High-resolution CO observations of NGC 1068

High-resolution ^12^CO J = 1-0 line observations of the 60" x 60" disk of NGC 1068 have been made using the Nobeyama 45 m telescope (HPBW = 17"). The integrated CO map reveals three major components: (1) a disk component of 40" x 60" elongated along a northeast-southwest direction, (2) a northeast component located in a dusty area between the east inner spiral and the nuclear region, and (3) a southwest component located in a dusty region connecting a south bay held between the central inner region and the southwest H II region and a heavily obscured red portion lying on the west inner spiral. The disk component, which closely matches the region of red colors outside the inner arm region, coincides with the radio plateau and the 100 micron far-infrared source. Excellent correspondence is also found between the northeast and southwest components and the 10 micron infrared emission. That NGC 1068 has no nuclear component of CO is confirmed, which suggests an indirect relation between the nuclear and the star-forming activities of NGC 1068. The total H_2_ mass is estimated to be 5.6 x 10^9^ M_sun_. The diagram of isovelocity contours shows a peculiar structure in that the isovelocity contours primarily run parallel to the north-south direction. If this velocity structure is due to a circular motion of the disk, the position angle of 82^deg^ is suggested for the kinematic major axis, which is consistent with recent optical observations. However, the isovelocity contour map cannot be explained only in terms of a circular motion, which indicates that there are large-scale noncircular motions in the CO molecular gas within the 1' x 1' disk of NGC 1068.