But that was the hope that Shinzo Abe, Japan's prime minister, expressed for the new Reiwa imperial era.

但這是日本首相安倍晉三，對於嶄新的令和時代所懷抱之期許。

Associated with the crowning of Emperor Naruhito, the new Japanese monarch, on May 1.

隨著日本新天皇—德仁親王即位，令和時代於五月一號展開。

For Mr. Abe, awakening a sense of optimism in his fellow countrymen is part of a broader mission.

對安倍先生來說，喚起國人的樂觀之情是另一項宏觀使命的一部分。

The Japanese prime minister knows that his country faces serious challenges.

日本首相明白自己的國家正面臨多項嚴峻挑戰。

Including an ageing and shrinking population, a heavy debt burden, and the potential threat of a rising China.

包含老化且縮減中的人口、龐大的債務，以及來自中國崛起的潛在威脅。

The success or failure of efforts to inject new dynamism into Japan will affect the whole world.

新時代能否為日本注入新動力，其成敗將會影響全世界。

Japan is the most powerful democracy in Asia, and the third largest economy in the world.

日本是亞洲最強大的民主國家，也是全球第三大經濟體。

So it is crucial for the global balance of power.

因此日本對世界權力平衡而言舉足輕重。

For Mr. Abe, who's likely to step down in 2021, issues of international resilience and domestic revival are closely connected.

安倍先生很可能將在 2021 年卸任；從他的角度來看，國際的復原彈性與國內的復甦息息相關。

Japan needs to be economically strong and optimistic about the future if it's to resist succumbing to fatalism about living in a China-dominated region.

日本經濟必須強大起來並對未來保持樂觀，才有機會擺脫中國稱霸的宿命。

The demographic difficulties that Japan is facing are underlined by official projections.

多項官方預測凸顯出日本當前人口危機的重要性。

A low birth rate and an aging population means that Japan's population has been declining since 2010.

低生育率加上老化的人口，使得日本人口數從 2010 年開始下降。

It currently stands at a little over 126 million, but official projections suggest that it will fall below 100 million in 2053, and go as low as 88 million by 2065.

目前日本人口數約為 1.26 億出頭，但官方報告指出 2053 年會掉到一億以下；2065 年會降到 8800 萬的低點。

In an effort to respond, the Abe government's tried to make it easier for women to both work and have children.

因應人口危機，安倍政府持續試圖協助女性兼顧工作與家庭。

And Japan's also doing more to encourage emigration.

同時日本也祭出更多鼓勵移民的措施。

But even the modest measures taken so far prove very controversial in a country that treasures its cultural homogeneity.

但就算是目前所採用之最溫和的手段，也在這個珍視文化同質性的國家中引起大量爭論。

Some government advisers worry that Japan may even fall prey to the populist anti-immigration politics already visible in the US and Europe.

有些政府顧問擔憂民粹、反移民政治可能會讓日本深受其害，如同美國、歐洲的實例。

A shrinking population is a drag on GDP.

縮減的人口會拖慢 GDP 成長。

And a smaller economy will make Japan's debt burden even harder to manage.

而一旦經濟體縮小，日本的債務將變得更難以負荷。

At nearly 240 percent, the government's debt to GDP ratio is the highest in the developed world.

日本政府的國債佔 GDP 比率幾乎達 240%，這是已開發國家之中最高的比例。

Government economists worry that the rising medical bills of the elderly will further strain government finances in the coming years.

政府經濟顧問也擔憂增加中的老年人醫藥費，在未來幾年將進一步對政府財政造成壓力。

And the fear of higher taxes or even a debt default might also deepen pessimism about the future.

而對高稅率甚或是債務違約的恐懼，都深化了人民對未來的不樂觀。

And then there's fear of China.

另一方面還有對中國的懼怕。

The Chinese army and navy are growing rapidly.

中國陸軍、海軍都在急速擴張中。

And the Japanese are painfully aware that modern Chinese nationalism feeds on hostility towards Japan, kept alive by memories of the Japanese invasion of the 1930s.

而不幸的是日本人相當明白，中國對日本的敵意茁壯了現代民族主義；這種敵意源自於 1930 年代日本的武裝入侵。

"No defence that China can devise, be it men or material, can withstand this relentless advance."

「中國完全無力防衛，不管是在人力或物資上，中國都擋不住日軍毫不留情的行進。」

"Triumph is to the invader."

「入侵者大獲全勝。」

Mr. Abe notes that Japan needs friends, and he's done his utmost to preserve the special relationship with the US,

安倍先生很清楚日本需要同盟，他盡一切努力維繫住與美國的特殊情誼。

and to build a new special relationship with India.

也和印度建立起新的特別關係。

Mr. Abe has his political roots in the nationalist wing of Japanese politics.

安倍先生的政治出身歸屬於日本政壇上的民族主義派別。

And he's maintained links to groups that have alarming attitudes to Japan's wartime role.

而對抨擊日本戰時角色的政治團體，他同樣維持聯繫。

But the prime minister is intelligent enough to understand that in modern Japan, a nationalist needs to be an internationalist.

不過首相夠聰明，他知道在現代日本，就算是民族主義者也必須放眼國際。

Building alliances and international links that will allow Japan to thrive even as China rises.

即便中國崛起，打造同盟和國際連結將會使日本茁壯。

That challenge is likely to define the new Reiwa era.

這項挑戰可能會定義整個令和新時代。