日本要在亚洲确立新的军事地位

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)amend¹ the 2)Constitution which limits military activities to self-defense². 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 amendment³ 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 amended⁴. 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 restrictions⁵, 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 analyst⁶ Ken⁷ Davies of the Economist⁸ 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.
Analysts⁹ 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 amending¹⁰ 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 prospect¹¹ 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 slated¹² to begin examining the possibility of amending Article Nine of the Constitution when its next session starts. Given the controversy¹³ 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

1 amend   

vt.修改，修订，改进；n.[pl.]赔罪，赔偿

参考例句：

• The teacher advised him to amend his way of living.老师劝他改变生活方式。
• You must amend your pronunciation.你必须改正你的发音。

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

4 Amended   

adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He asked to see the amended version. 他要求看修订本。
• He amended his speech by making some additions and deletions. 他对讲稿作了些增删修改。

5 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

6 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

7 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

8 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

9 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

10 amending   

改良，修改，修订( amend的现在分词 )； 改良，修改，修订( amend的第三人称单数 )( amends的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Amending acts in 1933,1934, and 1935 attempted to help honest debtors rehabilitate themselves. 一九三三年，一九三四年和一九三五年通过的修正案是为了帮助诚实的债务人恢复自己的地位。
• Two ways were used about the error-amending of contour curve. 采用两种方法对凸轮轮廓曲线进行了修正。

11 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

12 slated   

用石板瓦盖( slate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Yuki is working up an in-home phonics program slated for Thursdays, and I'm drilling her on English conversation at dinnertime. Yuki每周四还有一次家庭语音课。我在晚餐时训练她的英语口语。
• Bromfield was slated to become U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. 布罗姆菲尔德被提名为美国农业部长。

13 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。