日本抗議俄羅斯總理訪問爭議島嶼
Japan has protested bitterly after Russia’s prime minister visited a disputed island in a row that threatens improved relations between the two countries.
在俄羅斯總理訪問日俄爭議島嶼後，日本提出了強烈抗議。兩國圍繞爭議島嶼展開的爭吵對兩國間本已改善的關係構成了威脅。
Dmitry Medvedev visited the island of Iturup, known as Etorofu in Japan, and declared the Kuril islands were part of Russia. “This is how it is and how it will be,” said Mr Medvedev on Saturday. The island is one of four disputed since the end of the second world war.
俄總理德米特里蔠德韋傑夫(Dmitry Medvedev)訪問了伊土魯樸島（Iturup，日本稱擇捉島(Etorofu)），並宣稱千島羣島(Kuril islands)是俄羅斯的一部分。“現在如此，將來也如此，”梅德韋傑夫上週六表示。伊土魯樸島是二戰結束後日俄存在爭議的四個島嶼之一。
Japan summoned the Russian ambassador for a dressing down, telling him the visit was “extremely regrettable” and “injured the feelings of the Japanese people”, while the foreign minister will delay a planned visit to Moscow.
日方召見俄羅斯大使提出強烈抗議，告訴他此次登島“非常令人遺憾”，而且“傷害了日本人民的感情”，而日本外長也將推遲原本計劃好的對莫斯科的訪問。
The tension reduces the chances of a summit this year between Shinzo Abe, Japan’s prime minister, and President Vladimir Putin of Russia and hurts a relationship both countries need to offset their frosty dealings with other neighbours.
這種緊張降低了日本首相安倍晉三(Shinzo Abe)和俄羅斯總統弗拉基米爾渠京(Vladimir Putin)在年內舉行峯會的可能性，也傷害了兩國關係。日俄兩國現在都與其他一些鄰國關係冷淡，日俄關係改善對於它們緩解這一局面有着重要意義。
Japan never signed a peace treaty with the Soviet Union after the war because of Moscow’s claim to the four southernmost islands of the Kuril chain, which Tokyo calls the Northern Territories.
由於莫斯科方面聲稱對千島羣島最南邊的四個島嶼（日方稱北方領土(Northern Territories)）擁有主權，戰後日本始終未與蘇聯簽訂和約。
Covering about 5,000 square kilometres, the islands offer rich fishing and have a Russian population of thousands. The previous Japanese population was expelled after the war.
這四個島嶼總面積約爲5000平方公里，擁有豐富的漁業資源，居住着數千名俄羅斯人。之前生活在那裏的日本人在戰後遭到驅逐。
Settling the Northern Territories dispute is one of Mr Abe’s most personal diplomatic goals. His father, Shintaro Abe, tried and failed as foreign minister in negotiations with Mikhail Gorbachev in the 1980s. The younger Mr Abe was at his side as a secretary.
解決北方領土爭議是安倍個人最想實現的外交目標之一。上世紀80年代，他父親安倍晉太郎(Shintaro Abe)以日本外長身份嘗試與米哈伊爾戈爾巴喬夫(Mikhail Gorbachev)談判解決該問題，但以失敗告終。當時，年輕的安倍晉三作爲祕書伴隨父親左右。
“It’s kind of a family business,” said Nobuo Shimotomai, an authority on Russia at Hosei University in Tokyo. “Mr Abe wants to solve the issue himself with President Putin.”
“這有點像是家族事業，”東京日本法政大學(Hosei University)俄羅斯問題權威專家下鬥米伸夫(Nobuo Shimotomai)表示，“安倍想由他本人來與普京總統解決這個問題。”
People close to Mr Abe say he has good personal chemistry with the Russian leader but many experts doubt whether Mr Putin will ever relinquish territory gained at great cost, and think he is playing “good cop, bad cop” with Mr Medvedev.
熟悉安倍的人表示，安倍與這位俄羅斯領導人有着良好的個人關係，但很多專家懷疑普京可能永遠都不會放棄這塊付出極大代價獲得的領土，他們認爲普京正在和梅德韋傑夫玩“一個唱紅臉、一個唱白臉”的把戲。
Shigeki Hakamada, a professor at the University of Niigata, believes Japan suffers from a degree of “Putin illusion” in its fond hopes that the judo-loving Russian president — who unlike Mr Medvedev has never visited the Kurils — is ready for a deal.
新潟大學(Niigata University)教授袴田茂樹(Shigeki Hakamada)認爲，日本存在一定程度的“普京幻想”，自作多情地期望這位熱愛柔道的俄羅斯總統——不像梅德韋傑夫，普京從未訪問過千島羣島——願意達成協議。
In 2012, Mr Putin used the judo term for a “draw” in talking about the islands, referring to a 2008 settlement in which Russia and China agreed to split disputed Bolshoi Ussuriyskiy island down the middle. But the Russian president is now riding a wave of nationalism after annexing Crimea in 2014.
2012年，普京在談論該羣島時，曾用柔道中表示“平局”的術語，提到2008年俄羅斯與中國同意平分俄中存在爭議的大烏蘇里斯基島（Bolshoi Ussuriyskiy island，中方稱黑瞎子島——譯者注）。但在2014年吞併克里米亞後，這位俄羅斯總統如今正得到民族主義浪潮的支撐。
That move — and Japan’s support for international sanctions on Russia — has left a more pragmatic diplomatic calculation for both sides.
吞併克里米亞之舉——以及日本對國際社會對俄製裁的支持——使得日俄雙方更務實地進行外交盤算。
“The Abe administration has a dilemma. If it doesn’t take a strongly critical stance to violations of sovereignty then it risks its future position with China over the Senkaku Islands,” says Mr Hakamada. China claims the Japanese-controlled islands, which it calls the Diaoyu.
“安倍當局進退兩難。如果不就俄侵犯日主權的舉動採取強硬的批判立場，那麼它未來與中國在尖閣諸島（Senkaku Islands，中國稱釣魚島及其附屬島嶼——譯者注）問題上的立場也受到威脅，”袴田稱。中國宣稱對這個由日本控制的羣島擁有主權。
On the other hand, Mr Abe is determined to make progress on the Northern Territories, and given its difficult relationships with China and South Korea, Japan is reluctant to alienate Russia as well.
另一方面，安倍決心在北方領土問題上取得進展，考慮到日本與中國和韓國之間的困難關係，日本也並不願意疏遠俄羅斯。
Russia, meanwhile, is conducting its own diplomatic pivot towards Asia. To avoid that being purely a pivot to China, however, it needs to strengthen relations with other regional players such as Japan — although the strength of Japan’s US alliance gives Russia little incentive to make concessions.
與此同時，俄羅斯正將自己的外交重心轉向亞洲。然而，爲了避免完全以中國爲重心，它需要加強與日本等其他亞洲國家的關係——儘管日本與美國的緊密同盟讓俄羅斯沒什麼動力作出讓步。
