D Baker - 日英翻訳者

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翻訳 51

(社説)「何人死んだ」 沖縄めぐる政治の劣化

2018130500

 

 松本文明衆院議員が内閣府副大臣を事実上更迭された。

 沖縄で相次ぐ米軍機のトラブルを追及した共産党の志位和夫委員長の代表質問に対し、議場から「それで何人死んだんだ」と、ヤジを飛ばしたのだ。

 発言が問題になると、「誤解を招いた」とおなじみの言い訳である。誤解の余地など寸分もない、政治家としての資質を欠く暴言だ。しかも、松本氏は沖縄担当の副大臣を務めたこともあるというのだから、あきれるほかはない。

 安倍首相はきのうの衆院予算委員会で「沖縄の方々の気持ちに寄り添いながら、基地負担の軽減に全力を尽くす」と陳謝した。だがその言葉とは裏腹に、政府は辺野古の埋め立て工事をしゃにむに進める。今回の早期更迭の背景にも、投票が迫る名護市長選への影響を抑えたいとの思惑が透けて見える。

 松本氏のふるまいは、沖縄県民の思いよりも米国を重視する政府の姿勢が、乱暴な形で表面化しただけではないのか。

 沖縄はその空気を感じ取っている。翁長知事がヤジを「びっくりするようなものではない」と突き放し、普天間飛行場をかかえる宜野湾市の住民が本紙の取材に「何人死んだら動いてくれるのですか」と語っているのは、その表れといえよう。

 1972年の本土復帰後だけで、沖縄での米軍機の事故は700件以上にのぼる。さすがに最近の頻発をうけて政府は米軍に飛行停止などを求めたが、あっさり無視されている。

 政府与党の一員として本来進めるべきは、こうしたゆがんだ関係の是正である。だが難しい課題からは逃げ、中傷もどきのヤジを飛ばして悦に入る。歴史を知らず、学ばず、危険と隣り合わせの日常を想像する力もない政治家とは何なのか。

 松本発言の翌日、野中広務氏が亡くなった。自民党の実力者として辺野古移設を進めた一人だ。一方で沖縄の苦難の歩みに心を寄せた。97年に軍用地の収用を強化する法律が成立した際、本会議場で、法律の必要性を認めつつ「沖縄県民を軍靴で踏みにじるような結果にならないように」と訴えた。ヤジと同じ不規則発言として議事録から削られたが、心ある人々の記憶に刻まれた。

 多数のためなら少数者の犠牲はやむをえないのか。沖縄は本土にそう問いかけ、野中氏を含む少なからぬ自民党の政治家たちも、その声に何とか答えようと真摯(しんし)にとり組んできた。

 いま、政治の著しい劣化に危機感を覚えざるを得ない

 

https://www.asahi.com/articles/DA3S13336305.html

 

 

Editorial: “And how many people have died?” - The broken politics of Okinawa

January 30th 2018 5:00

 

Matsumoto Fumiaki, a Member of the House of Representatives, has been forced to quit his position of deputy minister of the Cabinet Office.

 

His resignation comes after a heckle he made from the floor of the House following a query made by Shii Kazuo, the Chairman of the Japanese Communist Party, about the succession of incidents related to US military aircraft in Okinawa. Matsumoto heckled in response, “And how many people have died as a result?”

 

Under fire for his interjection, his reply included the well worn defense that his words had “caused misunderstanding.” Yet what he said was unreasonable, left no room to be misunderstood, and was not the kind of interruption a qualified politician should make. His remarks are all the more astounding given Matsumoto served as a senior vice minister for Okinawa.

 

Prime Minister Abe apologized for the incident yesterday in the Budget Committee of the lower house of the Diet, saying, “We will consider the feelings of Okinawan citizens while doing our utmost to minimize the burden of hosting military bases.” His words, however, were in direct contrast to the government's furious efforts to complete landfill work off the coast of Henoko to allow for the relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. It is clear that a desire to minimize any impact on the imminent mayoral election in Nago in Okinawa played a part in Matsumoto's swift resignation.

 

Matsumoto's behavior may have violently brought to the surface the government's position of prioritizing the needs of the United States over the concerns of Okinawan residents.

 

This is felt acutely in Okinawa. Governor of Okinawa Onaga Takeshi brushed off Matsumoto's outburst, saying he was “not surprised.” A similar reaction came in comments given by a citizen of Ginowan (where MCAS Futenma is based), who said, “If more people did die, would they do something about it then?”

 

There have been over 700 incidents involving US aircraft in Okinawa since the islands were handed over to Japanese control in 1972. In the light of numerous recent incidents, the government has petitioned the US to suspend flights, but their requests have fallen on deaf ears.

 

Correcting this strained relationship is imperative for the ruling party. And yet we have Matsumoto, taking pleasure in making his pseudo-slanderous outburst, avoiding the difficult questions. What is the use of a politician who does not even know history to be able to learn from it, who lacks any ability to imagine what everyday life must be like living next door to such danger?

 

The day after Matsumoto's interjection in the House, Nonaka Hiromu died. A dominant figure in the LDP, Nonaka helped with the campaign for the relocation of the military base. At the same time, he was moved by the suffering of Okinawa. In 1997, with the passing of a law allowing expropriation of land for US military use to occur with greater ease, Nonaka acknowledged the necessity of the law, but said in a plenary session, “we must ensure that combat boots do not trample Okinawa underfoot.” It was not recorded in the minutes of the meeting as it was seen as an 'extraneous statement,' the same as Matsumoto's outburst, but it touched the hearts of many people.

 

Is the suffering of the few unavoidable for the sake of the many? This was the question Okinawa asked of the mainland, and a considerable number of LDP politicians, including Nonaka, have worked diligently towards finding some kind of answer. Now, however, with politics in such a broken state, there is only a feeling of impending crisis.