South Korean Politicians Further Pander / to Anti-Japanese Sentiment

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英文読解★時事英会話【上級】　2017年10～12月期　課題Topic6a
News Discussion Topic5a【Advanced】 October-December, 2017

The Japan News November 29, 2017

South Korean politicians further pander / to anti-Japanese sentiment

Due to South Korea’s self-righteous move, / the bilateral rift with Japan / over the issue of historical perception / has deepened further. / Under such circumstances, / the establishment of “future-oriented” relations between Japan and South Korea / will only become less likely.
South Korea’s parliament has passed a bill / to revise an existing law, / designating Aug. 14 / as a day to honor comfort women, / calling them victims of the Japanese military. / The vote was 205 in favor and none against, / with 8 abstentions, / with both the ruling and opposition parties supporting the bill. / The revised law will be promulgated shortly / and will come into force half a year later.
The revised law stipulates / that the establishment of the commemorative day / is aimed at having the comfort women issue / known both at home and abroad. / It calls for both the national and local governments / to make efforts to hold events and publicize them.
Also included in the law is a provision / that if the government formulates a policy related to former comfort women, / it is required to hear opinions from them.
Aug. 14 was the date in 1991 / when Kim Hak Sun, a former comfort woman, / first went public with her experience / by talking to reporters. / By legislating the commemorative day, / the issue of comfort women will be publicly taken up again and again / when this day comes around every year.
Coupled with an annual National Liberation Day on Aug. 15, / which marks the liberation of Korea from Japan’s colonial rule, / anti-Japanese sentiment among South Korean people could be passed down into the future. / It must be inevitable for Japanese views of South Korea / to become ever more severe.
Not to be overlooked / is that the administration of South Korean President Moon Jae In has been promoting measures / focusing on the issue of comfort women.
In its five-year national management plan compiled in July, / his administration spelled out the establishment of the commemorative day / and the construction of a history museum. / It also announced a policy of building a memorial for comfort women / at a national cemetery.
The Seoul High Court found Prof. Park Yu Ha, / an author of an academic work on comfort women, / guilty of defamation. / A former comfort woman was invited to the banquet / held to welcome U.S. President Donald Trump.
The government, national assembly and judiciary all alike / are pandering to the anti-Japanese movement /instigated by civic groups in South Korea. / This is an extremely grave situation.
Both the Japanese and South Korean governments, / in the agreement reached in 2015, / confirmed that the comfort women issue has been settled “/ finally and irreversibly.”/ It is a valuable achievement / realized with mutual concessions of both sides, / leaving no room for renegotiations.
Also reflected in the agreement were wishes / that the administration of then President Park Geun-hye heard / from former comfort women. / On the basis of the agreement, / 70 percent of former comfort women received money in cash / from a foundation established by the South Korean government. / Isn’t such a fact the very thing / the Moon administration should let be known widely among its people?
It is only a matter of course / that Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga expressed regret / about the commemorative day, / saying it “runs counter to the spirit / of the Japan-South Korea agreement.”/ On such occasions as top-level meetings, / Japan should urge South Korea to steadily implement the agreement.
Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi, / who was visiting South Korea, / expressed his concern over a possible adverse impact / on overall Japan-South Korea relations. / Multi-faceted efforts, / such as reinforcing the exchange of legislators of both countries / through the Japan-Korea Parliamentarians’ Union, / are also necessary.

–Questions for Discussion –

Would you give us a brief outline of this article?
Do you think it possible for Japan to establish“future-oriented” relations with South Korea?
Why does South Korea want to have the comfort women issue known both at home and abroad?
Why did former comfort woman Kim Hak Sun first go into public with her experience in 1991?
Was the comfort women issue settled “finally and irreversibly” between Japan and Korea in 2015?
Have you ever been to South Korea? What is your impression of this nation?
What do you most agree or disagree with in this article?
Is there anything else you would like to share with us about this topic?

【語句の注釈】pander rift（名）溝 promulgate（動）公布する defamation（名）名誉棄損 judiciary（名）司法 instigate（動）あおる irreversibly（副）不可逆的に multi-faceted（計）多角的な

-参考【日本語対訳】- 読売新聞　社説　2017年11月29日

慰安婦記念日　「反日」迎合を強める韓国政治

韓国の独善的な動きによって、歴史問題を巡る日本との溝が一段と深まった。これでは、「未来志向」の日韓関係の構築は遠のくばかりだ。
韓国国会で、８月１４日を「日本軍慰安婦被害者をたたえる日」と定める改正法が可決された。賛成２０５、反対ゼロ、棄権８で、与野党ともに支持した。近く公布され、その半年後に施行される。
改正法は、記念日制定の目的を「慰安婦問題を国内外に知らせる」ことだと明記した。政府と地方自治体に対し、行事を催し、広報する努力を求めている。
政府が元慰安婦に関する政策を立案する場合には、本人の意見を聴取する条項も盛り込まれた。
元慰安婦の金学順さんが、１９９１年に初めて名乗り出て、取材に応じたのが８月１４日だ。記念日の法制化により、毎年この日が来るたびに、慰安婦問題が公に蒸し返されることになる。
植民地支配から解放された翌１５日の「光復節」と合わせ、韓国人の反日感情が引き継がれていくのではないか。日本人の韓国観が厳しさを増すのは避けられまい。
看過できないのは、文在寅政権が、慰安婦問題に焦点を当てる施策を推進していることだ。
７月に策定した国政５か年計画で、記念日の制定や「歴史館」の建設を打ち出した。国立墓地に追悼碑を建てる方針も発表した。
ソウル高裁は、慰安婦に関する学術書の著者、朴裕河教授に対し、名誉毀損で有罪判決を言い渡した。トランプ米大統領の歓迎夕食会には、元慰安婦が招かれた。
政府・国会・司法が揃って、韓国の市民団体が煽る反日運動に迎合する。極めて深刻な事態だ。
日韓両政府は、２０１５年の合意で、慰安婦問題の「最終的かつ不可逆的な解決」を確認している。双方が歩み寄った貴重な成果であり、再交渉の余地はない。
合意には、当時の朴槿恵政権が元慰安婦から聞いた要望も反映されている。元慰安婦の７割は、合意に基づき、韓国政府が設立した財団から現金支給を受けた。文政権はこうした事実こそ、国民に広く知らせるべきではないのか。
菅官房長官が記念日について、「日韓合意の趣旨に反する」と、遺憾の意を表明したのは当然である。首脳会談などの機会に、合意の着実な履行を促すべきだ。
訪韓中だった公明党の山口代表は、日韓関係全体に悪影響が及ぶことへの懸念を示した。日韓議連を通じた議員交流の強化など、多角的な努力も必要だろう。

【Review Questions from Topic5a】New rules for truck drivers will save them from working for nothing

Would you give us a brief outline of this article?
Do you think new rules will lead to improved working conditions for truck drivers?
What contributed to the drivers’ long working hours?
Why is the freight transport industry facing an aging workforce and shortages of applicants?
Is it possible to accurately grasp all the work done by a driver and the time required to do it?
What measures should the transport industry take to attract more women and young people?
What do you most agree or disagree with in this article?
Is there anything else you would like to share with us about this topic?

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Original: （＝元の英文）

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和訳（オプション）：英文の意味を確実に伝えるため、必要なら日本語訳を付けてください。

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Original: （＝元の英文）

（この上にスピーチ原稿を入力してください）

和訳（オプション）：英文の意味を確実に伝えるため、必要なら日本語訳を付けてください。

Corrected: （＝添削後の英文）

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