日本送贈巡邏船給斯里蘭卡

A few weeks ago the Yomiuri News on-line reported the following:

スリランカに巡視船無償供与へ…首脳会談で合意

2014年09月07日 22時24分

　【コロンボ＝梁田真樹子】安倍首相は７日午後（日本時間７日夜）、スリランカのコロンボで、同国のラジャパクサ大統領と会談し、同国の沿岸警備隊の能力向上のため、日本の巡視船を無償で供与する方針を伝え、大統領も歓迎した。

　日本にとっては、中東から原油を輸送する際のシーレーン（海上交通路）の安全確保につながる。

　首相は会談の冒頭で、「スリランカとの伝統的友好関係を海洋国家間の新たなパートナーシップへ発展させ、両国関係を一層強化したい」と語った。

　会談では、両国間で海洋安全保障に関する協議を始めることや、海上自衛隊とスリランカ海軍の合同訓練を行う方針でも一致した。日本方式の地上デジタルテレビ放送をスリランカで採用するため、日本がアンテナ塔などの施設整備に約１３７億円の円借款を供与することも決まった。両首脳は合意事項を盛り込んだ共同声明に署名した。

(試譯文)

   On the 7th in the afternoon (Japan Standard Time on 7th at night) Prime Minister Abe in Colombo of Sri Lanka conferred with President Rajapakse of that country, and talked about a plan to supply Japan’s patrol vessels free to improve the capability of that country’s Coast Guard and the President welcomed that.

    For Japan, this was related to sea lane security at a time when crude oil was being carried from the Middle East (seaborne traffic route).

   The prime minister at the beginning of a talk said "I would like to develop the traditional friendly relations with Sri Lanka into a new partnership between two maritime states and to strengthen bilateral relation further".

   At the talk, the deliberation over sea security between both countries began; they were in agreement for the Maritime Self Defense Force and the Sri Lanka navy to perform joint training. In order to adopt Japanese system ground digital television broadcasting in Sri Lanka, it was also decided that Japan would supply institution maintenance for the antenna tower etc. through a loan of about 13,700 million yens. Both leaders signed a joint statement which incorporated these agreements.

It seems that Japan is interested in protecting its sea route for crude oil transportation.