竹島・尖閣審議 民主は「配慮外交」を反省せよ

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Aug. 25, 2012)
DPJ must reconsider overly conciliatory stance on Takeshima
竹島・尖閣審議　民主は「配慮外交」を反省せよ　（8月24日付・読売社説）

When handling a territorial issue, it is essential for the government to assert the nation's stance resolutely while keeping a cool head in pursuit of a peaceful solution to the problem.
　領土問題では、毅然(きぜん)として自国の立場を主張するとともに、平和的な解決を冷静に追求することが肝要である。

A session of the House of Representatives' Budget Committee was held on Thursday for intensive deliberations on diplomatic issues.
　衆院予算委員会で外交に関する集中審議が行われた。

In response to an announcement by the South Korean government earlier on the day that it would return a letter Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda sent to South Korean President Lee Myung Bak, Noda expressed his displeasure, telling the session Seoul's action constituted "behavior utterly devoid of reason."
李明博韓国大統領宛ての野田首相の親書を韓国政府が返送すると発表したことについて、首相は「あまりにも冷静さを欠いた行動」と不快感を表明した。

The act of sending back the prime minister's letter, which expressed regret over Lee's surprise visit to the Takeshima islands on Aug. 10, is, without a doubt, particularly disrespectful in terms of diplomatic norms and cannot be overlooked.
　親書は李大統領の竹島訪問に遺憾の意を表する内容だが、それを返送するのは外交慣例上、極めて非礼であり、看過できない。

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Diplomacy cast aside

No matter how different two nations' views on an issue may be, a bare minimum of etiquette in diplomatic relations must be upheld by each country. South Korea has now crossed the line with this recent development.
どんなに主張が対立しても、外交には最低限守るべきマナーがある。韓国の対応は一線を越えている。

The government should file a firm protest with the South Korean government.
　政府は強く抗議すべきだ。

In doing so, however, it is important Japan conduct itself in full conformity with diplomatic protocol.
ただ、その際は、外交儀礼をきちんと守って対応することが大切だ。

In the Budget Committee session, Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba stressed that South Korea is "illegally occupying" the Sea of Japan islets, known as Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea.
　玄葉外相は予算委で、竹島の現況について韓国が「不法占拠」していると強調した。

Out of diplomatic consideration for South Korea, the administration of the Democratic Party of Japan has used the expression "rule without legal grounds" in reference to the matter since Deputy Prime Minister Katsuya Okada served as foreign minister. Gemba is the first Cabinet minister to have used the phrase "illegal occupation" to refer to the issue.
民主党政権は岡田外相以降、韓国側への配慮から「法的根拠のない支配」と表現しており、玄葉外相が初めて「不法占拠」との表現を用いた。

The change of wording is seriously overdue.

There can be no denying that disproportionate concern by the DPJ administration about inciting conflict with a partner country, even over an issue affecting the nation's sovereignty, has led South Korea to harbor the misconception that Japan is a country that backs down easily.
　あまりに遅きに失している。国家主権に関する問題でさえ、相手国を刺激しないという民主党政権の過剰な「配慮外交」が、日本は簡単に譲歩するという誤解を韓国側に与えたことは否めない。

Although the issue of compensation for the so-called comfort women in South Korea has been completely resolved, DPJ Policy Research Committee Chairman Seiji Maehara recently unveiled a plan to study the feasibility of "humanitarian measures" related to the matter. This may have caused South Korea to have false expectations about further steps from the Japanese side.
　いわゆる従軍慰安婦問題でも、賠償請求権問題は完全に解決しているのに、前原政調会長が新たな「人道的措置」の検討を表明したことなどが、韓国側に誤った期待感を抱かせた可能性がある。

The government must do some serious soul-searching about the recent string of events in bilateral relations and carefully consider how to deal with the situation effectively.
　政府は一連の経緯を反省し、今後の対応を検討すべきだ。

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Parties need to work together

In Thursday's Budget Committee meeting, Noda expressed his intention to seek an apology and a retraction of Lee's remarks demanding the Emperor apologize for the wartime past.
　野田首相は予算委で、李大統領の天皇陛下への謝罪要求発言について、謝罪と撤回を求める意向を表明した。

In a similar event, a spokesman of South Korea's Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry has demanded Gemba back down from his statement about South Korea's "illegal occupation" of the islets and pledge to avoid making similar remarks in the future.
韓国外交通商省報道官は、玄葉外相の「不法占拠」発言の撤回と再発防止を要求した。

Given the circumstances, Japan-South Korea relations have now begun a negative course.
　日韓関係は今や、「負の連鎖」に入り始めている。

Even if the two countries confront each other on the Takeshima issue, overall bilateral relations should be prevented from further deteriorating.
竹島問題で対立しても、日韓関係全体が悪化するのは避けたい。

It is evidently important for both nations to continue working-level discussions, including negotiations for concluding a free trade agreement between Japan, China and South Korea.
日中韓の自由貿易協定（ＦＴＡ）交渉など実務的な協議は継続するよう、日韓双方が努めることが重要である。

During the Budget Committee session, the Liberal Democratic Party lashed out at the government for its failure to prevent a group of activists from Hong Kong from illegally landing on the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. It also criticized the government's failure to charge the activists on suspicion of obstructing Japanese officers from performing their duties.
　集中審議で自民党は、政府が香港活動家による尖閣諸島不法上陸を阻止できず、公務執行妨害罪を問わなかった点を追及した。

It is highly desirable, however, for both the ruling and opposition camps to cooperate in steering the nation's diplomacy, particularly in the case of territorial disputes.
　領土問題では本来、オール日本の体制で外交を展開することが望ましい。

It would be regrettable for the LDP to make a point of finding fault with the government for its handling of territorial disputes.
自民党が政府の揚げ足取りに終始するようでは困る。

There are a host of issues that must be addressed on a suprapartisan basis, such as the proactive expression of Japan's stance on territorial disputes to the international community and the improvement of history lessons in school education.
　日本の主張を国際社会に積極的に発信し、学校での歴史教育を充実させるなど、超党派で取り組むべきことは少なくない。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Aug. 24, 2012)
（2012年8月24日01時23分 読売新聞）