中国大使に垂氏起用で政府調整　「チャイナスクール」出身

　政府は、在任が４年を超えた横井裕駐中国大使（６５）を交代させ、後任に垂秀夫官房長（５９）を起用する方向で調整に入った。複数の政府関係者が１５日、明らかにした。垂氏はチャイナスクールと呼ばれる外務省の中国語研修組。中国共産党内にも独自の人脈を築くなど実力派として知られており、こうした点を評価されたとみられる。
　垂氏は１９８５年外務省入り。中国・モンゴル課長や中国公使を務めたほか、２０１６～１８年に日本台湾交流協会台北事務所に勤務。領事局長を経て、昨年７月から官房長を務めている。中国大使に就任すれば、横井氏と２代続けてのチャイナスクール出身となる。ただ、垂氏の人脈の広さは中国側の警戒を招きそうだ。（2020/07/15-11:51）

The Japanese government is considering naming senior Foreign Ministry bureaucrat Hideo Tarumi as ambassador to China to replace Yutaka Yokoi, informed sources said Wednesday.
   Tarumi, 59, deputy minister at the foreign minister's Secretariat, is a member of the ministry's "China School" expert group. He is known for having wide connections with the Communist Party of China.
   If appointed, Tarumi will be another China School member to become an ambassador to China after Yokoi, 65, who has held the post for over four years.
   The move comes as Tokyo faces a host of challenges in its relations with Beijing, including repeated intrusions by Chinese coast guard ships into Japanese waters in the East China Sea and China's enactment of a national security law for Hong Kong.
   A planned state visit to Japan by Chinese President Xi Jinping has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.