日中韓首脳会談 「北」へ明確な意思表示が必要だ

The Yomiuri Shimbun(Apr. 12, 2009)
Intl community must unite on N. Korea
日中韓首脳会談　「北」へ明確な意思表示が必要だ（4月12日付・読売社説）

The international community has to stand together and clearly state its position to ensure North Korea refrains from further missile development and launches.
　北朝鮮にミサイルの開発や再発射の自制を迫るには、国際社会が結束して、明確な意思表示を行うことが必要である。

Prime Minister Taro Aso discussed issues related to North Korea on Saturday with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and South Korean President Lee Myung Bak in Pattaya, Thailand, where a series of regional summit meetings related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations were scheduled but canceled due to chaos caused by demonstrations against the Thai government.
　タイ・パタヤで予定されていた東南アジア諸国連合（ＡＳＥＡＮ）関連の会議が国内デモで中止されるという大混乱の中、麻生首相が中国の温家宝首相、韓国の李明博大統領と会談し、北朝鮮問題を協議した。

The three leaders agreed at their bilateral and trilateral meetings to accelerate negotiations on a U.N. Security Council presidential statement so that the council could send out a united message against North Korea's missile launch as soon as possible.
　３首脳は、ミサイル発射に対して、国連安全保障理事会が一致したメッセージを迅速に出せるよう、議長声明の調整作業を加速することを確認した。

North Korea's missile, which is said to have been a modified Taepodong-2 ballistic missile, failed to separate its second- and third-stage boosters, and to place a satellite in orbit. However, its flight distance was estimated to have been more than 3,000 kilometers, which is much further than the Taepodong-1 missile test-fired in 1998 traveled.
　改良型テポドン２とみられる北朝鮮のミサイルは、人工衛星の軌道投入や、２段目と３段目の切り離しには失敗した。だが、飛行距離は３０００キロ以上と推定されており、１９９８年のテポドン１と比べて大幅に伸びている。

The extended range achieved by the Taepodong-2 does not pose any additional direct threat to Japan. But, if it leads to a general improvement of North Korea's missile technology, it would increase the threat posed by Pyongyang's Rodong medium-range ballistic missiles, which can hit any part of Japan.
　テポドンの長射程化は日本に対する直接の脅威ではないものの、ミサイル技術全般の向上は、日本を射程に収めるノドンの脅威を増すことになる。

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UNSC backing Japan stance

In any case, the latest missile launch remains an act that undermined peace and stability in Asia. If the international community takes an ambiguous stance toward Pyongyang this time, it would set a bad precedent that says a missile test conducted under the guise of a satellite launch cannot be denounced.
　今回のミサイル発射がアジアの平和と安定を揺るがすことに変わりはない。国際社会があいまいな態度を取れば、人工衛星打ち上げの名目なら非難されない、という悪(あ)しき前例を作る。

A draft presidential statement under negotiation at the U.N. Security Council includes a denouncement of the launch and a demand that Pyongyang refrain from test-firing a missile again. It also will list additional items to be put under embargo regarding North Korea to strengthen and strictly enforce the 2006 sanctions resolution.
　安保理で調整中の議長声明案は今回の発射を非難し、北朝鮮への再発射の自制要求を盛り込んでいる。２００６年の制裁決議を徹底するため、北朝鮮への追加禁輸品目も具体的に指定するという。

If these contents remain in the document, the statement will be able to be evaluated as properly reflecting Japan's position. The government needs to continue making diplomatic efforts for a quick adoption of the presidential statement at the Security Council.
　こうした内容が最後まで維持されるなら、日本の意向が十分反映されていると評価できよう。政府は、迅速な採択に向けて外交努力を重ねる必要がある。

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ODA key to diplomacy

Meanwhile, the main agenda at the scheduled ASEAN-related summit meetings was how to bring about a recovery of the Asian economy.
　ＡＳＥＡＮ関連の首脳会議の主要議題は、アジア経済の再生だった。

It is regrettable that the meetings were canceled, but the prime minister has already announced that Japan will provide 2 trillion yen as official development assistance for other Asian nations. It is important to set ODA projects in motion as soon as possible.
会議の中止は残念だが、麻生首相は既に、２兆円のアジア向け政府開発援助（ＯＤＡ）の拠出を表明している。具体的な事業の実施を急ぐことが大切だ。

Japan's assistance to other Asian countries to help them stave off the economic crisis is significant in terms of preventing an escalation of the global recession that started in the United States. If the other Asian economies recover, it will eventually reward Japan.
　アジアの経済危機脱出に日本が協力することは、米国発の世界同時不況の深刻化に歯止めをかけるという重要な意味を持つ。アジア経済が回復すれば、その恩恵は日本にも還元されよう。

ODA is one of Japan's most powerful diplomatic tools. Since all 10 member countries of ASEAN have official relations with North Korea, providing them with ODA indirectly helps Tokyo in its diplomatic negotiations with Pyongyang.
　ＯＤＡは日本外交の有力なカードだ。ＡＳＥＡＮ１０か国はすべて北朝鮮と国交を持っており、対北朝鮮外交にも役立つはずだ。

However, Japan's ODA budget has been decreasing for 12 straight years and the amount is now exceeded by the United States and the major nations of Europe.
　しかし、日本のＯＤＡ予算は１２年連続で減少し、米欧主要国に追い越された。

It is a matter of course that the efficiency of ODA should be improved, but the budget allocated for it also should be increased as soon as possible after so many years of decline.
ＯＤＡの効率化は当然としても、予算自体も早急に増加に転じさせねばなるまい。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, April 12, 2009)
（2009年4月12日01時46分 読売新聞）