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The Yomiuri Shimbun (Nov. 30, 2009) New growth strategy needed to protect jobs 雇用不安 新成長戦略で働く場確保を（11月30日付・読売社説）
At the end of last year, a large number of manufacturers across the nation fired temporary workers even before their work contracts expired. To help those who lost jobs, a civic group set up a tent camp, called Toshikoshi Hakenmura (village for temporary workers to see out the old year), in Tokyo's Hibiya Park. A year later, the country's employment situation has grown even more serious. 昨年暮れは製造業の派遣切りが続き、日比谷公園に「年越し派遣村」ができた。１年たった今、雇用情勢は一段と深刻化している。
How effective will the government's emergency employment measures be? The government must do all it can to alleviate the severe employment situation as the year-end approaches. 政府の緊急雇用対策は、どれだけの効果が期待できるか。年の瀬を前に、政府は雇用対策に全力を挙げなければならない。
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Situation in rural areas bleak ◆深刻な地方へのしわ寄せ◆
Kitakami, a city located in the southwest of Iwate Prefecture, has some of the leading industrial parks in the country. Blessed with vast plains and abundant water, the city capitalizes on its good location connected to an expressway. 岩手県の南西部に位置する北上市は、全国有数の工業団地を持つ。広大な平野と豊かな水資源に恵まれ、高速道路も整備された立地条件の良さが売り物である。
With a large number of leading companies having set up plants there, the city until recently enjoyed a reputation as having successful industrial parks where a variety of industries are concentrated. Yet the tide of recession is sweeping toward the city. 大企業が次々と進出し、産業集積が進んだ成功例とされるが、その北上市にも、景気悪化の荒波が押し寄せている。
At Iwate Toshiba Electronics Co., a Toshiba Corp. subsidiary located in an industrial park in the northern part of the city, a vast plot of land lies vacant next to the firm's semiconductor plant. 市内北部の工業団地にある東芝子会社の岩手東芝エレクトロニクス。稼働中の半導体工場の横には広い敷地が残されたままだ。
Toshiba announced in 2008 it would build a new plant in Kitakami to produce cutting-edge NAND flash memory products. But the firm decided early this year to postpone construction of the plant due to flagging sales of semiconductors and a serious downturn in business. The site for the planned flash memory plant will soon see its second winter. 東芝は２００８年、最先端のＮＡＮＤ型フラッシュメモリーの北上新工場を建設すると発表した。ところが、今年初め、半導体不況と業績悪化を理由に建設を延期した。新工場は着工されず２度目の冬を迎えようとしている。
Under the initial plan, the plant was scheduled to start operation in spring 2010 and employ about 1,000 new workers. 計画通りならば、来春以降に稼働し、１０００人規模の新規雇用が見込まれていた。
About three years ago, the ratio of job offers to job seekers in the city rose to about 1.9 thanks to companies that flooded to the city to open new plants. As a result, the city ran short of workers. But now, the job-offers-to-job-seekers ratio has nosedived to about 0.3. Kitakami Mayor Akira Ito awaits the day when Toshiba decides to start the construction. 北上市は約３年前、企業進出ラッシュで有効求人倍率が１・９倍程度まで上昇し、人手不足の時期もあった。それが今や、約０・３倍に急落した。伊藤彬市長は、東芝の着工決断を待つ日々だ。
The mayor has been visiting companies with branches in the city, asking them to hire even one more employee, in what he calls his "plus one" campaign. 「プラスワン」作戦――。一人でも多くの採用を求める陳情攻勢を市長はそう名付け、地元に進出した企業を回り続ける。
This situation is not confined in Kitakami, but can be seen across the country. NEC Corp. has closed its liquid crystal panel plant in Izumi, Kagoshima Prefecture, while Honda Motor Co. postponed operation of its new plant in Yoriimachi, Saitama Prefecture. こうした状況は北上に限らない。ＮＥＣの液晶パネル工場閉鎖（鹿児島県出水市）、ホンダの新工場稼働延期（埼玉県寄居町）など、全国で相次いでいる。
Listed companies' midterm earnings reports for the period ending in September showed that their business performance is improving. But they are still cautious about making capital investments as they strive to cut costs to be globally competitive. 上場企業の今年９月中間決算は、業績改善を裏付けた。しかし、グローバル競争を勝ち抜くため、各社は、コスト削減を徹底しており、設備投資には慎重だ。
The Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry announced Friday that the number of jobless people was 3.44 million in October, while the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.1 percent. The nation's job-offers-to-job-seekers ratio remains at a low level, at a seasonally adjusted 0.44. 総務省が２７日発表した１０月の完全失業者は３４４万人で、完全失業率は５・１％だった。全国の有効求人倍率も０・４４倍と、低水準が続いている。
Under its slogan of "From concrete to people," the administration of Prime Minister Yukio Hatomaya touts a policy shift that allocates taxpayers' money to programs related to people's lives, rather than to public works programs, as was seen in the past. This policy shift has slashed the number of public works projects, which local economies rely heavily on, dealing a heavy blow to the economies, which were already suffering from the ongoing wave of corporate restructuring. 鳩山政権は、「コンクリートから人へ」の政策転換を掲げる。頼みの公共工事が激減したうえ、企業リストラも加わり、特に地方経済にはダブルパンチである。
The government, which compiled emergency employment measures in October, has begun studying additional employment measures for inclusion in the second supplementary budget for fiscal 2009. 政府は、１０月に緊急雇用対策をまとめたのに続き、２００９年度第２次補正予算に盛り込む追加雇用対策を検討し始めた。
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◆求められる大胆な追加策◆ Bolder steps needed
With the number of jobless rising, there are fears of downside risks for the economy, making it vitally important for the government to come up with new bold measures. 失業者が増え続け、景気腰折れも懸念されており、ここは大胆な対策を打ち出すべきだ。
The pillar of the emergency employment measures is the provision of assistance to those who have lost their jobs and are in poverty and distress, and to new graduates, as well as the creation of jobs, mainly in such areas as nursing care, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, for about 100,000 people by the end of this fiscal year. 政府の雇用対策は、仕事を失った貧困・困窮者や新卒者への支援のほか、介護や農林業などを中心に年度末までに約１０万人の雇用創造を目指すことが柱である。
With the measures, the government aims to make the Hello Work job placement offices one-stop centers that, as well as helping unemployed people find jobs, can also help those who have become homeless as a result of losing their jobs find accommodation. But these measures are nothing new. ハローワークの支援機能や住宅支援策の強化を目指すが、旧来型の政策で目新しさはない。
Meanwhile, to encourage firms to temporarily lay off rather than fire employees, the government will ease requirements for receiving a governmental subsidy to defray costs relating to layoffs. 政府は、従業員を解雇せず休業などにとどめた企業を支援する雇用調整助成金の要件を緩和する。
Steps such as these would go some way to protecting jobs. But subsidies like the one for firms furloughing workers should be expanded, while the government should carefully design job-training programs. 雇用維持に一定の効果が期待できるが、助成金をさらに拡充すべきだろう。きめ細かな職業訓練も強化しなければならない。
The ratio of college students graduating next spring who have received unofficial job offers hovered at around just 60 percent as of October, leaving the job situation for job-hunting college students extremely tight. To avoid creating a generation of unemployed people, it is an urgent task to boost such assistance. 来春の大卒予定者の就職内定率は、１０月現在で約６０％に低迷し、「超氷河期」と言われる。就職できない「ロストジェネレーション」を生み出さないよう、支援対策の強化も急務だ。
What is probably important in the mid- and long term is to expand job opportunities. 中長期的に肝心なのは、雇用機会を拡大することだろう。
Although the government has set a target of creating 100,000 jobs, that figure is dwarfed by the number of jobless, which has ballooned to 3.44 million. 政府が雇用創出の目標に掲げた１０万人は、３４４万人に膨らんだ失業者と比べると力不足だ。
Expanding cooperation among the sectors of agriculture, commerce and industry will reinvigorate these primary industries and boost tourism, the government should mobilize all workable policy steps so as to create more jobs in rural areas. １次産業を活性化させる農商工連携の拡大や観光ビジネスなども絡め、政策を総動員し、地域の雇用を広げる工夫が求められる。
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Domestic industries at risk ◆国内産業の空洞化を防げ◆
Job-creation measures will also directly lead to measures to prevent the hollowing out of domestic industries. 雇用対策は、国内産業の空洞化を防ぐ対策にも直結する。
Driven by fierce price-cutting competition for their products at home, more and more companies are shifting their production bases out of the country, further reducing the number of job opportunities. As a result, the Japanese economy is in danger of falling into a vicious cycle in which it becomes increasingly anemic. 企業は製品の値下げ競争に追われるように、工場の海外移転を加速させており、雇用機会の縮小は深刻だ。日本経済は、それによってさらに弱体化する悪循環に陥りつつある。
For such reasons, the government needs to hammer out a new growth strategy that will revitalize domestic industries and regional economies. だからこそ、政府は、国内産業や地域が活性化できる新成長戦略を打ち出さねばならない。
The promotion of new industries that can capitalize on Japan's strong points, such as those in the area of environmental protection, will generate economic vitality and create jobs. The government needs to present a clear-cut vision to give domestic industries and regional economies hope for the future. 環境などの日本の強みを生かした新産業をテコ入れし、活力を生みだし、雇用増につなげる――将来に希望を持てる、そんな明確なビジョンを示す必要がある。
In this respect, the key will be to generate demand in other Asian countries for Japanese goods by reinforcing product-development and export strategies targeted at consumer markets in Asia. アジアの消費者向けの市場を狙い、商品開発や輸出戦略も強化するなど、アジアの需要を国内に取り込むことが重要になろう。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 30, 2009) （2009年11月30日01時11分 読売新聞）
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The Yomiuri Shimbun (Nov. 29, 2009) U.S., China could lead way to post-Kyoto deal ＣＯ２削減 米中の目標公表で弾みつくか（11月29日付・読売社説）
The United States and China, the world's two largest emitters of greenhouse gas, have recently announced their medium-term targets for CO2 emission reductions. We hope their commitments will add momentum to the drafting of a fair framework to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, which expires at the end of 2012. 温室効果ガスの２大排出国である米国と中国が削減の中期目標を公表した。京都議定書に代わる公平な枠組み作りの弾みとしたい。
The United States has set itself a target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020. The U.S. targets also include a 30 percent reduction by 2025, 42 percent by 2030 and 83 percent by 2050. 米国の目標は、温室効果ガスの排出量を２０２０年までに０５年比で１７％削減するというものだ。さらに、２５年に３０％、３０年に４２％、５０年に８３％と段階を踏んで減らす内容である。
However, a 17 percent cut from 2005 levels actually represents a reduction of just a few percent from 1990 levels. This contrasts sharply with the target set by the administration of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, which aims to curb this nation's emissions by 25 percent from 1990 levels. 「０５年比１７％減」は、１９９０年比に換算すると数％の削減に過ぎない。９０年比で一気に２５％削減しようという鳩山政権の目標との違いが際立っている。
The U.S. targets are very realistic, as restoring the economy is currently Washington's top priority. 経済の立て直しが最優先課題である米国にとって、現実的な色合いが濃い削減目標といえよう。
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China emissions could grow
Meanwhile, China, which has recently surpassed the United States to become the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter, has announced it will reduce carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product by 40 percent to 45 percent compared with 2005 levels by 2020. 米国を抜き最大の排出国となった中国の場合は、国内総生産（ＧＤＰ）当たりの二酸化炭素（ＣＯ２）排出量を２０年までに０５年比で４０～４５％削減する。
The Chinese target of cutting emissions per unit of GDP is different from those adopted by Japan and the United States, which aim for reductions in total emissions volume. Under this approach, China would be allowed to emit more CO2 if its GDP grows. 日本や米国のように、排出総量の削減目標ではなく、一定単位のＧＤＰを生み出す際のＣＯ２排出量を削減するという考え方だ。ＧＤＰが増えれば、ＣＯ２の総排出量も増加する可能性が高い。
China is apparently trying to trumpet to the world its contribution to tackling greenhouse gas reduction without damaging its economic growth. It also has stressed that cutting greenhouse gas emissions is a "voluntary action based on our own national situation." 経済成長を損ねず、その一方で、排出削減に取り組む姿勢をアピールする狙いがあるのだろう。中国は「国情に基づく自主的な行動」とも強調している。
This indicates that Beijing is wary of entering into internationally binding deals on emissions reductions. 国際的に削減義務を負うことに対する警戒心がうかがえる。
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COP15 nations divided
The 15th Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Climate Change Convention (COP15) will start in Copenhagen on Dec. 7. The U.S. and Chinese announcements of midterm targets is undoubtedly one step forward in the lead-up to COP15 discussions that will focus on a post-Kyoto Protocol international framework to be followed from 2013. １２月７日から気候変動枠組み条約締約国会議（ＣＯＰ１５）が開催される。１３年以降の国際的な削減ルールとなる「ポスト京都議定書」について討議するに当たり、米国と中国が中期目標を示したのは、一歩前進には違いない。
In reality, however, there is still a gulf of opinion between major industrialized countries and developing countries on how to tackle climate change. It already appears almost impossible for a post-Kyoto Protocol framework to be adopted in the Danish capital in December. The focus of attention has already shifted to whether the COP15 nations can reach a major political agreement that could lead to the adoption of a new protocol next year. だが、先進国と途上国の主張の隔たりは、依然として大きいのが現実である。早くも、新たな議定書の採択は絶望視されている。来年の議定書採択につながる踏み込んだ政治合意にこぎ着けられるかどうかが焦点といえる。
Moves by the United States and China hold the key to the success of the talks. 米国と中国の動向は、その成否のカギを握るだろう。
There is concern that some developing countries are leaning toward a possible extension of the Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012. The Kyoto Protocol lacks teeth as the United States has withdrawn from it and China, as a developing country, is not obliged to cut its emissions under the pact. 懸念されるのは、途上国の間に京都議定書の延長論が浮上していることだ。米国が離脱し、中国も途上国として削減義務を負っていない京都議定書は、世界の排出量を減らす実効性を欠いている。
Hatoyama has made an international pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent without seeking the backing of the Japanese public. As a precondition for committing the nation to this target, however, he has stated that all major nations must sign on to a post-Kyoto Protocol framework. 鳩山首相は、国内の合意がないまま、「２５％削減」を国際公約に掲げた。一方で、目標を目指す条件として、ポスト京都への「すべての主要国の参加」を挙げた。
Japan must steadfastly maintain this condition at the upcoming COP15 talks. 日本にとって大切なのは、ＣＯＰ１５で、この条件をあくまで堅持することである。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 29, 2009) （2009年11月29日01時13分 読売新聞）
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Nov. 28, 2009) Budget decisions rest with lawmakers 事業仕分け 政治家が責任持って決定を（11月28日付・読売社説）
The Government Revitalization Unit on Friday ended its nine-day budget screening session to identify wasteful spending in fiscal 2010 budget requests for government-led projects. 予算の無駄を洗い出す行政刷新会議の事業仕分けが、９日間の作業日程を終えた。
The unit judged that many of the 449 projects it examined should be abolished or downsized. The task force also demanded that some funds already distributed to independent administrative organizations and public-interest corporations be returned to the national coffers. 対象とした４４９事業の多くに廃止や縮減などの判定を下した。
The money to be returned and savings raked in from the abolished projects outlined in the initial budget requests will top 1.6 trillion yen. 独立行政法人や公益法人が抱える基金に国庫返納を求めた分を加えると、ひねり出した成果は１・６兆円を超えた。
Although this is still short of the government's target of 3 trillion yen, the savings could be used as a precious financial resource for next fiscal year's budget. 目標の３兆円には届かなかったが、来年度予算に使える貴重な財源の一部にはなろう。
However, the first attempt to broadcast part of the government's budget drafting process live on the Internet created many problems. しかし、インターネットで国の予算編成作業の一端を同時中継するという初の試みは、数多くの課題を残した。
Some members of the unit's screening teams, comprised of lawmakers and experts from the private sector, basked in the public exposure and often played to the gallery, snapping at officials from the government organizations to give them explanations on the projects. It was appalling behavior. 国会議員や民間有識者からなる仕分け人が、公開を意識してパフォーマンス的な言動を繰り返し、各府省の説明担当者を一方的にやり込める場面が相次いだのは見苦しかった。
The criteria by which budget examiners were chosen from the private sector also remain unclear. 民間の仕分け人をどういう基準で選んだのか、それも不明なままだった。
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Changes needed
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said he plans to continue the budget screening in and after fiscal 2010. If so, we think it is necessary to revise the rules for running the session--such as by giving sufficient opportunities for budget briefers to answer questions and clarifying the standards by which budget examiners from the private sector are selected. 鳩山首相は、来年度以降も事業仕分けを続ける意向を表明している。そうであるなら、説明者側に十分な反論の機会を与え、仕分け人の選任基準を明確化するなど、運営方針の見直しが必要だ。
Many questions also have been raised about why some government projects were subject to the screening when it was obvious they could not be discussed properly in just one hour. 仕分けの対象とされたテーマに疑問を呈する声も多かった。わずか１時間の議論では手に余る案件が幾つも含まれていたからだ。
Projects that fell under this category included allocations for the so-called sympathy budget for U.S. military forces in Japan, the Foreign Ministry's support of international institutions and funding to promote science and technology. 在日米軍に対する「思いやり予算」や対外援助、地方交付税、科学技術振興関連などだ。
These matters are all closely related to what the nation should be and its future. They cannot be solved so easily. いずれも国の在り方、将来にかかわる問題で、簡単に答えが出るような話ではない。
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Science gets cold shoulder
Perhaps the biggest controversy during the screening was the panel's decision to effectively freeze the budget for a next-generation supercomputer project. 中でも、波紋を呼んだのは次世代スーパーコンピューターの開発予算を巡って、「事実上の凍結」という判定が出された件だ。
Nobel laureates and business leaders have poured scorn on this decision, saying that short-term cost-effectiveness was not the proper standard for evaluating science and technology projects. They also warned that Japan could eventually lose the global race to develop advanced technology. ノーベル賞受賞者や経済界からは、「短期的な費用対効果ばかりをみる議論は、科学技術にはなじまない」「世界の先端技術開発競争で、日本が負けてしまう」といった強い批判が噴き出した。
We wholeheartedly agree with them. The unit might have lacked the strategic thinking needed to deduce what fields should be given priority in budget allocations from long-term and international points of view. その通りだろう。長期的かつ国際的視点で、どんな分野に予算を重点配分していくか、という戦略的思考が、行政刷新会議に欠けていたのではないか。
It was also regrettable that the unit decided to abolish a project to encourage children to read books. 子供に読書を勧める事業を廃止としたのも遺憾である。
Ill-advised judgments made by the panel this time around must be corrected in the future. 誤った判定については今後、見直していかねばならない。
The decisions made during the budget screening session are not final. The government could treat them as a set of criteria for making decisions on the budget, but it should not be bound by them. そもそも、事業仕分けでの判定は、最終的なものではない。判断材料の一つにはなるが、縛られてはなるまい。
The responsibility for deciding how to treat the unit's judgments in the budget drafting process now rests in the hands of this nation's lawmakers. 今後の予算編成の中で、政治家が責任を持って扱いを決めるべきだ。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 28, 2009) （2009年11月28日01時49分 読売新聞）
The yen's value has surged as selling pressure on the U.S. dollar has accelerated on foreign exchange markets. This situation could deal a devastating blow to the tottering Japanese economy. 外国為替市場で、ドル離れが加速し、円が急騰した。足元が不安定な日本の景気回復に打撃を与えかねない事態だ。
The yen jumped to a 14-year high in the 86 yen level against the dollar Thursday in Tokyo. The dollar seems to be declining across the board against the euro and currencies of newly emerging economies. ２６日の東京市場の円相場は、１ドル＝８６円台をつけ、約１４年ぶりの円高水準になった。ドルは、ユーロや新興国通貨などに対しても値下がりし、「ドル全面安」の状況を呈している。
Finance Minister Hirohisa Fujii indicated the government would intervene in the currency market if exchange rates "move abnormally." U.S. Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke also warned against sharp falls of the dollar when he stated recently that the Fed would monitor changes in the value of the greenback. 藤井財務相は、相場が異常に動いた場合には、円売り介入する考えを示唆した。米連邦準備制度理事会（ＦＲＢ）のバーナンキ議長も先日、「ドル相場を監視する」と発言し、急激なドル安を牽制(けんせい)したばかりだ。
As dollar-selling pressure appears unlikely to ease anytime soon, the appreciation of the yen and depreciation of the dollar likely will continue for some time. Monetary authorities in Japan and the United States, and other countries for that matter, must work together to moderate excessive fluctuations in currency markets by exploring the possibility of market interventions. ドル売り圧力は強く、円高・ドル安傾向が続くとみられる。日米などの通貨当局が、市場介入の可能性も探りながら連携し、過度な変動を抑える必要があろう。
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U.S. economic woes
The biggest cause of the falling dollar is the expectation that the United States' ultralow interest rate policy will remain in place as the U.S. economy continues to sputter. ドル安が進んでいる最大の要因は、米国の景気回復の足取りが重く、超低金利政策が長期化すると予想されているためだ。
The U.S. unemployment rate has risen to 10 percent. Nascent indications are that this could be a jobless recovery. Some observers have even suggested that U.S. authorities are tacitly tolerating moderate falls in the dollar to stimulate the economy through growth in exports. 米国の失業率は１０％台に上昇し、まさに「雇用なき景気回復」だ。輸出拡大による景気テコ入れを狙い、米当局が本音では、緩やかなドル安を容認している、との観測も背景にある。00
A more worrying problem is that the so-called dollar carry trade--investors selling dollars with relatively low interest rates and instead investing in higher-yielding currencies--has kicked into gear. さらに厄介なのは、低金利のドルを売って、高金利通貨などに投資する「ドルキャリー取引」が活発化している問題だ。
The yen carry trade was commonplace from about 2004 through 2007. This time around, the dollar is shaking up money markets around the world. ２００４～０７年ごろに目立った「円キャリー取引」に代わり、今回はドルが、世界のマネーの動きを揺さぶっている。
The price of gold has surged to a record high near 1,200 dollars an ounce in New York. This also is a sign that investors are discarding the greenback because gold is purchased as an alternative currency to the dollar. Crude oil and grain prices also have been creeping up as investment funds are diverted into these markets. 金の価格が史上最高値の１トロイ・オンス＝１２００ドル近くに急騰した。ドルの「代替通貨」として買われており、ドル離れを示すものだ。投資資金の流入で、原油や穀物価格も上昇している。
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Exporters in peril
A sharp rise in the value of the yen and a plunge in the value of the dollar could spell disaster for the Japanese economy, which remains mired in deflation and has yet to get on the path to a full recovery. 急激な円高・ドル安は、デフレに陥り、本格的な景気回復が遅れている日本経済にとって、特に重荷になるだろう。
Many exporting companies had assumed the yen would average about 90 yen per dollar throughout the second half of this fiscal year. If the yen continues to appreciate sharply against the dollar, these companies would take a battering. These exporters are a driving force of the nation's economy; any faltering by them could throttle the economy again. 輸出企業の多くは、今年度下期に１ドル＝９０円程度の円相場を想定しており、急激な円高・ドル安が続けば、業績には大きな打撃だ。牽引役である企業の体力が弱れば、景気も腰折れしかねない。
Furthermore, the euro's surge could stall a full recovery of the European economy. Concern about economic bubbles is rising in newly emerging nations such as Brazil, which have been magnets for investment funds. ユーロの急騰は、欧州経済の本格回復にも悪影響を及ぼす。ドル離れした投資資金が流入しているブラジルなどの新興国では、バブル経済を懸念する声もある。
A fall in the dollar would throw the world economy into confusion. To ensure this does not come about, it is essential that the United States emerge from a jobless recovery and regain confidence in its currency. To this end, we consider it imperative that the United States implement effective measures to boost employment. 結局、世界経済を混乱させるドル安に歯止めをかけるには、米国が「雇用なき景気回復」を脱却し、ドルの信認を取り戻すことが肝要だ。効果的な雇用対策の実施が急務といえよう。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 27, 2009) （2009年11月27日01時33分 読売新聞）
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Nov. 26, 2009) 日米密約調査 核抑止力の低下は避けよ（11月26日付・読売社説） Pact probe must not dilute U.S. N-deterrence
A full investigation into alleged secret pacts involving the entry into Japan of U.S. nuclear weapons--among other issues said to have been agreed between Tokyo and Washington--is essential to recover public trust in this nation's diplomacy. 核持ち込みなどに関する「日米密約」の真相究明は、日本外交への国民の信頼を回復するために重要だ。
However, the probe must not be allowed to weaken the effect of the U.S. forces' nuclear deterrence. だが、その結果、米軍の核抑止力を低下させる事態は避けねばなるまい。
A panel of experts set up by the Foreign Ministry to investigate the alleged pacts will hold its first meeting Friday. 密約問題を検証する外務省の有識者委員会の初会合が２７日に開かれる。
Based on the results of an in-house Foreign Ministry investigation, the panel members will interview retired ministry officials before submitting a report to Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada in January. 外交文書に関する内部調査結果を基に、外務省ＯＢらの聞き取り調査も実施し、来年１月に報告書を岡田外相に提出する。
The panel will examine four alleged secret pacts, including one said to have been inked in 1960 when the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty was revised. This agreement reportedly effectively allowed U.S. military ships and airplanes carrying nuclear arms to visit or pass through Japan without prior consultation between the two governments. 検証対象は、１９６０年の日米安保条約改定時に、核搭載の米軍艦船や航空機の日本寄港・通過を事前協議の対象外としたとされる件など四つの密約問題だ。
Disclosed U.S. diplomatic documents and the testimony of a former administrative vice-minister for foreign affairs have already undermined the credibility of the former government's official denial of the existence of the pacts. Furthermore, the ministry's latest probe unearthed a document supporting the pacts' existence. 核持ち込みについては既に、公開された米外交文書や元外務次官らの最近の証言により、「密約はない」とする政府見解の維持が困難となっていた。さらに、今回の外務省調査で、密約の存在を裏付ける文書が見つかったという。
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Extenuating circumstances?
It is highly significant that Okada is launching his own inquiry after the Democratic Party of Japan wrested power from the Liberal Democratic Party and he was made foreign minister. 政権交代を機に、岡田外相が密約の調査・検証を始めた意義は小さくない。
If the DPJ-led government was to officially admit the existence of the secret pacts based on the results of the inquiry, it would be the first step to dispelling the sense of mistrust felt by the public. 政府が、その結果を踏まえて、密約の存在を正式に認めることが、国民の不信感を解消する一歩となろう。
However, we can understand the circumstances under which the government at that time deemed it necessary to draw up a secret deal with the United States to secure the effectiveness of the U.S. "nuclear umbrella," while consideration likely was paid to the antipathy of Japanese people toward nuclear arms during the Cold War period. ただ、政府が東西冷戦期に、国民の核アレルギーに配慮しつつ、米国の「核の傘」の実効性を確保するため、密約を結ばざるを得なかった事情は理解できる。
We expect the panel members to take into account the historical background of the period and try to discern how such pacts might have been thrashed out. 有識者委員会は、当時の時代背景も踏まえて、密約締結の経緯をきちんと検証してほしい。
Secrets are an inherent part of diplomatic negotiations. During such bargaining, there is much information that cannot immediately be disclosed in terms of maintaining relations of trust with a partner country and preventing harm to the people concerned. However, it is important to deepen discussions on the kind of circumstances in which it is appropriate to disclose such information after a certain period of time. 外交交渉には秘密が付き物だ。相手国との信頼関係を維持し、関係者への悪影響を避けるため、すぐには公開できない情報は多い。一定期間の後、どんな条件の下で公開するのが適当なのか、議論を深めることが大切だろう。
Hereafter, discussions must be held to review the three nonnuclear principles of not producing, not possessing and not allowing the entry of nuclear arms into this country. 今後、重要なのは、核を「持たず、作らず、持ち込ませず」とする非核三原則のあり方の議論だ。
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Looking ahead
Japan's present security situation is becoming increasingly unstable in light of North Korea's declared possession of nuclear weapons, for example. This makes it necessary to maintain and even improve the U.S. forces' nuclear deterrence. 北朝鮮が核保有を公言するなど現在の日本の安全保障環境は厳しい。米軍の核抑止力を維持、向上させることが求められる。
In 1991, the United States removed tactical nuclear weapons from its military ships and nuclear submarines. This made the entry of nuclear weapons into Japan unlikely, at least for a while. But in the medium-to-long term, there is no guarantee that a neighboring country will not threaten the security of this nation with nuclear, biological or chemical weapons. 米国は９１年に米軍艦船・原潜から戦術核を撤去した。当面は、核持ち込みの事態は想定されにくくても、中長期的に、近隣国が核や生物化学兵器で日本の安全を脅かす事態がないとは限らない。
A founding principle of national security is that a country must remain militarily flexible to deal with changing situations. 様々な事態の変化に対応できるよう、軍事面の柔軟性を確保することが、安全保障の要諦(ようてい)だ。
We believe it may be time for the government to seriously consider introducing "2-1/2 nonnuclear principles," which would still prohibit the deployment of nuclear arms on the ground but would allow ships and airplanes carrying nuclear weapons to visit Japan. 核を「持ち込ませず」のうち、陸上への核配備の禁止は継続しても、核搭載艦船や航空機の寄港・立ち寄りは可能とする「非核２・５原則」の採用を、前向きに検討していいのではないか。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 26, 2009) （2009年11月26日01時06分 読売新聞）
--The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 24(IHT/Asahi: November 25,2009) EDITORIAL: Unnecessary land plan. 公共事業―撤退のためのルールを
A land reclamation project in Okinawa Prefecture is highlighting afresh the old issue of public works projects that are kept alive when there is no longer a strong need for continuing them. 動き出した公共事業は止められないのか――そんな疑問を改めて投げかける事例が、沖縄で起きている。
Last month, the Naha branch of the Fukuoka High Court ordered the suspension of public spending for a land development project to reclaim the Awase tidal mudflats in the city of Okinawa on the central-eastern part of the main Okinawa island. 本島中部東側に位置する沖縄市沖の泡瀬干潟の埋め立てについて先月、福岡高裁那覇支部が費用支出を差し止める判決を出した。
But Okinawa Mayor Mitsuko Tomon intends to continue the landfill project by crafting a new plan for the use of the land by the end of the current fiscal year. The prefectural government supports the city's response to the ruling. だが東門美津子市長は今年度中に新たな土地利用計画を作り直し、埋め立てを続ける考えだ。県も市に歩調を合わせている。
The Awase mudflats are among the largest coastal wetlands in Japan's southwestern islands and known as a habitat for more than 100 rare species. 泡瀬干潟は南西諸島最大級で、１００種以上の希少生物が生息する。
The project would reclaim 187 hectares including the tidal flats to create an artificial island for the building of hotels and other resort facilities. その干潟を含む約１８７ヘクタールを埋め立てて人工島を造成し、ホテルなどを誘致しリゾート施設などを整備する。
The reclamation work would be carried out by the central and prefectural governments at a cost of about 48.9 billion yen, and the beach development part of the project would require the prefectural and municipal governments to spend 30 billion yen. The plaintiffs sought a court injunction to stop the project, claiming it is damaging to the environment and questionable from an economic viewpoint. この計画を実現するために国と県による埋め立てに約４８９億円、県と市による海浜開発に約３００億円がかかる。原告側は、自然保護や経済性の観点から工事差し止めを求めた。
The high court ruled that promoting the project while its economic benefits are unclear would be illegal. The ruling basically supported the decision by the Naha District Court in November last year. 高裁は、経済的合理性がないまま事業を漫然と進めることは違法だと判断した。昨年１１月の一審判決を踏襲する考え方である。
While the district court ordered the suspension of all public spending for the project, the high court ruled that spending to cover research and personnel costs necessary for reviewing the plan and changing the license to reclaim land would be legal. ただ一審判決が「すべての公金支出差し止め」を命じたのに対し、高裁判決は、計画の見直しや埋め立て免許変更に必要な調査費と人件費の支出は適法だと認めた。
This judgment is behind Tomon's decision to redraw the development plan and not appeal the high court's ruling. 沖縄市長が控訴審判決を受け入れて上告せず、計画を作り直す考えを示したのは、これを根拠にしている。
But does Tomon's refusal to withdraw from the project respect the spirit of the rulings, which both denied that the plan makes good economic sense? だが一、二審で経済的合理性を否定されながら撤退に踏み切らないのは、判決の趣旨に沿っているだろうか。
Indeed, the high court decision has left open the possibility of continuing the project. But the court set a tough condition for doing so, saying the economic benefits of the new plan need to be confirmed through "a considerably robust assessment." 確かに高裁判決は事業継続の可能性を残した。しかし見直し案が経済的合理性を確保するには「相当手堅い検証が必要」と厳しい注文をつけている。
Such an assessment must be made before any decision to continue the project. A rigorous reassessment from scratch on the economic benefits of the project is also needed to determine if it is really necessary. まず「継続ありき」の考え方であってはなるまい。事業の必要性をゼロベースで問い直し、だれもが納得できる経済的根拠を示す必要がある。
Land minister Seiji Maehara, who is in charge of Okinawa-related affairs, has called off this fiscal year's bidding for the project under the original plan and suspended the reclamation work. We hope he will take an equally uncompromising stance toward the new land use plan. 元の計画にもとづく今年度の入札を取りやめ、埋め立て事業を一時中断した前原誠司沖縄担当相には、新たな土地利用計画にも妥協を許さぬ姿勢で臨んでもらいたい。
The law regulating such landfill works doesn't assume that a project can be aborted. This legal hole has been brought to the fore by the dispute over the Awase project. そもそも埋め立ての根拠法となる「公有水面埋立法」は事業中止を想定していない。この事業をめぐって、そんな法の不備も明らかになった。
The mammoth project to desalinate Shinjiko and Nakaumi--two brackish lakes with more salinity than fresh water but not as much as seawater straddling Shimane and Tottori prefectures--was frozen in 1988. But it took the government many years to scrap the project. 島根、鳥取両県にまたがる宍道湖・中海の淡水化事業は８８年に凍結されたが、中止までに長い年月を要した。
The law on which the desalination project was based contained no rules for putting a project on hold. A 2001 revision to the law finally established the formal procedure for scrapping projects. 根拠法の「土地改良法」に中止の手続きがなく、０１年の改正でようやく事業廃止手続きの項目が盛り込まれた。
There are also no legal procedures for aborting public works projects to build roads and dams. ほかにも道路やダムの公共事業に法律上の中止規定がない。
Discontinuing public works projects usually requires settlements of the money provided by the central and prefectural governments as well as compensation for local communities affected. 公共事業を中止する時には、政府や県が負担した事業費の精算や地元への補償などが不可欠だ。
Given the dire fiscal situation and dubious economic benefits of public works projects, the era of extravagant spending on public investments is undoubtedly over. 危機的な財政事情や経済効果を考えても公共事業を大盤振る舞いできる時代は終わった。
It is urgent to create rules for pulling the plug on public works projects. 公共事業から撤退する際のルールづくりを急がねばならない。
Charles Darwin's seminal work "On the Origin of Species" revolutionized not only biology but also people's perception of the human race. It was first published on Nov. 24, 1859, exactly 150 years ago. 生物学だけでなく、人間観を一変させたチャールズ・ダーウィンの名著『種の起源』が発売されたのは、ちょうど１５０年前の今日だった。
This year also marks the bicentennial of Darwin's birth. Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, also shares the same birthday--Feb. 12, 1809. Like Darwin, Lincoln changed history. With a rash of publications and events to commemorate the anniversary of Darwin's landmark theory, it behooves us to think anew about the human species from an evolutionary aspect. ダーウィンが生まれたのは１８０９年２月１２日だから、生誕２００年でもある。同じ日、後に大統領として米国の歴史を変えることになるエイブラハム・リンカーンも産声を上げている。 今年は、進化論にとって記念すべき年とあって本の出版や催しが続いている。進化の観点からヒトという生物を改めて考え直す機会かもしれない。
From the time Darwin conceived the notion of evolution during his voyage on the Beagle, it took him more than 20 years to mull over his ideas and finally put them down in book form. One of the reasons it took so long was that Darwin anticipated strong resistance from society, especially the church. In fact, it was not until 1996 that the late Pope John Paul II finally acknowledged the theory of evolution as "more than just a hypothesis." ダーウィンがビーグル号の航海で進化の着想を得てから発表するまでに、実に２０年以上かかっている。熟慮の産物だ。教会はじめ社会の強い抵抗が予想されたからでもある。ローマ法王が「単なる仮説以上」と進化論を容認したのは１９９６年になってからだ。
All species evolve and branch out. The validity of Darwin's theory is also borne out by a finding that humans are close to chimpanzees. Their genetic differences amount to only 1.2 percent. Humans are not so special after all. すべての種は進化し、枝分かれしてできた。ヒトとチンパンジーとの遺伝子の違いは１．２％という最新の研究も、その近さを示し、ダーウィンの正しさを立証している。 ヒトは決して特別な存在ではない。
What Darwin called "dizzying diversity of life" is a product of evolution and cataclysmic changes in the Earth's environment. But with humans now ruining that diversity, it has become more important than ever to understand where humans belong in the evolutionary chain. 地球環境の大変動をくぐり抜け、ダーウィンのいう、進化の産物としての生物の「めくるめく多様性」ができあがった。それを人の手で損ないつつある今、ヒトの位置づけを知ることがますます重要になっている。
In the United States, many people still believe in creationism and vehemently object to the theory of evolution being taught in schools. We can only hope that the Obama administration's respect for science will steer the United States into a society that is more accepting of Darwinism. ところが、いまだに多くの人が天地創造説を信じ、教育現場でも進化論への反発が強いのが米国だ。科学の復権を掲げたオバマ政権の登場で、進化論の受け入れが進む社会への「チェンジ」も期待したいところだ。
Japan has contributed significantly to the advancement of the theory of evolution. 進化論には日本の貢献も大きい。
As a key mechanism of evolution, Darwin proposed that the process of natural selection produces mutations favorable to the survival and propagation of species. ダーウィンは進化の原動力として、生存や繁殖に有利な変異が広がっていく「自然選択」を提唱した。
In 1968, however, the Japanese biologist Motoo Kimura (1924-1994) introduced the theory of neutrality of molecular evolution. Kimura argued that about 80 percent of sudden changes in protein and other substances are neither beneficial nor harmful, and that whether the mutants survive is accidental. これに対し、たんぱく質などの突然変異の約８割は有利でも不利でもないとし、１９６８年に「分子進化の中立説」を唱えたのが故木村資生博士だ。残るかどうかは偶然、というわけだ。
Kimura's theory was met with considerable opposition at first, but has since come to be accepted as one of the two pillars to support Darwin's theory of evolution along with natural selection. 当初は強い反対にあったが、今では、自然選択と並んで進化論を支える二本柱として認められている。
According to Mariko Hasegawa, a professor of anthropology at the Graduate University for Advanced Studies, living creatures possess numerous mutant factors, some of which kick in when the environment has changed. For instance, there are Antarctic fish whose blood does not freeze. It appears that their mutant factor helped when they were migrating and found themselves in sub-zero waters. 長谷川真理子・総合研究大学院大教授によれば、生物はそんな変異を数多くため込んでいる。その中のあるものが、環境が変わったときに働きだす。 例えば、南極にいる血液が凍らない魚は、大陸移動で海水が０度以下になる環境ができたときに、たまたま抱えていた変異が役立ったらしい。
Humans, on the other hand, have caused their environment to change considerably over the last 10,000 years. Today's children are growing up quite differently from their peers in the past. Of the five senses, only the visual sense is inundated with information. The other senses tend to remain less developed. How will humans change in the environment of their own making? The future of the human race is something to think about. 一方、人類はこの１万年ほど、自らの手で環境を大きく変えてきた。その中で子どもの育ち方も一変した。五感のうち視覚情報が多様化する一方、他の感覚は平板になりがちだ。 自ら作り出した環境によって人類はどう変わっていくのか。ヒトの未来にも思いをはせてみたい。
(Mainichi Japan) November 24, 2009 Philippines declares emergency after 24 killed
MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo placed two southern provinces under a state of emergency Tuesday, giving security forces free hands to pursue gunmen who killed at least 24 people in one of the country's worst election massacres.
The emergency measures, including checkpoints and random searches by authorities, will remain in place until the president is confident that law and order have been restored in the region, Arroyo spokesman Cerge Remonde said.
The attack Monday was on a convoy of vehicles filled with supporters of a gubernatorial candidate along with his relatives, including his wife, and several journalists. The candidate, Ismael Mangudadatu, who was not a part of the convoy, accused his powerful political rival of being behind the slayings.
The government stressed that it would go after the culprits, regardless of where the investigation leads.
"No one will be untouchable," Remonde told reporters, calling Monday's killings "unconscionable."
Officials were still trying to determine the exact number of people intercepted by about 100 gunmen and taken to a remote mountainous area, said Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno.
"We're hopeful that some people escaped, and we're hoping to find them alive," he said.
Police said the convoy of about 40 people was going to register Mangudadatu, vice mayor of Buluan township, to run for provincial governor when they were stopped.
Soldiers and police later found 24 bodies, including those of Mangudadatu's wife, Genalyn, and his two sisters, sprawled on the ground or shot in their vehicles about five kilometers from where they were ambushed, police spokesman Leonardo Espina said.
Mangudadatu said Tuesday that four witnesses had told him the caravan was stopped by gunmen loyal to Andal Ampatuan Jr., a town mayor belonging to a powerful clan and his family's fierce political rival.
He refused to name the witnesses or offer other details.
"It was really planned because they had already dug a huge hole (for the bodies)," Mangudadatu said.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said at least 10 local reporters were part of the convoy. Espina said they identified the remains of at least one journalist. Joy Sonza, head of a small private TV station, UNTV, said investigators told him they found the bodies of his correspondent and cameraman. A driver and an assistant cameraman were still missing, Sonza said.
If confirmed, it would be the "largest single massacre of journalists ever," according to Paris-based Reporters Without Borders.
The army and police were searching for as many as 16 other people who were missing, military spokesman Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner said, adding that troops were looking for more bodies in areas that appeared to have been recently dug up.
A backhoe was apparently used to bury the bodies, said army commander Lt. Col. Rolando Nerona.
Puno vowed there would be no sacred cows in the investigation. "Within day or two, we should be starting to call people or making arests. We have some information already about specific names but we can't disclose them," he said.
National police chief Jesus Verzosa relieved Maguindanao's provincial police chief and three other officers of their duties and confined them to camp while being investigated. One of the police officers was reported to have been seen in the company of the gunmen and pro-government militiamen who stopped the convoy, police said.
The Ampatuans were unreachable for comment.
The region, among the nation's poorest and awash with weapons, has been intermittently ruled by the Ampatuan family since 2001. It is allied with Arroyo.
Arroyo's political adviser Gabriel Claudio said he was meeting with Zaldy Ampatuan, governor of the Automous Region in Muslim Mindanao, when the killings occurred Monday to try to mediate in the long-running rivalrly between the the Ampatuans and the Mangudadatus.
"I really thought that at the time that the affinity, the relations between the two families, will be affirmed," he said.
He said the most important thing was to ensure there was no more violence.
"There has to be swift and decisive justice," Claudio said.
Philippine elections are particularly violent in the south because of the presence of armed groups, including Muslim rebels fighting for self-rule in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation, and political warlords who maintain private armies.
The last elections in 2007 were considered peaceful, even though about 130 people were killed.
The decades-long Muslim insurgency has killed about 120,000 people since the 1970s. But a presidential adviser, Jesus Dureza, said Monday's massacre was "unequaled in recent history."
Julkipli Wadi, a professor of Islamic studies at the University of the Philippines, said he doubted the national government's resolve in trimming the powers of political dynasties like the Ampatuans because they deliver votes during elections.
"Because of the absence of viable political institutions, powerful men are taking over," he said. "Big political forces and personalities in the national government are sustaining the warlords, especially during election time, because they rely on big families for their votes."
President Likely To Announce Troop Decision Next Week White House says it will come "within days." Some say Dec. 1, but officials insist nothing has been decided. Key officials are preparing to testify before Congress. Read original story in Reuters | Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009
Israel Getting Close To Prisoner Exchange Deal The prime minister threw cold water on speculation by cautioning that no agreement has been reached yet, but there are growing reports of progress in negotiations that would release Staff Sgt. Gilad Shalit, who was captured and taken to Gaza in 2006. Read original story in Haaretz | Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009
Why Has Obama Abandoned Basketball for Golf? He's not very good at it but has played more than his predecessor since taking office. Some think it's about time he dropped the clubs and got back on the court. Read original story in The Wall Street Journal | Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009
Death Toll in Philippines Rises to 46 Two southern provinces were put under emergency rule as more bodies were found in a shallow grave. Might be the world's worst mass-killing of journalists. Read original story in The Associated Press | Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009
Fed To Banks: It's Payback Time The Federal Reserve asked nine U.S. banks to outline how they plan to repay the government. Read original story in Bloomberg | Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009
Iran Steps Up Propaganda Campaign In an attempt to counter the opposition that grew out of last summer's presidential election, the government has launched a "soft war," an ambitious effort to get its message out to the general public, including children. Read original story in The New York Times | Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009
U.S. Will Go To Copenhagen With Emissions Target After taking criticism from the international community, the White House announced it would go to the climate talks next month with a proposed target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Read original story in The Guardian | Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009
Keeping Feelings Bottled Up Can Kill You Men who refuse to speak up about frustrations at work are much more likely to suffer a heart attack. Read original story in Reuters | Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009
Madoff Trustee Bills $4 Million Per Month The trustee hired to recover assets for the Ponzi schemer's victims asks for $22.1 million for five months of his law firm's time. Read original story in Bloomberg News | Monday, Nov. 23, 2009
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Nov. 25, 2009) エネルギー課税 暫定税率廃止分をどう補う（11月25日付・読売社説） Energy tax needed to cover revenue shortfalls
Revision of the tax system for the next fiscal year is now focused on an environmental tax--an envisaged tax sought by the Environment Ministry to tackle global warming. 来年度税制改正で、環境省が要望する地球温暖化対策税（環境税）の扱いが焦点になってきた。
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama plans to scrap provisional higher gasoline tax rates and other auto-related taxes in April, as stipulated in the Democratic Party of Japan's campaign manifesto. The measure stands to cost the central and local governments about 2.5 trillion yen in revenue. 鳩山首相は政権公約通り、ガソリン税などに上乗せされている暫定税率を来年４月に廃止する方針だが、これにより国と地方は２・５兆円もの税収を失ってしまう。
To address this problem, it has been proposed that the government transform the current gasoline tax and the light oil delivery tax with provisionally higher tax rates into a new environmental tax, from which about 2 trillion yen of tax revenues could be generated. そこで、暫定税率分を含めたガソリン税と軽油引取税を衣替えする形で、２兆円規模の環境税を創設する案が出てきた。
Given the dire fiscal situation, we believe the government should withdraw the decision to abolish the provisional higher tax rates. But if the government does go along with the plan, it will need to take steps to make up for the expected revenue shortfalls, introducing some form of new tax on energy. 厳しい財政事情を考えれば、暫定税率廃止は撤回すべきだが、廃止するとすれば、同時にエネルギーに対する何らかの新税を導入して、歳入に穴をあけない工夫が必要であろう。
The new tax proposed by the Environment Ministry is designed to impose a small tax on a broad range of fossil fuels, such as oil and natural gas. As for gasoline and light oil, the ministry plans to impose additional taxes on the stages of retail sale and shipment. 環境省が求める環境税は、石油や天然ガスなどの化石燃料に広く薄く課税し、ガソリンと軽油については、小売りや出荷の段階でさらに税率を上乗せするものだ。
Apart from the tax rates, the envisaged tax has the same structure as that for the petroleum and coal tax, the gasoline tax and the light oil delivery tax. 税率以外の基本的な仕組みは、今の石油石炭税とガソリン税、軽油引取税と同じである。
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Minimal end result
Once the provisional higher tax rates are abolished, gasoline prices will drop 25 yen per liter from the current price. But the Environment Ministry projects that the envisaged tax will raise the gasoline price by 20 yen per liter, with the end result of making the price of gasoline only 5 yen lower per liter than the current price. 暫定税率の廃止でガソリンは１リットルにつき、現在より２５円安くなるが、環境省案では環境税の導入で２０円値上げされ、差し引き５円の値下げとなる。
With the exception of those in the United States, taxes in other major countries are markedly higher on gasoline compared with other fuels. In this regard, people may find it easy to accept the proposed plan. 米国を除く主要国では、ガソリンに対する税率は他の燃料よりかなり高く、その点では環境省案は国民にとって受け入れやすいものであろう。
However, the ministry's plan has its own problem--it sets tax rates for natural gas and coal at more than double the current rates. ただし、環境省案の問題は、都市ガスや石炭などへの税率を今の倍以上にしていることだ。
Even accounting for lower gasoline prices, the average household is projected to shoulder about 1,100 yen more in energy costs each year. ガソリン価格の値下げを加味しても、一般家庭は年間１１００円程度の負担増となる。
The changes are expected to have an even greater impact on the steel and electric power industries. Given this, the government needs to be careful when it comes to imposing higher taxes on gas and coal. 鉄鋼や電力業界にとっては、経営に対する影響はさらに大きい。ガス、石炭などへの課税強化は慎重であるべきだ。
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Timing important
Some within the government are calling for a two-tier approach, initially abolishing the provisional higher tax rates in April and introducing a new energy tax about six months later. 政府には、来年４月は暫定税率の廃止だけにとどめ、新たなエネルギー課税の導入は半年程度遅らせてはどうか、との声もある。
This apparently is meant to begin with tax cuts times to suit the House of Councillors election scheduled for next summer. However, if the introduction of these measures is staggered, gasoline prices will significantly fluctuate each time. 来年夏の参院選を控え、減税を先行させたいとの思惑からだが、時期をずらせばガソリン価格はそのつど大きく変動する。
In that case, confusion similar to that experienced in spring last year when the provisional higher tax rates were temporarily suspended will reemerge. We should avoid such a situation. これでは暫定税率が一時失効した昨年春の混乱が再び起きるだけだ。こうした事態は避けなければならない。
The Environment Ministry intends to have the revenues from the environmental tax allocated from the general fund mainly for environmental measures. The government will decide where specifically to spend expected tax revenues through discussion among government bodies. 環境省は、環境税の税収は一般財源としつつ、重点的に環境対策に振り向けたい意向だ。具体的な使い道は今後、政府部内で協議して決めることになる。
We urge the government's Tax Commission to deepen discussions on what form the environmental tax system should take. 政府税制調査会は、望ましい環境税制の在り方について、議論を深めてほしい。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 25, 2009) （2009年11月25日00時47分 読売新聞）
In the House of Representatives election on Aug. 30 this year, a 21-year-old South Korean man in Japan born to a Japanese mother and South Korean father exercised his right to vote for the first time. 在日韓国人の父と日本人の母を持つ東京都内在住の男性（２１）は８月３０日の衆院選で初めての選挙権を行使した。
A revision to the Nationality Law in 1984 permitted children born from 1985 onwards to hold dual nationality up until the age of 22 if one of their parents was Japanese. Still, the existence of people such as the 21-year-old, who has both dual nationality and the right to vote, is not widely known in Japan. １９８４年の国籍法改正に伴い、翌８５年以降に出生し、片親が日本人なら２２歳までは二重国籍が認められるようになった。男性も「選挙権を持つ在日韓国人」だが、こうした人の存在はあまり知られていない。
Next year, the 21-year-old, who must choose between the two nationalities, plans to follow the path of his brother, who is two years his elder, and select Japanese citizenship. (日本語翻訳なし スラチャイ）
"I didn't know my Korean name until my third year of elementary school, and I can't speak Korean even now. I was teased about my Korean name in the past, and I have lots of Korean friends living in Japan, but my awareness as a Korean is, frankly speaking, low," he says. 「小学校３年生まで自分の韓国名も知らず、今も韓国語を話せない。韓国名をからかわれたこともあるし、在日韓国人の友人は多いが、韓国人という意識は正直、低い」。来年、２歳上の兄と同じく日本国籍を選択するつもりだ。
In the Lower House election, the 21-year-old voted for the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), which has pushed for local-election voting rights for long-term foreign residents. He attended several meetings with South Koreans in Japan, and though he was unsympathetic with their call to be given suffrage in exchange for their obligation to pay taxes, he voted for the DPJ as he wanted his friends to be given the right to vote. 衆院選では民主党に投票した。在日韓国人の集会に数回参加し、「納税の義務の代わりに参政権を」という主張には共感しなかったが、「友人たちに参政権を持ってほしい」という思いが決め手になった。
"The opponents (of voting rights for foreigners) say that Koreans living in Japan will cast anti-Japanese votes, but I don't think so. If they are given voting rights, then voting from the perspective of being a South Korean in Japan will cease. They will vote while thinking about how they can improve their lives," the 21-year-old said. 「反対派は在日韓国人が反日的な投票行動を取るというが、そうは思わない。実現すれば、在日韓国人という意味をこめて投票することはなくなる。自分の生活を良くすることを考え投票する」と、男性は話した。
There are about 910,000 foreigners in Japan who hold permanent residence, comprising some 420,000 special permanent residents from the former colonized Korean Peninsula and Taiwan, and 490,000 who have met special requirements such as residing in Japan for 10 years or more. It is estimated that there are 470,000 Koreans with permanent residence, more than half of the total. 永住外国人は旧植民地の朝鮮半島、台湾出身者らが対象の特別永住者約４２万人と在日１０年以上などの条件を満たす一般永住者約４９万人の計約９１万人。在日韓国・朝鮮人は全体で約４７万人で過半数を占める。
A proposal made by the DPJ's federation of legislators in May last year suggested introducing voting rights only for residents from countries with which Japan has diplomatic relations, thereby excluding North Koreans. If the proposal materializes, then most of the foreign voters will be South Koreans, Chinese and Brazilians, who make up a large percentage of the foreign permanent residents in Japan. 昨年５月に民主党の議連がまとめた提言では、対象を国交のある国の国籍保有者とし、在日朝鮮人は除外した。提言通り実現すれば、対象は永住者の多い韓国人、中国人、ブラジル人が大半を占めることになる。
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, DPJ Secretary-General Ichiro Ozawa and other party officials have pushed to give permanent foreign residents local voting rights, from both a historical perspective and the perspective of "fraternal" politics that the DPJ has promoted. Ozawa has called for the early submission of a bill to change the law, but the government's priorities remain unclear. The move was incorporated in the party's list of policies and its election promises, but was left out of its election manifesto. 民主党では鳩山由紀夫首相、小沢一郎幹事長らが「友愛」政治や歴史的観点から推進論を説く。小沢氏は早期の法案提出を政府に呼び掛けているが、政府側の優先順位は明確ではない。公約も政策集には明記されているが、マニフェストへの盛り込みは見送られた。
Tomomi Inada, a Liberal Democratic Party legislator who opposes giving foreign permanent residents voting rights, argues, "If local assembly members and heads supported by foreigners appear, then it will influence local Diet members. It will constrain Japan's national interests." This line of thinking is also deeply rooted in the DPJ. 反対派の論客、自民党の稲田朋美衆院議員は「外国人から支援された首長や地方議員が誕生すれば、地元の国会議員も影響を受ける。日本の国益の制約になる」と訴える。こうした考えは、民主党内にも根強くある。
Fears have been raised that if suffrage is granted in areas such as Osaka's Ikuno Ward, where foreigners account for 24 percent of the population, then it will lead to friction between supporters and opponents. This gives rise to the argument, "Japanese nationals should decide on the future of Japan -- permanent foreign residents can gain suffrage by obtaining Japanese citizenship." 人口の２４％を外国人が占める大阪市生野区などで参政権付与を認めれば、それに反対する人たちとの摩擦が生ずる恐れもある。「日本の行方は日本国民が決めるべきで、永住外国人が日本国籍を取得して参政権を得ればよい」との主張に結びつく。
At the same time, Katsuhiko Okazaki, a graduate professor at Aichi Gakuin University, who supports voting rights for foreign permanent residents, points out, "There are South Koreans living in Japan who obtain Japanese citizenship to get all the rights, but there is still resistance to losing their South Korean nationality. If dual citizenship were granted, the problem would be solved all at once." 一方、推進派の岡崎勝彦・愛知学院大学大学院教授（外国人法）は「在日の人はすべての権利を得ようと日本国籍を取得する人もいるが、韓国籍を失うことへの抵抗はなおある。二重国籍を認めれば一気に解決する」と提案する。
Okazaki says that the principles of lineage and exclusivism are deeply rooted in Japan, but the fact that there are already cases of dual citizenship, as is the case with South Koreans in Japan who have voting rights, shows that the concept of what constitutes a national has diversified. He adds that there have been changes in the sense of belonging that is associated with nationality. 岡崎氏は、日本は「血統主義」「排他主義」が根強くあるが、「選挙権を持つ在日韓国人」のような二重国籍状態がすでに現存するため、「国民という概念の多様化が進んでいる」と話し、国籍に対する帰属意識も変わりつつあることを指摘した。
Next year marks 100 years since Japan's annexation of the Korean Peninsula. It is certain the issue of suffrage for foreigners will emerge as a major point of discussion. 来年は日韓併合から１００年の節目。外国人参政権問題が大きな論点になるのは間違いない。【田所柳子】
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and Democratic Party of Japan Secretary-General Ichiro Ozawa both support giving permanent foreign residents the right to vote in elections that choose local government chiefs and assembly members. The bill is due to be submitted to the ordinary Diet session next year. 自治体の首長や議員を選ぶ際に永住外国人が投票できるようにする。この外国人地方選挙権の導入に、鳩山首相や小沢・民主党幹事長が前向きな姿勢を示し、来年の通常国会にも法案が出される見通しだ。
Since 1998, the DPJ, New Komeito and other parties had submitted similar bills. However, due to deep-rooted opposition, Diet debate over this issue has made little progress. Meanwhile, local communities are becoming increasingly multicultural. ９８年以降、民主党や公明党が法案を出してきたが、根強い反対論があって議論は進まなかった。この間に地域の国際化は急速に進んでいる。
The Hatoyama government advocates the creation of a "society where multiple cultures coexist." Then surely it is time to move forward to realize such a society. 鳩山政権は「多文化共生社会」をめざすという。実現へ踏み出すときではないか。
The number of non-Japanese with permanent residency in the nation has increased by 50 percent in the past decade to 910,000. Among them, 420,000 are ethnic Koreans with special permanent residence status due to their historical background. 日本に永住する外国人はこの１０年で５割増えて９１万人になった。このうち歴史的経緯がある特別永住者の在日韓国・朝鮮人は４２万人だ。
The figure has increased because a growing number of foreigners have obtained ordinary permanent residence status. Many decided to live in Japan in and after the 1980s for such reasons as business and marriage. They are from various countries, including China, Brazil and the Philippines. 年々増えているのは８０年代以降に来日し、仕事や結婚を通じて根を下ろし、一般永住資格を得た人たちだ。出身国も中国、ブラジル、フィリピンと様々だ。
Those permanent residents have put down roots as good neighbors in their communities. It is appropriate that they should be given the right to participate in local elections and share the responsibility for improving their communities. 地域社会に根付き、良き隣人として暮らす外国人に、よりよいまちづくりのための責任を分かち合ってもらう。そのために地方選挙への参加を認めるのは妥当な考え方だろう。
The nation needs human resources from abroad to maintain vitality in society. Granting the right to vote in local elections to permanent foreign residents will help to create an environment comfortable for foreigners to live in. It will also strengthen local autonomy in line with the trend for decentralization. 日本の活力を維持するためにも、海外の人材が必要な時代である。外国人地方選挙権を実現することで、外国人が住みやすい環境づくりにつなげたい。分権時代の地方自治を活性化させることもできる。
Some opponents insist that foreign residents should acquire Japanese nationality if they want to vote. But it is only natural for them to wish to maintain connections with their native countries while having affectionate ties with the communities they currently live in. The answer is not to exclude those people but to create a society that honors diverse lifestyles. 「選挙権が欲しければ国籍をとればいい」との考え方がある。だが、母国へのつながりを保ちつつ、いま住むまちに愛着を持つことは自然だ。そうした外国人を排除するのではなく、多様な生き方を尊重する社会にしたい。
More than 200 local governments have come up with ordinances that enable foreign residents to vote in local referendums on issues like municipal mergers. In 1995, the Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution does not forbid new legislation to grant voting rights in local elections to non-Japanese residents with close interests in their communities. 合併などを問うための住民投票条例の中で、外国籍住民の投票権を認めた自治体はすでに２００を超えている。地方選挙権についても最高裁は９５年、立法措置をとることを憲法は禁じていないとの判断を示している。
More than 40 countries, such as European nations and South Korea, have given suffrage to foreign residents who meet certain requirements and conditions. 世界を見ても、一定の要件を満たした外国人に参政権を付与する国は、欧州諸国や韓国など４０あまりに上る。
In recent years, opponents have increasingly expressed concerns that a large number of foreigners could use their voting rights for purposes that might put national security at risk. 近年、声高になってきた反対論の中には「外国人が大挙して選挙権を使い、日本の安全を脅かすような事態にならないか」といった意見がある。
We cannot accept such inflammatory arguments that seek to agitate, cause anxiety and stir up exclusive intolerance. 人々の不安をあおり、排外的な空気を助長する主張には首をかしげる。
It is far more dangerous to isolate and exclude foreign residents as "those who might cause harm." 外国籍住民を「害を与えうる存在」とみなして孤立させ、疎外する方が危うい。
We should include them into the community to create a stable society. むしろ、地域に迎え入れることで社会の安定を図るべきだ。
The DPJ is considering a bill that would limit voting rights to people from countries that have diplomatic relations with Japan. 民主党は選挙権を日本と国交のある国籍の人に限る法案を検討しているという。
The ruling party is apparently trying to allay anti-North Korean sentiment by excluding ethnic Koreans registered under Joseon (old undivided Korea) nationality, instead of South Korea. 反北朝鮮感情に配慮し、外国人登録上の「朝鮮」籍者排除のためだ。
However, all people with Joseon nationality do not necessarily support North Korea. しかし、朝鮮籍の人が必ずしも北朝鮮を支持しているわけではない。 良き隣人として共に地域社会に参画する制度を作るときに、別の政治的理由で一部の人を除外していいか。議論が必要だろう。
We are now trying to create an inclusive system to allow foreign residents to participate as good neighbors in local communities. Is it really appropriate to exclude a certain group of people based on different political concerns? Further debate is necessary.
The mountainous Irokawa district in Nachi-Katsuura, Wakayama Prefecture, is in the southeastern part of the Kii Peninsula. It is made up of nine secluded settlements that depend mainly on farming and forestry activities. 紀伊半島南東部の山間地、和歌山県那智勝浦町の色川地域。農林業を中心に九つの集落がひっそりと点在する。
Nearly 40 percent of the 430 or so residents used to be city dwellers. Kazuo Hara, who heads a regional development committee comprising the heads of the settlements, moved from Hyogo Prefecture at age 26. That was 28 years ago. 約４３０人の住民のうち４割近くは都会からこの地に移り住んだ「Ｉターン組」である。集落の区長たちでつくる色川地域振興推進委員会の会長を務める原和男さんも、２８年前、２６歳の時に兵庫県から移り住んだ。
In 2007, the committee started an education program to train young people outside Nachi-Katsuura to become farmers. Last year, the panel started compiling a written record on life in the region. The committee members are learning the ins and outs from local residents of farm work and how to create traditional food dishes. They are also collecting information about local events and customs over the years. The information is being compiled into a booklet. その委員会が町外の若者を集め、一昨年から「百姓養成塾」を、さらに昨年からは「むらの教科書づくり」を始めた。地元の人から野良仕事や伝統食づくりを学び、伝統行事や昔の暮らしを聞き取って冊子にまとめている。
Migration to Irokawa started more than three decades ago after the local community accepted five families that wanted to try their hands at organic farming. Initially, most of the new residents were would-be farmers sharing the same ideals. Over time, however, different types, like retirees wanting to spend their twilight years in the country and families with young children, have moved to the Irokawa district. The influx of newcomers has helped preserve this area's traditional way of life. But the future of the community is under threat due to the rapid aging of society and the dwindling birthrates. Ｉターンの始まりは３０年以上前、有機農業をめざす５家族を受け入れたことだった。当初は同じ道を志す人が多かったが、しだいに田舎暮らしを求める年金暮らしや子育て世代が増えた。そうして何とか集落を守ってきたところに、少子高齢化の波が押し寄せた。
The average age of the original Irokawa residents is 69, and that of newcomers is 40. The settlements will eventually disappear unless young people plant roots there. A sense of crisis prompted Irokawa to try to attract more young people to the area. 住民の平均年齢は、もとからの住民が６９歳、Ｉターン組も４０歳。このまま若い担い手がいなくなれば集落は消えてしまう。新たな危機感から、若者の呼び込みに動いた。
"We need young people willing to live here as committed members of the community, instead of simple support from the outside," says Hara. He regards one program adopted by another town in the prefecture as ideal for luring young people. Koya, located at the northern tip of the Kii Peninsula, has introduced a program to hire outsiders to help promote regional development. 「外から支援するのではなく、住民と同じ目線で暮らす若者がほしい」と原さんは語る。 そんな原さんが「理想的」とみている制度がある。同じ紀伊半島の北端にある和歌山県高野町が導入した「むらづくり支援員」だ。
In May, the town government solicited applications for three positions, offering a monthly wage of 150,000 yen for 100 flexible working hours a month under a three-year contract. The town received 162 applications--many more than it expected. 報酬は月１５万円、月１００時間のフレックスタイム制で契約は３年。今年５月、こんな条件で支援員３人を公募すると、全国から予想を超える１６２人の応募があった。
Five new recruits in their 20s up to 40s have moved from Tokyo, Kagoshima and elsewhere to live in settlements in Koya. They are trying to find ways to tackle various challenges, for example, by creating a system to support old people and developing new local specialties. 採用された２０～４０代の男女５人は、東京や鹿児島などから担当する集落に移り住んだ。高齢者を支える仕組みや新しい特産品づくりなど集落ごとの課題をさぐっている。
The program is the brainchild of Kanji Takahashi, Koya's deputy mayor. "We hope they will find solutions to these challenges and continue living in the settlements after their three years are up," Takahashi says. 発案した高橋寛治・副町長は「そうした課題の解決策を見いだし、３年後は自分も定住できるようになってもらいたい」と語る。
According to a survey by the central government, about 2,600 of the roughly 62,000 settlements in cities, towns and villages nationwide are in danger of disappearing. 政府が調査したところ、全国の市町村の下にある約６万２千の集落のうち、消滅する可能性のある集落は約２６００もあるという。
On the other hand, there are many city dwellers who want to leave the hurlyburly of city life if they can. These are people who want to raise their children close to nature and seek a spiritually rich life--even at the expense of having less money to live on. Others simply want to spend their retirement years in a rural, laid-back environment. 一方で、機会があれば、あくせくした都会から離れたいと考えている人は少なくない。自然の中で子育てをしたい。給料が減っても心豊かな生活がほしい。定年後は田舎でゆったり……。
Local communities and governments need to figure out how to attract such urbanites to their areas. Outsiders who are willing to support local development are more important for the survival of local communities than state subsidies. The wisdom and stimulus provided by outsiders can generate energy to move communities from within. Thus, outsiders could be entrusted with the role of planners for regional development. そんな都会の人たちを引きつけるには、そこで暮らす人や地元の自治体がまず知恵をしぼることであり、地域を守るには補助金よりも助っ人ということではないか。外からの知恵や刺激を受けることで、地域を内部から動かすエネルギーを生み出す。地域づくりのプランナーの役割を託してもいい。
Efforts similar to those described above are being made in many parts of the nation. The administration of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, which has pledged to promote decentralization, should pay more attention to these developments. 紹介したような試みは各地にある。「地域主権」を掲げる鳩山政権はこんなところにも目を向けるべきだろう。
サウスカロライナ州知事の不倫の記事 どの国もあまり変わりませんね。 日本でも総理大臣がこれで辞任したことがありましたね。 新聞記者の執拗な調査取材で州民の血税を無駄遣いしていることが発覚。 州の条例で禁止されているファーストクラス（航空機）の使用など多数が発覚して、 現在調査中。 知事の弁護士は問題ないと発言している。 News Alert 01:56 PM EST Monday, November 23, 2009
S.C. governor faces 37 ethics charges he broke state laws
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has been under scrutiny since he vanished for five days over the summer, reappearing to tearfully admit to an extramarital affair with a woman he later called his "soul mate."
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Nov. 24, 2009) Robbing Peter to pay Paul 国際機関援助 「倍加」を表明して削減とは（11月24日付・読売社説）
Though Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has promised the international community that Japan will boost its assistance to developing countries, the government has cut its support for international organizations that play key roles in aid projects. This is contradictory and unacceptable. 途上国支援を強化すると国際公約しながら、鳩山首相が、支援で中核的役割を担う国際機関への援助を削減するのは、筋が通らない。
The amount of Japan's contributions to international organizations has been decreasing every year since the administration of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi moved to reduce official development assistance as part of its structural reform program that recognized no "sacred cows." The contributions have fallen by more than 40 percent from the peak year of fiscal 2001. 国際機関向けの拠出金は、小泉政権が「聖域なき構造改革」の一環として政府開発援助（ＯＤＡ）の削減に踏み切って以来、年々減っている。ピーク時の２００１年度と比べて、４割以上も減少した。
Against this background, Hatoyama, in a speech at the U.N. General Assembly in September, vowed to double Japan's efforts to assist developing countries, in close cooperation with international organizations, raising expectations among those organizations for an increase in the amount of Japan's contributions to them. そうした中、鳩山首相は９月の国連演説で、国際機関と連携しながら途上国支援への努力を「倍加したい」と表明した。国際機関側に日本の拠出増に対する期待感が広がった。
But the actual amount of contributions, measured in terms of budget requests for fiscal 2010, already has fallen below that of fiscal 2009. In addition, some of the contributions have become a target of the budget scrutiny aimed at cutting wasteful spending in ministries' fiscal 2010 budget requests that is being conducted by the Government Revitalization Unit. ところが、実際の拠出額は、すでに来年度概算要求ベースで今年度を下回っている。さらに一部の拠出金は、行政刷新会議の事業仕分けの対象に挙げられた。
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Groups play role Japan can't
International organizations targeted in the government's panel's budget screening include the U.N. Development Program, the U.N. Human Settlements Program (UN-HABITAT) and the U.N. Volunteers--hardworking organizations that dispatch staff to Afghanistan and other countries. 国連開発計画（ＵＮＤＰ）、国連人間居住計画（ＨＡＢＩＴＡＴ）、国連ボランティア計画（ＵＮＶ）などだ。いずれもアフガニスタンなどに職員を派遣し、実際に汗を流している組織である。
The government has pledged up to 5 billion dollars (about 450 billion yen) in aid to Afghanistan for nonmilitary purposes over a five-year period beginning this year. The aid is intended to provide vocational training for former Taliban soldiers and promote agricultural development and other worthy goals. 政府は先に、アフガニスタンの民生支援のため５年間で最大５０億ドル（約４５００億円）を拠出することを表明した。旧タリバン兵士の職業訓練や農業開発などだ。
But it will not be easy for Japanese people to work in Afghanistan under the aid programs unless the security situation there improves. Japan's aid programs, therefore, will probably be carried out in the form of providing funds to the UNDP and other international organizations and having them dispatch their staff and volunteers to Afghanistan. だが、現地の治安状況が改善せず、日本人が現地で活動することは容易ではない。このため、日本の支援の実態は、ＵＮＤＰなどに資金を渡し、各機関のスタッフや派遣ボランティアに活動してもらう形となる。
The government likely intends to secure a budget for funds to have international bodies carry out Japan's aid programs, separately from its contributions. Considering the current situation, in which Japan has no choice but to rely on international bodies to execute its aid programs, it does not make sense to slash contributions to international organizations, which are mainly used to defray their operating costs. そうした活動経費は、通常の拠出金とは別に予算を確保するつもりかもしれない。しかし、国際機関に頼らざるを得ない現状を思えば、主に国際機関の運営費に充てられる拠出金を大幅に切り詰めることが、適切とは思えない。
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Nation's reputation at stake
Japan has seen its reputation as a major contributor to international organizations dwindle. Some observers have linked the reduction in the amount of Japan's contributions to the dearth of Japanese executive staff in international organizations and their absence on such organizations' boards. 日本は、各国際機関で上位拠出国の地位を喪失しつつある。各機関への幹部職員の送り込みが進まなかったり、執行理事会メンバーから日本が外れたりするのは、これまでの拠出金削減が影響しているとの指摘もある。
The budgets for international organizations, meanwhile, have ballooned. It is important for this country, as a contributor, to urge the organizations to keep a ceiling on their swelling budgets. Japan also should increase its efforts to increase the number of Japanese staff in international bodies. 国際機関自体の予算は膨張傾向にある。拠出国として抑制を促すことは大切だ。国際機関における日本人職員の増員に向けた努力もいっそう強化すべきだ。
It goes without saying that Japan must pursue these two goals as well as contribute funds to international organizations. But we fear that cutting such contributions willy-nilly could lower Japan's profile in the international community. そうした資金拠出以外の取り組みを前提としてもなお、安易な削減は、国際社会における日本の発言力低下を招く恐れがある。
We do not want to see a situation in which the government attaches so much importance to budget screening to cut wasteful spending that Japan's diplomacy ends up being harmed. 事業仕分けで予算カットに汲々(きゅうきゅう)とするあまり、日本の外交にマイナスの影響を与えるような結果になっては困る。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 24, 2009) （2009年11月24日01時08分 読売新聞）
--The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 21(IHT/Asahi: November 23,2009) EDITORIAL: The return of deflation. デフレ再燃―たじろがず新成長戦略を
The government declared Friday that the Japanese economy has been caught by deflation again. 政府が「デフレ宣言」を出した。
In assessing the current health of the nation's economy in its monthly economic report for November, the government said, "Judging from a comprehensive analysis of price trends, the economy is in a mild deflationary phase." 月例経済報告の基調判断に「物価の動向を総合してみると、緩やかなデフレ状況にある」という文言を盛り込んだ。
It was the first time in three years and five months that the government officially recognized a downward price trend as deflation. 政府が物価下落をデフレーションと認定したのは３年５カ月ぶりだ。
Deflation means a continued general decline in prices in the face of depressed demand and oversupply. It puts enormous downward pressure on sales, production and consumer spending. デフレは総需要の不足が原因で、物価が全般的に下がり続ける現象である。販売や生産、消費の不振を招く巨大な圧力となる。
Japan became the first industrial country to fall into deflation in the postwar era as consumer prices fell for an extended period following the collapse of the bubble economy in the early 1990s. 日本はバブル崩壊後から消費者物価が下がり、先進国としては戦後初のデフレに陥った。
In March 2001, the government declared the economy to be in deflation and held onto that view until June 2006. Over a long period of time, falling prices were sapping the vigor of the economy. 政府は０１年３月にデフレ宣言を出し、０６年６月までデフレ状態と認めていた。長期にわたり物価下落が経済を圧迫してきたのだ。
As the economy regained strength, deflationary pressure eased. But the government avoided declaring an end to deflation, recognizing the possibility of the economy slipping back into a deflationary downturn. その後、景気回復につれてデフレはおさまったが、政府は「逆戻りする可能性が残る」との判断から「デフレ脱却宣言」を見送り続けてきた。
The economic contraction precipitated by the global recession has forced the government to acknowledge that the deflationary trend is accelerating. そして今回、再びデフレ状態に舞い戻ったと表明。世界同時不況が引き起こした経済収縮で、デフレが悪化していることを認めざるをえなくなったといえよう。
Consumer prices have fallen for seven months in a row. The domestic demand deflator, a measure of price levels excluding the cost of imports included in gross domestic product statistics, dropped in all of the first three quarters of the year. 消費者物価の連続下落が７カ月。国内総生産（ＧＤＰ）統計の国内部門の物価指数も年初から３四半期連続で下がっている。 The latest economic outlook by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Japan is in the grip of deflation and will remain so until 2011. All of this makes the government's decision to acknowledge deflation reasonable. 経済協力開発機構（ＯＥＣＤ）の経済見通しで、日本経済がデフレに陥っているとしているだけでなく、デフレが１１年まで続くと予測していることをみても、政府の「宣言」は妥当だ。
Some people, including those in the financial sector, say this acknowledgement will create the expectation among people that prices will be lower tomorrow. This, they warn, will encourage consumers to delay purchases, further depressing demand. 宣言がきっかけで、「物価はこれからも下がる」という「デフレ期待」が国民の間に広がることを警戒する声も金融界などにある。人々の財布のヒモが固くなって、消費不振がさらにひどくなるのでは、という心配だ。
However, rather than worry about the negative effects of the declaration, we must recognize the reality of deflation--which could prolong the current economic downturn--and work out a remedy for the disease. だが、いま必要なのは「宣言」の副作用を心配することではない。不況を長期化させかねないデフレをきちんと認識したうえで、その克服策を打ち立てることだ。
In a Friday news conference, Deputy Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who is also in charge of economic and fiscal policy, called on the Bank of Japan to take steps to slay deflation. But the government needs to work with the central bank to ensure every possible policy measure will be taken to arrest the economy's deflationary descent. 菅直人副総理兼経済財政相は、きのうの記者会見で日銀にデフレ克服策を求めたが、政府も日銀と力を合わせて、政策を総動員する必要がある。
As it turned out, the most effective cure for the deflation triggered by the burst of financial market and real estate bubbles was expansion of exports driven by robust economic growth in the United States and China. Surging exports prompted companies to ramp up investment in plants and equipment and lifted corporate earnings. バブル崩壊後のデフレを緩和するのに威力を発揮したのは、米国と中国の経済成長に引っ張られた輸出の増加だった。それに刺激されて設備投資が拡大し、企業業績は回復した。
The government should buckle down to develop and execute a growth strategy designed to stimulate investment and consumption in the private sector. The strategy should focus on measures to bolster the welfare sector of the economy and create jobs in line with the pledge by the administration of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama to shift the policy priority from investment in roads and buildings to investment in human resources under the slogan of "From concrete to people." Another important component should be a set of efforts to promote "green economy" as a means to stem global warming. いまは、鳩山政権が掲げる「コンクリートから人へ」の大方針に沿った福祉経済化や雇用対策、地球温暖化対策としての「グリーンな経済」づくりを基礎に、民間の投資や消費を引き出すような成長戦略を組み立て、実行に移すことが期待される。
Last week, visiting OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria said Japan needs to pursue economic growth by expanding the role of women in society and promoting development of new environmental technologies. 来日したＯＥＣＤのグリア事務総長は今週、日本の課題について、女性の社会進出や環境技術の発展で「新たな成長をめざす必要がある」と指摘した。
Japanese policymakers should respond positively to Gurria's ideas. このエールにこたえたい。
--The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 21(IHT/Asahi: November 23,2009) EDITORIAL: Agonizing over Futenma. 普天間移設―鳩山首相の牽引力を問う
The Hatoyama administration is in agony over the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa Prefecture. 米海兵隊の普天間飛行場の移設問題で、鳩山政権が悩み苦しんでいる。
In the United States, the Obama administration contends the only realistic solution would be to move the base to Henoko in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, as agreed by the the Liberal Democratic Party-led government and the United States three years ago. オバマ米政権は自民党政権との３年前の日米合意通り、名護市辺野古へ移すのが唯一現実的だという。
But many of the people in Okinawa are against creation of another lasting U.S. military facility in their prefecture, where 75 percent of all U.S. bases in Japan are located. The Okinawa people's hopes will be dashed if their plight does not change even after a change of government. 一方で、沖縄県民の多くは、ただでさえ在日米軍基地の７５％が集中する沖縄に、普天間に代わる新たな恒久基地を造ることに反対だ。政権交代が実現しても、事態が変わらないのでは、県民の期待は打ち砕かれてしまう。
A way to resolve the dilemma involving two points must be found--the importance of the U.S. bases, which are the centerpiece of the Japan-U.S. security alliance, and the fact that throughout the postwar period, Okinawa has almost singlehandedly born the burden of the security arrangements. 日米安保体制を支える基地の重要性と、戦後ひたすらその重荷をほぼ一身で耐えてきた沖縄。 (北朝鮮をはじめ、安全保障にかかわる問題があるにしても、この矛盾は何とかできないか。)
That seems to be the public sentiment seen in a recent Asahi Shimbun poll that found a majority of the people polled support a review of the existing Japan-U.S. agreement. The matter, therefore, is all the more difficult. そんな国民の思いが、本社の世論調査で日米合意の見直しに対する過半数の支持になっているのだろう。それだけ難しい課題である。
It is commendable that in their meeting, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama was straightforward with U.S. President Barack Obama and told him how difficult the situation was, and attempted to seek a solution. A review of the existing agreement should begin immediately. 鳩山由紀夫首相がオバマ米大統領との会談で、政権交代を踏まえて事態の困難さを率直に伝えつつ、打開策を探ろうとした姿勢は評価されるべきだし、日米合意の「検証」も急ぎたい。
However, the basic trust underlying the alliance should not be sacrificed in the process because the Japan-U.S. alliance is the supporting pillar of Japan's security. In this regard, we cannot help but question the behavior of the prime minister and his Cabinet ministers over the past few weeks. ただ、そうした過程で、日本の安全保障の柱である同盟を支える基本的な信頼関係が損なわれては困る。その点で、首相や閣僚のこの間の言動には懸念を抱かざるを得ない。
The two nations should seek to resolve the issue by the end of the year. As Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada said, the Japanese government needs to decide whether or not to include the relocation costs in the next fiscal year's budget. The government must not act as if it were going to base its decision on the outcome of the Nago mayoral election due next January. 問題の決着は、年内がひとつのメドだろう。岡田克也外相が言うように、来年度予算に移設費用を盛り込むかどうか決める必要がある。１月の名護市長選の結果にげたを預けるような態度は取るべきではない。
Yet, although the prime minister said in his meeting with Obama that he intends to resolve the problem "as soon as possible," the following day, he said he would not necessarily rush a decision within the year. Moreover, it became apparent that his intentions regarding the status of the minister-level working group for reviewing the current agreement were different from what Obama had in mind. なのに首相は首脳会談で、普天間問題を「早期に解決する」といいながら、翌日には必ずしも年内決着を急がない考えを示した。さらに、現行計画を検証する閣僚級の作業部会の位置づけをめぐっても、オバマ氏との認識の食い違いが露呈した。
It is not just the United States that has been bewildered by the mixed message from the Japanese government. Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa said he was considering a breakthrough plan based on the existing agreement, and yet Okada said he was looking for ways to merge the functions of Futenma with Okinawa's Kadena Air Base. In addition, the prime minister does not deny the possibility of moving Futenma air base outside of Okinawa, saying he himself intends to put together the final plan. There is no way the Okinawa people, together with the rest of the country, can fathom which way the government is looking. 戸惑っているのは米国だけではない。北沢俊美防衛相が現行案を前提にした打開案を検討し、外相は嘉手納飛行場への統合を探る。首相は県外移設を否定せず、「（最後は）私が案をつくる」と言う。沖縄県民も国民も、これでは政権の意思がどこを向いているのか、分かりようがない。
The Japan-U.S. agreement is a multi-faceted package of interlinked changes that include reorganizing and streamlining the U.S. bases in Japan, transferring U.S. Marines from Japan to Guam, and the Japanese government paying much of the costs of that transfer. 日米合意では、在日米軍基地の整理・統合やグアムへの海兵隊の移転、その移転経費の日本側負担などがパッケージになっている。
What is important is for the prime minister to state clearly that he has no intention of changing this framework itself. 大事なのは、首相がこの枠組みそのものを変えるつもりはないと明確に語ることではないか。
If, on top of that, he intends to look for a transfer location other than Henoko, then he must propose that clearly to the U.S. side. そのうえで、もし辺野古以外の移設先を探るのであれば、米国側にはっきりと提起しなければならない。
Letting the working group discussions drag on without clarifying which general direction he would have the talks go is not only disingenuous toward the Untied States, but it will also raise false hopes among the Japanese public. 全体の方向性をあいまいにしたまま作業部会の検討を長引かせるのは、米国に対して不誠実であるばかりか、国民の期待をもてあそぶことになりかねない。
Hatoyama must recognize the power of his own message, and become a real force in resolving the issue. 首相は自らのメッセージの重さを自覚し、牽引（けんいん）力を発揮すべきなのだ。
(Mainichi Japan) November 22, 2009 知りたい：ようこそ、豪華三つ星学食へ 受験生の呼び水効果に、外食産業生き残り策も From sushi to French cuisine, college cafeterias go upscale as competition heats up
◇イタリアン、フレンチ、すし…店内ピアノコンサート Amid the ever intensifying competition for survival, college cafeterias are undergoing major changes in an attempt to attract more students, with some offering a conveyor-belt fresh sushi bar or an open-air Italian restaurant. オープンカフェでイタリアン、職人が新鮮なネタを握る回転ずし－－。大学の食堂、学食が様変わりしている。味もなかなかとか。おすすめは？ 【岡礼子、根本太一】
There are some 1,300 seats available at the food-court style cafeteria at Toyo University's Hakusan campus in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward. Students can choose from a wide variety of options offered at six eateries. １３００席の空間を学生が埋める。東洋大白山キャンパス（東京都文京区）の学食は、専門店６店が軒を連ねるフードコート形式。
"We have either fried chicken or rice omelet here almost every day," said a first-year student. Indian curry with freshly baked naan bread is also popular among students at the college. 「ほぼ毎日ここに来て、空揚げか半熟オムライスを食べる」と１年の男子学生３人。注文を受けてから焼くナン付きカレーとタンドリーチキンも評判だ。
The most recommended dish at the Nippon Institute of Technology in Saitama Prefecture is the "Minori Sushi" lunch. The combination of its toppings changes depending on the fresh fish available for each day. Other popular menu items include rice bowls topped with raw fish, available from between 500 and 650 yen. 日本工業大（埼玉県宮代町）のイチオシは、その日の仕入れでメニューが替わる「みのり寿司」。５００円の「サンマのたたき丼」や「ブリ丼」、６５０円の「あぶりサーモン・ネギとろ丼」が人気だ。「ウニ・ネギトロ丼」は８５０～１０００円と値が張るが、８０～１２０グラムのウニがのる。
The college's sushi bar manager Hisao Yoneyama, 50, was headhunted by an official when he was working as an apprentice chef at a nearby sushi restaurant, and opened his own shop on campus in 1992. 店主の米山久雄さん（５０）は、近くのすし店で修業中に大学関係者から声をかけられ、９２年の独立と同時に出店した。
The University of Tokyo boasts a French restaurant that opened in 2004. The special of the day costs 800 yen, a price relatively high for college students, but "students visit the French restaurant when they want to spoil themselves with a special treat," according to a restaurant employee. フレンチレストランもある。東京大の「ルヴェソンヴェール」は０４年に開店した。「コショウダイのポワレ、香味野菜」などの日替わりランチが８００円。学生には高めだが、店側は「特に奮発したい時に来るようだ」。
■環境問題に取り組み Gakushuin University reformed the interior of its cafeterias two year ago, while outsourcing the operation to Seven and i Food Systems Co. There is a piano placed in the cafeteria of the women's college, allowing students to hold lunchtime piano concerts. 内装も一変した。約２年前にリニューアルした学習院大は、セブン＆アイ・フードシステムズに運営を委託。女子大学食にはピアノもあり、学生によるランチコンサートも不定期で開かれる。
Meanwhile, some universities are promoting unique initiatives focusing on the environmental and social issues at their cafeterias. 一方、環境や社会問題に配慮する取り組みも。
Aoyama Gakuin University has started its "Table for Two" campaign this year. If students order one of the specials of the week priced at 480 yen, 20 yen will be donated to help children in developing countries. The campaign came about after negotiations between students and the cafeteria operator. 青山学院大は今年、野菜を多く使った週替わり定食４８０円を頼むと、２０円を途上国の子どもに寄付する「テーブルフォーツー」運動を始めた。学生たちが学食の運営企業と交渉した成果。
■近隣住民も積極活用 "We've studied about the international contributions college students can make, so we have put that into practice," said a senior student. ４年の沢木一真さん（２２）は「授業で学生でもできる国際協力を学び、実行に移した」と話す。
College cafeterias used to be considered a place for poor students; however, this does not hold true for universities today. Instead, cafeterias are playing a role as a special feature to attract new students to the university. "As the country's birth rate continues to decline, universities are required to attract the attention of prospective students. At the same time, the food-service sector is trying to survive the economic downturn by advancing into colleges," said a PR representative of a major preparatory school. 今の学食に貧乏学生のたまり場といった雰囲気はない。受験生を呼び込む手段ともなっており、駿台予備学校の広報担当者は「少子化で学生の関心を引く工夫が求められる。景気の低迷で外食産業が生き残り策として大学に進出している面もある」と分析する。
Waseda University's Gakushoku Kenkyukai is a college club that researches cafeteria menus from universities across the country. Club representative Junichi Nakamura, 21, said that: "School cafeterias serve as a basis for college life. Students can find their friends there, and exchange information." 全国の大学を食べ歩く早稲田大サークル「学食研究会」の中村潤一幹事長（２１）は「学食は、大学生活の基盤。行けば、誰かしら知り合いがいて情報交換できる」と話す。
Furthermore, students can stay at the cafeteria for as long as they want. 長居もできる。
"As many of the customers at school cafeterias are faculty members and neighboring residents, colleges can also expect advertising spin-offs from quality cafeterias," Nakamura said. 「レストランなどの利用者の多くは教職員や近隣住民。大学の宣伝効果もある」。
Not only private schools and but also national universities that have transformed into independent administrative agencies hope to win students by adding value to their cafeterias. 私立に限らず独立行政法人化した国立大も、学食に新たな価値観を求めているようだ。
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Nov. 23, 2009) Take steps to stop repeat of theft, drug crimes 犯罪白書 窃盗と覚せい剤の再犯を断て（11月23日付・読売社説）
Taking appropriate measures to prevent the repeat of thefts and stimulant-related crimes is an important task when it comes to building a society in which people can live with peace of mind. 盗みと覚せい剤犯罪を繰り返させない手だてを講じる。我々が安心して生活できる社会にするには、それがポイントの一つといえよう。
This year's white paper on crime, which was released by the Justice Ministry recently, raises the theme of developing measures to prevent repeat offenses. The 2007 white paper also focused on repeat offenses, and since then the ratio of recidivists to the total number of perpetrators of crimes cleared by police or other investigative authorities has been increasing, hitting 42 percent last year. 法務省がまとめた今年の犯罪白書のテーマは「再犯防止施策の充実」だ。白書は一昨年も「再犯」を取り上げたが、検挙された者のうち、再犯者が占める割合はその後も増え続けている。昨年は４２％に上った。
Taking effective measures to thwart recidivism holds the key to maintaining the country's public safety. 再犯対策が、日本の治安を維持するかぎを握っている。
The 2009 white paper on crime analyzed the current situation of theft and stimulant-related crimes, whose recidivism rates are particularly high. The analysis found that more than 70 percent of convicts serving prison terms for either of the crimes had previously been jailed for the same crime. 白書は再犯率が高いとされてきた窃盗と覚せい剤犯罪の現状を分析した。その結果、このどちらかの犯罪で刑務所に再入所した者の７割以上が、前回も同じ罪名で服役しているという実態が浮かび上がった。
The recidivism rate for these crimes is extremely high, compared with other crimes, proving that once people committed theft or stimulant-related crimes, they tend to reoffend. 他の犯罪に比べ、極めて高い割合である。一度、窃盗と覚せい剤に手を染めると、また同じ罪を犯しやすいことの証左だろう。
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Ex-convicts need jobs
Shoplifting is the most common type of theft. "Lack of income to cover living expenses" was given as the top motive for committing this crime among both male and female offenders. The recidivism rate of perpetrators of theft who had a regular job, meanwhile, tended to be lower than that of part-time workers or unemployed people. 窃盗の中で最も多いのは万引きだ。盗みを犯す動機としては、男女とも「生活費の困窮」がトップとなっている。定職に就いている人の再犯率が、無職やアルバイトなどの場合と比較して低いという傾向も表れている。
It is vital that the Justice Ministry and Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry cooperate and enhance support for people discharged from prison to help them find a job at Hello Work employment service offices and other places. Though the economic situation is severe, it is indispensable to encourage employers to hire such people. 法務省と厚生労働省が連携し、ハローワークなどで出所者らへの就労支援策を充実させていくことが肝要である。厳しい経済状況ではあるが、出所者を雇用する事業主の開拓も欠かせない。
The recidivism rate for stimulant-related crimes is also high among unemployed people. It should be noted, however, that the recidivism rate of those who are single and live alone is higher than that of those who are married and live with their family or other relatives even though they work full-time. 覚せい剤についても、全体としては無職者の再犯率が高い。ただ、注目すべきは、家族などと同居していない単身者の場合には、定職に就いていても再犯率は下がらないということだ。
To prevent repeat stimulant-related offenses, it seems necessary for the people they live with to keep a watchful eye on them. The role of parole officers, who regularly examine urine samples taken from those living alone and check their living situation, is even more important. 覚せい剤の再犯を防ぐには、就労とともに、同居者の監視の目が必要だということだろう。単身者に対しては、定期的に尿検査を実施したり、生活状況をチェックしたりする保護観察官の役割がより重要である。
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Rehabilitation centers vital
The Justice Ministry is developing self-rehabilitation promotion centers that provide support for released prisoners, whose treatment is often difficult. But opposition from residents has held up plans to develop such centers. 法務省は、処遇が難しい出所者の受け皿となる自立更生促進センターの整備を進めている。だが、地域住民の反対運動で、整備計画は大幅に遅れている。
In addition to correctional education at prisons, the government should establish a system that would offer educational programs at those centers to teach people who served time in prison for stimulant-related crimes how to stop using stimulant drugs and help them reintegrate into society. 覚せい剤犯罪で服役した者に対しては、刑務所内での矯正教育だけでなく、こうしたセンターで「脱・覚せい剤」の教育プログラムなどを受けさせ、社会復帰させる体制を整えるべきだろう。
As symbolized by arrests of TV celebrities, the widespread abuse of stimulant drugs is becoming a serious social problem. The Justice Ministry needs to appeal to the public the necessity of operating such centers and win their understanding. 芸能人が逮捕されるなど、覚せい剤の蔓延(まんえん)は、大きな社会問題となっている。法務省は、センターの必要性を広く訴え、理解を得ていく必要がある。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 23, 2009) （2009年11月23日01時05分 読売新聞）
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama says he is not ready to reach a conclusion by the end of the year on the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa Prefecture. 沖縄普天間米軍基地の移設問題の年内解決は難しい。（鳩山首相の発言）
The Foreign Ministry decides to admit the existence of a secret Japan-U.S. pact under which Tokyo allows stopovers of U.S. military vessels or aircraft carrying nuclear weapons. 外務省は原子力搭載の空母などが日本に寄航することを認める密約があったことを認めた。
The Uniqlo chain holds an early-morning sale at about 400 stores to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of its operator, with more than 2,000 people lining up before dawn outside its flagship store in Tokyo's Ginza district. カジュアルウェアーのユニクロは参加の400店舗にて早朝営業を開始。創業60周年を記念するイベント。銀座店では早朝から2000人以上の買い物客でごった返した。
(Mainichi Japan) November 22, 2009 More equal relations with the U.S. also means heavier responsibility in Asia 記者の目：日米首脳会談 同盟深化の開始＝須藤孝（政治部）
◇東アジアで責任を果たせ 対等な関係へ行動を
オバマ米大統領の初来日となった１３日の日米首脳会談で、両国は同盟の深化を目指す政府間協議を開始することで合意した。ほんの手始めとはいえ、鳩山政権が掲げる「緊密で対等な日米関係」に向けた一歩だ。共に政権交代を果たした新政権として手を携え、新しい関係に向けて進もうとする意気込みに、まずは期待したい。 (この部分は英訳されていない no inglish translation for this part）
だが、米軍普天間（ふてんま）飛行場（沖縄県宜野湾（ぎのわん）市）の移設をめぐる議論が「対米関係か国内政治か」の二者択一にとどまっているように、鳩山由紀夫首相の中にある「対等な関係」は理念先行で肝心な中身が伴っていないのではないか。 (この部分は英訳されていない no inglish translation for this part）
対等な関係を目指すなら、日本が東アジア地域で信頼を得て主体的に行動することが求められる。そのためには日本が背負う歴史問題にも向きあうことが必要だし、東アジアの安全保障における沖縄の米軍基地の位置づけもはっきりさせる必要があるだろうが、そうした議論は政府内からほとんど聞こえてこない。 (この部分は英訳されていない no inglish translation for this part）
「同盟深化」という言葉自体は日米間でたびたび確認されてきた。しかし、会談の前日、外務省幹部は私に「いままでの外務省の言葉なら方向を変えずに深めるという意味だが、今回は進める『進化』だ」と語った。首相の「日米同盟をレビュー（見直し）する」という意気込みは、外務官僚さえ興奮させている。 (この部分は英訳されていない no inglish translation for this part）
(Mainichi Japan) November 22, 2009 More equal relations with the U.S. also means heavier responsibility in Asia 記者の目：日米首脳会談 同盟深化の開始＝須藤孝（政治部）
The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama's foreign policy is centered on a multilateral approach, a precondition of which is that the countries in each region should expect to play their part. だが、オバマ政権の多国間関係重視は、それぞれの地域で各国がしかるべき役割を果たすことが前提だ。
The United States is essentially saying: "We respect you, so we would like you to take up some important tasks that will be in both our interests." 「あなたを尊重するから仕事をしてほしい。それがお互いの国益になる」。
This is a cool and realistic foreign policy, indicating that despite the U.S.'s superpower status it is dealing with other countries on an equal footing. クールで現実的な外交政策だ。超大国米国は力の差を前提にした対等な関係を考えている。
In his Nov. 14 speech in Tokyo, Obama declared that "Our efforts in the Asia-Pacific will be rooted, in no small measure, through an enduring and revitalized alliance between the United States and Japan." But this was not just an affirmation of the bilateral relationship, but a call to Japan to take up greater responsibilities in the region. 大統領は１４日の東京演説で「日本との関係はアジア地域における米国の取り組みの要だ」と強調したが、日本は重い責任を求められたと受け止めるべきだ。
Japan has lent support to U.S. initiatives, dispatching Self-Defense Forces units to aid reconstruction in Iraq, refuel Western warships in the Indian Ocean involved in the Afghan war, and help defend international shipping against Somali pirates. However, in Japan's own backyard of East Asia, has Tokyo played a proactive role beyond supporting U.S. bases in Japan? 日本はイラクの復興支援、インド洋での給油活動、ソマリア沖の海賊対策などに自衛隊を派遣した。しかし、自ら身を置く東アジアの安全保障について、米軍に基地を提供する以外に積極的な役割を担おうとしてきただろうか。
The U.S. bases in Okinawa are essential parts of American strategy in the region, especially as North Korea continues its nuclear weapons development and China boosts its military strength. Thus, Japan must see the Futenma base relocation issue in the context of policy towards all of Asia, including China and North Korea. Realistic alternatives to the U.S. military presence in Okinawa are not just hard to imagine, but building a foreign policy around moving those bases out of the prefecture or out of Japan should be reconsidered. 沖縄の米軍基地は、軍備を増強する中国と核開発を続ける北朝鮮をにらむ米国のアジア戦略の要だ。普天間問題も中国や北朝鮮との関係も踏まえた日本のアジア政策全体から考える必要がある。沖縄での米軍のプレゼンス（影響力の存在）を下げるという選択肢が現実的には考えにくい以上、県外移設は外交政策としては選択すべきではないだろう。
On Oct. 14, Political News Department reporter Nakae Ueno argued in this column that Futenma was not just a foreign relations issue, but also a symbol of regime change, and called on the government to take the negotiations with the U.S. slowly and take the popular will of Okinawans into account. On Nov. 10, Naha Bureau reporter Teruhisa Mimori wrote that the will of the Okinawan people is plain to see, and called on the government to do its utmost to move Futenma out of the prefecture. I must respectfully disagree with my colleagues. 本欄で、普天間問題への対応は外交問題以上に政権交代の象徴だから、結論を急がず「沖縄の民意」検証をと訴えた政治部・上野央絵（なかえ）記者（１０月１４日）、沖縄の民意は明らかだからあくまで県外移設へ努力をと求めた那覇支局・三森（みもり）輝久記者（１１月１０日）と、私は意見を異にする。
There is also a proposal to merge Futenma with Kadena Air Base. However, Kadena is the largest U.S. Air Force base in Asia, and is aimed squarely at countering Chinese air and naval power. If, as the Americans insist, merging Futenma with Kadena -- itself entwined with Japan's Asian policy and the security guarantee -- would reduce the air base's operational effectiveness, then the Japanese government would do best not to approve such a move. 沖縄県内の米軍嘉手納（かでな）基地への統合案もあるが、嘉手納はアジア最大の米空軍基地で、中国の海空軍と向き合う。日本のアジア政策と安全保障に深く絡む同基地が、統合によって米側が主張するように機能低下するならば、日本政府も容認できないはずだ。
As for getting out from under the American shadow and building an Asian policy of our own, if we judge that the U.S. guarantee of Japan's security is still necessary, that includes not turning the excessive cost of such ambitions back onto the United States. During the last election, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama called on Futenma to be moved out of Okinawa Prefecture. However, the base issue should not be distorted into a purely domestic issue. The prime minister must accept the criticism and recant his statements on Futenma. 対米追従から脱却し、アジア政策を自ら考えるということは、日本の安全保障上必要と判断すればそのツケを過度に米国に回さないことも含まれる。鳩山氏は衆院選で県外移設を訴えたが、国内事情だけで問題をゆがませるべきではない。批判は甘受して前言を撤回すべきだと考える。
Japan has a strong tendency to view the Japan-U.S. security guarantee as a purely bilateral issue, not as a guarantee actively aimed at securing all of East Asia. As a rule, the Japan-U.S. alliance has always come first, and as a result Japan is not truly viewed as a member of Asia. 日本は自国の安全保障を日米２国間の課題としてしか考えない傾向が強く、東アジア地域全体の安全保障に主体的にかかわることは避けてきた。日米同盟至上主義の結果、日本はまだ本当にはアジアの一員として受け入れられていないというのが現実だ。
The government has excluded the Self-Defense Forces from a special measures law to inspect North Korean ships. However, to prevent the diffusion of North Korean weapons of mass destruction, the government may yet be faced with having to deploy Japanese forces. Hanging over the government's hesitation to make practical use of the Self-Defense Forces is the sense that it is skirting around the issue of Japan's relationship with Asia. When at the APEC summit in Singapore, Hatoyama stated that "reconciliation in the real sense of the word is not necessarily believed to have been achieved in the region ... although more than 60 years have passed since Japan caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to the people of Asian nations," he was also speaking to himself. 北朝鮮船舶の貨物検査特別措置法案で、政府は自衛隊の関与を外した。だが、北朝鮮の大量破壊兵器拡散を防止するため今後、自衛隊も必要になるという課題を突きつけられる可能性は残る。自衛隊の活用を政府がためらうのは、日本とアジアの関係にいまも奥歯に物が挟まったような感覚がつきまとっているからだろう。首相は１５日にシンガポールで行ったアジア政策演説で「６０年以上がたった今もなお、真の和解が達成されたとは必ずしも考えられていない」と自らに言い聞かせた。
During his meeting with Obama, Hatoyama requested the president visit Hiroshima. However, standing in the way of such a visit is a historical view -- common not just in the United States but also in the countries of Asia -- of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima as a positive act that ended Japan's aggressive war. If Hatoyama wishes the pivotal alliance with the United States to evolve, then he must seek to have Asia accept Japan as one of its own. He must face Japan's historical issues head on, while acting as a responsible member of the region and earn Asia's trust. That is the first step in making Japan-U.S. relations truly equal. (By Takashi Sudo, Political News Department) 首相は日米首脳会談で、大統領に広島訪問を要請した。しかし、それを阻む「日本の侵略戦争を終わらせた良い原爆」という歴史認識は、米国民だけでなく東アジアの諸国民にも根強い。米国が「アジアの要」と位置づける日米同盟の「進化」を目指すなら、まずアジアで受け入れられなければいけない。歴史問題とも向き合いながら、地域に責任を持つ一員として行動し、信頼を得ることが、「対等な日米関係」の第一歩だ。
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Nov. 22, 2009) Supercomputer vital to Japan's scientific future スパコン凍結 科学技術立国の屋台骨が傾く（11月22日付・読売社説）
Is the new administration's stance on science and technology about to be called into question due to its budget measures? 科学技術に対する新政権の基本姿勢が問われるのではないか。
In its review of ministerial budget requests for fiscal 2010, which is aimed at cutting wasteful spending, the Government Revitalization Unit has decided to "effectively freeze" a project by the Education, Science and Technology Ministry to develop a next-generation supercomputer. 文部科学省の「次世代スーパーコンピューター（スパコン）」開発事業が、行政刷新会議の事業仕分けで「事実上の凍結」とされた。
The supercomputer would be used for science and technology research. スパコンは科学技術研究用の高速計算機だ。
The world's leading supercomputers can make calculations one million times faster than a standard personal computer. 最新のものはパソコンより１００万倍も速い。
They have more than 1,000 central processing units--the brains of a computer--as well as other components that allow for higher computing speed. コンピューターの頭脳であるＣＰＵ（中央演算処理装置）が１０００個以上、その他部品も高速動作するものを使う。
Most supercomputers are huge and due to the heat they generate while making calculations need to be installed in a large, well air-conditioned room. 本体も巨大なことが多く、計算時の発熱を防ぐため、ほとんどが空調完備の大部屋や建屋に設置されている。
The machines are used for simulations in a wide variety of fields, including climate-change prediction, aircraft design and genetic research. They are indispensable to those who need to conduct tests in fields where practical experiments are nearly impossible to do and they cut the time it takes to carry out research, thereby keeping research costs down. 気候変動予測や航空機設計、生命現象の解明など多分野で「シミュレーション（模擬実験）」に使われている。実際の実験が難しい分野では欠かせない。研究期間の短縮、費用の圧縮もできる。
In light of these important roles, there is a fierce global competition to develop supercomputers and the Japanese project is going up against the world's best. Does the government intend to undermine advancement in key research areas? その重要性から、世界で開発競争が展開され、日本の計画も世界をにらんでいる。こうした意義を軽視していいのか。
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U.S. leading the way
Currently, the United States is leading the race to develop supercomputers that are even better than the world's leading models, which have reached speeds of about 1 quadrillion calculations per second. 現在、スパコン開発でトップを走るのは米国だ。上位機種の計算速度は、１秒間に１兆回の１０００倍程度に達している。
Japan's next-generation supercomputers aim at improving this calculation performance by the power of one. Such an improvement would see the period taken to develop an aircraft, in simple terms of calculation, lowered to a 10th of the time it currently takes. That would bring huge benefits. 日本の次世代スパコンは、これを１桁(けた)上回ることが目標だ。１桁でも、例えば航空機開発なら、単純計算で開発期間が１０分の１になるのだから恩恵は大きい。
However, it is not easy to improve performance by the power of one over what are already cutting-edge machines. To that end, it is necessary to develop improved circuitry, including better semiconductors, a basic part of every computer. The private sector cannot take on such a massive task alone. しかし、最先端で１桁性能を向上させるのは容易でない。基本部品である半導体の開発など幅広く手がける必要があり、民間だけでは挑めない。
The United States and other countries develop supercomputers with financial backing from their governments. Japan also included about 27 billion yen for this purpose in the fiscal 2010 budget requests. 米国など各国も、政府発注により開発を進めており、日本も来年度予算の概算要求に約２７０億円を盛り込んでいる。
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Govt backing crucial
During scrutiny of the budget request relating to the supercomputer project, government panel members made comments such as, "Is it really necessary to aim for first place [in this field]?" or "It's better to purchase such equipment from abroad." But these observations of the current situation are both poorly expressed and inaccurate. 事業仕分けでは「１位を目指す必要があるのか」「海外から買えばいい」などの声が出た。こんな現状認識は甘い。
Unless Japan makes an effort to take the lead in supercomputer development, it will not rank with the superpowers in the field. １位を目指すくらいでないと世界に伍(ご)せない。
Japan ranked first in the world in terms of supercomputer calculation speed in 2002, but lost the top spot 2-1/2 years later. Today, it languishes in 31st place, behind even China and South Korea. ２００２年に日本のスパコンが計算速度で世界１位になったが、２年半で抜かれ、今は３１位だ。中国、韓国が保有するスパコンにも後れを取る。
Buying a supercomputer from abroad can prove very difficult because nations closely guard the secrets behind their state-of-the-art technology. Japan would be reduced to purchasing only midranking supercomputers in terms of processing capacity. 海外から買うにも最先端技術は各国が詳細を秘している。一般的な性能のものしか買えない。
If researchers cannot use cutting-edge supercomputers in Japan, it could lead to a brain drain of capable researchers. An overseas report has already appeared in which it was said that Japan's science and technology spheres would fall into decline if the supercomputer project was frozen. 日本で最先端スパコンが使えないと、優秀な研究者が流出することにもなりかねない。スパコン凍結で日本の科学技術は衰退に向かう、との海外報道もある。
Budget requests for other science and technology-related projects also were severely scrutinized. It is natural to want to cut wasteful spending in the budget requests, but we do not want to see a situation emerge in which Japan's science and technology lifeline also is cut. 事業仕分けでは、他の科学技術関連予算も厳しくたたかれた。無駄排除は当然だが、日本の科学技術の命脈を断つ事態は困る。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 22, 2009) （2009年11月22日00時10分 読売新聞）
(Mainichi Japan) November 21, 2009 Kaleidoscope of the Heart: The mind of a fugitive 香山リカのココロの万華鏡：逃走は「生きる実感」か ／東京
Tatsuya Ichihashi, who spent two years, seven months on the run from police after fleeing from his apartment where the body of Briton Lindsay Ann Hawker was found, reportedly showed no resistance when police apprehended him at a ferry terminal in Osaka this month. ２年７カ月の逃亡を経て逮捕された、市橋容疑者。大阪のフェリー乗り場の待合室で警察官に身柄を確保されるときも、とくに抵抗する様子はなかったという。
Ichihashi was raised in a privileged family, and while he was unable to become a doctor like his parents, he continued to study at university. He failed to find a job right away, but he was said to be searching for his dream while receiving financial support. One could say he was a youth who symbolized an affluent society; he was far removed from the young victims of social disparity such as those who lose their jobs due to company layoffs of temp workers. 恵まれた家庭に育ち、親と同じ医師になれなかったとはいえ、大学で勉強をし、すぐに定職にはつけなかったが仕送りを受けながら夢を探していたといわれるこの容疑者は、言ってみれば“豊かな社会”を象徴するような青年だ。派遣切りなどの憂き目にあうなど、格差社会の被害を受けている若者たちとはかなり状況が違う。
So how did Ichihashi end up living in hiding for such a long time without (as far as we know) receiving any assistance? Where did his obsession with escaping at all costs come from? それがなぜ、逃走を企て、これほどまでに長期間、これまで知られている限りで誰の助けも借りず、潜伏生活を送ることになったのだろうか。「なんとしても逃げる」というこの執着は、どこから来ていたのだろう。
Of course we don't yet know all the details of the case, but Ichihashi was said to have told people at a construction company where he worked that he had shut himself off from society. Perhaps what he said was not altogether made up. It is possible that he had tried to enter the medical profession like his parents but failed to do so, and during his days as a student when he was asking, "What do I want to do? What do I want to become?" his mental state corresponded to withdrawal from society -- regardless of how much fun he looked like he was having. もちろん、詳しいことはまだ何もわかっていないが、容疑者が建設現場で語っていたといわれる「これまで引きこもりをしてきた」という言葉は、あながち出まかせではなかったのではないか。親と同じ医療の仕事につこうとしたがつけず、「自分は何をしたいのか、何になりたいのか」と自問自答しながら過ごしていた学生時代は、いくら周りからは楽しげに見えても、本人にとっては心理的な引きこもり状態と同じだったのかもしれない。
Ironically, running away from police forced Ichihashi to think by himself and make his own decisions. In a sense, those days on the run when all responsibility fell on him possibly gave him a sense of being alive. 皮肉なことに、逃走という行為は、自分で考え、自分で選択しながら行動しなくてはならない。すべて自分の責任だ、という日々は、ある意味で「生きる実感」を与えてくれるものだったのではないか。
In my clinic, young people often arrive saying that they don't feel they are living of their own accord, even though they are in fortunate circumstances. They, too, choose the path that will please the adults around them for the time being, without really knowing what they want to do, and live each day without any challenges. 診察室にも、恵まれた環境にいながら「自分の意思で生きていると思えない」と訴える若者がしばしばやって来る。彼らも、自分が何をしたいのかもわからないまま、とりあえず周りの大人たちが喜んでくれるような道を選択しつつ、手ごたえもないまま毎日を送っている。
One young person told me, "I want to experience living of my own free will, not because somebody has asked me to do something." But it is difficult to seize that opportunity. 「誰に頼まれたからでもない、私の意思で生きているんだと実感してみたい」とある若者は言っていたが、そのきっかけをつかむのは難しい。
Saying this, however, there are young people who go on to live independently after taking part in volunteer or disaster relief activities. I have often seen people who have lived withdrawn from society for more than a decade change suddenly and become active in this way. All young people have underlying strengths. とはいえ、中にはボランティア活動や災害救援などを足がかりに、主体的な人生を送れるようになる若者もいる。そうやって十年以上、引きこもりをやってきた人がうって変わって活動的になった姿を、これまで何度も見てきた。どんな若者にも底力があるのだ。
Were there no other paths Ichihashi could choose to sense being alive? I recall the faces of the young people I met at my clinic who were withdrawn from society but later got back on their feet. (By Rika Kayama, psychiatrist) 市橋容疑者も、もっと別の形で「生きる実感」を手にする道はなかったのだろうか。診察室で出会って、そして元気になっていった引きこもりの若者の顔が頭に浮かんだ。
--The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 20(IHT/Asahi: November 21,2009) EDITORIAL: Ruling bloc's power play 採決強行―新時代の国会はどこに
The scene that unfolded early Friday at the Diet was all too reminiscent of the era under Liberal Democratic Party rule. これでは、自民党政権時代の国会の風景と変わらないではないか。
The three-party ruling coalition led by the Democratic Party of Japan steamrolled a debt relief bill for small and midsized companies and housing loan borrowers through the Lower House. The bill encourages financial institutions to ease repayment terms for struggling customers. 民主、社民、国民新の与党が、中小企業の借金や住宅ローンの返済猶予を金融機関に促す中小企業等金融円滑化法案の採決を衆院で強行した。
Earlier, the ruling coalition, which also includes the Social Democratic Party and the People's New Party, forced the bill through the Lower House Committee on Financial Affairs after only eight hours of deliberations over two days. Thus, the ruling camp threw away a good opportunity to debate the role of the nation's financial sector in the recession. 不況下の日本の金融のあり方を見つめ直す議論もできたはずだが、委員会の質疑は２日間、約８時間で打ち切られた。
With the year-end surge in corporate demand for funds looming, the government and the ruling bloc apparently wanted to enact the bill as quickly as possible. But they deserve to be criticized for acting so hastily. 企業が資金繰りに追われる年末を控え、政府与党は成立を急ぎたいのだろうが、いかにも拙速である。
The ruling coalition explained that time was of the essence since other important bills need to be enacted before the current Diet session ends on Nov. 30. No doubt, the LDP and the other opposition parties tried to draw out the Diet deliberations. But that doesn't justify treating the process of Diet deliberations lightly. 与党は、他にも重要な法案があり、３０日の会期末をにらむとこの日がタイムリミットだったと説明する。自民など野党側には審議引き延ばしの思惑もあろう。しかし、だからといって審議の過程を軽んじていいはずがない。
The opposition bloc is toughening its stance. Does the DPJ intend to continue steamrolling bills through the Diet while the opposition parties boycott the sessions and votes? 野党は反発を強めている。民主党は今後、与党単独での審議・採決を繰り返すつもりなのだろうか。
Following the first genuine power transfer in postwar Japan, the nation's political system is undergoing a radical change, for example, by putting politicians in charge of policymaking instead of bureaucrats. This has raised expectations for a significant change in the way the Diet operates. 戦後初めて本格的な政権交代が実現し、官僚主導から政治主導への転換をはじめ、政治の姿は大きく変わりつつある。国会のありようも例外ではない。そんな期待が高まっていた。
In fact, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's policy speech struck us as refreshing when he spoke about his political philosophy in his own words. Often during committee sessions, both opposition questioners and the prime minister and his Cabinet members engaged in lively debate without depending on memos prepared by bureaucrats. 実際、鳩山由紀夫首相の所信表明演説は、自分の言葉で政治理念を語り、新鮮な印象を与えた。委員会審議では、野党の質問者も、受けて立つ首相や閣僚もメモに頼らず、政治家として論戦を繰り広げる場面が目立った。
Consequently, the forced passage of the bill seemed like a return to the old Diet, where center stage was often taken by partisan political dickering over the schedule, rather than the content of debate. それだけになおさら、今回の採決強行は「古い国会」への逆戻りを印象づけた。審議の中身より、日程をめぐる与野党間の駆け引きが前面に出る、いわゆる「国対政治」である。
The move by the ruling camp put a damper on expectations for more vibrant and meaningful discussions at the Diet. As it is, plans for a one-on-one debate between the party leaders remain on hold. 党首討論が見送られていることと併せて、国会活性化への期待に冷や水を浴びせるものだ。
Ichiro Ozawa, the DPJ's secretary-general, has been the main champion of Diet reform. He has called for a departure from such parliamentary traditions as getting bureaucrats to answer questions and wasting time on partisan negotiations on the schedule. That would allow politicians to engage in serious debate. The DPJ should try to figure out a new approach to managing Diet affairs in line with Ozawa's argument. 官僚による答弁や国対政治を排し、政治家同士が真剣に議論を戦わせる。そんな国会への改革にこだわっているのは、他ならぬ民主党の小沢一郎幹事長だ。その趣旨を生かして、新しい国会運営を模索すべきではないか。
Among the bills waiting to be considered is one to freeze the planned sales of government-held shares in Japan Post Holdings Co. and its affiliates. The bill, which embodies the Hatoyama administration's pledge to review the process of postal privatization, demands especially exhaustive examination. The ruling coalition must not rush to enact the legislation by resorting to its majority in the chamber. 審議を待っている法案のうち、郵政民営化の見直しを掲げる鳩山政権の基本姿勢が問われる株式売却凍結法案では、とくに徹底した論議が必要だ。与党が数を頼りに成立を急ぐようなことがあってはならない。
The government is opposed to an extension of the Diet session because it fears it would hamper work to draft the budget for next fiscal year in December. But it should consider a limited extension to ensure sufficient discussions are held on these important bills. 政府は１２月の予算編成への影響を避けるため、国会の会期延長には否定的だが、こうした重要法案をきちんと審議するために必要とあれば、ある程度の会期延長も考えるべきだろう。
Some of the members of a group of opinion leaders have put together a set of proposals for Diet reform in response to Ozawa's request. They include making the Diet open throughout the year so lawmakers can consider bills without worrying about time limits. 小沢氏の求めに応じ、有識者らでつくる２１世紀臨調の有志がまとめた国会改革の提言には、会期を気にせずに審議ができる「通年国会」の実現などが盛り込まれている。
Now, bipartisan debate should start on Diet reform toward the next year's regular session. The ruling camp's dependence on its majority to push through its political agenda is not in tune with the new era, as symbolized by the regime change. 来年の通常国会に向けて、与野党で国会改革の議論を深める時だ。与党が数の力で突っ走る国会の姿は、政権交代の時代にふさわしくない。
--The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 20(IHT/Asahi: November 21,2009) EDITORIAL: Job market for students 内定率急落―ロスジェネを再び作るな
As of early October, nearly 40 percent of university seniors seeking jobs after they graduate in March had no offers of employment, according to a government survey. 木枯らしの中、まだ就職活動を続ける大学４年生が多くいる。１０月初めの段階では、就職希望者の４割近くが内定を得られていなかったという。
The percentage of those who secured job offers dropped nearly to the level of 2003, the peak of extreme job scarcity dubbed the "employment ice age." 内定率は「就職氷河期」さなかの０３年ごろの水準まで落ち込んだ。
Companies that have reduced the number of new hires have apparently become more selective amid the uncertain economic outlook. The situation is also serious for students who will graduate from high school. 景気の行方が定まらない状況で、企業が採用予定数を絞ったうえ、人材を厳選しようとしている表れだろう。高校生の内定率も同様に深刻だ。
From around 1995 to 2005, companies curbed their recruitment of new graduates as regular employees and replaced them with nonregular workers. 企業は９５年から０５年ごろにかけて新卒者の採用を抑え、非正規の労働力に置き換えた。
Young people who could not land permanent jobs on graduation had no choice but to continue to work as dispatch workers or so-called freeters without acquiring skills. Since their income is unstable, such workers are hesitant to get married or start a family. Seriously hit by the financial crisis that started last year, many people lost their jobs and homes at the same time. 正社員になれなかった人は、技能を身につけられぬまま派遣やフリーターを続けざるを得なかった。収入が不安定なため、家族や子どもを持つこともためらってしまう。昨年の金融危機の直撃で、職と住まいを失った人も少なくなかった。
How to support these young people of "the lost generation" has become a weighty social problem. To prevent a recurrence of the situation, the government should do whatever it can to support job-seeking students toward next spring. そうした「ロストジェネレーション」と呼ばれる世代をどう支えてゆくかは、いま社会の重い課題になっている。その轍（てつ）を踏まないためにも、来春に向けた就職支援にできるだけの手を打つべきだ。
The government's task force for emergency job measures has taken action for would-be graduates and is calling on business organizations to expand employment. However, companies are also crying for help, saying they already face difficulties maintaining current payrolls. 政府の緊急雇用対策本部は、新卒者の支援策に乗り出し、経済団体に採用の拡大を呼びかけている。ところが企業からは、現状の雇用を守るだけでも精いっぱいだとの悲鳴が聞こえる。
But there must be industries suffering from a labor shortage as well as medium-sized and small businesses that are eager to hire. Perhaps this is a chance for students to look at new areas of growth potential rather than seeking stable employment at major companies. 人手不足に悩む業種や、採用意欲が高い中小企業もあるはずだ。学生にとっては安定志向で大企業を狙うより、新しい成長分野に目を向けるチャンスかもしれない。
Hello Work public job placement offices, universities and other schools should tie up to find job offers in local communities and create more opportunities to bring employers and students together. ハローワークと学校が連携して地域の求人を掘り起こす。学生とのマッチングの機会を増やす。そんな工夫を重ねてほしい。
There is another problem that must be addressed on a long-term basis. It is the corporate practice of hiring new graduates en masse only once a year in spring. We wonder if the practice will remain effective. その上で、長い目で考えるべき課題がある。企業が毎春、新卒者をまとめて採用する慣行が、もはや限界に来ているのではないかということだ。
This hiring practice only worked when the economy grew steadily and companies trained workers under the lifetime employment system. Now, each time the economy slumps, many regular workers lose their jobs, which increases instability in the labor market. 経済成長が続き、企業が終身雇用のもと人材育成を引き受けていたからこそ成り立ってきたシステムだ。今のように景気が悪くなるたび正社員枠からあふれた不安定雇用層が生まれ、将来にまで固定化される構造は、社会の活力維持のためにも望ましくない。
We are now in an age in which diversified talent is sought. However, under the current hiring practice, job-seeking students and prospective employers have only one opportunity to meet, upon the students' graduation. 多様な人材が求められる時代である。学生、企業の双方にとって、就職・採用の機会は新卒時の１回だけで十分といえるだろうか。
Mid-career and year-round hiring should be expanded so that students who graduated earlier can repeatedly apply for regular positions. A system is also needed to help young unemployed people acquire skills and techniques so that they can continue to apply for jobs. 卒業後、何度も正社員にトライできるよう、中途採用や通年採用を広げたい。仕事に就いていない若者が技術や技能を身につけ、挑戦を続けられるような支援の仕組みも必要だろう。
During economic downturns, the practice of hiring new graduates en masse causes a serious distortion in university education. 不況下の新卒一括採用は、大学教育にも大きなひずみをもたらしている。
Companies are moving up the timing of recruitment to secure competent students. This has caused anxious students to scurry and attend job-briefing sessions and interviews, which eats away the time of students who should be devoted to learning. 企業はよりよい人材を求めて採用活動の開始を早め、不安にかられた学生は説明会や面接に奔走する。
If such activities undermine students' potential as competent workers, it would be tantamount to putting the cart before the horse. 就職活動に学業の時間がすりつぶされている。その結果、人材としての力が損なわれては本末転倒ではないか。
Monumental Project to Give Bridge a Seismic Update サンフランシスコ－オークランド湾岸道路の耐震補強工事
YERBA BUENA ISLAND, Calif. - Never has steelwork seemed so entertaining.
Since Thursday night, when the traffic stopped and the blowtorching began, the attention of many in the Bay Area has been firmly focused on a huge construction project under way on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, which connects the two cities via this tiny, picturesque dollop of an island.
The project has drawn interest not only because of its complexity, but also because it has resulted in the first weekday closing of the bridge since the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, which caused a section of the bridge’s eastern span to collapse and prompted the seismic upgrade of which the work this weekend is a part.
“All the innovations that we’re bringing to bear are to help the bridge withstand earthquakes,” Bart Ney, a spokesman for CalTrans, said in a presentation on the project’s flashy Web site, adding that the clock was ticking to “beat that next earthquake.”
So it is that residents, reporters and retrofitting fans have been watching online and from afar as a swarming construction crew has slowly ? oh, so slowly ? worked to cut loose and replace an old 300-foot span of the bridge that connects the eastern span to a tunnel on Yerba Buena.
In its place will be a temporary bridge serving as a detour around the old piece, which will be demolished to make way for a new seismically correct piece. That piece will eventually be connected to two sleek, curving, side-by-side decks that will lead to and from Oakland, all by late 2013.
Or at least that is the plan. The cost of the complete bridge retrofit has ballooned to more than $6 billion over the years, and there have been several delays.
On Friday afternoon, workers found themselves again falling behind schedule when the old piece of bridge, which dates to its opening in 1936, proved to be more stubborn than expected.
“We anticipated it would take time, we just didn’t expect it to take this much time,” said Bill Casey, a resident engineer, who added, “You’re freeing a truss that’s been sitting there for 70 years.”
And like anything that old and sedentary, there is more than a little groaning, with the bridge letting off a few loud metallic moans, which occasionally alarmed a few members of the press corps standing under the bridge’s ample shadow.
But Mr. Ney reassured reporters that those sounds were normal for a bridge its age.
“When you cut and move it,” he said, “it does funny things.”
By dusk Friday, crews had begun shifting the old piece of bridge out, inching it along lubricated skids.
And as exciting as that sounds, it was not. One churlish member of the press likened it to watching paint dry, which, of course, was also happening on other parts of the bridge.
Indeed, with traffic suspended, officials from several agencies took the opportunity to spruce up the Bay Bridge, which has long labored in the shadow of the showier Golden Gate Bridge, which connects San Francisco to Marin County. Potholes were filled, light bulbs changed and lanes on both levels of the double-decker bridge touched up.
Firefighters, meanwhile, used the closing as a chance to practice rescues, with crews seen headed up the suspension cables on the bridge’s western span Friday afternoon.
And while local subway trains seemed more crowded than usual on Thursday night, there were few problems reported with the Friday commute, possibly because of people fleeing early for the Labor Day weekend.
Despite the Friday afternoon snag, officials said crews expected to finish their work by early Tuesday or ahead of schedule, as they did with a similar closing in 2007.
“Just like 2007, we got out to a great start,” Mr. Ney said. “Demolition has proven to be a little challenging, but we’ve got a lot of time in our schedule.”
Monumental Project to Give Bridge a Seismic Update
