soft target 復習
今週２６日から２日間にわたって開催されるG-7のサミットに向けて、警察は日本全国の主要駅など人が集まる場所の警備を強化しています。
Police bolster 'soft target' security for G-7 summit
TOKYO —The National Police Agency (NPA) on Tuesday bolstered security at so-called “soft targets” around the nation ahead of the two-day G-7 summit that starts in Ise-Shima, Mie Prefecture, on Thursday.
Police presence has been noticeably strengthened at major train stations, shopping complexes and other crowded places that are potentially vulnerable to terrorist attacks, Sankei Shimbun reported.
According to NPA chief Masahito Kanetaka, a total of 70,000 policemen will be dispatched to 3,500 locations across the country through Friday, including major stations, such as Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka and Nagoya.
The NPA has set up security observation stands at several areas in Tokyo, including Tokyo Station’s Marunouchi exit and Tokyo International Forum in Hibiya.
“Attacks on soft targets can impact a massive number of people. It is important to increase security at busy stations, for example, and it is also crucial to cooperate with private businesses (to strengthen security). Residents’ safety is our priority,” Kanetaka said.
As part of the same initiative, the NPA also announced that it will enhance cyber-monitoring for information that could potentially relate to terrorism.
For the summit venue itself in Mie, the NPA will dispatch up to 23,000 police officers and another 4,600 to Hiroshima when U.S. President Barack Obama makes a historic visit there on Friday.
http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/police-bolster-soft-target-security-for-g-7-summit
今回取り上げる表現は、見出しでも用いられている“soft target”です。『ウィズダム英和辞典』(第３版、三省堂)の“soft”の項目に、“soft target”で「格好の標的、餌食｟無防備な民間人など｠」という意味になると載っていました。
Collins Dictionary.comでは“a thing or a person that is easy to criticize or make an attack upon”と定義されていました。人だけではなく、広い意味で狙われやすいものを指す表現のようです。
今回の場合、「警察はG-7にむけて、一般市民を守るべく警備を強化している」などと解釈できると思います。(Blue Sky)
以前にも複数回取り上げられておりましたので、そちらもご覧ください。
soft target - 田邉祐司ゼミ 常時英心：言葉の森から
