日美将检讨防卫合作指导方针

Japan and the U.S. will start a dialogue on their defense-cooperation guidelines, the Japanese defense ministry said Saturday, likely giving Japan a greater role in regional security as the U.S. strengthens its ties with Asian allies to counter China's growing military might.

日本防卫省周六说，日本和美国将就其防卫合作指导方针开展对话。在美国加强亚洲同盟关系、以抗衡中国不断增强的军事实力之际，这次对话可能会让日本在地区安全事务中发挥更大作用。

The agreement to review the guidelines for the first time in 15 years was reached Friday between Japanese deputy defense minister Akihisa Nagashima and U.S. deputy defense secretary Ashton Carter. Mr. Nagashima is visiting Washington until Sunday to accelerate defense talks with the administration of President Barack Obama following his re-election.

上周五日本防卫省副大臣长岛昭久(Akihisa Nagashima)和美国国防部副部长卡特(Ashton Carter)达成协议，对日美防卫合作指针开展15年来的首次检讨。长岛昭久正在访问华盛顿，周日结束。此行是为了在美国总统奥巴马(Barack Obama)获得连任之后加快日方和奥巴马政府的防务对话。

The guidelines, first adopted in 1978, lay out basic rules and conditions for security cooperation under normal and emergency circumstances.

日美防卫合作指针于1978年首次采用，列出了正常形势和紧急形势之下双方安全合作的基础规则和条件。

'As we witness China's spectacular rise, Japan and the U.S. must together consider hedging against the fallout of this,' Mr. Nagashima told The Wall Street Journal in an interview before his departure. The review, he said, is aimed at expanding cooperation and revising the division of responsibility between them.

长岛昭久在离开华盛顿之前接受《华尔街日报》采访说，在我们见证中国的惊人崛起之时，日本和美国必须共同考虑如何防范这种崛起带来的后果。他说，检讨指针的目的是为了扩大合作、修改双方的责任划分。

'What this means is Japan will start playing a bigger role,' the ruling-party lawmaker said.

身为执政党议员的长岛昭久说，这意味着日本将开始扮演更大的角色。

The defense ministry said in a statement Saturday that the dialogue will focus on three basic aspects of the two countries' defense ties─roles, missions and capabilities─but didn't provide further details. The discussions are expected to start before the year-end.

日本防卫省周六发表声明说，对话将侧重于两国防务关系的三个基本方面：角色、使命和能力。但声明没有透露其他具体情况。预计两国对话将在年内启动。

Satoshi Morimoto, Japan's defense minister, explained at a press conference Friday that the review of the guidelines was being considered to reflect changes in regional and global geopolitical risks and the security environment since the 1997 revision. Such changes, he said, included the rise of terrorism, cyber warfare and piracy, as well as issues specific to Asia, such as leadership transitions in North Korea and 'China's maritime advancement.'

日本防卫大臣森本敏(Satoshi Morimoto)在周五的一场资讯发布会上解释说，考虑检讨合作指导方针，是为了反映1997年修订以来地区及全球地缘政治风险及安全环境的变化。他说，这些变化包括恐怖主义、虚拟战争和海盗活动的兴起，以及亚洲独有的一些问题，比如朝鲜领导权的交接和“中国在海上的进展。

The U.S. has begun pursuing a 'rebalancing' of its diplomatic and security efforts toward Asia and the realignment of its troops. To fortify its alliances in Asia, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta this month will visit three countries in the region: Australia, Thailand and Cambodia.

美国已经开始寻求将其外交和安全行动朝着亚洲的方向实现“再平衡，并实现军队部署的重新调整。为巩固在亚洲的同盟关系，美国国防部长帕内塔(Leon Panetta)这个月将访问亚洲地区的三个国家，分别是澳大利亚、泰国和柬埔寨。

'Against the background of these enormous changes affecting Japan and the U.S., we'd like to take a look at the nature of the Japan-U.S. alliance once again,' Mr. Morimoto said.

森本敏说，在这些巨大变化影响日本和美国的背景之下，我们希望再一次重新考察日美同盟的性质。

The minister said he hoped the dialogue, combined with other defense talks, would lead to an adjustment of Japan's domestic laws to allow its military, known as the Self-Defense Forces, to take on more responsibility overseas.

森本敏说，他希望这次对话和其他一些防务谈判将带来日本国内法律的调整，从而允许日本自卫队在海外承担更多责任。

Some Japanese lawmakers and officials are increasingly pushing to abolish the effective ban on the right to exercise collective self-defense. That would allow SDF soldiers to use force to help allied troops if they came under enemy attack.

一些议员和官员正在越来越多地推动日本废除事实上的集体自卫权禁令。废除禁令之后，如果盟国军队遭到敌国袭击，那么日本自卫队将可提供武力援助。

Critics say such a change would push Japan away from the principle of its pacifist constitution. Debate has been intensifying in Japan as a territorial dispute with China over uninhabited East China Sea islands heats up.

批评者说，这样一种修改将令日本远离和平宪法中的原则。在中日岛屿争端加剧之时，日本国内这方面的讨论愈演愈烈。

In addition to the guidelines review, Messrs. Nagashima and Carter discussed the enforcement of discipline among U.S. troops stationed in Japan, following an alleged rape of a local woman by two U.S. sailors last month that fueled opposition to U.S. bases in the southern island of Okinawa.

除了防卫合作指针的检讨以外，长岛昭久和卡特还讨论了驻日美军的纪律执行问题。上个月两名美国海军士兵被指强奸一名日本女子，引燃日本民众对冲绳美军基地的反对。

Also on their agenda was the shifting of Osprey drills to bases on the mainland of Japan. The Osprey is a U.S. Marine Corps aircraft recently introduced into Okinawa despite strong local protests.

两人还讨论了鱼鹰式战机演练改到美军驻日本内地基地的问题。鱼鹰式战斗机是美国海军陆战队的一种飞机，前不久在当地居民强烈抗议的情况下依然被引入冲绳。