01 日本要在亚洲确立新的军事地位

Japan To Establish New Military Role in Asia
Amy Bickers
Tokyo
24 May 2001 08:03 UTC
 
Japan's new Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said he wants to 1)amend the 2)Constitution which limits military activities to self-defense. Some officials in Tokyo say it is time for Japan to join with its 3)allies in international peacekeeping and other operations. The prime minister is pursing this controversial change just as Japan is assuming a higher profile in security relations with the United States.
For the first time since World War II, Japan's government is considering establishing a new military role in Asia.
New Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is 4)spurring a debate by supporting a constitutional amendment to allow Japanese troops to play a role beyond defending the nation's citizens and 5)sovereign territory.
Japan's Constitution, written by U.S. occupation forces after World War II, placed strict limits on the country's defense forces to prevent a repeat of decades of Japanese 6)militarism in Asia.
But Mr. Koizumi and many lawmakers in his 7)coalition government want Japan to now take part in collective security arrangements with other nations. If successful, it will be the first time Japan's post-war Constitution is amended. Setsu Kobayashi is a 8)prominent lawyer and academic who 9)backs Mr. Koizumi's proposal. He said he thinks Mr. Koizumi will succeed in his goal. He added that many Japanese people want the country to have the ability to protect and support its allies.
But recent surveys show that the majority of Japanese people opposes such a constitutional revision. The idea of rising militarism is unpopular here and there is strong 10)resistance to dangerous overseas 11)missions.
Despite constitutional restrictions, Japan has built its military into the best-equipped in Asia. The self-defense forces have a 12)quarter of a million people, 1,000 tanks, 300 13)fighter planes and plan to purchase more 14)sophisticated equipment.
So while many Japanese want their 15)troops to stay out of international 16)conflicts, the new prime minister appears to be going against the 17)trend. But analyst Ken Davies of the Economist Intelligence Unit explains there is a political pay-off. He said the government is eager to win the key support of 18)right wing voters, who want to see Japan defend its interests overseas. "I think what the present government wants to do is to 19)pacify the nationalist lobby so that the government can get on with things like economic reform," said Mr. Davies. "But we have to remember there is a rather strong nationalist lobby, which would really like to 20)embark on these sorts of adventures if the chance arose."
The support of Japan's nationalist voters is especially crucial ahead of 21)parliamentary elections in July.
Analysts say the Koizumi government is just as eager to please Japan's most important international ally - the United States. The Bush Administration is calling for closer military ties with Japan, and has indicated that it will look to Japan to be a 22)linchpin of Asian security.
Key American officials say they want Japan to accept a larger share of the alliance's defense burden.
Lawyer Setsu Kobayashi said Mr. Koizumi is eager to do so. He said that the prime minister wants to be able to assist the United States if it is called upon, especially for conflicts taking place near Japan.
Australia is also tacitly supporting Mr. Koizumi's goal of amending the constitution. Leading officials, including Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, say that Japan, as the richest country in Asia, should have a major role in regional peacekeeping.
However, analyst Ken Davies notes that the prospect of Japanese soldiers 23)fanning out across Asia upsets many in the region. "China and South Korea, along with many other Asian countries, suffered tremendously in the 1930's and 1940's when Japan expanded militarily in the region," said Mr. Davies. "I think there may be a 24)lingering fear that the present leadership of Japan may want to rebuild the armed forces for a similar sort of adventure."
The Japanese parliament is slated to begin examining the possibility of amending Article Nine of the Constitution when its next session starts. Given the controversy surrounding the issue, it is bound to be closely followed both within Japan and in neighboring countries.

注释：
(1) amend [E5mend] v.修正, 改进, 改正
(2) Constitution [kRnstI5tju:F(E)n; (?@) kRnstE5tu:FEn] n.宪法
(3) allies [`AlaIz] n.联盟国, 同盟者
(4)spur [sp:(r)]  n.刺激 v.鞭策, 刺激, 疾驰, 驱策
(5)sovereign [5sRvrIn] n.君主, 统治
(6)militarism [5mIlItErIz(E)m] n.军国主义
(7)coalition [kEJE5lIF(E)n] n.（政党）联盟；（政党）联合
(8)prominent [5prRmInEnt] adj.卓越的, 显著的, 突出的
(9)back [bAk] v.支持
(10)resistance [rI`zIstLns] n.反抗, 抵抗
(11)mission [5mIF(E)n] n.使命, 任务, 使团
(12)quarter [5kwC:tE(r)] n.四分之一
(13)fighter plane  n.战斗机
(14)sophisticated [sE5fIstIkeItId] adj. 富有经验的，高度发展的
(15)troop [tru:p]  n.军队
(16)conflict [5kRnflIkt]  n.斗争, 冲突 vi.抵触, 冲突
(17)trend [trend]  n.倾向, 趋势
(18)right wing  n.（政治上的）右翼，保守派
(19)pacify [5pAsIfaI] vt.使平静, 安慰, 抚慰
(20)embark on  v.从事, 着手
(21)parliamentary [pB:lE5mentErI] adj.议会的
(22)linchpin [5lIntFpIn]  n.关键
(23)fan [fAn] n.扇子, 狂热者 vt.煽动, 刺激, 扇, 吹拂
(24)lingering [`lIN^ErIN] adj.延迟的, 逗留不去的