资源外交是日本在受到连续的石油冲击之后,为谋求保持其工业机器不断运转而采取的一种策略名称。日本正在推行的这一策略具有全球规模:伊朗的革命使得日本人急急匆匆地从远隔千里的墨西哥和中国等资源国,寻求石油。但这同时还迫使日本人寻求诸如煤、铀、天然气和页岩油等代用燃料。为此,澳大利亚是日本当前注意的中心。新的资源外交所包含的内容还远远不止是燃料资源,日本的一些公司正在为八十年代寻求铝、铁矿石、矾土、铬、钴、铜、铅等各种矿物的长期供应合同。它们似乎愿意在合营企业中大量投资以开采这些资源,而在资金诱惑力不大的地区——如沙特阿拉伯——东京可以提供石油化学技术换取原油。日本政府统筹处理石油交易,而通常让私营部门获取其他必需资源。但是当私营部门为谋求这种冒一定风险的收益,担子越来越重而难于承担时,政府可能有朝一日将不得不接管这一国家的范围更广的资源外交的统筹安排工作。 Resource diplomacy is the name of Japan’s tactic adopted in the aftermath of a series of oil strikes to keep its industrial machinery running. Japan is pursuing this strategy on a global scale: the Iranian revolution has caused the Japanese hurriedly seeking oil from such resource-rich countries as Mexico and China. But it also forced the Japanese to seek alternatives such as coal, uranium, natural gas and shale oil. To this end, Australia is Japan’s current focus of attention. The new resource diplomacy contains much more than fuel, and some Japanese companies are seeking long-term supply contracts for various minerals such as aluminum, iron ore, alumina, chromium, cobalt, copper and lead for the 1980s . They appear to be willing to invest heavily in joint ventures to exploit these resources, while in areas where there is little financial incentive - such as Saudi Arabia - Tokyo can offer petrochemical technology in exchange for crude oil. The Japanese government co-ordinates the oil trade, often giving the private sector access to other necessary resources. But as the private sector becomes more and more burdened with this risk-taking return, the government may someday have to take over the broader arrangements for resource diplomacy in this country.