Subject: EEE会議(Re：　日本核武装論その他）
Date: Sat, 11 Jan 2003 08:44:58 +0900
From: "kkaneko" <kkaneko@eagle.ocn.ne.jp>

各位

日本核武装論には若干食傷気味ですが、海外からきた関連メールの
中で短いものを１通、ついでに小泉総理の訪ロに因んで、シベリアの
石油パイプライン関連のものを１通お目にかけます。ご参考まで。
金子熊夫
*********************************

Ref. Nuclear Weapons:

Ken Okamura said that it is "undoubtedly the existence of the US
nuclear umbrella and probably US pressure not to develop arms that
prevents Japan from deploying nuclear weapons"

I do not believe that Japan would be interested in arming itself with
nuclear weapons even if there was no U.S. pressure or nuclear
umbrella. The discussion on a nuclear Japan is certainly of
theoretical nature even if (for some unknown reason) every now and
then the discussion comes up in Japan. Japan going nuclear is
totally out of question even if occasional verbal blunders coming
from Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuda suggest otherwise.

Axel Berkofsky, Firenze Italia

*******************************
Ref: Oil pipeline in Siberia:

Koizumi's visit to Moscow seems to have attracted little attention
compared to the `tempest in a teapot` we seen here over his visit
to Pyongyang, but it is potentially of much greater significance.

>From any rational point of view, Russia and Japan are natural
partners---both having in abundance what the other needs most.
That these two are not already doing business proves the power
of "national narratives" over rational "interest" in determining the
course of history. Will rational "national interest" now finally
override pride of "identity" and "memory" and allow these two to
collude instead of collide? If so, this meeting could be a turning
point in the history of NE Asia far overshadowing any developments
in North Korea.

Mark A. Riddle

P.S.
Please use the link below for the full version of the following Kyodo
article:

http://home.kyodo.co.jp/all/display.jsp?an=20021227098

-----

Japan, Russia plan to build oil pipeline

TOKYO, Dec. 27, Kyodo -

Japan and Russia are preparing to jointly construct a crude oil
pipeline between eastern Siberia and Russia's east coast, Japan's
government spokesman said Friday.

''We are now thrashing out details. The envisioned pipeline will be
one of the pillars of Japan-Russia economic cooperation,'' Chief
Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda told a press conference.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is expected to pay a
three- day visit to Moscow from Jan. 9. Koizumi and Russian
President Vladimir Putin will release an action plan featuring
economic cooperation and five other items aimed at boosting
bilateral ties after their meeting.

Fukuda said the two governments are working to include the
pipeline project in the action plan.

In a report on the pipe line project on Friday, the Nihon Keizai
Shimbun said the Japanese government expects the plan to help it
win concession rights in Siberian oil fields and create a positive
environment to resolve the territorial dispute over four islands off
Hokkaido, over which Japan claims sovereignty. [...]