By Liu Cheng

劉澄

Shin Nihonkai Ferry's HAKUOU passenger ship

新日本海輪渡公司的“白鷗”號渡輪。The Japanese Defense Ministry is in talks with several commercial ferry companies about using civil transport capacities to undertake military tasks, Japanese media reported. The move is to cover up Japan's strengthened war preparedness with a "civil" cloak and to establish an amphibious transport and logistics supply model similar to that of the US, which will facilitate their defense cooperation.

據(jù)日本媒體報(bào)道，日本防衛(wèi)省正與多家商業(yè)輪渡公司談判，推動(dòng)民用運(yùn)力擔(dān)負(fù)軍事運(yùn)輸任務(wù)。此舉意在“以民掩軍”加強(qiáng)戰(zhàn)備，同時(shí)建立類似美軍的兩棲運(yùn)輸和后勤補(bǔ)給模式，與美軍在防務(wù)領(lǐng)域加強(qiáng)合作。

It is reported that the Japanese Defense Ministry already signed contracts in August this year to continue leasing Shin Nihonkai Ferry's HAKUOU passenger ship and Tsugaru Kaikyo Ferry's Natchan World passenger ship to transport JSDF's tanks and other armored vehicles. The two ships currently leased are as capable as military transport ships and able to transport two combat reconnaissance battalions or 60 armored vehicles. Besides, commercial ships performing military tasks are difficult to detect and can select the optimal route with military support.

報(bào)道稱，今年8月，防衛(wèi)省已簽訂合同，繼續(xù)租用新日本海輪渡公司的“白鷗”號和津輕海峽輪渡公司的“世界”號兩艘大型渡輪，來運(yùn)送日本自衛(wèi)隊(duì)的坦克等裝甲車輛。從運(yùn)輸效果來看，目前租用的兩艘渡輪運(yùn)送能力可比肩軍事運(yùn)輸艦，能夠運(yùn)送2支滿建制的戰(zhàn)斗偵察營或60輛坦克等裝甲車輛。而且，商用渡輪隱蔽性較強(qiáng)，在軍方支持下可優(yōu)先選擇最佳航行路線。

According to analysts, there are two reasons why the JSDF, is increasing the use of commercial resources for military purposes,10 years after it introduced civil transport capacities. For one thing, its previous exercises and training have verified the effectiveness of commercial ships. For instance, during the massive joint military exercise "Keen Sword 23", HAKUOU and Natchan World delivered more than 700 JSDF members and 230 tanks and other armored vehicles from Kagoshima and Hokkaido to Kyushu and the southwestern islands of Japan.

分析人士指出，日本自衛(wèi)隊(duì)在引入民用運(yùn)力10年后，進(jìn)一步加大商業(yè)資源的軍事使用，一方面是在此前的演習(xí)和訓(xùn)練中驗(yàn)證了商業(yè)渡輪的使用效果。比如，在“利劍23”大規(guī)模聯(lián)合軍事演習(xí)期間，“白鷗”號和“世界”號渡輪承擔(dān)從鹿兒島和北海道向九州及日本西南諸島投送兵力的任務(wù)，共運(yùn)送700余名自衛(wèi)隊(duì)員和230輛坦克等裝甲車輛。

For another, the JMSDF, with only three large amphibious transport ships, complains about its small capacities. Although the Japanese Defense Ministry has announced a plan to form a maritime transport fleet, the R&D of new ships will take a long time and cost a great deal of money, not to mention the shortage of sailors needed on amphibious transport ships. Therefore, it hopes to lease more commercial ships to make up for its inadequate transport capacity.

另一方面，日本海上自衛(wèi)隊(duì)自稱運(yùn)輸能力薄弱，僅列裝3艘大型兩棲運(yùn)輸艦。雖然防衛(wèi)省宣布要組建海上運(yùn)輸群，但新艦研發(fā)建造周期長、費(fèi)用高，且兩棲運(yùn)輸艦配套艦員數(shù)量緊張，因此希望通過加大租用商業(yè)資源來彌補(bǔ)運(yùn)力缺陷。

In addition to leasing civil ships, the Japanese Defense Ministry also plans to grant commercial sailors as "JSDF reserves" and incorporate them in the "reserve maritime transport fleet". According to the contract with relevant ferry companies, about 21 sailors will be recruited per ship, which will help reserve maritime transport personnel who can quickly switch into military roles in wartime, and also save expenses as these people are mainly paid by commercial companies. On another note, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry's two-year defense budget, at least 19 civil docks will be transformed into dual-purpose ports in the future.

除“收編”民用船舶外，防衛(wèi)省還要賦予商業(yè)公司船員“預(yù)備自衛(wèi)隊(duì)員”身份，將其納入“海上運(yùn)輸預(yù)備隊(duì)”。目前，與相關(guān)公司的合作預(yù)計(jì)將按照每船21人的編制進(jìn)行錄用。日本政府既可借此儲備軍事海運(yùn)人員，確保他們在戰(zhàn)時(shí)快速轉(zhuǎn)換身份，又可節(jié)省經(jīng)費(fèi)開支，因?yàn)檫@部分人員的薪資主要由商業(yè)公司承擔(dān)。另據(jù)防衛(wèi)省連續(xù)2年的防務(wù)預(yù)算安排，未來將有至少19個(gè)民用碼頭被改建成軍民通用港口。

Analysts said the enhanced employment of civil transport capacities for military purposes is another means of Japan's disguised military buildup, something it has been doing with greater intensity over recent years. Private Japanese companies are playing an important role in the military industry, and Japan has invested nearly 100 billion Yen this year to enhance the resilience of the supply chain of military-industrial products. Recently, it has also intensified interactions and collaboration with countries such as the UK, Germany, France and Australia in military bases and logistics supply.

分析人士指出，日本擴(kuò)大民用運(yùn)力軍事化使用，是其以民掩軍、變相擴(kuò)軍的又一手段。近年來，日本逐漸加大“藏軍于民”力度。在軍工領(lǐng)域，日本民營企業(yè)發(fā)揮著重要作用；今年內(nèi)，日本投入近千億日元用于“軍工產(chǎn)品供應(yīng)鏈韌性”建設(shè)。近期，日本還加強(qiáng)與英國、德國、法國、澳大利亞等國在軍事基地和后勤補(bǔ)給領(lǐng)域的互動(dòng)和協(xié)作。

As America's loyal follower in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond, Japan often imitates America's military moves. The US Navy and Army consistently lease a large number of commercial ro-ro ships – the largest one exceeding 55,000 tons – to transport troops worldwide, and they have formed preset fleets out of these leased ships and deployed them in various mission sea areas. Inspired by this, JMSDF also plans to organize its leased ships into a "reserve fleet" and distribute them to JMSDF's multiple bases.

作為美國在印太地區(qū)乃至全球的“跟班”，日本經(jīng)常效仿美軍開展軍事動(dòng)作。美國海軍和陸軍長期租用大量商用滾裝船來執(zhí)行全球兵力調(diào)遣任務(wù)，其中最大的超過5.5萬噸，并基于這些船舶建立海上預(yù)置艦隊(duì)，常態(tài)化部署于多個(gè)任務(wù)海區(qū)。受此影響，日本海上自衛(wèi)隊(duì)也要將租賃的商用運(yùn)輸船組建為“商船預(yù)備隊(duì)”，并分配給海上自衛(wèi)隊(duì)的多個(gè)基地使用。

It's worth noting that according to the logistics cooperation agreement between the US and Japan, several Japanese military-industrial enterprises will build ship and plane repair and maintenance centers for the US military in the Indo-Pacific. This means Japan's civil transport capacities and other potential war resources may be turned into quasi-military forces that can be used to interfere in regional affairs under the framework of US-Japan defense integration. Once the US and its allies and partners obtain the right to use such civil resources either temporarily or for a long time, they will be able to expand the coverage of their military pivots in the Asia Pacific and make their military operations in the region more efficient.

值得注意的是，根據(jù)美日達(dá)成的后勤合作協(xié)議，日本多家軍工企業(yè)將建設(shè)美軍在印太地區(qū)的船舶和飛機(jī)維修保養(yǎng)中心。這意味著日本的民用運(yùn)力等戰(zhàn)爭潛力資源，可能在美日防務(wù)一體化戰(zhàn)略框架下，變成干涉地區(qū)事務(wù)的準(zhǔn)軍事力量。一旦美國及其盟友獲得相關(guān)民間資源的長期或臨時(shí)使用權(quán)，將擴(kuò)大在亞太地區(qū)的軍事支點(diǎn)覆蓋范圍，提升在該地區(qū)開展軍事行動(dòng)的效率。