費の問題などに言及している点は評価できる。

During the rest of the campaign, the political parties must explain what effective measures they would take to deepen the Japan-U.S. alliance. This should be the first step to resolve security issues through suprapartisan efforts after the election.
　各党が衆院選を通じて、同盟深化に有効な手段について、きちんと論じておくことが大切だ。選挙後、超党派で安全保障の課題を解決するための一歩としたい。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 9, 2012)
（2012年12月9日01時32分  読売新聞）