尖閣諸島 海も空も中国への警戒強めよ

The Yomiuri Shimbun April 26, 2013
Air and marine patrols must increase vigilance to defend against China
尖閣諸島　海も空も中国への警戒強めよ（4月25日付・読売社説）

The need to reinforce patrol and monitoring activities on the water and in the air around the Senkaku Islands to respond to China's perilously provocative acts has grown.
　中国の危険な挑発に対し、海空両面での警戒監視活動を強化する必要性が一段と高まった。

Eight Chinese maritime surveillance ships entered the territorial waters off the Senkakus in Okinawa Prefecture on Tuesday and remained in the vicinity for about 12 hours.
　沖縄県・尖閣諸島沖の領海に２３日、中国の海洋監視船８隻が相次いで侵入し、約１２時間も航行を続けた。

Since the Japanese government purchased part of the Senkakus in September, Chinese government vessels have intruded into Japanese waters on 40 occasions, often using multiple ships for a total of about 130 intrusions. Tuesday's intrusion marked the largest simultaneous entry.
昨年９月の尖閣諸島国有化以来、中国公船の領海侵犯は４０件、延べ約１３０隻に上る。８隻同時は最多だ。

In its attempt to justify its actions, China claimed they were engaging in "law enforcement" against the "trespassing" of Japanese fishing vessels in the waters. Such an assertion is totally unacceptable.
　中国は、現場海域にいた日本漁船の「侵害行為」に対する「法執行だ」と領海侵犯の正当化を図ったが、到底容認できない。

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe strongly cautioned China by saying, "The reasonable response is for us to respond physically [to intruding vessels], with a strong determination to prevent them from landing on any of the islands."
　安倍首相は「絶対に上陸させないという強い決意で、物理的に対応していくことが正しい対応だ」と強く牽制(けんせい)した。

Possible countermeasures

Abe hinted at the possibility of taking such countermeasures as stationing public servants on the islands if Chinese vessels continue such intrusions into Japan's territorial waters.
領海侵犯が続く場合は公務員駐在などの対抗措置をとる可能性も示唆している。

The Chinese government last month unified, under the State Oceanic Administration, maritime surveillance duties, which were performed by various institutions, including the agriculture and public security ministries.
　中国政府は３月、農業、公安両省など複数機関による海上取り締まり任務を国家海洋局の下に一元化した。

This time, together with the maritime surveillance ships that intruded into Japanese waters, two fishery surveillance ships sailed in the contiguous zone in the vicinity, indicating unified management of surveillance.
今回、海洋監視船の領海侵犯に合わせて、周辺の接続水域内を漁業監視船２隻が航行したのも、一元管理の表れだろう。

It is expected a large number of China's surveillance ships will intrude into the territorial waters again in the days ahead, staying there for longer periods than before.
　今後、大量の監視船の領海侵犯が再発し、侵犯時間も長くなることが予想される。

The Japan Coast Guard needs to improve its capability to deal with such intrusive acts, while cooperating closely with the Maritime Self-Defense Force.
海上保安庁は対処能力を拡充し、海上自衛隊とも緊密に連携する必要がある。

Air intrusions also occurring

The tense situation has not been limited to the sea.
　緊迫の状況は海に限らない。

The Air Self-Defense Force scrambled fighter jets to intercept Chinese aircraft intruding into Japan's airspace a record 306 times in fiscal 2012, almost double the number of the previous year. It also marked the first time such flights outpaced those against Russian aircraft.
　２０１２年度の中国機に対する航空自衛隊の緊急発進（スクランブル）は過去最多の３０６回に上った。前年度の約２倍で、初めてロシア機への発進を上回った。

The scrambles mostly targeted Chinese Air Force aircraft, including fighter jets, flying north of the Senkakus.
　緊急発進の対象は、戦闘機など中国空軍機が大半を占め、尖閣諸島北方空域に集中している。

As long as the Chinese government maintains its hard-line stance on securing its purported territorial and maritime rights and interests, the Japanese government must make a strenuous effort to take necessary measures and prepare for the tense situation to last into the middle- or long-term.
　中国政府が領土・海洋権益への強硬姿勢を公言する以上、日本政府は事態の中長期化を覚悟して、対策に本腰を入れるべきだ。

The government will review the National Defense Program Guidelines at the end of this year. In the review, it must prioritize its efforts in reinforcing the "dynamic defense capability," which emphasizes force mobility, and in boosting the capabilities of the ships and aircraft in the Okinawa area, as well as increasing the number of SDF personnel there.
　政府は今年末に防衛大綱を見直す。その中で、部隊の機動性を重視する「動的防衛力」を強化し、沖縄方面の艦船・航空機や要員の増強に優先的に取り組まねばならない。

It is also necessary to introduce the Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle earlier than planned.
無人偵察機グローバルホークの導入も前倒しが必要だ。

On the other hand, Japan should avoid unnecessarily raising tensions with China. It is important to continue mapping out rules to prevent incidents like the one that occurred when a Chinese frigate locked its weapons-control radar on an MSDF vessel in January.
　一方で、日中間の緊張をいたずらに高めることは避けたい。今年１月の中国海軍艦艇によるレーダー照射事件のような不測の事態や事故を防ぐためのルール作りを進めることが大切だ。

The defense authorities of both countries in June last year reached a basic accord on creating a maritime communication system. It is designed to have information hotlines between the countries' respective defense forces, with the two countries' vessels or aircraft communicating on a common radio frequency when approaching each other. However, the idea has not been implemented.
　日中の防衛当局は昨年６月、海上連絡メカニズムの構築で基本合意した。部隊間のホットラインを開設し、艦艇・航空機が国際緊急周波数で無線連絡する仕組みだが、まだ実現していない。

It is important, first of all, for both countries to put this accord into action, and build a trusting relationship between their respective defense forces.
　まずは、この合意を実行に移し、部隊間の信頼関係の醸成を図ることが重要である。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, April 25, 2013)
（2013年4月25日01時45分 読売新聞）