2006年VOA标准英语-US, Japan Disagree Over Military Realignme

By Steve Herman
Okinawa, Japan
06 March 2006

The United States and Japan are about to start five days of talks in Honolulu Tuesday to finalize¹ a sweeping² agreement on realigning and downsizing U.S. forces in Japan.  The two countries appear to disagree over what has already been agreed upon, and what they hope the talks will accomplish.

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Washington thought it had a deal last October, when it jointly³ announced an agreement with Tokyo on realignment of U.S. military forces in Japan - part of a global reorganization of the U.S. military.

The agreement included a deadline for finalizing⁴ details: the end of this month.

But parts of the agreement were rejected by local governments on Okinawa, where the bulk of the 50,000 U.S. military personnel in Japan are stationed. That prompted Japanese officials to start referring to the October announcement as an "interim⁵ report," with the actual agreement to be formalized by the end of March.
 

Lt. Col. Richardo Stewart   
  
Lt. Col. Richardo Stewart, deputy assistant chief of staff for U.S. Marine⁶ Corps⁷ Bases in Japan, said Monday that the Marines consider the October announcement final, and not a preliminary draft.

"It's an agreement, and what comes out in March is really, how do we implement⁸ that agreement?" he asked.

Japanese Foreign Ministry⁹ spokesman Tomohiko Taniguchi downplays expectations that this week's talks in Hawaii are crucial to a resolution by the end of the month. 
 

Tomohiko Taniguchi   
  
"This is not supposed to be a meeting to come up with any concrete proposal, any concrete decision," Taniguchi says. "This is just to review the situation, and this is just to share the information among the participants, and that is all."

The announced agreement includes relocating a new U.S. Army command to a base near Yokohama, transferring Japan's air defense¹⁰ command to a U.S. base in western Tokyo, and moving up to eight thousand Marines from Okinawa to Guam.

It also envisions a nuclear-powered U.S. aircraft carrier having its home base at Yokosuka, on the main island of Honshu. And it provides for a Marine air station to be relocated from densely¹¹ populated central Okinawa to an offshore¹² reef.

 
Anti-US base protesters at rally in Ginowan, Okinawa, March 5, 2005 
  
But Okinawans have long complained of the U.S. military presence here, citing crimes committed by American personnel, aircraft noise, and potential danger from military flights over populated areas.  Many Okinawan officials want the U.S. military moved from the island completely.

Kevin Maher, political and military affairs director for the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, says the United States expects the Japanese to abide¹³ by the original agreement.
 

Thousands of Okinawans showed for anti-base rally in Ginowan  
  
"We take the Japanese government at its word when it told us that it could implement the recommendations that we agreed on in October," Maher says. "And we expect that the Japanese government will be able to implement those recommendations."

The dispute has led to speculation¹⁴ that a final deal might not be reached by the end of this month.

1 finalize   

v.落实，定下来

参考例句：

• Let us finalize tonight.让我们今天晚上干完
• 。At the same time,industrial designers work with engineers to finalize components and assembly.同时，工业设计师和工程师一道来完成部件和组装部分的工作。

2 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

3 jointly   

ad.联合地，共同地

参考例句：

• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。
• She owns the house jointly with her husband. 她和丈夫共同拥有这所房子。

4 finalizing   

vt.完成（finalize的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• You may edit registered information any time during the finalizing period. 您可以在规定期限内随时编辑修改注册资料。 来自互联网
• Natsun Trimming & Ironing, Finalizing the Perfection. 40南山整烫，完美在此定格。 来自互联网

5 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

6 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

7 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

8 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

9 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

10 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

11 densely   

ad.密集地；浓厚地

参考例句：

• A grove of trees shadowed the house densely. 树丛把这幢房子遮蔽得很密实。
• We passed through miles of densely wooded country. 我们穿过好几英里茂密的林地。

12 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。

13 abide   

vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受

参考例句：

• You must abide by the results of your mistakes.你必须承担你的错误所造成的后果。
• If you join the club,you have to abide by its rules.如果你参加俱乐部，你就得遵守它的规章。

14 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。