韓国大統領演説 日本を重要な隣国と言うなら

The Yomiuri Shimbun August 17, 2013
Is Japan an important neighbor for S. Korea amid unresolved issues?
韓国大統領演説　日本を重要な隣国と言うなら（8月16日付・読売社説）

First, political leaders should make their own efforts to have a direct personal dialogue to restore a relationship of trust between their two nations.
　国家間の信頼関係を回復するには、政治指導者がまず、対話に取り組む努力をすべきである。

For the first time since taking office, South Korean President Park Geun Hye made a speech marking the country’s day of independence from Japan’s colonial rule.
　韓国の朴槿恵大統領が日本の植民地支配からの解放記念日にあたる「光復節」式典で初めて演説した。

Park said in the speech that Japan is an important neighbor South Korea can work with to establish peace and prosperity in Northeast Asia, but she added that recent situation over historical issues is darkening the future of the two countries.
　朴大統領は、「日本は北東アジアの平和と繁栄をともに築いていく重要な隣国」と前置きした上で、「しかし、歴史問題を巡る最近の状況が韓日両国の未来を暗くしている」と述べた。

Her remark is apparently an expression of distrust toward Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s administration, whose “rightward tilt” South Korea is wary of.
　韓国が「右傾化」と警戒する安倍政権への不信の表明だろう。

However, Park generally kept her criticism of Japan restrained in her independence day speech.
　ただ、光復節演説で、朴大統領の日本への批判は、全体的には、抑制的だったと言える。

She moderated her expressions of emotion and avoided direct references to so-called comfort women and the territorial issue over the Takeshima islands. The president might have wanted to avoid further deterioration of South Korea’s relations with Japan.
　感情的な表現は抑え、慰安婦や竹島問題への直接的な言及も避けた。対日関係のこれ以上の悪化は避けたかったのかもしれない。

Even so, Park demanded that Tokyo take tangible action. The Japanese government should take “responsible and sincere measures to alleviate the pain of those who live with suffering and wounds arisen from past history,” she said in the speech.
　とは言え、朴大統領は、慰安婦問題を念頭に、「過去の歴史による苦痛と傷を今も抱えて暮らす人に対し、痛みを癒やせるよう責任と誠意ある措置を期待する」と、日本に具体的行動を求めた。

The comfort women issue is a thorn in the side of Japan-South Korea relations. It is unreasonable that South Korea has ignored the background of the issue and demanded that Japan alone resolve it.
　慰安婦問題は、日韓関係の喉元に突き刺さる棘(とげ)だ。過去の経緯を無視して、日本に解決策を求められても無理がある。

Japan believes that Tokyo and Seoul agreed to resolve the comfort women compensation issue by signing a bilateral agreement on property claims and economic cooperation in 1965. Moreover, the Japanese government has made an effort to fulfill its moral responsibility on the matter.
　元慰安婦への補償は、１９６５年の日韓請求権協定で法的に解決済み、というのが日本の立場だ。それでも日本政府は、道義的な責任を果たす努力は示した。

The government collected donations totaling ¥600 million from the public and set up the Asian Women’s Fund, based on which a relief project for former comfort women was begun, including payments of atonement money.
　国民から約６億円の募金を集め、アジア女性基金で始めた元慰安婦に対する「償い金」支給などの救済事業のことである。

However, the South Korean side criticized Japan’s effort as avoidance of responsibility. As a result, many of the former comfort women in South Korea did not accept the atonement money, and the fund was disbanded.
　それを韓国側は、日本政府の責任回避と批判した。韓国では結局、多くの元慰安婦が受け取らないまま、基金も解散してしまった。

Abe, Park should have talks

South Korea has only demanded that Japan make concessions and has refused to have a dialogue or other exchanges. We hope Seoul will change such attitudes.
　歴史認識問題で日本に一方的な譲歩だけを求めて、対話や交流を拒むようなやり方を、韓国は改めてもらいたい。

Meanwhile, Abe opted not to visit Yasukuni Shrine on Thursday but gave a donation from his own pocket to make an offering of a branch of a sacred tree. The prime minister showed a certain consideration for China and South Korea, which are trying to make visits to Yasukuni Shrine a diplomatic issue because Class-A war criminals are enshrined there together with many other war dead. Only three of the Abe Cabinet members visited the shrine.
　一方、この日、安倍首相は靖国神社参拝を見送り、私費で玉串料を奉納した。「Ａ級戦犯」の合祀(ごうし)を理由に、中国や韓国が、靖国参拝を外交問題化させていることを受け、一定の配慮を見せたものだ。参拝した閣僚は３人だった。

As Park admitted, Japan and South Korea are important neighbors. However, abnormal situations have continued between them because no meeting of their top leaders has been held since the governments changed in both countries.
　日韓は、朴大統領も認めた通り、重要な隣国関係にある。しかし、両国の政権交代後も、首脳会談が開かれないという異常な状況が続いている。

The two countries have many significant issues on which they share interests, including joint efforts to deal with North Korea, which persists in developing nuclear weapons, and enhancement of their economic partnership. It would be a problem if their leaders do not talk because Japan and South Korea cannot reach agreements over history and territorial issues. Their attitudes toward improving bilateral relations would be called into question.
　核開発を進める北朝鮮への対応や経済連携の強化など、重要な課題は多い。歴史や領土問題で一致しないからと言って、首脳が協議もしないのは問題だ。関係改善へ、双方の姿勢が問われよう。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Aug. 16, 2013)
（2013年8月16日01時27分 読売新聞）