日本新法案尋求擴大海上保安廳權力
When the vessel carrying 14 Hong Kong activists cruised into territorial waters toward the contested islands Wednesday, Japan was ready for them thanks to the media blitz announcing their arrival. Authorities had loaded up 10 of its coast guard ships with police officers. The activists' island adventure on one of the disputed islets, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, lasted less than half an hour before they were arrested by Japanese police.
由於此前媒體對香港保釣人士登島行動的大肆報道，當載有14名香港活動人士的船隻週三進入中日爭議島嶼附近海域時，日方早已嚴陣以待多時了。日方準備了10艘載有大量警察的海上保安廳船隻。香港活動人士在其中一個島嶼上的“探險活動”僅持續了不到半小時，他們就被日本警方逮捕了。上述爭議島嶼日本稱爲“尖閣列島”(Senkaku)，中國稱爲“釣魚島”。Though Japan was prepared this time around, typically, not every coast guard patrol boat has a police officer on deck, which effects the speed with which maritime violators are handled.
儘管這次日本有所準備，但通常情況下，並非每艘海上保安廳的巡邏船都配有警察。船上是否配有警察會影響到處理海上違法者的速度。For starters, the coast guard isn't allowed to make arrests. They have to wait for the police to arrive, a considerable time sink given the distance to the remote islands.
首先，海上保安廳無權對違法者實施逮捕。他們必須等警察來，鑑於警察駐地距事發島嶼往往很遠，警察需要相當長的時間才能趕到現場。
But a new bill that passed in Japan's lower house last week could beef up the coast guard's powers so they can make arrests even when they don't get the luxury of a heads up. The upper house still needs to approve the bill before it is enacted.
不過，上週日本衆議院通過的一項新法案可能擴大海上保安廳的權力，讓他們能夠在沒有警察參與的情況下也能夠實施逮捕。法案要想成爲法律還需獲得國會參議院的批准。The revisions to the country's maritime laws would strengthen the coast guard's ability to guard and patrol the islands in its vast territorial waters amid increased sightings of Chinese boats. The bill's proposal was prompted by the 2010 collision between a Chinese fishing vessel and two Japanese coast guard patrol boats that sparked the hottest diplomatic tiff in recent years, according to an official at the Japan Coast Guard's legal department.
在中國船隻越來越多地出現在爭議海域之際，日本海事法的修訂將增強海上保安廳對廣闊領海中的島嶼進行保衛及巡邏的能力。據日本海上保安廳法律部門的一位官員說，提出這項法案的起因是2010年一艘中國漁船與兩艘日本海上保安廳巡邏船相撞的事件。當時此事引發了近幾年來中日之間最激烈的一場外交爭端。Since the controversy, the coast guard has stepped up its manned air and sea patrols of the country's EEZ, which extend for more than 203 miles from tiny islets claimed by Japan that are up to 1,243 miles south of Tokyo.
自撞船事件以來，海上保安廳一直在增派巡邏人員，加強對日本專署經濟區的海上和空中巡邏。在那些日本宣稱擁有主權的小島，其周邊逾203英里（約合325公里）範圍內的海域都是日本的專屬經濟區，日本聲稱擁有主權的最遠小島位於東京以南1,243英里（約合1,989公里）。The biggest change would give the coast guard the authority to deal with crime - such as illegal entry or vandalism - on isolated islands in the absence of police officers. Under current law, the Japan coast guard have to stand by until the police arrive.
修訂後的法律最大的變化將是給予海上保安廳處理刑事案件的權力，使他們有權在警察不在場的情況下在遠離日本本土的小島上處理犯罪行爲（比如非法入境和破壞公物）。根據現行法律，在警察到來之前，日本海上保安廳的人員只能等在一邊。That's what happened back in 2004 - the last time Chinese protesters successfully landed on the island. The activists enjoyed the craggy beaches for a whole day before they were arrested even though the coast guard had spotted the activists before they landed in the early morning hours. Besides telling them to leave the coast guard lacked the authority to do little else. The police arrived by helicopter in the late afternoon.
2004年中國抗議者上次成功登上釣魚島時，日本海上保安廳就是這麼做的。當時，儘管海上保安廳早在活動人士凌晨登島之前就已經發現了他們，但活動人士仍在峭壁林立的海灘上呆了一整天后才被逮捕。海上保安廳除告訴他們離開之外，無權做任何事。直到傍晚警察才乘直升機趕到現場。The bill would also give the coast guard another means to prevent the landings. It would be allowed to order intruding vessels to leave its territorial waters without having to first inspect the boats, which can be tricky if multiple vessels enter Japan's space at the same time.
新法案還將使海上保安廳可以通過另外一種方法防止活動人士登島。海上保安廳將獲准不必對闖入日本領海的船隻先行檢查即可下令其離開。如果多艘船隻同時進入日本海域，對船隻進行檢查將很難。Still, the legislation doesn't address how it might fix one major blooper from Wednesday's incident: How the one small Hong Kong fishing boat was able to maneuver past 10 Japan Coast Guard ships, which were launching water bombs, to land on the disputed island.
儘管如此，這項法案未觸及如何解決週三事件中暴露出來的一個主要問題：一艘小小的香港漁船如何能夠成功突破10艘發射着水彈的海上保安廳船隻的圍堵，讓保釣人士成功登上爭議島嶼。
