衆院予算委 安全保障の論争を活性化せよ

The Yomiuri Shimbun February 1, 2014
Lower house budget panel must debate national security vigorously
衆院予算委　安全保障の論争を活性化せよ（2月1日付・読売社説）

How can Japan maintain its peace and prosperity amid increased challenges in the regional security environment? We want Diet members to further deepen their discussions on foreign and security policy.
　日本の安全保障環境が一層厳しくなる中、いかに平和と繁栄を維持するのか。外交・安保政策の議論を掘り下げたい。

Question-and-answer sessions at the budget committee of the House of Representatives started Friday.
　衆院予算委員会での質疑が始まった。

Former Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada, an influential member of the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan, raised issues related to a Japan-U.S. secret pact that allowed U.S. vessels with nuclear arms to enter Japan and the law to protect specially designated state secrets. Okada placed the blame on past prime ministers who led Liberal Democratic Party governments for denying the fact that U.S. nuclear weapons were brought into the country.
“Even if a law [on state secrets] is made, it won’t be effective if a prime minister really tries to hide something,” Okada said.
　民主党の岡田克也元外相は、米軍の核持ち込みの日米密約と特定秘密保護法の問題を取り上げた。自民党の歴代首相が核持ち込みを否定していたと指摘し、「首相が隠すとなると、法律を作っても、うまくいかない」と追及した。

Replying to Okada, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe admitted it was a mistake for past LDP governments not to inform the public about the existence of the secret pact. Abe then made a counterargument against Okada’s criticism, saying the state secrecy law offers the advantage of allowing the prime minister and cabinet members an opportunity to classify and declassify state information based on their own judgment.
　安倍首相は、自民党政権が密約の存在を「国民に示さずにきたのは間違いだった」と認めた。一方で、秘密保護法については、首相や閣僚が秘密指定・解除を自ら判断する機会を持てるといった利点を挙げ、反論した。

Making false statements in the Diet is not tolerated, of course, and it will not become permissible under the state secrecy law. It was not reasonable for Okada to bring up the secret pact issue to criticize the law to protect specially designated state secrets.
　国会での虚偽答弁が許されないのは当然であり、秘密保護法もそれを容認するものではない。岡田氏が密約問題に絡めて秘密保護法を批判するのは、無理がある。

Make functional watchdog

Okada also claimed that a 20-member task force of the Cabinet Office is not enough to check the appropriateness of the classification of state information. But, the prime minister stressed that the creation of the watchdog organ marks an improvement in the government’s capacity to check the appropriateness of information classification.
　岡田氏は、秘密指定の妥当性をチェックする内閣府の「情報保全監察室」が２０人規模では不十分だと主張した。首相は、チェック機関の新設により、「今までより良くなる」と強調した。

The government must make the watchdog organ highly functional to prevent bureaucrats from easily concealing inconvenient information.
　官僚が都合の悪い情報を安易に隠すことがないよう、チェック機関の実効性を高めることが大切だ。

The public remains deeply concerned about restricting people’s right to know. The government must clarify standards and operations on classification of state information and give detailed explanations on them to the public.
国民には依然、知る権利の制約への懸念が強い。政府は秘密指定の基準や運用方法を明確化し、丁寧に説明する必要がある。

We also expect the Diet to study a system under which it would become involved in the protection of state secrets. The DPJ, too, must make a constructive proposal on the issue.
　国会も、秘密保護制度に適切に関与する仕組みを検討してもらいたい。民主党も建設的な提言をすることが求められよう。

Okada also used the enshrining of Class-A war criminals with other war dead at Yasukuni Shrine and the souring of Japan’s relations with China, South Korea and the United States to criticize Abe’s visit to the shrine.
　安倍首相の靖国神社参拝について、岡田氏は、Ａ級戦犯合祀(ごうし)の問題や、中韓両国や米国との関係悪化に言及し、批判した。

“The Japan-U.S. alliance has not wavered at all [with my visit to Yasukuni],” the prime minister replied. “I hope to explain my true intentions to the United States.”
首相は、「日米同盟が揺らいでいるわけでは全くない。米国にも私の真意を説明したい」と語った。

Abe said he visited Yasukuni Shrine to pray for the souls of the war dead and to pledge that Japan must never again wage war. However, a politician must be judged only by the effects of his actions. It is undeniable that his visit to Yasukuni Shrine served to benefit the anti-Japan diplomacy of China and South Korea. The prime minister must do his best to bring Japan’s foreign relations back into good form.
　首相は、参拝の趣旨を戦没者の追悼や「不戦の誓い」と説明するが、政治は結果が問われる。中韓両国の「反日外交」を利したのは否めない。首相は外交の立て直しに全力を挙げねばなるまい。

Meanwhile, Seoul and Beijing must seriously consider holding summit talks with Japan without preconditions.
　中韓両国も、前提条件なしの首脳会談を真剣に検討すべきだ。

As for the right to collective self-defense, Abe said he would consider making changes to the government’s interpretation of the Constitution after receiving an expert panel’s report on the issue to be made in April.
　集団的自衛権に関して、首相は４月に予定される有識者会議の報告を受けて、政府の憲法解釈の変更を検討する考えを示した。

Taking into consideration China’s maritime expansion and North Korea’s development of nuclear missiles, it is an urgent task to increase deterrence capabilities by allowing the nation to exercise its right to collective self-defense and enhancing the Japan-U.S. alliance as well as Japan’s partnership with other countries. The prime minister’s leadership will be tested.
　中国の海洋進出や北朝鮮の核ミサイル開発を踏まえれば、集団的自衛権の行使を可能にし、日米同盟や国際連携を強化して、抑止力を高めることは喫緊の課題だ。首相の指導力が問われよう。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Feb. 1, 2014)
（2014年2月1日01時37分  読売新聞）