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沖縄米軍基地の現状
沖縄県知事と政府との仮合意で、沖縄米軍基地縮小が検討されている。県民の米軍基地問題をめぐる怒りは、昨年の少女暴行事件をきっかけに爆発したが、筆者は沖縄問題全体についてもう一度正面から考え直してみる必要があるといっている。
Now that the Japanese government and Governor Ota of Okinawa have reached a tentative agreement on a plan for
reducing the size of the U.S. military bases in Okinawa prefecture, I think
it's a good idea to pause for a moment to reflect on the entire
issue.
Things started, of course, with the brutal rape
by three U.S. servicemen of a Japanese girl last
fall. Those men are rightly in a Japanese prison
now, but their deed has had lasting repercussions. It unleashed pent-up anger among many Okinawans
that their home prefecture bears far more than
its fair share of the burden of U.S. bases. With over 75 percent all U.S. military facilities in Japan located in
Okinawa, it is hard to argue with that.
But great progress has been made with
agreements to close Futenma Airbase and
make other changes. Still, the planned movement of some facilities to the mainland is causing a predictable NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) backlash
among residents of areas picked for relocation.
This should pass in time.
With all that has happened, it's easy to lose one's
focus when thinking about this issue. I believe there are three crucial points that need to be remembered:
First, U.S. military personnel are not monsters. Sure, some G.I.s have committed
crimes in this country, but there are bad apples
in any barrel. I encourage anybody to visit a U.S. military base during one of their
summer open houses or for some other event
when the gates are open to the public. There you'll find some of the nicest
people you've ever met, I promise!
Secondly, Okinawa needs those bases. Let's face
it, the U.S. military presence on Okinawa makes up 10 percent of the island's economy. If the
U.S. were to pull out suddenly, it would devastate Okinawa's economy, already among the
weakest in Japan, with an unemployment rate
twice the national average and with the lowest per capita income in the country. No radical change in the U.S. base structure in
Okinawa should occur without having a comprehensive economic development plan in place. That plan hasn't happened yet.
And my third point: The world needs those bases too. Some people hold the naive belief that eliminating military
bases is progress toward world peace. That's
like saying that eliminating doctors is progress toward ridding the world of
disease. The U.S. military exists to prevent and
contain conflicts, not start them. Okinawa is in
a key, strategic location in Asia, a region that
can hardly be called stable because countries like North Korea, China and
others make military threats from time to
time. The Cold War may be over, but we still
live in a world where we must be on our toes
against possible trouble. Let's just hope the U.S. military in Japan never has to prove just how important its role in
Asia really is.
Shukan ST: Oct. 4, 1996
(C) All rights reserved
op19961004chu.htm
- Governor
- 知事
- have reached a tentative agreement on 〜
- 〜について仮合意に達した
- reducing the size of 〜
- 〜の規模を縮小すること
- U.S. military bases
- 米軍基地
- pause for a moment
- 少し立ち止まる
- reflect on 〜
- 〜についてよく考える
- entire issue
- 問題全体
- Things started(with 〜)
- 事の発端は〜だった
- brutal rape
- 残忍な暴行
- U.S. servicemen
- 米兵
- are rightly in a Japanese prison
- 日本の刑務所に入っているが、それは公正なことだ
- deed
- 行為
- has had lasting repercussions
- 相変わらず波紋を投げかけている
- unleashed
- 爆発させた
- pent-up anger
- うっ積した怒り
- bears far more than its fair share of the burden of U.S. bases
- 米軍基地について不公平に大きい負担を担っている
- U.S. military facilities
- 米軍施設
- great progress has been made with agreements to
- 〜 〜という合意によって大きな進展があった
- Futenma Airbase
- 普天間空軍基地
- mainland
- 本土
- is causing 〜
- 〜を引き起こしている
- predictable NIMBY(Not In My Back Yard)backlash
- 「(よそならいいが)うちのそばはお断りだ」という予想できた反発
- areas picked for relocation
- 移転先に挙げられた地域
- pass in time
- やがてなくなる
- lose one's focus
- 問題の焦点を見失う
- crucial
- 重大な
- U.S. military personnel
- 米兵
- monsters
- 怪物
- G.I.s
- 米兵
- have committed crimes
- 罪を犯してきた
- there are bad apples in any barrel
- どの樽にも腐ったリンゴはある
- encourage 〜 to 〜
- 〜に〜することを勧める
- open houses
- 開放日
- face
- 直視する
- presence
- 駐留
- 〜 makes up 10 percent of the island's economy
- 島の経済の10パーセントは〜で成り立っている
- pull out
- 撤退する
- devastate
- 打撃を与える
- unemployment rate
- 失業率
- twice the national average
- 全国平均の2倍
- per capita income
- 県民一人あたりの収入
- No 〜 should occur without 〜
- 〜なしでは〜はするべきではない
- radical
- 大幅な
- comprehensive economic development plan
- 包括的な経済開発案
- in place
- 代わりに
- hold the naive belief that 〜
- 〜という単純素朴な考えを抱く
- eliminating 〜
- 〜を排除すること
- progress toward world peace
- 世界平和への前進
- ridding 〜 of 〜
- 〜から〜をなくすこと
- prevent and contain conflicts
- 紛争を防ぎ、抑える
- is in a key, strategic location in Asia
- アジアにおいて大切な戦略的位置にある
- region that can hardly called stable
- 安定しているとは言いがたい地域
- make military threats from time to time
- 時々、軍事的な脅しをかけてくる
- Cold War
- 冷戦
- may be over
- 終わったかもしれない
- be on our toes against 〜
- 〜に対して用意している
- possible trouble
- 有事
- never has to provide just how important its role in Asia really is
- アジアにおいていかに大切な役割を果たしているかを証明する必要がなくなる