日本政府、韓国の対応評価　安倍首相「戦略的な判断」―ＧＳＯＭＩＡ維持

　日本政府は２２日、韓国が日本との軍事情報包括保護協定（ＧＳＯＭＩＡ）の維持を発表したことについて、一定の評価を示した。安倍晋三首相は「北朝鮮への対応のために、日韓、日米韓の連携、協力は極めて重要だ。韓国もそうした戦略的観点から判断をしたのだろう」と記者団に語った。
　２０１６年１１月締結の日韓ＧＳＯＭＩＡは「日米韓の安全保障連携の象徴」（防衛省幹部）とされてきた。北朝鮮が弾道ミサイル発射を繰り返している中での当面の協定維持について、防衛省幹部は「不安定な状況は脱した」とひとまず安堵（あんど）している。
　ただ、協定がいつまで維持されるかは、日本の輸出管理強化をめぐる日韓協議の行方にかかっている。日本政府関係者は「輸出管理で日本は今回カードを切っていない」と譲らない立場を強調しており、韓国との接点を探ることができるかは不透明だ。（2019/11/22-21:13）

The Japanese government welcomed South Korea's announcement Friday that it will maintain the two countries' General Security of Military Information Agreement, or GSOMIA.
   "Cooperation between Japan and South Korea and among the two Asian neighbors plus the United States is extremely important for dealing with North Korea," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said. "I believe South Korea made the decision to extend the pact from such a strategic point of view," he told reporters.
   The military information-sharing pact, which was concluded in November 2016, "is a symbol of Japan-U.S.-South Korea security cooperation," a senior Japanese Defense Ministry official said. Following Seoul's decision in August not to renew the bilateral GSOMIA amid deteriorating Tokyo-Seoul relations, the pact was set to expire at midnight Friday (3 p.m. GMT).
   As the pact is going to be maintained for now, "we've got out of an unstable situation," at a time when North Korea has been repeatedly launching missile, the Defense Ministry official said.
   Still, how long the pact will be maintained depends on the course of Tokyo-Seoul negotiations on Japan's tighter export controls on South Korea, pundits said. "Japan did not use a bargaining chip this time over the issue of export controls," a Japanese government source said, indicating Tokyo's refusal to make concessions concerning the matter.