中国軍の増強

(Sep. 13, 2008) The Yomiuri Shimbun
China's military buildup must be closely watched
防衛白書　注視が必要な中国軍の増強（9月14日付・読売社説）

Japan should keep a close eye on moves of Chinese military forces, which have been rapidly expanding and modernizing.
急速に増強、近代化が進む中国軍の動向に、引き続き注視が必要だ。

The 2008 defense white paper, released earlier this month, expresses concern over the effects that China's military buildup will have on the regional state of affairs and the security situation of Japan. This is because China refuses to reveal its intentions regarding its future defense policy despite the fact that its military expenditures have marked double-digit growth for the last 20 years in a row.
２００８年版防衛白書は、中国の軍事力が地域情勢や日本の安全保障に与える影響について「懸念」を明記した。国防費が２０年連続で２けたの伸びを示しながら、「具体的な将来像」が不明確だからだ。

In November last year, China abruptly withdrew permission for U.S. naval vessels, including the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk, to make a port call at Hong Kong. But it soon changed its mind and said it would, after all allow the vessels to enter the port. The white paper, Defense of Japan 2008, points out "concern" over the decision-making process and behavior of China's military in connection with this issue.
昨年１１月、米空母の香港寄港が中国側に拒否され、その後、撤回されたことに関して、軍事面での「中国の意思決定や行動」への「懸念」も指摘した。

It is a fact that a contingency could occur if communications between Chinese government leaders and military commanders are not conducted smoothly.
政権中枢と現場の意思疎通が円滑でないことは不慮の事態を招きかねない。

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Trust-building needed

It is important for Japan to sincerely convey these concerns and requests to the Chinese side through various defense exchanges and security dialogues and ask China to improve the current situation.
日本は、中国との様々な防衛交流や安保対話の場で、こうした「懸念」や注文を率直に伝え、改善を求めることが重要だ。

At present, Japan-China relations are basically good, so now is an opportune time for both sides to act to remove concerns over Japan's security.
現在、日中関係は基本的に良好であり、安全保障上の懸案処理を前進させるための好機と言える。

Of course, it will not be easy to persuade China, which has been refusing to reveal details of its military spending, to be more transparent about its military power. But Japan must patiently keep pressing China to move in that direction, in cooperation with the United States and others.
無論、軍事費の詳細の公表を拒む中国の軍事力の透明性を向上させるのは簡単ではない。だが、米国など関係国と連携し、粘り強く働きかけていく必要がある。

The white paper also points out that China has been developing the DH-10, a cruise missile with a range of more than 2,000 kilometers. Once the missile is deployed will be within its reach, according to the white paper.
白書は、中国が射程２０００キロ以上の巡航ミサイルＤＨ１０を開発中で、実用化に至れば日本も射程に収める、と記述した。

The white paper reveals that in September last year H-6 medium-range bombers flew into Japan's Air Defense Identification Zone over the East China Sea and probed the Japan-China median line.
昨年９月、中国の複数の中距離爆撃機Ｈ６が東シナ海の日本の防空識別圏に入り、日中中間線付近に至ったことも明らかにした。

Chinese planes--mainly reconnaissance aircraft--have flown into Japan's ADIZ in the past, but it is rare for Chinese bombers to enter it. Some military experts judge that the flights within the ADIZ indicate that the Chinese military's activities have progressed from an intelligence-gathering phase to an exercise phase.
この空域を飛ぶのは従来、偵察機が多く、爆撃機は珍しい。中国軍が情報収集段階から次の演習段階に入ったとの分析もある。

The development of the long-range cruise missile and the bombers' activity are regarded as moves to prevent a response by U.S. forces stationed in Japan and the Self-Defense Forces if a China-Taiwan contingency took place.
長射程の巡航ミサイルの開発や爆撃機の動向は、中台有事の際に在日米軍や自衛隊の動きを牽制(けんせい)するのが狙いとも見られている。

Unlike ballistic missiles, cruise missiles fly too close to the ground to be detected by radar. Because of this, the Defense Ministry has sought in its budget request for fiscal 2009 funds to improve the technical capabilities of the radar of airborne warning and control system (AWACS) planes.
低空を飛行する巡航ミサイルは弾道ミサイルよりもレーダーで捕捉しづらい。このため、防衛省は来年度予算で、空中警戒管制機（ＡＷＡＣＳ）のレーダーの高性能化を要求している。

It is important for Japan to steadily upgrade its defense capability to respond to military buildups in neighboring countries. At the same time, efforts should be made continuously to maintain the proficiency of SDF personnel through routine training.
日本は、近隣国の軍備の動向に応じた防衛力整備を着実に進めることが大切である。同時に、日ごろの訓練を通じて、部隊の錬度を維持する努力も欠かせない。

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Space, cyber warfare in focus

The white paper notes China's military use of outer space and its cyber-warfare capabilities, dedicating a passage in one subsection to the issue for the first time.
白書は、中国の宇宙の軍事利用とサイバー戦専門部隊について初めて１項目を充てて言及した。

Chinese leaders now think of outer space and cyberspace as the fourth and fifth battlefields, respectively, following the ground, sea and air theaters, and attach importance to them.
中国指導部は、宇宙とサイバーを陸海空に続く「第４、第５の戦場」と位置づけ、重視している。

In the United States and Europe, cases of hacking of government organs' Web sites have taken place one after another. There has been speculation that the Chinese military was behind the attacks.
欧米では昨年、政府機関に対するハッカー事件が相次ぎ、中国軍の関与を指摘する見方もあった。

Japan must urgently undertake technological research to come up with countermeasures in such new fields.
日本も、こうした新たな分野の技術研究や対策の検討に前向きに取り組むべきだろう。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 14, 2008)