【12月15日】看軍聞學英語

■林國賓

原文：

Japan’s new Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has publicly called for Tokyo to consider acquiring nuclear-powered submarines (SSN), marking what would be a significant strategic shift for the only nation to have suffered atomic bombings and where public sentiment remains deeply averse to nuclear weapons. Japan currently operates only conventionally powered diesel-electric submarines.

"There are new developments, and all the surrounding countries are set to possess (nuclear submarines)," Koizumi said during an appearance on a Tokyo Broadcasting System Television Inc. program on November 6.

The defense minister’s remark came when he referred to U.S. President Donald Trump’s approval for South Korea to build its own SSN during their summit talks on October 29 on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ summit in Gyeongju, South Korea.

In East Asia, China is steadily increasing its fleet of SSNs, and North Korea plans to develop nuclear-powered submarines as part of a five-year defense development plan unveiled in January 2021.

Nuclear submarines "are nothing particularly unusual," Koizumi added.

中譯：

日本新任防衛大臣小泉進次郎，公開呼籲東京應考慮籌獲核動力攻擊潛艦，這將代表日本在戰略上的重大轉向，日本是唯一曾遭受原子彈轟炸的國家，且國內輿論長期對任何與核武相關的議題保持強烈反感。日本目前僅擁有傳統的柴油動力潛艦。

小泉11月6日在東京放送電視臺的節目上表示：「現在情勢出現了新的發展，我們周邊的國家都將擁有（核潛艦）。」

小泉的發言是針對美國總統川普10月29日在南韓慶州、亞太經合會領袖峰會期間的雙邊會談中，同意讓南韓建造自有核動力潛艦。

在東亞，中共正穩步擴增其核動力攻擊潛艦艦隊，而北韓在其2021年1月公布的5年國防發展計畫中，也計畫研發核動力潛艦。

小泉還說，核動力潛艦「現在並不是什麼特別稀奇的東西」。

-關鍵軍語-

※nuclear-powered submarine：核動力潛艦

※atomic bombings：原子彈轟炸