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タイ在住11年目、妻はタイ人、娘が2人、養女が2人

毎日新聞は英語版と日本語版とが、一致していない部分が多いので、英語学習教材としては、やや難がありますが、それでも大切な情報源です。

August 15, 2015 (Mainichi Japan)
Abe makes few references to South Korea in war anniversary statement
クローズアップ２０１５：首相７０年談話　歴史認識決着図る　随所に対中配慮

　◇韓国への言及少なく

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called for summit meetings with South Korean and Chinese leaders on Aug. 14 as his statement marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II is aimed at resolving the long-running standoff with China, South Korea and other countries over perceptions of wartime history.
　安倍談話には、中国、韓国両国などとの間で歴史認識問題の決着を図る狙いがあり、安倍晋三首相は１４日、記者会見などで中韓両国に対し、首脳会談開催を改めて呼びかけた。

Nevertheless, while incorporating his consideration for China into many parts of the statement, Abe made only a few references to South Korea. The Japanese government is poised to carefully see how the two Asian neighbors will respond to the statement.
ただ、談話は、中国への配慮を随所に盛り込む一方、韓国については言及が少なかった。政府は両国の反応を慎重に見極める構えだ。

"Because South Korea is a neighboring country, we have various issues with them. But we must not shut the door for dialogue. Because there are issues, we should hold a summit meeting," Abe said on an NHK news program on the evening of Aug. 14.
　「韓国は隣国であるがゆえにさまざまな課題があるが、対話のドアを閉ざしてはならない。課題があるからこそ首脳会談を開くべきだ」。安倍首相は１４日夜のＮＨＫのニュース番組に出演し、こう述べた。

On Japan's relations with South Korea, Abe emphasized that he had also given consideration to South Korea in the statement, saying, "I said in the statement that 'the dignity and honor of many women were severely injured.'" Abe incorporated his consideration for China in the statement with such passages as "the Chinese people who underwent all the sufferings of the war." But he made direct mention of South Korea only once in the statement along with other countries and regions such as Taiwan and China. Abe apparently tried to explain the "gap" in reference to China and South Korea in the statement.
さらに、日韓関係に関して「談話で『女性の尊厳が深く傷つけられた』と述べている」と語り、韓国に対しても配慮したとの姿勢を強調した。談話では、中国については「戦争の苦痛をなめ尽くした中国人の皆さん」など配慮した表現を盛り込む一方、韓国への直接の言及は台湾、中国などと並列で記述した１カ所にとどまっており、こうした「落差」を説明したとみられる。

The government is exploring the possibility of Abe visiting China in September and holding his first summit meeting with South Korean President Park Geun-hye. Abe said in a news conference after releasing the war anniversary statement, "I want the people of China to accept our country's frank feelings 70 years after the end of the war as they stand. If there is an opportunity of a summit, I would like to take advantage of it."
　政府は首相の９月訪中や、朴槿恵（パククネ）韓国大統領との初の首脳会談の実現時期を探っている。首相は中国についても、会見で「中国の皆さんには、戦後７０年に当たってのわが国の率直な気持ちをありのままに受け止めていただきたい。首脳会談の機会があれば生かしていきたい」と語った。

Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida called his South Korean, British, French and Australian counterparts to explain the content of the statement. Administrative Vice Foreign Minister Akitaka Saiki met U.S., Chinese and South Korean ambassadors to Japan to convey the content of the statement. South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se was quoted as telling Kishida, "We will share the statement within the government of the Republic of Korea." Chinese Ambassador to Japan Cheng Yonghua was quoted as telling Saiki that he would convey it to the Chinese government.
　岸田文雄外相は韓国、英国、フランス、オーストラリアの４カ国の外相に電話で談話の内容を説明。斎木昭隆事務次官も米中韓３カ国の駐日大使と会い、談話の内容を伝えた。韓国の尹炳世（ユンビョンセ）外相は「韓国政府内で共有する」と応じ、中国の程永華駐日大使は「本国に伝える」と述べたという。

A senior government official expressed confidence that China and South Korea would take the statement positively, saying, "It was thoroughly thought out." Another high-ranking government official said, "The word 'deep repentance' goes further than the expressions used in previous statements. If the Chinese and South Korean governments say something, they will be isolated."
　政府高官は談話について「練りに練った内容だ」と語り、中韓両国に評価されるとの自信を表明。政務三役の一人は「『悔悟』は今までの談話より踏み込んでいる。ここまで書いて中韓両国が何か言えば、あちらの方が孤立するだろう」と語った。

On the evening of Aug. 14, Natsuo Yamaguchi, head of Komeito, the junior partner in the ruling coalition, told reporters, "There is a highly significant meaning in that a Cabinet decision was made to the effect that the position taken by the previous governments will be taken over and remain unshakable into the future while using such key words as aggression and colonial rule." On the fact that the key words used in the statement represent indirect expressions rather than those of Abe's own, Yamaguchi said, "It is clear that he pledged that Japan will never use force or threaten again."
　国内では１４日夜、連立を組む公明党の山口那津男代表が記者団に「侵略や植民地支配などのキーワードを使って歴代内閣の立場を引き継ぎ、今後も揺るぎないと閣議決定したことは大変大きな意味がある」と評価。キーワードが首相自らの認識ではなく、間接的な表現である点にも「武力の行使や威嚇を二度と繰り返さないという誓いは明白だ」と理解を示した。

Hidetsugu Yagi, a conservative polemicist and professor at Reitaku University who is close to Abe, said on a BS NTV program on the evening of Aug. 14, "I want to rate it extremely high." He went on to say, "It relativized the statements by (then Prime Minister Tomiichi) Murayama and (then Prime Minister Junichiro) Koizumi and overwrote them. The Murayama statement has become just one of the statements issued by previous Cabinets and recovered by the Abe statement."
　一方、首相に近い保守派論客の八木秀次・麗澤大教授は１４日夜のＢＳ日テレの番組で「極めて高く評価したい」と談話を激賞。「村山談話、小泉談話を相対化し、上書きした。村山談話は歴代内閣の一談話となって安倍談話に回収された」との認識を示した。

Those comments show that Komeito, which called for Abe to stick to the Murayama statement, and conservatives who called on Abe to relativize the Murayama statement, are both giving high marks for the Abe statement. A senior Komeito official said, "It is significant that conservative Prime Minister Abe said the statements by the previous Cabinets were 'unshakable into the future'." It is based on the view that particularly because Abe is seen as a conservative hardliner, he could rein in the backlash from conservatives even if he take a flexible stance.
　村山談話の継承を求める公明党と「村山談話の相対化」を求めてきた保守層の双方が談話を評価したことになる。この点を、公明党幹部は「歴代内閣の談話を、保守の安倍首相が『今後も揺るぎない』と言ったのは大きい」と指摘した。保守強硬派と目されてきた安倍首相だからこそ、柔軟な対応を取っても保守層の反発を抑制できるとの理屈だ。

However, the government of Prime Minister Abe will have no option but to deal with difficult issues such as efforts to enact security-related bills, intensive negotiations over the relocation of the U.S. Marines' Air Station Futenma in Okinawa Prefecture and negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact. Prime Minister Abe will also need to clear many other hurdles as the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is to hold a leadership election in September, followed by a Cabinet reshuffle and the formation of a new lineup of LDP executives.
　ただ、今後の安倍政権は、安全保障関連法案の成立や米軍普天間飛行場移設問題を巡る沖縄県との対立解消を目指した集中協議、環太平洋パートナーシップ協定（ＴＰＰ）交渉の合意実現などの難題に取り組まざるを得ない。９月には自民党総裁選も予定され、その後の内閣改造・党役員人事など、首相は越えなければならない多くのハードルに直面することになる。