VOA慢速英語(yǔ): 日本首相開始其訪美之旅

Japanese Prime Minister Begins US Visit

日本首相開始訪美

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is in the United States. He plans to visit four U.S. cities and meet withPresident Barack Obama at the White House. On Wednesday, he will speak to a joint meeting of the Senate and House of Representatives.

日本首相安倍晉三已抵達(dá)美國(guó)。他計(jì)劃訪問四個(gè)城市，并且與奧巴馬總統(tǒng)在白宮會(huì)面。周三，他會(huì)在參議院和眾議院聯(lián)合會(huì)議上發(fā)言。

Mr. Abe’s visit comes as the security and economic relationship between the two countries is changing. U.S. and Japanese officials recently amended defense guidelines to give Japan more responsibility for its own defense. This is the first time those rules have beenchanged since 1997.

安倍訪華之際,兩國(guó)安全與經(jīng)濟(jì)之間的關(guān)系正在發(fā)生變化。美日官員目前正在修改防御指南，旨在給日本更多的自主防御權(quán)。這是自1997年以來(lái)第一次修改那些條款。

Evan Madeiros is Senior Director for Asian Affairs at the U.S. National Security Council. He says the new defense guidelines will expand Japan’s position in the alliance. He says they also will create a way for Japan to provide additional support to the U.S. armed forces.

Evan Madeiros是美國(guó)國(guó)家安全委員會(huì)負(fù)責(zé)亞洲事務(wù)的高級(jí)官員。他說(shuō),新的防御指南將擴(kuò)大日本在聯(lián)盟中的地位。他還表示，他們正在為日本創(chuàng)造方法為美國(guó)軍方提供額外支持。

Kenichiro Sasae is the Japanese ambassador to the United States. He spoke recently at the Centers for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. He said the new guidelines will be followed by security legislation. Last year,Mr. Abe and his cabinet changed the official interpretation, or understanding, of Japan’s constitution. The Cabinet agreed that Japan can defend itselfmilitarily.

Kenichiro Sasae是日本駐美國(guó)大使。他最近在華盛頓戰(zhàn)略與國(guó)際研究中心發(fā)表講話。他表示新的準(zhǔn)則會(huì)有安全立法保障。去年安倍及其內(nèi)閣修改了官方解釋，以及憲法。內(nèi)閣表示日本可以采取軍事力量進(jìn)行防御。

“For Japan, this change in our thinking on collective defense is a sea-change. It is coming after 70 years of trust, and the legislation will establish a framework for Japan to further collaborate with the United States.”

“對(duì)日本來(lái)說(shuō)，這個(gè)改變太重大了。經(jīng)歷了70年，這個(gè)改變來(lái)了，日本立法機(jī)關(guān)將建立一個(gè)框架，進(jìn)一步與美國(guó)合作。”

Jeffrey Kingston is a professor of Asian studies at Temple University. He works at the university’s campus in Tokyo. He says the changes in Japan’s security policy are a result of China’s growing military strength.

Jeffrey Kingston是天普大學(xué)亞洲研究教授。他在東京大學(xué)任教。他說(shuō)日本安全政策的變化是由于中國(guó)不斷增長(zhǎng)的軍事力量。

“Back in 1997, China’s defense budget was $10 billion. Last year, it was $144billion and there’s been a lot of saber-rattling over disputed territories between the two countries. So, the rising China narrative and concerns about its hegemonic ambitions in Asia are pushing the United States and Japan closer. And Abe is keen to secure a U.S. commitment to back it in the event of some contingency over the disputed islands in the East China Sea.”

1997年，中國(guó)的防御預(yù)算是100億美元。去年已達(dá)1440億。在兩國(guó)的爭(zhēng)議領(lǐng)土上，有許多武力威脅。因此美國(guó)和日本走的更近了，是因?yàn)楹ε箩绕鸬闹袊?guó)威脅到他們。安倍渴望在中國(guó)東海有爭(zhēng)議的島嶼問題上得到美國(guó)的支持。

Professor Kingston says few Japanese agree with the decision to change Japan’s security policy. He saysonly 23 percent of the public supports a change, while68 percent oppose it.

Kingston教授表示，日本很少有人同意安全政策的改變，只有23%的人是支持的，68%的人是反對(duì)的。

Protests by Korean-Americans are expected during Mr.Abe’s visit to the United States. They are angry that Japanese troops forced Korean women to become sexual slaves during World War II.

美籍韓國(guó)人在安倍訪美期間將舉行抗議活動(dòng)。他們對(duì)于在二戰(zhàn)期間日本軍隊(duì)強(qiáng)迫韓國(guó)婦女做慰安婦表示非常的憤怒。

I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise.

我是Christopher Jones-Cruise。