2012 年 AIBA 認定アドバイザー試験公開問題「貿易英語」
第1問

次の英文を読んで、問 1.～問 10.について最も適切な解答を一つ選び、解答用紙にその番号を記入しなさい。

(配点２０点)THE HOLLOW MEN
The deindustrialization of Japan may be neither as complete nor as damaging as feared

AT A TIME when the (ア) ”hollowing out” of Japan’s economy, in train now for three decades, iswidely perceived to be accelerating, the country’s industrialists must feel they cannot win. For
years they have been accused of being left behind by a fast-changing world. Their risk-averse
management, ponderous decision making and emphasis on market share over profitability haveseen them overtaken by nimbler rivals in South Korea and China. In the words of Yuki
Kuboshima of Deloitte, a consultancy, Japanese business lost 10-20 years as it embraced
globalization in the markets it did business in, but not in its management.

Since March 11th last year, however, Japanese firms have been under fire for almost the opposite
reason: being too quick to react to the cataclysmic earthquake, tsunami and subsequent nuclear
meltdown. For this reason, wrote Yoichi Funabashi, a former chief editor of the Asahi Shimbun
daily, shortly after the tsunami, senior industrialists were careful not to mention the “c” word
(China) when discussing their plans. Fleeing troubles at home by moving production there looked
unseemly and unpatriotic.

According to Ulrike Schaede, professor of Japanese business at the University of California in San
Diego, about one-fifth of Japanese manufacturing already takes place outside Japan. For
electronics, the proportion is more than 30%, and for cars just over half. Pessimists fear thisprocess will leave post-industrial devastation in its wake back home. In Japan “industry andemployment are on the verge of collapse,” lamented Akio Toyoda, boss of Toyota, a huge carmaker,in May.

Industrial decline in Japan has been much less rapid than in some other rich countries. According
to OECD data, in 2000-08 manufacturing employment in Japan fell by about one-tenth, comparedwith about one-fifth in America and a quarter in Britain. Even so, pessimists point out, the former
export powerhouse is running persistent monthly trade deficits.
The 2011 disasters intensified the pressures driving Japanese manufacturers overseas. For years
the yen’s strength has defied the weakness of the economy. Just after the tsunami, rich-country
central banks had to cooperate intervention ? not to prop the currency up, but to stop its further
appreciation. Some economists argue the yen cannot defy gravity for ever. Most businesses,
however, have to plan for an indefinite high-wire act.

Takehide Takahashi of the Japan Auto Parts Industries Association (JAPIA), a lobby group, says
he has given up hope of weaker yen. Sony, an electronics giant, has long been globalizing
production. It says that, by increasing the proportion of its dollar-based costs, it has reduced its
sensitivity to dollar-yen movements “essentially to zero”. However, it is harder to shift costs to theeuro area, so it loses ¥60 billion ($730m) in operating profit for every one-yen appreciation in theexchange rate with the euro.

The new big worry is electricity. Just before the Fukushima nuclear disaster, nuclear power
provided almost 30% of Japan’s electricity, and the government planned to increase that to 50%
by 2030. Since last month Japan for the first time in decades has been without any nucleargeneration. A reliable supply of relatively cheap electricity can no longer be taken for granted.

The yen and the electricity are only two of a long list of worries. There is the risk of anotherearthquake ? especially a long-feared “big one” for Tokyo. A shrinking population means adwindling domestic market. Corporate taxes are high, and the labour market rigid. And as others
race to sign bilateral and regional free-trade arrangements, Japan is largely a spectator.

A number of factors, however, are slowing the rush for the exits. The first is that so muchproduction in the most vulnerable industries has already shifted. Then there is the vexed questionof where to move to. China, with the magnetic pull of its huge, fast-growing economy, tops the list.
But there are worries about rising Chinese labour costs, the rule of law, the security of intellectualproperty, a recent economic slowdown and even, with a leadership tussle apparently under way,

political stability.

Other favoured countries for Japanese outward investment face troubles of their own. Thailand,
one of the most popular destinations, is far from a paragon of stability itself. Moreover, having
suffered the agony of the tsunami at home, many Japanese firms then faced supply-chain
disruption from floods later in the year in Thailand. Though described as a “once in 50 years”
disaster, many fear floods could recur quite a bit sooner.

So for some, keeping production in Japan remains attractive. In May Toyota’s Mr Toyoda
promised to keep large facilities in Japan. Masami Doi, a Toyota spokesman, says that of the 9.6mvehicles it will make this year, 3.4m will be made in Japan, with nearly half of them to beexported. Mr Doi insists this is a commercial decision, based on the value of Toyota’s highly
skilled Japanese workforce. But Mr Toyoda said carmakers had to work hard to “make Japan
healthy and make Japan smile”. That sounds more like a national mission, or, to be cynical, aconcern for the brand’s image, than a focus on the (イ) bottom line. Other carmakers, however, areless committed to staying at home.

With neither bang nor whimper (*)
Japan is already uncompetitive in a range of products, from tumble-dryers to DVD players. But
optimists argue that it is carving out niches in higher-tech materials, chemicals and componentsthat are then assembled into consumer goods elsewhere. In other words, it is moving up the value
chain just as it has always been advised to do. After so many years of trade surpluses, it isdisconcerting to lurch into deficit as exports slow and imports ? especially of energy ? surge. But
one reason the yen remains strong is that the (ウ) current account remains healthily in surplus.
That is thanks in large part to flows of income from investments overseas. Hollowing out ?
shipping jobs overseas, and sending profits home ? does have its compensations.
（The Economist, June 9th 2012）[注] (*)の仮訳：”元気一杯でもなく、メソメソ泣くでもない。“英国の詩人・劇作家 T. S. Eliott

の詩 “The Hollow Men” (1925 年)からの引用句、“Not with a bang but a whimper” (華々しくもなく、すすり泣くように)の変型句。

問 1．問題文に記載の日本の海外生産について、次の記述(1)～(4) のうち、正しいものを選びなさい。

(1) 日本の海外における生産は、すでに生産全体の 50％を超えている。
(2) 日本の自動車メーカーの海外における生産は、ちょうど 5 割を超えている。
(3) 日本のエレクトロニクス製品は、海外生産の割合が国内生産の 3 倍以上である。
(4) 日本の自動車部品の国内生産は、海外生産とほぼ同じである。
(正解 （２））問 2．これまで日本の企業経営者が非難されてきたのはなぜですか。次の(1)～(4)のうち、誤っているものを選びなさい。

(1) They are unable to advance or catch up the fast-changing world.
(2) They do not want to take actions which might have unpleasant or undesirable results.
(3) They make decisions very slowly or clumsily.
(4) They put special or extra importance on profitability over market share.
(正解（４））

問 3．問題文記載の出来事で、日本の企業経営者が対応しなければならなかったことは何ですか。次の（1）～（4）のうち、誤っているものを選びなさい。

(1) A cataclysmic earthquake(2) A tsunami caused by an earthquake(3) meltdown and explosion of a nuclear power reactor(4) being careful not to mention the fire accidents
（正解

（４））

問 4．問題文に記載の国々における製造業の雇用（2000－2008）について、次の記述 (1)～(4) のうち、誤っているものを選びなさい。

(1) アメリカの雇用は、およそ 20％減少している。
(2) 英国の雇用は、およそ 25％減少している。
(3) ドイツの雇用は、およそ 5％減少している。
(4) 日本の雇用は、およそ 10％減少している。
(正解

（３））

問 5．日本の企業が生産を移転する先について、次の記述 (1)～(4) のうち、誤っているものを選びなさい。

(1) China has the magnetic pull of its huge fast-growing economy.
(2) Thailand has suffered the agony of flood, but is a model of perfection of stability.
(3) There is a worry about political stability in China with a leadership tussle
apparently under way.
(正解

（２））

(4) Other favoured countries for Japanese outward investment face troubles of theirown.
問 6．下線部の用語 (イ) bottom line の意味として、最も適切なものを次の (1)～(4)から選びなさい。

(1)

最低線(2)

底値(3)

限界利益

(4)

最終損益

(正解

（４））

問 7．日本の自動車メーカーの考え方について、次の記述 (1)～(4) のうち誤っているものを選びなさい。

(1) Toyota, a huge carmaker, will keep large facilities in Japan.
(2) Toyota will make 3.4 million vehicles in Japan of the 9.6 million it will make thisyear.
(3) Toyota will export nearly half of their production in Japan.
(4) Carmakers other than Toyota will also stay at home for future production.
（正解

（４））

問 8．日本の現状および今後について、次の記述 (1)～(4) のうち、誤っているものを選びなさい。

(1) 悲観論者は、産業の海外移転は、日本における産業の荒廃をもたらすものだと言う。
(2) 企業経営者は、日本が産業空洞化を克服するのは可能と思うに違いない。
(3) 一部のエコノミストは、日本円は今後も為替の重荷を背負っていくことになると言う。
(4) 楽観論者は、ハイテク材料や化学品などの企業がニッチ市場を開拓すると言う。
（正解

（２））

問 9．下線部の用語 (ウ) current account の意味として、最も適切なものを次の (1)～ (4)から選びなさい。

(1)

現金勘定

(2)

外貨預金

(3)

経常収支

(4)

当期勘定

（正解（３））

問 10．下線部の用語 (ア)”Hollowing out”の一般的な意味 について、次の記述 (1)～(4) のうち、誤っているものを選びなさい。

(1) The “hollowing out” phenomenon is closely linked to three important economic concepts in theinternational business area. They are deindustrialization, economic restructuring, andglobalization. Deindustrialization is the term generally used worldwide to describe the “hollowingout” phenomenon.

(2) Since globalization increases the interaction between nations and reduces the barriers to thefree flow of capital and investments, it can both intensify and accelerate the “hollowing out”
experience.

(3) A major factor of the “hollowing out” phenomenon is the increasing freedom and flexibility that
corporations will have to move their production capacity to different locations around the world.

(4) With new jobs such as services to be found in the “hollowing out” phenomenon, thisdevelopment maintains or increases consumers’ buying power and demand levels for the overalleconomy.

(正解（４））

第２問

次の英文は国際英文契約書の一部である。

問 1.～問 10. について、文法、前後関係係等を総合的に勘案し、最も適切なものを一つ選び、解答用紙にその番号を記入しなさい。
(配点２０点)At any time ( ア ) the (イ ) of this Agreement and ( ウ ) the five years immediately

thereafter, Buyer ( エ) shall not ( オ ) to any person any confidential information received
through the ( カ ) of this Agreement, (キ) trade secret, pricing policies, records and otherconfidential information concerning business affairs of Seller.

The preceding sentence shall not apply to any information which is in the public( ク ) at the time it comes into Buyer’s ( ケ ) or comes into the public( ク ) without ( コ ) of any obligation of this Article.

問 1.（ア）に入る語句として最も適切なものはどれか選びなさい。

(1) for (2) during (3) after (4) within(正解（２））

問 2.（イ）に入る語句として最も適切なものはどれか選びなさい。

(1) terms (2) interval (3) validity (4) term
（正解（４））

問 3.（ウ(1) for）に入る語句として最も適切なものはどれか選びなさい。

(2) during(3) within (4) before（正解（１））

問 4.（エ）の下線部の単語の意味に最も近いものはどれか選びなさい。

(1) 予定(2) 権利(3) 義務(4) 譲歩（正解（３））

問 5.（オ）に入る語句として最も適切なものはどれか選びなさい。

(1) distribute (2) dispense (3) disseminate (4) disclose（正解（４））

問 6.（カ）に入る語句として最も適切なものはどれか選びなさい。

(1) performance (2) perfection (3) percolation (4) persuasion（正解（１））

問 7.（キ）に入る語句として最も適切なものはどれか選びなさい。

(1) excluding (2) including (3) supposing (4) providing（正解（２））

問 8．（ク）に入る語句として最も適切なものはどれか選びなさい。

(1) domino (2) domicile (3) domain (4) dominion（正解（３））

問 9.（ケ）に入る語句として最も適切なものはどれか選びなさい。

(1) knowledge (2) know-how (3) intelligence (4) information（正解（１））

問 10.（コ）に入る語句として最も適切なものはどれか選びなさい。

(1) bleach (2) blend (3) breakthrough (4) breach（正解（４））