公務に対する意識の違い/Differing attitudes toward public service
ある時期、財務省との予算折衝の席で、自衛隊の制服にかかる費用が話題に上がった。財務省の担当者は、制服が国産品であるためコストが高すぎると不満を漏らし、「国内の産業を見てください。多くの業者は生産拠点を海外へ移し、コスト削減に努めています」と述べた。
At one point, during budget negotiations with the Ministry of Finance, the cost of Self-Defense Forces uniforms came up. The Ministry of Finance official complained that the uniforms were too expensive because they were made in Japan, saying, “Look at domestic industries. Many businesses are moving their production bases overseas to reduce costs.”
その言葉を聞く自衛隊関係者は、静かに耳を傾けながら、深い憂慮を抱いた。財務省の担当者は普段制服を着ることがない。そのため、制服がただの衣服ではなく、職務に対する 責任、 使命、 誇り を象徴するものだということを理解していない。同じ公務に従事する者同士でありながら、これほど意識の違いがあるものなのか——。
Those words were met with quiet, deep concern by Self-Defense Forces personnel listening. Ministry of Finance officials do not usually wear uniforms. Therefore, they do not understand that the uniform is not just clothing, but a symbol of responsibility, mission, and pride in one’s duties. Can there really be such a difference in awareness between those of us who are engaged in the same public service?
重い沈黙のなかで、自衛隊員のひとりが口を開いた。「皆さんは我々の制服を何だと思っているのですか。これはただの布切れではありません。我々にとって制服は 死に装束 でもあるのです。それを外国に生産させろと言うのですか」。その言葉に、財務省の関係者も我に返ったようで、押し黙った。それ以降の予算折衝で、「制服を海外生産にしろ」と言う声は上がらなくなった。この折衝で普段から制服着用で任務に当たる者と、そうでない公務員の仕事に対する意識の違いが明らかになりました。
In the heavy silence, one of the Self-Defense Force personnel opened his mouth. “What do you think our uniforms are? This is not just a piece of cloth. For us, the uniform is also our death shroud. Are you saying that we should have it produced in a foreign country?” At those words, the Ministry of Finance official seemed to come to his senses and fell silent. After that, in subsequent budget negotiations, the voice saying, “Make the uniforms overseas” was never raised again. This negotiation revealed a difference in work ethic between those who usually wear uniforms for their duties and civil servants who do not.
国家としての尊厳/Dignity as a Nation
米国では、バイ・アメリカン法などによって「米国外で生産された物は調達しない」と定められている。それ以前に、国のために命を懸ける人々が身にまとうものが「安物でいい」という発想そのものが存在しない。かつて、米軍のベレー帽が中国製だったと判明し、すでに配布されたものも含めて すべて破棄 されたという逸話すらあるほどです。
In the United States, laws such as the Buy American Act stipulate that “products manufactured outside the United States will not be procured.” More fundamentally, the idea that items worn by people who risk their lives for the country can be “cheap” simply doesn’t exist. There’s even a story about how, when it was discovered that U.S. military berets were made in China, all of them, including those already distributed, were discarded.
仮に敵との交戦で戦死した場合、敵側がその戦闘服のタグを見て「敵国製」であると知ったら、それはどれほどの屈辱となるだろう。何のために命を捧げたのか——。戦死した兵士の魂は、帰るべき場所を失うことになりかねない。
If I were to die in battle with the enemy, how humiliating would it be if the enemy saw the tag on my combat uniform and knew it was “made in an enemy country”? What did I give my life for? The soul of the fallen soldier may lose the place it should return to.
自衛官にとって制服は誇りであり、もし有事の際に命を落とせば、それは「納棺服」ともなる。隊員の血と汗が染み込んだ制服、その一着に込められた意味の深さを、すべての国民、特に為政者には知ってもらいたい——これは、国家としての尊厳に関わる問題なのです。
For a Self-Defense Force official, the uniform is a source of pride, and if they lose their life in the event of a crisis, it also becomes a “burial garment.” I want all citizens, especially politicians, to understand the profound meaning contained in that single uniform, stained with the blood, and sweat of the unit members—this is a matter concerning the dignity of the nation.
