安倍首相発表外交五個新原則

 

Recently the NHK News on-line reported the following:

1月19日 0時29分

安倍総理大臣は、法の支配と自由で開かれた海洋の重視などを掲げた「日本外交の新たな５原則」を発表し、アジア太平洋重視の姿勢を打ち出しているアメリカのオバマ政権と連携して、海洋進出の動きを活発化させている中国をけん制していく考えを示しています。

この中で、安倍総理大臣は、まず日米同盟が日本外交の基軸だとして、「世界最大の海洋勢力であり、経済大国であるアメリカと、アジア最大の海洋民主主義、自由資本主義国で、アメリカに次ぐ経済を擁する日本が、パートナーをなすのは、理の当然だ」としています。そして、外交の新たな５原則として、自由、民主主義、基本的人権などの普遍的価値の定着と拡大や、法の支配と自由で開かれた海洋の重視、それに貿易や投資など、自由でオープンな経済や文化のつながりの充実、未来を担う世代の交流を掲げています。
このうち、海洋を巡って、安倍総理大臣は「最も大切な公共財である海は、力によってではなく、法とルールの支配するところでなくてはならない」と指摘したうえで、「アジアと太平洋に重心を移しつつあるアメリカを、大いに歓迎したい」として、アメリカのオバマ政権と連携して、海洋進出の動きを活発化させている中国を、けん制していく考えを示しています。
安倍総理大臣は、当初、今回の外交原則を訪問先のインドネシアで発表する予定でしたが、北アフリカのアルジェリアで起きた事件を受けて、帰国を早めたため、取りやめになりました。

(試譯文)

Prime Minister Abe announced his "5 new principles on Japanese diplomacy" which would seriously uphold considerations that were based on the rule of law and the freedom to open up the ocean; he would cooperate with the Obama Administration of the United States which had set forth the posture of focusing on the Asia-Pacific, and he showed the idea of checking China which was initiating actions for advancing towards the sea.

Within this premise, Prime Minister Abe first supposed that the Japan-U.S. alliance would be the axis for Japan’s diplomacy, and that "the United States is the world's largest sea power and is also an economic big power, while Japan has the economy which ranks second to the United States and is the biggest sea democracy and a free capitalistic country in Asia, it is something natural for the two to form a partnership." Then, about the five diplomatic principles: freedom, democracy, confirming and expanding universal value on fundamental human rights, stressing on a free and open ocean based on the rule of law, in this way regarding trade and investment etc. free and open economic and cultural ties to be enhanced, and upholding the responsibility for exchange for future generations.

On top of that and in relation to the ocean, Prime Minister Abe pointed out that “the sea is the most important public asset, that it must be going to be governed by the rule of law, not based on power”, and supposed that "highly want to welcome the United States which is moving the center of gravity to Asia and the Pacific Ocean", and he showed cooperation with the U.S. Obama Administration and the idea to check China which was initiating actions for advancement towards the sea.

At the beginning Prime Minister Abe was scheduled to announce these diplomatic principles in Indonesia which was his visiting destination, but in order to have an early home coming in response to the incident occurred in Algeria of North Africa, the announcement was canceled.

It is an interesting announcement; we can see Japan’s logics regarding its diplomacy.