日本計(jì)劃升級(jí)軍艦，二戰(zhàn)以來(lái)將首次擁有航母

Japan took a step on Tuesday toward expanding its military capabilities by advancing plans for aircraft carriers that can launch fighter jets.

周二，日本開始推進(jìn)可供噴氣式戰(zhàn)斗機(jī)起飛的航空母艦計(jì)劃，朝著擴(kuò)展其軍事能力的方向邁進(jìn)了一步。

The plans, contained in a draft of new defense guidelines approved by the governing parties, would effectively arm Japan with its first aircraft carriers since World War II, with potential striking powers well beyond Japanese territory.

計(jì)劃所屬的新防務(wù)大綱草案已獲得執(zhí)政黨的首肯，它實(shí)際上將使日本自二戰(zhàn)以來(lái)首次擁有航空母艦，具備遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超出日本領(lǐng)土的潛在打擊能力。

The move risks inflaming a politically delicate debate in Japan over whether such expanded military capability is compatible with the country’s pacifist constitution. The plans could be construed as offensive weapons beyond those deemed necessary for self-defense.

此舉恐將在日本激起一個(gè)政治敏感話題，即如此擴(kuò)大軍事能力是否符合該國(guó)的和平憲法。該計(jì)劃可能被解讀為超出自衛(wèi)需求的進(jìn)攻性武器。

Under the change, large Japanese naval vessels now equipped with helicopters would be upgraded, enabling them to carry jet fighters capable of short takeoffs and vertical landings, and equipped with stealth technology to avoid detection.

經(jīng)過(guò)此次的改變，現(xiàn)已配備直升機(jī)的日本大型軍艦將得以升級(jí)，使其能夠搭載可短距起飛、垂直降落并配備可躲過(guò)偵測(cè)的隱形技術(shù)的戰(zhàn)斗機(jī)。

With such upgrades, Japan will “enable fighter jets to be operated from existing warships, if necessary to improve the flexibility of their operation,” according to a passage from the guidelines reported by the Kyodo News Agency.

如此升級(jí)之后，日本將“使噴氣式戰(zhàn)斗機(jī)具備從現(xiàn)有戰(zhàn)艦出發(fā)作戰(zhàn)的能力，在必要時(shí)提升作戰(zhàn)的靈活性，”共同通訊社(Kyodo)報(bào)道的防務(wù)草案中寫道。

Kyodo quoted unidentified government sources as saying that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet intended to endorse the revised guidelines this month.

共同社引述未署名的來(lái)自日本政府的消息源稱，首相安倍晉三(Shinzo Abe)的內(nèi)閣打算于本月宣布支持這份經(jīng)過(guò)修改的防務(wù)綱要。

Military analysts in the United States said the upgrades, which Japanese defense officials have been talking about for a while, reflected Japan’s shared concern with the United States about the growing assertiveness of China’s aerial and naval forces in the Pacific.

美國(guó)的軍事分析人士稱，此次升級(jí)——日本的防務(wù)官員談?wù)撨@個(gè)問(wèn)題已經(jīng)有一段時(shí)間了——反映出日本和美國(guó)對(duì)中國(guó)在太平洋日益強(qiáng)硬的?？詹筷?duì)的共同擔(dān)憂。

Japan and China have been locked in a longstanding dispute over East China Sea islands that the Japanese call the Senkaku and the Chinese call the Diaoyu. Japanese officials are also increasingly concerned about North Korea’s military capabilities.

日本和中國(guó)在一些東海島嶼上長(zhǎng)期僵持不下，日本稱那些島嶼為尖閣諸島(Senkaku)，中國(guó)稱釣魚島。日本官員對(duì)朝鮮軍事力量的擔(dān)憂也日益加劇。

In September, a Japanese submarine participated in war games in the South China Sea, a direct response to China’s presence.

九月，日本一艘潛艇參與了南海軍演，對(duì)中國(guó)在該地區(qū)的存在給予了直接回應(yīng)。

Eric Wertheim, a defense consultant and author of the United States Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World, said the planned upgrades in Japan were designed for confrontations in contested waters.

美國(guó)國(guó)防顧問(wèn)、《美國(guó)海軍學(xué)院世界艦隊(duì)指南》(United States Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World)作者埃里克·韋爾特海姆(Eric Wertheim)表示，日本的升級(jí)計(jì)劃旨在為爭(zhēng)議海域的對(duì)抗做準(zhǔn)備。

In such situations, he said in a telephone interview, “the single most valuable asset is the use of air power, and carrier power when you don’t have air bases nearby.”

在這種情況下，他在電話采訪中說(shuō)，“最具價(jià)值的資產(chǎn)是使用空中力量，如果附近沒(méi)有空軍基地，那就是航母力量。”

While supporters of the Japanese upgrades would argue that they are defensive, Mr. Wertheim said, such a change “improves Japan’s capability to project power.”

雖然日本升級(jí)的支持者認(rèn)為，這些武器是防御性的，但韋爾特海姆說(shuō)，這樣的轉(zhuǎn)變“可以增進(jìn)日本的攻擊力量。”

Kyodo said that under the planned upgrades, the Japanese government would convert its Izumo flattop destroyers, which can hold 14 helicopters each, so that they can also be used to deploy short-takeoff and vertical-landing aircraft like the F-35B, an American warplane.

共同社稱，根據(jù)升級(jí)計(jì)劃，日本政府將對(duì)其“出云”號(hào)平頂護(hù)衛(wèi)艦進(jìn)行改裝，使其在每艘承載14架直升機(jī)外，還可用于部署可短距起飛、垂直降落的飛機(jī)，如美國(guó)的F-35B戰(zhàn)斗機(jī)。

The agency quoted Japan’s defense minister, Takeshi Iwaya, as telling reporters that since the Izumo had originally been designed as a multipurpose escort ship, “it wouldn’t pose any threat to other countries if fighter jets are deployed on it.”

該通訊社援引日本防衛(wèi)大臣巖屋毅(Takeshi Iwaya)告訴記者的話稱，由于“出云”號(hào)起初是被設(shè)計(jì)用作多用途護(hù)衛(wèi)艦，“在它上面部署噴氣式戰(zhàn)斗機(jī)，不會(huì)對(duì)其他國(guó)家構(gòu)成任何威脅。”

Mr. Iwaya said last month that the government was considering purchases of the F-35B, a variant of the Lockheed Martin Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. Mr. Iwaya said the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s two Izumo-class warships would have to be upgraded to handle F-35B operations.

巖屋毅上月說(shuō)，日本政府在考慮購(gòu)買F-35B——洛克希德·馬丁(Lockheed Martin)研制的閃電2型聯(lián)合攻擊戰(zhàn)斗機(jī)的一個(gè)版本。巖屋毅稱，日本海上自衛(wèi)隊(duì)的兩架出云級(jí)戰(zhàn)艦需要經(jīng)過(guò)升級(jí)才能用于F-35B的行動(dòng)。