The Yomiuri Shimbun (Sep. 29, 2011) Putin's expected return to Kremlin worrisome ロシア次期政権 不安も伴うプーチン氏再登板（9月28日付・読売社説）
At a recent congress of the ruling United Russia party, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin expressed his intention to run in the presidential election to be held next March. ロシアのプーチン首相が、政権与党「統一ロシア」の党大会で、来年３月の大統領選に出馬する意向を表明した。
Putin served as president for two terms spanning eight years until 2008. If he regains the presidency, he likely will hold the reigns of power for an exceptionally long time. プーチン氏は、２００８年まで２期８年間、大統領を務めていた。返り咲けば、異例の長期政権となろう。
Incumbent President Dmitry Medvedev will reportedly become prime minister. 現大統領のメドベージェフ氏は今度は首相になるという。
This transfer of power, widely believed to be based on an agreement the two made earlier, is hard to understand. 「以前からの２人の合意」に基づくとされるが、理解しがたい権力の座の交換である。
Medvedev has called for the need to establish judicial independence and promote economic reforms, including the development of cutting-edge industries. メドべージェフ大統領は、司法の独立や、先端産業の育成など経済改革の必要性を訴えてきた。
However, he has not achieved these goals. その成果はまだ上がっていない。
His expected exit from office likely will disappoint reform-minded intellectuals who had hoped he would stay on as president. 大統領の続投に期待した改革派知識人は、失望しているだろう。
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Resurgence of tight rule?
There are concerns over the new administration's style of governance. 懸念されるのは、次期政権の統治手法である。
While Putin was president, he strengthened law and order and achieved economic growth, successfully ending the chaos inherited from the previous administration of President Boris Yeltsin, under whom Russia's gross domestic product declined continuously. プーチン氏は大統領時代、強力な治安体制を敷くとともに、経済成長を達成して、国内総生産が低下の一途をたどったエリツィン政権時代の混乱を収拾することに成功した。
This is a factor behind Putin's relatively high popularity among Russian people. 国民の間で今も比較的高い人気を誇る所以(ゆえん)だ。
On the other side of the coin, Putin put principal industries under state control and placed his right-hand men as executives at key corporations. 一方で、主要産業を国家管理下に置いて経営陣に腹心を送り込んだ。
He had no qualms about shutting down businesses that did not operate as he wished by resorting to extralegal means. 意に沿わない企業を超法規的に潰すこともいとわなかった。
Media organizations were strictly controlled, and a reporter who wrote antigovernment articles was shot dead. メディアは統制され、反政府的な記事を書く記者が射殺される事件も起きた。
Rule over minority ethnic groups in the North Caucasus region was tightened. 北カフカスの少数民族に対する支配も強化された。
If Putin merely adheres to similar governance methods after returning to office, he will not be able to resolve the knotty issues facing Russian society. 大統領に復帰後、同様の手法を踏襲するだけでは、ロシア社会が直面する難題は解決できまい。
As for the crucial issue of the economy, Russia has not broken free from its reliance on natural gas and other resources. 肝心の経済は、天然ガスなど資源に依存する体質から抜け出せていない。
The sudden dismissal recently of the country's reformist deputy prime minister, who had called for fiscal discipline, has created uncertainty about the future. 財政規律を重視する改革派の副首相が突然解任されたことも、前途に不安を残す。
An increasing number of Russian people are reportedly thinking about getting out of the country. 最近は、国外脱出を考える国民が増えているという。
The new administration will get bogged down sooner or later if it fails to promote democratization and economic structural reform. 民主化や経済の構造改革なしには、政権はいずれ行き詰まるだろう。
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Territorial issue still pending
Japan, for its part, will be watching closely to see whether Putin's return to the Kremlin will help find a resolution to the territorial dispute with Russia. 日本としては、プーチン氏の大統領復帰で北方領土問題が動き出すのかを、注視したい。
Last November, Medvedev visited Kunashiri, one of four disputed islands off Hokkaido, becoming the first Russian or Soviet head to do so. 昨年１１月、メドベージェフ大統領は、ソ連時代を含めロシアの国家元首としては初めて、北方領土の国後島を訪れている。
His visit, timed to take advantage of the disarray embroiling the Democratic Party of Japan-led government, poured cold water on Japan's demands that the four northern territories be returned. 日本の民主党政権の混迷につけいる形で、４島返還要求に冷水を浴びせる動きだった。
Putin has gone no further than admitting the validity of the Japan-Soviet Joint Declaration of 1956, which pledged "the return of Habomai and Shikotan islands to Japan after the conclusion of a peace treaty." プーチン氏も、「平和条約締結後に、歯舞、色丹の２島を日本に引き渡す」とした１９５６年の日ソ共同宣言の有効性を認める立場にとどまっている。
But some observers point out that Putin could begin to attach greater weight to Russia's ties with Tokyo as a check against China's rise. ただ、台頭する中国への牽制(けんせい)から、対日関係を重視する、との見方もある。
Japan must develop strategic diplomacy vis-a-vis Moscow to advance negotiations on the territorial dispute. 交渉を前進させるための戦略的な対露外交を構築すべきだ。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 28, 2011) （2011年9月28日01時31分 読売新聞）
(Mainichi Japan) September 28, 2011 Rich Japanese should not receive tax breaks despite signs of fleeing overseas 水説：金持ちが逃げていく＝潮田道夫 ＜ｓｕｉ－ｓｅｔｓｕ＞
A growing number of Japanese people are reportedly moving to Singapore where income and corporate tax rates are far lower than their home country. 日本からシンガポールに居を移す日本人が増えているそうだ。所得税にせよ法人税にせよずっと安いからだ。
A friend of mine who previously worked as a bureaucrat said celebrities were among those who have moved to Singapore. 官僚出身のさる友人が移住した有名人を教えてくれた。
I will withhold their names as it doesn't matter if they have chosen to live away from Japan. 名前は秘すが、感想を述べるならば「日本にいてくれなくてもちっとも構わない」というような人々だった。
However, the friend fears that higher tax rates will certainly prompt companies and human resources that are indispensable for Japan's growth to flee abroad sooner or later. しかしながら、そのうち日本に必要な企業も人材も海外流出してしまうだろう、というのが友人の懸念である。
To prevent the outflow of key businesses and human resources, it is necessary to lower tax rates. それを食い止めるには、何税であれ税率を下げるのが一番ということになる。
Corporate tax rates and the maximum rate for income taxes in Singapore and Hong Kong are less than half those in Japan, and these two territories levy no inheritance tax. In terms of tax rates, Japan cannot compete with them. シンガポールや香港などの法人税は日本の半分以下である。所得税の最高税率もそうだ。相続税に至ってはゼロ。そこだけみれば日本は勝負にならない。
The friend warns that Japan will hollow out unless it substantially cuts taxes even though such a measure could stir criticism that Japan gives favorable treatment to businesses and wealthy people. 「企業優遇」とか「金持ち優遇」とか言っていないで減税しないと、結果的に日本は空洞化する、というわけだ。
I share the rich exodus fears of my friend, but if Japan gives excessively favorable treatment to major companies and rich people, it will have harmful effects on society. 私もそういう懸念を共有するけれど、企業優遇、金持ち優遇もやりすぎるとおかしなことになる。
An article that Warren Buffet recently contributed to The New York Times has drawn worldwide attention. 少し極端な例かもしれないが、米フォーブス誌の長者番付で今年全米２位の投資家、ウォーレン・バフェット氏のニューヨーク・タイムズへの寄稿が話題を呼んだ。
In his article Buffet said he paid 17.4 percent of his taxable income as taxes, below the 20 percent that one of his secretaries paid, because most of his income is earnings from investments. バフェット氏の秘書は課税所得の２０％を税金として納めているが、彼はそれより低い１７・４％で済んだ。低税率の投資収入がほとんどだからである。
Buffet then called for higher tax rates for wealthy people. バフェット氏は「大金持ちにもっと課税せよ」と主張した。余裕だねえ。
Buffet was ranked second in U.S. magazine Forbes' list of the richest people in the country, while the Koch brothers, who own a petrochemical conglomerate, were ranked fourth. 長者番付に戻れば、全米４位はコーク兄弟。
（この部分英訳抜けです＾＾ by srachai） ふたりあわせて５００億ドル（約３兆９０００億円）もの資産だ。日本での知名度は低いが、非公開の石油化学財閥のオーナーである。
Thanks to a rise in the prices of resources, the value of the brothers' combined assets has risen from 34 billion dollars four years ago to 50 billion dollars today. このところの資源高のおかげで、兄弟の合計資産は４年前の３４０億ドルから５００億ドルに跳ね上がった。
However, it is notable that the number of employees at the company that the brothers run decreased from 80,000 to 67,000 even though they have become wealthier -- a fact that dismisses U.S. conservatives' claims that if the rich are given preferential treatment, less wealthy people will also get a small share of their benefits, eventually making everyone happy. しかし、ここが肝心なところだが、彼らの企業の従業員総数は８万人から６万７０００人に減少している。米国の保守派は「金持ちを優遇すればそのおこぼれが貧困層にも回ってきて、結果として全員がハッピーになる」と主張してきた。結果はどうか。兄弟はますます金持ちになったが、彼らは雇用を増やすどころか減らしただけである。
As the next U.S. presidential election approaches, President Barack Obama has ended his conciliatory stance toward the Republican Party and has become confrontational. オバマ大統領も大統領選が近づくに連れ、共和党への迎合をやめ、対決路線に転換した。
The liberal president has gone back to his principle of raising taxes for the rich and using increased tax revenue to finance public works projects. 「金持ち増税」で公共事業をやる。リベラル派大統領への原点回帰である。
The administration of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, who is also regarded as a liberal, has adopted three basic principles of not saying anything unnecessary, not showing off and not standing out. おなじくリベラル派のはずの野田政権は「余計なことは言わない」「派手なことをしない」「突出しない」の３原則。
Can he overcome Japan's various crises with such simple principles? No doubt, Japan is set to hollow out. これで難局を突破できるのか。日本は間違いなく空洞化するね。（専門編集委員）
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Sep. 27, 2011) Computerizing medical records will save lives 医療情報電子化 被災地から全国へ展開したい（9月26日付・読売社説）
The March 11 disaster has thrown into sharp relief the importance of making medical information such as clinical records digitally available. 東日本大震災では、カルテなどの診療情報を電子化することの重要性も浮き彫りになった。
The lesson must be reflected in future medical reforms. この教訓を今後の医療改革に生かすべきだ。
Medical records at many hospitals along the Tohoku coast were lost in the huge tsunami. 沿岸部で多くの病院が津波によってカルテを失った。
Even when their patients were taken in by other hospitals, it took some time for doctors to determine the most effective treatments because there was little information on hand about the patients' ailments, such as high blood pressure, and prescription drug records. 別の病院で患者を受け入れても、高血圧などの病歴や投薬歴が分からず、有効な治療ができるまで相当な時間を費やした。
Such a lack of medical information was also one of the major difficulties faced by doctors from across the country when they gathered at evacuation centers. 避難所で全国から駆けつけた医師らが苦闘したのも、そんな要因が大きかったと言える。
The lives of more disaster victims could have been saved if records of their examinations and treatments had been quickly confirmed online. もし、被災者の健康診断データや、医療機関で受けてきた検査と治療内容を、どこでもパソコンで確認できれば、より多くの命が助かったことだろう。
In its own disaster reconstruction plan, Miyagi Prefecture put forth "a medical integration plan utilizing information and communication technology." 宮城県は、県独自の震災復興計画の中で「情報通信技術を活用した医療連携の構築」を掲げた。
The prefecture is divided into seven medical regions, each with its own core hospital, but the plan calls for making information about clinical records, prescriptions and nursing care electronically available and administering it in a streamlined fashion for all regions through a data center. 県内七つの医療圏ごとに、カルテや調剤、介護などの情報を電子化し、データセンターで一元的に管理する。
Authorized medical institutions and nursing care facilities would be able to access the information online via an Internet service. 情報を見る許可を得た医療機関や介護施設などが、インターネットを経由して閲覧できる仕組みを作る。
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Govt support vital
The Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry is considering subsidizing the application of cloud computing to medical records. This would be a move in the right direction, and we urge the ministry to give it sufficient support. 総務省が「医療情報のクラウド化」とも呼ばれるこの構想を、補助金などで支援することを検討しているのは妥当だ。しっかり後押ししてもらいたい。
Electronically available medical information is useful not only in times of disaster but also in ordinary times. 電子化された医療情報は、災害時だけでなく平時にも役立つ。
For example, cooperation between major hospitals and nearby clinics and between home-visit nurses and nursing care services could be made easier. たとえば、大病院と身近な診療所、訪問看護と介護サービスなどが連携しやすくなる。
Superfluous medical examinations and inconsistent drug prescriptions could be averted. 検査や投薬の重複も防げるだろう。
Patients taken to hospitals for emergency treatment could receive the most appropriate treatment more quickly. 救急病院に担ぎ込まれたケースでも、適切に処置できる可能性が高まる。
Computerization of medical information would also be helpful in regions suffering from a shortage of doctors. 医師不足に苦しむ地域医療の現状を、改善する方向にもつながるはずだ。
More integrated record-keeping among medical institutions would make it less necessary for local governments to maintain major central hospitals, thus facilitating a more efficient dispersal of personnel. 医療機関の連携が進むことで自治体がそれぞれ大きな病院を維持する必要性は薄れ、人材を効果的に配置できる。
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A medical reform drive
The shortage of doctors is most serious in disaster-damaged areas. 被災地は全国の中でも医師不足が深刻だ。
This is one of the reasons behind Miyagi Prefecture's call for computerization of medical treatment information in its rebuilding plan. 宮城県が復興計画に医療の電子化を掲げた理由の一つはそこにある。
Iwate and Fukushima prefectures must make similar efforts. 岩手、福島両県も同様の取り組みが必要になろう。
Computerization of medical information had been called for since before the March 11 disaster. The government's IT Strategic Headquarters, the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry and the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, among others, have been trying to achieve such a system. 医療情報の電子化は震災前から必要性が叫ばれ、政府のＩＴ戦略本部や総務省、厚生労働省などが実現を図ってきた。
But actual progress so far has been limited to trailblazing hospitals and local governments. しかし、まだ先駆的な病院や自治体などで行われているに過ぎない。
Of course, sufficient measures must be taken to protect personal information. 無論、個人情報保護に十分な対策を講じなければならない。
High costs and other challenges must be overcome. But the creation of an online medical information on a prefectural basis would be a significant achievement. システムの構築には相当な費用がかかるなど課題は多いが、医療情報の電子化が県単位で実現すれば、その意義は大きい。
We hope reforms in medical record-keeping, beginning in disaster-devastated areas, will spread throughout the country. 被災地から全国へ、医療改革の道筋をつけたい。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 26, 2011) （2011年9月26日01時04分 読売新聞）
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Sep. 26, 2011) No shortcut to statehood for Palestinians パレスチナ 国家樹立と和平に近道はない（9月25日付・読売社説）
For Palestinians to achieve the status of a true independent state, they have no choice but to negotiate with Israel. パレスチナが真の独立国家の地位を得るには、イスラエルとの交渉しか道はない。
They should bear in mind that quick resumption of negotiations is the key to achieving this goal. 交渉の早期再開こそが重要である。
The Palestinian Authority on Friday submitted a letter to the United Nations asking to join the international body, an attempt to shelve efforts to establish a state through negotiations and instead directly seek recognition of Palestinian statehood from U.N. members. パレスチナ自治政府が２３日、国連に加盟申請書を提出した。交渉による国家樹立の道を棚上げし、国連加盟国に直接、国家としての承認を求めたものだ。
With this move, the Palestinians effectively thrust a letter of no confidence at the United States, which has been working as a mediator between the Palestinian Authority and Israel. 交渉の仲介役を務めてきた米国には不信任状を突きつけた形だ。
For a state to join the United Nations, the U.N. Security Council must advise the General Assembly to accept it. 国連加盟には、安全保障理事会による総会への加盟勧告が必要だ。
The council plans to meet soon to discuss how to handle the Palestinians' request. 安保理は近く、パレスチナの加盟申請の扱いを協議する。
The United States, a permanent member of the Security Council, has expressed its intention to veto any council move to recognize Palestinian statehood. 常任理事国の米国は拒否権を行使する意向を示している。
But there are concerns the situation will become even more complicated if the council actually votes on the issue. 安保理で採決する事態となれば、問題はさらにこじれる恐れがある。
If the United States uses its veto, it will inevitably heighten anti-U.S. sentiment, destabilizing the situation in the Middle East even more. 米国の拒否権行使によって反米感情が高まり、中東情勢は一層不安定化するだろう。
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Resume talks quickly
To avoid such a development, the international community must seek ways to bring Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table as soon as possible. それを避けるためにも、イスラエル、パレスチナ双方をできるだけ早く交渉の席に着かせる道を探らなければならない。
The international powers known as the Quartet on the Middle East--the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations--presented a new road map to both sides Friday, under which Israel and the Palestinians will decide on an agenda for negotiations within a month and reach an agreement by the end of next year. 米、露、欧州連合（ＥＵ）、国連の４者は双方に、１か月以内に交渉の議題を決め、来年末までに妥結させる新たな行程表を示した。
The international community, including Japan, must do its utmost to realize the road map. その実現に、国際社会は全力を挙げる必要がある。日本も、後押しすべきだ。
The Palestinian Authority is acting hastily to obtain recognition as a state apparently because its people are increasingly disillusioned by the lack of prospects for building a Palestinian state 20 years after the start of the Middle East peace process. 自治政府が国家としての承認を焦るのは、中東和平プロセスが始まって２０年たった今も、国家樹立の展望が開けていないからだ。
The Palestinians managed to win autonomy under an agreement with Israel. パレスチナ側は、イスラエルとの合意で自治は獲得した。
However, subsequent negotiations for a Palestinian state remain stalled. だが、その後、国家樹立をめぐる交渉は頓挫したままだ。
In the meantime, Israel has built one settlement after another in occupied land Palestinians consider part of their territory for a future state, effectively turning it into Israeli territory. この間、パレスチナ側が将来の国家領土と考える土地では、ユダヤ人入植地が次々に建設され、イスラエル領化が進んでいる。
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U.N. application a last resort
The Palestinian Authority apparently filed its statehood application with the United Nations as a last resort to escape a dead end. 自治政府はその袋小路を脱する最後の手段として、加盟申請に踏み切ったのだろう。
However, as U.S. President Barack Obama said in his address to the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday, it will be impossible to establish a Palestinian state or achieve the peaceful coexistence of two states without an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. しかし、オバマ米大統領が２１日の国連演説で語ったように、イスラエルと自治政府の合意がなければ、パレスチナ国家の樹立も２国家の平和共存も達成できない。
There are no shortcuts to that goal. そこに至る近道はない。
The Palestinian Authority has a problem that needs to be resolved: Hamas, an Islamic fundamentalist group that does not recognize the existence of Israel, rules the Gaza Strip. 自治政府側には、イスラエルの存在を認めようとしないイスラム原理主義組織ハマスが自治区の一部を支配しているという問題がある。
As an initial step, the Palestinians need to settle their internal divisions. 自治政府はまず、この足元の分裂を正すことが重要だ。
In the increasingly volatile Middle East, Israel is about to lose its stable relationships with Turkey and Egypt, which have served as cornerstones for its security in the region. イスラエルは、中東における自国の安全保障の要だったトルコ、エジプトとの安定的な関係を失いつつある。
To prevent itself from being further isolated, Israel must freeze its settlements in the occupied land, as requested by the Palestinian side, and resume negotiations for peace. これ以上の孤立化を避けるためにも、パレスチナ側が求める「入植凍結」に踏みきり、交渉を再開すべきである。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 25, 2011) （2011年9月25日01時09分 読売新聞）
(Mainichi Japan) September 25, 2011 Kaleidoscope of the Heart: Don't be fooled by spiritual fraudsters 香山リカのココロの万華鏡：甘い言葉にご用心 ／東京
Recently, the head of a religious group called "Shinsekai" (World of God) was arrested for tricking customers into paying for expensive "prayers" and "spiritual items." The transactions didn't happen at a cult hall somewhere, but at around 200 "healing salons" around the country. It's said that over the course of seven years, the salons received almost 18 billion yen from their customers. 霊感商法事件で逮捕された「神世界」のトップ。「教主」と呼ばれていたが、詐欺まがいの高額な祈祷（きとう）や霊感グッズ販売が行われていたのは、カルト教団の道場ではなく全国で２００カ所も開設されていたヒーリングサロンだった。７年間の売り上げは、１８０億円近くにもなっていたという。
I once saw on television an interview with a woman who went to a similar salon and paid over one million yen after the staff there tricked her with words like, "A prayer is necessary to improve your fortune." The woman was living in Tokyo alone and trying to make a career for herself, but she started to feel discouraged, that her efforts were not being rewarded. That was when the salon's advertisement of a "detox of mind and body" drew her in. The salon had seemed nice to the woman and had given her hope that she could maybe change her life for the better. 以前、サロンに出かけて「運勢を変えるには祈祷が必要です」などと言われ、１００万以上のお金を支払ったという女性のインタビューをテレビで見たことがある。キャリアウーマンを目指して都会でひとり暮らしをしていた女性は、なかなか努力が報われない。そんな中、「ココロとカラダのデトックス」というキャッチフレーズにひかれて訪れたサロンはとても感じがよく、「自分を変えられるかも！」と期待を抱かせてくれた……。
The kinds of people who fall victim to this kind of fraud are generally hard working, sincere types who are troubled by work, health, or love. They wonder why, even though they have worked so hard, they are not better rewarded. Before they know it, they are pulled in by fraudsters' claims that "the key to solving your problems is here." and they put themselves under the control of fraudsters. こういった詐欺や悪徳商法の被害にあうのは、たいていまじめな人たちだ。そして、仕事、健康、恋愛など何らかの悩みを抱えている。「ここまでがんばってきたのに、どうして？」という疑問や将来への不安から、つい「すべての鍵はここにあります」といったふれ込みに心を奪われ、すがってしまうことになるのだ。
Of course, the people most at blame here are the fraudsters, who try to make profit off of other people's problems. もちろん、いちばん悪いのは、悩める人たちの心につけ込んでお金儲（もう）けをしよう、とする人たちだ。
Still, we who can become their victims need to keep something in mind: be careful of help or goodwill that comes with strings attached. ただ、私たちもふだんからちょっと心がけておくべきことがある。それは、「条件つきの救済、善意には注意したほうがいい」ということだ。
We have a tendency to think we mustn't depend on others and therefore push ourselves too hard. I think that it would be OK for us to show more weakness to others and let them know when we need help. 私たちは日ごろ、「人に頼ってはいけない」と無理をしすぎる傾向がある。だからもう少し、他人に弱みを見せたり「助けてよ」とＳＯＳを発信したりしてもいいと思う。
However, when we ask for help and those who approach ask for large sums of money or conversion to a religion, we should be on guard. しかし、そういうときに「助けてあげるから百万出して」「この宗教に入信さえすれば救われますよ」などと条件をちらつかせながら近づいてくる人たちには、警戒すべきなのではないだろうか。
There is a saying in Japanese that "a drowning person will clutch at even a straw," and I can understand such feelings well. However, these days there is help on offer besides fraudsters and religious cults. There are NPOs and government-run counseling services for a variety of problems that trouble us. Though it may take some work to discover the one we need, it is a much better option than being drawn into a spiritual healing salon that promises on its signboard to solve all of our problems. 「つらいときにはわらにもすがりたい」というのは、よくわかる。ただ、今はカルトや悪徳商法ではなくても、いろいろな悩みにこたえてくれるＮＰＯや行政の相談窓口が用意されているはず。それらを探し当てるまでがひと苦労だが、「すべての問題をスッキリ解決」といった看板にひかれてフラフラと怪しげなサロンへ、というのは、ぐっと踏みとどまってほしいと思う。
Almost all the things that bother us can be solved. However, it takes a little time and effort. Please be wary of tempting claims that a single prayer or a single item can instantly solve your problems. ほとんどの悩みは、必ず解決する。でも、それには少々の時間と手間がかかる。「一回の祈祷、一個のグッズですぐ解決」といった甘い言葉には、くれぐれもご用心を。
2011/09/24 --The Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 23 EDITORIAL: Summit a starting point for rebuilding Japan-U.S. ties 日米首脳会談―外交立て直しの起点に
Japan's diplomacy is back at the starting line -- again. 外交もまた出直しである。
During his visit to New York to address the U.N. General Assembly, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda met with U.S. President Barack Obama. 野田首相が国連総会出席のため、ニューヨークを訪れ、まずオバマ米大統領と会談した。
They agreed to strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance. 両首脳は日米同盟の深化で一致した。
Noda said proudly after the summit, "I got off to a good start in forging a personal relationship of trust (with him)." 首相は会談後、「個人的な信頼関係を築くいいスタートが切れた」と自賛した。
Good. Obama has been in office for less than three years, but he already has met four Japanese prime ministers--Taro Aso, Yukio Hatoyama, Naoto Kan and now Noda. それにしてもである。 就任から３年に満たないオバマ大統領が会う日本の首相は、麻生、鳩山、菅各氏に続いて、野田氏で実に４人目である。
In this age when summits figure prominently in world affairs, such frequent changes of leadership cannot be conducive to the development of strategic diplomacy. 首脳外交の時代に、これだけトップがころころと交代していては、戦略的な外交の展開など望むべくもない。
Nor could any true relationship of trust be forged between leaders in just one brief meeting. 首脳間の本当の信頼関係は、たった１度の短い会談でできるはずもない。
Building mutual trust requires giving due consideration to each other's brief agenda while keeping one's word, and working together to meet various challenges. 相手の国内的な立場にも配慮しつつ、約束を誠実に履行する。
Steady collaboration, backed by constant effort, is the key. そして、手を取り合って課題に立ち向かう。 こうした地道な連携を重ねて初めて実現する。
Noda has only just got to the starting line. その努力は、すべてこれからだ。
The biggest obstacle in Japan-U.S. relations is the relocation issue concerning the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa Prefecture. いまの日米関係に突き刺さった最大のトゲは、沖縄県の米軍普天間飛行場の移設問題だ。
Even though Obama was meeting with Noda for the first time, he made no bones about wanting tangible results. 大統領は初顔合わせにもかかわらず、具体的な結果を明確に求めてきた。
Noda responded that he would "do his utmost to win the understanding of the people of Okinawa" to act on the current Japan-U.S. agreement. 首相も日米合意の実現に「沖縄の理解を得るよう全力を尽くす」と応じた。
Washington's irritation with the absence of progress on the Japanese side is quite understandable. 現行計画が一向に進まず、米国側がいらだつ事情はわかる。
But it is now obvious to anyone that "winning the understanding of the people of Okinawa," as Noda put it, is a pipe dream. しかし、首相のいう「沖縄の理解」がもはや得られそうにないことは、誰の目にも明らかだ。
Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima recently spoke in the United States and demanded in no unclear terms that the Futenma airfield be relocated to outside his prefecture. つい最近も、沖縄県の仲井真弘多知事が米国で講演し、きっぱりと県外移設を求めた。
Should Tokyo and Washington forcibly implement their agreement, Nakaima warned, "There will be a vehement anti-base movement throughout the prefecture, and this could negatively impact the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty." 日米合意が強行されれば「全県的な激しい基地反対運動につながり、日米安保体制に悪影響を及ぼしかねない」と警告もした。
Nakaima's message, conveyed directly to people in the United States, carries tremendous weight. 知事が米国社会に向けて直接発したメッセージは重い。
If the security treaty is to be maintained in a stable fashion, Tokyo and Washington have no choice but to explore workable plans. 日米安保体制の安定的な維持のため、両国政府はともに打開策を探るしかあるまい。
The practicability and resilience of the alliance are being tested. 同盟の知恵としなやかさが試される。
In his foreign policy debut, Noda confirmed the Japan-U.S. alliance as the basis of Japanese diplomacy. 野田外交は、基軸である日米同盟の確認からスタートした。
Noda is now required to confirm Japan's position in the multipolar world of international politics and pursue sincere but tough diplomacy. そこから、多極化する国際政治での日本の立ち位置を確認しつつ、誠実かつしたたかに展開をしていくことが求められる。
For that, he must help create a stable order in East Asia and the Asia-Pacific region based on a strong Japan-U.S. relationship. そのためには、強固な日米関係を土台に、東アジア、さらにはアジア太平洋地域の安定的な秩序をつくることだ。
In particular, he must attempt to mend relations with China, which derailed after a row over the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea last year. とりわけ、昨年の尖閣事件で一時、冷え込んだ中国との関係を本格的に改善する必要がある。
Noda is scheduled to visit China in October, and then he will participate in multilateral diplomacy through the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in the United States and the East Asia Summit in Indonesia, both in November. １０月に首相の訪中が予定され、１１月にはアジア太平洋経済協力会議や東アジアサミットといった多国間外交の舞台が控える。
We hope he will use these occasions to produce a rounded picture of Japanese diplomacy. 首相には、そうした一連の機会を通して、日本外交の全体像を紡ぎ出していってほしい。
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Sep. 23, 2011) Establish policy-making system that gets job done 政策決定過程 機能するシステムを構築せよ（9月22日付・読売社説）
The government and the Democratic Party of Japan are broadly rethinking their policy-making process. 政府・民主党が政策決定過程の大幅な見直しを進めている。
The administration of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and his ruling party should establish a policy-making framework that can function effectively, drawing on the bitter lesson learned from the turmoil experienced under the governments of his predecessors, Yukio Hatoyama and Naoto Kan. 鳩山、菅両政権での混乱を教訓に、機能性の高いシステムを構築すべきだ。
The Noda administration has created a council of representatives from the government and the ruling parties in preparation for the compilation of the next fiscal budget. The council comprises the prime minister, relevant Cabinet members, and chief policymakers and other senior officials from the DPJ and its junior coalition partner, the People's New Party. 野田政権は、来年度予算の編成に向けて、首相、関係閣僚と民主、国民新両党の政調会長らで構成する「予算編成に関する政府・与党会議」を新設した。
The move is intended to clearly show the government and the ruling parties are ready and willing to act as one in putting together the new budget. 政府・与党一体となって取り組む姿勢を明確にするのが狙いである。
Noda has already said government policies will be finalized only after obtaining consent from the chairman of the DPJ Policy Research Committee. 野田首相は既に、民主党の政策調査会長の了承を政策決定の前提とする方針を示している。
He has also reinstated the DPJ Tax Research Commission, which the party scrapped when it came into power two years ago. 廃止した党税制調査会も復活させた。
In addition, the prime minister has established a six-member council that will grant final approval for major government policies. The new organ includes the prime minister, the DPJ secretary general and other representatives from the party's top three organs. 政策の最終決定機関として、首相、幹事長ら６人による「政府・民主三役会議」も設けた。
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Party more prominent
Taken as a whole, the ruling parties are more strongly represented in the new policy-making framework than in the past. 総じて党の力が強まった。
This shows the DPJ has, in effect, retracted its pledge to ensure the government assumes the sole responsibility for policy-making--a promise that was trumpeted in the party's manifesto for the 2009 general election--instead of sharing that task with the ruling party. 民主党が政権公約（マニフェスト）で掲げた「政策決定の政府への一元化」を事実上転換したものだ。
The DPJ Policy Research Committee was scrapped by Hatoyama's administration, but this hampered efforts to smoothly coordinate policy, leaving many DPJ members strongly dissatisfied with their lack of involvement in the process. 鳩山政権は、党政策調査会を廃止したが、政策調整は円滑に進まず、党側に強い不満も生じた。
Kan's government reinstated the DPJ's policy research panel, but only as an organ tasked with advancing policy proposals. Ultimately, the committee was merely used as a tool for party members to vent their frustration. 菅政権は、党政調会に提言機能を持たせたものの、実際は「ガス抜き」の場にとどまった。
It is safe to say the attempts by the Hatoyama and Kan governments to better promote policy coordination ended up as idealistic but unrealistic slogans, due to the lack of experience and ability displayed in that undertaking by senior officials of the government and the ruling coalition. 両政権の試みは、政府・与党幹部の力量不足により、理念倒れに終わったと言えよう。
We find it reasonable for Noda to reconsider relations between the government and the DPJ, apparently hoping to avoid going the same way as Hatoyama and Kan. 野田首相が、その二の舞いを避けようと、政府と民主党の関係を見直すのは理解できる。
The current divided Diet--the opposition-controlled House of Councillors and the ruling coalition-dominated House of Representatives--can pose a dilemma for the government. In many instances, it will be impossible to translate government policies into action unless a consensus is formed between the ruling and opposition camps through negotiations. 衆参ねじれ国会の場合、与野党協議を経ないと政策を実現できないケースが多い。
Given this, greater policy-making power vested in the DPJ-PNP ruling coalition would benefit the parties when it comes to policy negotiations with the opposition camp. 与党の権限を強化することは、野党との協議にプラスに働くだろう。
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Doubts remain
However, we have some misgivings about the new policy-making structure. しかし、懸念もある。
The ruling parties could come to hold more power than the government, leaving important government policies at the mercy of the ruling coalition. 政府を上回る権限を与党が持つ「党高政低」になり、党側の意向に重要政策が左右されかねないことだ。
The fortunes of the Noda administration depend on whether it will be able to properly deal with immediate tasks, including plans to temporarily increase taxes for post-quake reconstruction and raise the consumption tax rate to help rework the social security system. Key issues also include whether the nation will join negotiations over the Trans-Pacific Partnership multilateral trade pact. 復興財源の臨時増税や社会保障制度改革のための消費税率引き上げ、環太平洋経済連携協定（ＴＰＰ）参加など、当面の課題の成否に政権の浮沈がかかっている。
Efforts by Noda to tackle these challenges at his initiative should not be frustrated as a result of resistance from DPJ officials and members. 野田首相が主導するこれらの政策が、党側の抵抗で頓挫するような事態は避けるべきだ。
The DPJ's top cadre, including party Secretary General Azuma Koshiishi and Policy Research Committee Chairman Seiji Maehara, should work together in harmony with the Cabinet to exercise sufficient leadership over their party. 輿石幹事長、前原政調会長ら党執行部は内閣と呼吸を合わせて党側を統率する必要がある。
The top echelon will be tested over whether it can make the DPJ shed its existing image as "a ruling party that cannot make decisions." 「物事を決められない政権党」から脱皮するための指導力が問われる。
The Noda administration is also considering a plan to create an organ tentatively called the "national policy council" that will lead economic and fiscal management. 野田政権には、経済財政運営の司令塔となる「国家戦略会議」の構想もある。
We hope the government will make clear-cut decisions about what kind of role will be played by which government organ. 何をどこで決めるか、役割分担を明確にしてほしい。
If the policy-making system used by the government and the ruling coalition is vested with greater transparency and functions properly, we believe the opposition parties will find it easier to join negotiations with the ruling camp. 政府・与党の政策決定システムが透明性を高め、機能すれば、野党側も与党との協議に乗りやすくなるだろう。
The prime minister must strive to set up a framework that would facilitate consensus between the ruling and opposition camps over policy issues. 首相は、合意形成に向けた、与野党の枠組み作りにも努力しなければならない。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 22, 2011) （2011年9月22日01時55分 読売新聞）
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Sep. 22, 2011) Cyber-attacks on defense contractor are 'acts of war' サイバー攻撃 防衛産業狙った“戦争行為”だ（9月21日付・読売社説）
The recent cyber-attacks on a leading Japanese defense contactor must be taken extremely seriously. 日本を代表する防衛産業を標的にした、深刻なサイバー攻撃である。
About 80 servers and personal computers of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. were found to have been infected with computer viruses after being penetrated from outside the company. 三菱重工業のサーバーやパソコン約８０台が外部からの侵入を受け、コンピューターウイルスに感染していたことが明らかになった。
The hacked machines were at MHI's 11 key manufacturing plants across the country, including factories that produce submarines, destroyers and nuclear power plants. 被害は全国１１拠点に及び、潜水艦や護衛艦、原子力プラントを建造する工場も含まれている。
The viruses are considered dangerous because they are designed to remotely operate infected PCs from outside to steal information. 発見されたウイルスは、パソコンを外部から操作し、情報の流出を可能にする危険なものだ。
IHI Corp., another heavy electric machinery maker, has suffered similar cyber-attacks. 同種の攻撃はＩＨＩも受けていた。
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A national security threat
At present, there has been no confirmation that MHI's product information has been leaked. But if defense secrets are stolen, it will have a grave impact on public safety and national security. 現時点で製品情報の流出は確認されていないが、もし防衛機密が盗まれれば、国の治安や安全保障にも重大な影響を与える。
After being contacted by MHI, the Metropolitan Police Department has launched an investigation into the incident as a case of suspected espionage. 三菱重工から相談を受けた警視庁は、スパイ事件の疑いがあるとみて捜査を始めた。
All-out efforts must be made to identify the perpetrator or perpetrators. 攻撃者の特定に全力を挙げてもらいたい。
There is a high possibility the attacks on MHI were launched overseas. 今回の攻撃は海外から行われた可能性が高い。
The records of the infected servers showed they were connected with Web sites in China and Hong Kong. 感染サーバーが中国や香港などのサイトに接続された記録があった。
An analysis of the viruses showed text in Chinese appeared on a screen for a hacker to remotely control the infected PCs. ウイルスの解析結果によると、攻撃者が操作する画面で中国語が使われていた。
When the National Police Agency Web site was inundated with a massive amount of data last September and July this year, 90 percent of the data was found to have originated in China. 昨年９月と今年７月、警察庁のホームページに大量のデータが送り付けられた攻撃では、ともに発信元の９割が中国だった。
Cyber-attacks on government organizations and businesses have occurred frequently in recent years. 近年、各国の政府機関や企業に対するサイバー攻撃が相次いでいる。
The United States unveiled a policy in July that would allow the country to take rigorous measures against cyber-attacks, which it considers acts of war. 米国は７月、サイバー攻撃を戦争行為とみなして対処する厳しい姿勢を打ち出した。
It is urgent to build an international system for jointly investigating cyber-attacks. サイバー攻撃に対する国際的な捜査協力体制の構築が急務だ。
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International cooperation network
The United States and major European nations have signed the Convention on Cybercrime to cooperate in such fields as the provision of investigative information. 欧米の主要国は「サイバー犯罪条約」に加盟し、捜査情報の提供などで緊密に連携している。
In June, Japan at long last finished the domestic legal process needed to join the pact. 日本はようやく今年、加盟に必要な国内法の整備を終えた。 条約加盟を早急に実現させねばならない。
To deter cyber-attacks, it is crucial that affected parties share information about the damage incurred and use this data so damage can be prevented from expanding and security measures can be improved. サイバー攻撃の抑止には、関係者が被害情報を共有し、被害の拡大防止とセキュリティー対策の向上に生かすことも欠かせない。
Questions have been raised about why MHI did not report the virus infection to the Defense Ministry immediately after it realized in mid-August that it had been attacked. 疑問なのは、三菱重工が８月中旬にウイルス感染を把握しながら、防衛省に報告していなかったことだ。
If information about contracts for equipment involving defense secrets is thought to have been leaked, contractors are required to inform the ministry immediately. 防衛上の重要機密に関わる装備品の契約では、情報漏えいの疑いがある場合、防衛省への速やかな報告が定められている。
How will the government offices concerned--including the Defense Ministry, the NPA and the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry--handle this case in which companies involved in defense and advanced technologies are targeted by cyber-attacks? 防衛や先端技術に関連する企業が攻撃された場合、防衛省、警察庁、経済産業省などの関係省庁はどう対処するのか。
Their systems for working together need to be reexamined and strengthened. 省庁間の連携強化へ体制の再点検も必要だ。
In August, the NPA and 4,000 domestic firms inaugurated a network system to share information on cyber-attacks. 警察庁と国内企業４０００社は８月、サイバー攻撃に関する情報を共有するためのネットワークを発足させた。
The public and private sectors should bolster their cooperation in such fields as fostering personnel with the skills to combat computer viruses. ウイルス対策に精通した人材の育成も含め、官民の協力を一層進めてほしい。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 21, 2011) （2011年9月21日01時27分 読売新聞）
2011/09/21 --The Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 20 EDITORIAL: U.S. must play role of fair mediator in the Middle East. テロ後１０年の中東―和平と繁栄の春につなげ
Violence begets violence. 暴力は暴力を生む。
A series of wars, conflicts and other acts of violence that have occurred during the 10 years since the Sept. 11 terror attacks against the United States in 2001 have forced all of us to confront this grim truth. 米同時多発テロから１０年間で起きた数々の暴力を目の当たりにして、誰もがその思いを強めたことだろう。
The United States responded to the terror attacks by launching wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. During that time, the Palestinian conflict intensified while strife among religious sects in Iraq deepened. 多発テロを受けて米国が始めたアフガニスタン戦争とイラク戦争、それに並行してパレスチナ紛争の激化、イラクの宗派間抗争。
Terrorists staged large-scale attacks in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. 中東、欧州、アジアで大規模なテロが続いた。
After the bloodshed of the past decade, the revolutions that unfolded in Tunisia and Egypt, where peaceful demonstrations by citizens toppled dictatorships, were all the more striking and amazing events. それだけに、チュニジアとエジプトで民衆の平和的なデモが独裁を倒した革命は、鮮烈だった。
The wave of democratization in the Middle East, which has come to be called the "Arab Spring," has brought a ray of hope to the region by showing that the cycle of destruction can now be replaced by the process of construction. 「アラブの春」と呼ばれる中東民主化の波は、破壊から建設に向かう希望の光である。
The former U.S. administration of President George W. Bush started the war in Iraq, saying it was determined to advance the cause of democratization of the Middle East. 「中東民主化」はイラク戦争後、ブッシュ米前政権が強力に提案した。
As a result, elections went ahead in various parts of the region, including Iraq, Egypt and the Palestinian territory. イラクやエジプト、パレスチナなど中東各地で選挙が実施された。
Saudi Arabia held its first local assembly votes. サウジアラビアも初の地方議会選挙をした。
But no real progress toward democracy was achieved. しかし、民主化は定着しなかった。
The elections resulted in increased political strength and influence of anti-America, anti-Israel groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt and Hamas of the Palestinian Authority. After these developments, the United States stopped talking about democratization of the region. 選挙の結果、エジプトのムスリム同胞団やパレスチナ自治政府のハマスなど、反米・反イスラエルのイスラム勢力が軒並み選挙で伸び、米国は民主化を言わなくなった。
--People standing up-- ■立ち上がった民衆
Autocratic governments in the Middle East took advantage of America's silence to roll back the movement toward democracy. 米国の沈黙をいいことに、中東の民主化は後退した。
During Egypt's parliamentary elections last November, the authorities manipulated the vote to eliminate opposition forces. 昨年末のエジプト議会選挙は当局の圧力で、野党勢力は排除された。
As their authoritarian governments refused to embrace change, people in the Arab world became aware of their power to move their nations toward democracy and stood up against the dictatorships. 変わらぬ政治に、アラブ民衆は民主化の主体として目覚め、強権に向かって立ち上がった。
Libya, where protests against the regime boiled over into civil war, has started moving toward establishing an interim government. 内戦になったリビアもやっと暫定政府に向けて動き出した。
The people are gaining political power not only in the countries where the old autocratic governments have already collapsed, but also elsewhere in the region. すでに強権体制が倒れた国だけでなく、すべての国々で民衆の声は力を持ち始めている。
Syria has been caught up in protests for the past seven months despite a ferocious government crackdown. シリアでは弾圧にもかかわらず、７カ月にわたってデモが続く。
In another sign of the sea change occurring in the region, a growing number of women in Saudi Arabia are beginning to drive cars in open defiance of an official ban on female drivers. And women have been posting images and videos of themselves behind the wheel on the Internet. 女性の運転を禁じるサウジで女性たちが次々と運転し、その映像をネットで公開する動きも、同じ流れの中にある。
There are also some troubling moves. 憂慮すべき動きもある。
In Egypt, angry protests provoked by the recent killing of Egyptian soldiers by Israeli forces led to the storming of a building housing the Israeli Embassy in Cairo. エジプトではイスラエル軍の銃撃でエジプト人兵士が死亡した事件をきっかけにイスラエル大使館への抗議デモが始まり、ビルに押し入る過激な行動になった。
There is strong criticism among Egyptians against such violent actions. エジプトの国民にも過激な動きには批判が強い。
Demonstrations, when they spiral out of control, can lead to xenophobia, upsetting the balance of peace. デモの暴走は排外主義となり、地域の平和を乱す。
The country is susceptible to disturbances partly because elections have been delayed and there is not yet a legitimate parliament or government in place. 混乱に押さえがきかないのは、選挙の実施が遅れ、正統な議会や政府が発足していないためでもある。
It is clearly necessary to quicken the process of democratization. 民主化プロセスを急ぐ必要がある。
If elections are held, it is certain that Islamic groups will sharply increase their parliamentary strength. 選挙となれば、イスラム勢力が躍進することは確実である。
We hope these groups will transform themselves from the opposing forces that they have been until now into responsible political entities that can play constructive roles in nation-building. これまでのような批判勢力ではなく、国造りで責任ある政治勢力として脱皮を期待したい。
Egypt is facing a raft of formidable challenges, such as administrative reform to stamp out the corruption and cronyism that infested the authoritarian government. It must also tackle serious unemployment and housing problems among young people, who account for more than half of the population. 強権時代の腐敗や縁故主義を一掃する行政改革、人口の半分以上を占める若者の深刻な失業や住宅問題。
The Islamic groups need to grapple with these tough challenges by proposing specific plans to promote economic and social development. 難題に、経済振興や社会開発の具体的な政策を示して取り組んでほしい。
There are concerns in the United States and Europe about the implications of increased political influence and power of Islamic groups. イスラム化が進むことを懸念する声が米欧にはある。
But leaders in the West should regard the Arab Spring as an opportunity to promote mutual understanding and cooperation between their countries and Islamic forces. They need to support the Arab people's efforts to establish democracy and build new nations. しかしアラブの春は、米欧にとっても、中東の民主化の実施や国造りを支援するなかで、イスラム勢力と理解や協力関係を深めていく契機ととらえたい。
--Despite anti-American sentiment, U.S. must serve as a fair mediator-- ■嫌米甘受し、仲介を
In May, U.S. President Barack Obama declared, "It will be the policy of the United States to promote reform across the region, and to support transitions to democracy." オバマ大統領は５月に「中東の民主化を支持する」と明言した。
That being the case, the United States needs to brace itself for likely manifestations through elections of the antagonism and hatred toward Americans that have grown among people in the Middle East over the past 10 years. しかし、米国はこの１０年間で中東の民衆に高まった反米・嫌米意識が、選挙を通して政治の表に出てくることへの覚悟が必要である。
People across the Islamic world saw the Iraq War, which Washington cast as a fight for "liberalization," as an act of "invasion." 米国が「解放」と唱えたイラク戦争を、アラブ・イスラム世界の民衆は「侵略」と見た。
While the Bush administration claimed it was fighting a "war against terrorism," many Arab people supported attacks against the United States as "jihad." ブッシュ政権は「対テロ戦争」と主張したが、アラブ民衆の間では反米攻撃を「対米聖戦」と支持する声が強かった。
Under pro-American dictatorships in the region, anti-American feelings among people were suppressed for decades. これまで、親米の強権体制の下で民衆の間の反米的な世論は抑えられていた。
But such public sentiment can no longer be kept in check. これからはそうはいかない。
It is vital for the United States to start serious efforts to build from scratch relations based on mutual trust with people in the Middle East. The country's ties with the region have been seriously damaged through the flawed war against terror. 米国は、１０年間の対テロ戦争の迷走によって損なわれた中東の民衆との信頼関係を一から築くことが重要だ。
Washington should insist that Persian Gulf states which still maintain iron-fisted rule to start moving toward democracy. 強権体制を今も続ける湾岸アラブ諸国に対して、米国は真剣に民主化の実施を求めなければならない。
It should also make all-out efforts to solve the Palestinian problem, which is at the heart of the caldron of violence in the Middle East. さらに、中東の暴力の根源であるパレスチナ問題の解決に全力で取り組むべきだ。
The U.S. administration's Middle East policy will face an important test soon when the Palestine Liberation Organization submits an application for recognition of Palestinian statehood to the U.N. Security Council. 国連総会でパレスチナ解放機構（ＰＬＯ）が求める国家承認申請で米国の対応が試される。
The Obama administration has vowed to veto the request for Palestinian statehood. 米国は拒否権を行使すると警告している。
But it must remember that Obama, in a speech delivered in September last year to the U.N. General Assembly, said, "When we come back here next year, we can have an agreement that can lead to a new member of the United Nations--an independent, sovereign state of Palestine, living in peace with Israel." しかし、オバマ大統領が昨年の国連総会で１年以内の和平合意を目指し、「来年の総会では、パレスチナ主権国家を迎えるだろう」と語ったことを忘れてはいまい。
The Middle East peace process was disrupted mainly by Israel's move to restart settlement construction. 中東和平交渉が中断したのはイスラエルが入植地建設を再開したことが主な原因である。
Washington could trigger a fresh wave of anti-American protests in the region if it only vetoes the Palestinian bid to become a member state of the United Nations without making any effort to urge Israel to take positive steps to revive peace talks. イスラエルにさらに働きかけをしないで、パレスチナに対する拒否権だけでは、民衆の反米抗議につながりかねない。
The United States needs to convince people in the Middle East of its commitment to playing the role of fair peace mediator. This can only be achieved through explanations and actions. 米国は公平な仲介者として、中東の民衆を納得させる説明と行動が必要になっている。
Its role is vital for the future of the peace process. 役割は重い。
--Opening a new era in the Middle East-- ■中東新時代を開く
The "Arab Spring" also requires Japan to start building new relations with those in the Middle East who have become the leading power in politics. 「アラブの春」は私たちにとっても、政治の主役となった中東の民衆との関係構築の始まりである。
The region's efforts to seek cooperative ties with the United States, Europe and Japan and receive intellectual and technological support from these countries for their nation-building will help lay the foundations of democracy in the region. 中東が米欧や日本と協調する道を探り、国造りの知恵や技術の支援を得ることは民主化の土台づくりともなる。
We hope mutual understanding between the Middle East and the industrialized world will open up a new era of peace and prosperity in the region. 互いの理解が平和と繁栄の中東新時代を開くことを期待したい。
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Sep. 20, 2011) Disaster proves value of neighborly ties 敬老の日 住民が見守り合う地域社会に（9月19日付・読売社説）
The Great East Japan Earthquake and ensuing tsunami hit hardest in regions where the ratio of elderly residents is relatively high compared with the national average. 東日本大震災は、全国でも高齢者の比率が高い地域を襲った。
There are many elderly people among those who have taken shelter in temporary housing units in neighboring areas or moved to other parts of the country. 仮設住宅や全国各地に避難している人の中にも、大勢のお年寄りがいる。
Respect-for-the-Aged Day is a time to reflect on this. きょうは敬老の日。
Efforts to help the disaster-affected elderly rebuild their daily lives will give important hints for improving administrative services for the elderly nationwide in the months ahead. 被災した高齢者の生活再建をどう支援していくかは、今後の高齢者行政を充実させる上でも、大事な視点である。
Japanese society is graying year after year at an ever-accelerating pace. 日本社会の高齢化は年々、加速している。
People aged 65 or older now make up 23 percent of the total population. 総人口に占める高齢者（６５歳以上）の割合は２３％に達した。
Over the next 10 years, the ratio will rise to about 30 percent. １０年後には約３０％になる。
About one in every six elderly people, or 4.6 million individuals, lives alone. 高齢者の約６人に１人、４６０万人が一人暮らしだ。
This number has increased by more than 1.5 million over the past 10 years, and 10 years from now, the number is projected to reach 6.3 million. 単身高齢者は過去１０年で１５０万人以上増えた。１０年後には６３０万人を超えると見られている。
According to a Cabinet Office survey, 20 percent of elderly men living alone and nearly 10 percent of elderly women living alone said they have "no one to turn to in time of need." 内閣府の調査で単身高齢者の男性は２割、女性は１割近くが「困った時に頼れる人がいない」と答えている。
We should foster new bonds to make up for the ever-weakening ties within regions and among blood relations. 薄れつつある地縁血縁の結びつきを補う、新しい絆を創っていかなければならない。
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A prototype for tomorrow
In this sense, the challenge of rebuilding disaster-affected communities in ways that do not leave elderly residents feeling lonely may help us find ways to better deal with the rapid graying of society as a whole. そういう意味では、被災地の地域社会を、寂しい思いの高齢者を出さずに再生していくことが、直面する超高齢時代への対処法を探ることにもつながるだろう。
For instance, in disaster-affected areas, attempts are now under way to provide people with housing that harks back to life in row-house neighborhoods where residents would keep a kindly eye on each other. たとえば被災地では、住民同士が程よく見守り合う、「長屋づきあい」をイメージした住宅提供の試みが動き出している。
The city government of Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture, in cooperation with the Institute of Gerontology of the University of Tokyo, has built temporary housing units designed to help residents foster neighborly contact. 岩手県釜石市は、東京大学の高齢社会総合研究機構と協力し、近所同士の関係を醸成しやすい仮設住宅を作った。
With the entrances of the houses facing each other and a roofed wooden deck linking them, these homes were arranged so residents would be able to visit each other with ease. 玄関を向かい合わせに配置し、住宅の間を屋根付きのウッドデッキで結んで、気軽に行き来できるようにした。
The residents are also provided with nursing care service for the elderly and play space for children. It is the sort of community where various generations of people, not only the elderly but also families with children, can help each other. 介護拠点や子どもの遊び場も併設して、高齢者だけでなく子育て世帯など、様々な世代が助け合うコミュニティーだ。
This is a concept that can be utilized not merely in temporary housing units but also for town planning in the future. 期間限定の仮設住宅にとどまらず、今後の街づくりにも生かしていける発想である。
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Visitors provide human touch
In Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, city workers called "shopping and lifestyle supporters" visit temporary housing units and sell food and daily goods out of a bicycle trailer. 福島県相馬市では、市が雇用した「買い物・生活支援員」が、リヤカーに食品などを積んで仮設住宅を訪問し、販売している。
The service is primarily designed to offer everyday living support for elderly or disabled evacuees who are disadvantaged in doing their daily shopping. But the workers are also hearing how people are doing, learning what they need and watching over them. 高齢者や障害者など“買い物弱者”の支援が目的だが、被災者の近況や要望を聞き、見守る役目も果たしている。
The program is also a welfare-oriented, job-creating measure. 福祉型の雇用創出策でもある。
Such efforts in disaster-affected areas serve as important models for measures to be taken more widely in the months ahead. こうした被災地での取り組みをこれからの施策に生かし、発展させることが重要だ。
Local governments that have accepted evacuees into their public housing units across the country are also making efforts to build up regular contact by making door-to-door visits, so as to avoid such tragic situations as elderly people dying unattended. 避難者を公共住宅などで受け入れた全国の自治体も、孤独死などの悲劇を生まぬよう、個別訪問など、ふれあいに努めている。
We should use these experiences to create more communities that the elderly will find livable. そんな経験をうまく生かして、高齢者が暮らしやすい地域社会を広げていきたい。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 19, 2011) （2011年9月19日01時33分 読売新聞）
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Sep. 19, 2011) Speed up installation of railway platform doors ホームドア 転落事故防止へ着実な整備を（9月18日付・読売社説）
Little progress has been made in the installation of platform doors at railway stations to prevent passengers from falling onto the tracks. 駅のホームから転落する事故を防ぐホームドアの整備が進まない。
Despite strong calls from people including the visually impaired to install the doors, railway operators have been slow to respond because of such hurdles as the high costs involved. 視覚障害者などが設置を強く求めているが、高額な費用などの難点があって、対応の遅れが目立つ。
A study panel of the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry recently proposed that railway companies preferentially install the doors at stations used by at least 100,000 passengers a day. This proposal should be used as a springboard for encouraging installation of platform doors, also known as platform gates. 国土交通省の検討会が、１日の利用客が１０万人以上の駅に優先的に整備するよう提言した。ホームドア設置促進の契機としたい。
For train users, safety at railway stations is a major concern. Railway operators must prioritize passenger safety over concerns about delaying train schedules. Every railway company must steadily boost efforts to install platform doors at as many stations as possible. 利用客にとって、駅の安全性は大きな関心事である。利便性を追求するあまり、安全確保をなおざりにしてはならない。鉄道各社は着実に整備してもらいたい。
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Mere 5% have doors
The government and municipalities have been subsidizing part of the costs for installing the doors. Such subsidies should be increased to encourage more stations to equip platforms with the systems. 政府や自治体は、設置費を一部助成しているが、さらに拡充して普及を後押しすべきだ。
A platform door is a barrier, usually about 1.2 meters high, between passengers and the train and tracks. The doors are designed to open and close automatically in sync with the train doors. ホームドアは、線路とホームの間を仕切る高さ１・２メートルほどの柵だ。停車した電車のドアと同じ位置に、自動的に開閉するドアが付いている。
Railway companies are obliged to install platform doors when they build new stations, but their installation at existing stations has been left up to the companies' discretion as a nonbinding goal. Only 500 of the nation's approximately 9,500 railway stations, or 5 percent, are equipped with platform doors. 設置は、新設駅には義務付けられているが、既存の駅については鉄道会社の努力目標にとどまっている。全国９５００駅のうち、ホームドアが設置されているのは約５００駅だけで、全体の５％程度に過ぎない。
Although the ministry's study panel has called for priority installation of the doors at the 239 stations with 100,000 or more passengers a day, only 26 of the stations now have them. 今回、整備対象とされた利用者１０万人以上の２３９駅を見ても、２６駅しか設置されていない。
Installation of the doors can cost several billions of yen per station if complete renovation of platforms is necessary. ホーム全体の改修が必要な場合、設置には１駅で数十億円の費用がかかるという。
In addition, there are a number of lines on which the locations and numbers of train doors differ depending on trains, such as limited expresses, commuter expresses and local trains, making it hard for railway firms to install platform doors that fit all doors of every kind of train. 特急や快速、普通など列車ごとにドアの数と位置が異なり、すべての車両に対応できるホームドアを取り付けるのが難しい路線もある。
There were 1,253 accidents across the country from 2002 to 2009 involving falls of passengers from platforms and passenger contact with trains. だが、転落や列車との接触など駅ホームでの事故は２００２～０９年に１２５３件にのぼる。
In January this year, a blind man was killed in Tokyo when he fell off a platform at Mejiro Station on JR East's Yamanote Line, and another blind man was killed in July after falling off a platform at Tsukushino Station on the Tokyu Denentoshi Line in western Tokyo. A brush with death on railway platforms can happen to people with various degrees of visual impairments, not only those who are blind. 今年１月にはＪＲ山手線の目白駅で、７月には東急田園都市線つくし野駅で、いずれも全盲の男性がホームから転落して死亡した。ホームは、視覚障害者にとって「死と隣り合わせの場所」とさえ言われている。
But there have been almost no accidental falls at railway stations equipped with platform doors. 一方で、ホームドア設置駅の転落事故数は、ほぼゼロだ。
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Users set to bear cost
JR East has been installing the doors at all stations on the Yamanote Line with a budget of 50 billion yen, probably because the railway operator concluded the doors are highly effective in preventing platform accidents. ＪＲ東日本が総額５００億円をかけ、山手線全駅で設置計画を進めているのも、その効果が大きいと判断したからだろう。
In a questionnaire given to train users recently by the transport ministry, about 60 percent of the respondents replied it is inevitable the public will have to bear part of the installation costs of platform doors in such forms as higher fares and taxes. A majority of people want railway station's safety enhanced even if it increases their financial burdens. 国交省が駅利用者を対象に実施したアンケートでは、設置費の一部を料金値上げや税金で負担するのは「やむを得ない」とした回答が全体の６割を占めた。 多少の負担があっても、駅の安全性を高めてほしいと願う人が多いことを物語っている。
To prevent the misery of railway accidents, it is very important not only to improve railway station facilities but also for railway firms and related organizations to make such day-to-day efforts as calling for disabled people to be heedful of possible dangers at railway stations. 悲惨な事故を防ぐには、施設の整備に加え、障害者への声かけなど日常的な取り組みも大切だ。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 18, 2011) （2011年9月18日01時11分 読売新聞）
2011/09/18 --The Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 17 EDITORIAL: Tax increase plan 1st acid test of Noda's political leadership 復興増税―野田新体制の試金石だ
The government has proposed options for a temporary tax increase to finance measures to rebuild areas devastated by the Great East Japan Earthquake. 東日本大震災の復興財源の柱となる臨時増税について、政府が選択肢を示した。
The government Tax Commission came up with three different plans: increasing income and corporate taxes; raising the tobacco tax and some other levies in addition to raising income and corporate taxes; increasing the consumption tax rate. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda then narrowed the choice to two by taking the consumption tax increase off the table. 増税対象として、政府税制調査会が（１）所得税及び法人税（２）この二つにたばこ税なども加える案（３）消費税の３案をまとめ、野田首相が消費税案を退けて２案に絞った。
The government has estimated that about 16 trillion yen of new money will have to be raised over the next five years. The figure doesn't include the 6 trillion yen that has been secured for the second supplementary budget, but includes the amount diverted into financing the extra budget from some revenue sources earmarked for basic pension benefit payouts. 政府が今後５年で必要と見込む財源は、２回の補正予算で確保した６兆円を除き、補正予算に流用した基礎年金財源分などを加えて１６兆円前後に達する。
The government will first issue special reconstruction bonds. The money needed to pay back the debt will be raised through a combination of the proposed temporary tax increase, spending cuts and sales of state assets and other measures to obtain nontax revenues. The expected increases in national and local taxes will total about 11 trillion yen. まずは復興債を発行するが、その返済財源を臨時増税と歳出の見直し、国有財産の売却などで確保する。増税分は国と地方合わせて約１１兆円になる。
We have been urging the government to focus mainly on income and corporate taxes in the tax increase plan. We believe an additional income from a consumption tax increase should be used to pay for social security spending, which is bound to keep growing in coming years. We support Noda's decision. 私たちは、所得税と法人税を中心に検討するよう主張してきた。消費税は今後、膨張が避けられない社会保障費に充てるべきだと考えるからだ。野田首相の判断を支持したい。
As for the period of the income tax increase, the government's tax panel proposed two options--five years and 10 years. Noda has chosen the 10-year option. 所得税の増税期間について、政府税調は５年と１０年の２案を示したが、野田首相は「１０年」を指示した。
If an increase in the tobacco tax is not included in the package, tax payments by individual taxpayers will increase by 5.5 percent. たばこ税の増税を絡めない場合、本来の納税額から５．５％増やすことになる。
Tax payments by companies will grow by 10 percent for three years. The 5-percent corporate tax cut and special tax breaks that were slated to be implemented this fiscal year will be curtailed. The period was limited to three years in order to prevent the increased tax burden on businesses from causing negative effects on the economy or accelerating the hollowing-out of industries due to a growing trend among companies to shift production overseas. 法人税では今年度に予定していた５％幅の減税と租税特別措置の縮小を実現した上で、３年間に限って納税額を１０％増しにする。増税期間を短期間にとどめることで、景気への悪影響や空洞化への懸念に配慮した案になった。
Now the debate on the tax increase will move to the tax system council of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan. After the party came to power two years ago, the DPJ abolished the council under its policy of promoting centralized and integrated policymaking at the government. But the Noda administration has revived the panel in response to complaints among party members that they don't have enough opportunities to get involved in the policymaking process. 議論の舞台は、民主党税制調査会に移る。２年前の政権交代後、政策決定を政府に一元化する方針に従って廃止したが、政策決定にかかわれないという党内の不満を受けて野田政権が復活させた。
There are still many DPJ lawmakers who are opposed to or are skeptical about raising taxes, including executive members of the tax council. 党内では、税調の役員を含め増税への反対・慎重意見が少なくない。
It is important for the government to make serious efforts to minimize the tax increase. もちろん、増税額を抑える取り組みは大切だ。
The measures that can be taken to do so are clearly not limited to the cuts in childcare allowances and the suspension of the plan to make expressways toll-free included in the DPJ's policy agreement with the opposition Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito. There must be other ways to trim government spending. 自公両党を加えた３党で合意した子ども手当の見直しや高速道路無料化の見送りにとどまらず、歳出はまだまだ見直せるはずだ。
The government's assets that have been cited as candidates for sale include the government's stakes in Japan Tobacco Inc. and Tokyo Metro Co. The government's asset portfolio should be scrutinized closely to determine other salable assets. 政府資産の売却では、ＪＴや東京メトロの政府保有株などが候補に挙げられている。ほかにもないか検証したい。
If, however, the government, in a desperate attempt to avoid a big tax increase, tries to sell assets for which the conditions for sales are not good or borrow money from special accounts, it would be adopting a wrong-headed approach to tackling the challenge. だが、増税から逃げようとするあまり、売却の条件が整っていない資産に飛びついたり、特別会計から安易に借金したりしては本末転倒である。
The principle that the burden of reconstruction from the disaster should not be shifted to future generations has already been confirmed in the recently enacted basic law for the rebuilding work and the three-party policy agreement among the DPJ, the LDP and Komeito. 「復興に伴う負担を後の世代に先送りしない」という理念は、すでに成立した復興基本法や民自公の３党合意でも確認されている。
In line with this principle, the government should be straightforward with the public about the need of a tax increase and try to seek public support for the step while making flat-out efforts to eliminate unnecessary expenditures. 政府のムダを徹底的に削る作業を進めつつ、必要な増税は国民に正面から問いかけなければならない。
The tax increase initiative will sorely test the political mettle and prowess of the Noda administration. 税調を復活させた野田新体制の真価が問われる。
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Sep. 17, 2011) Japanese GPS the next step in space development 日本版ＧＰＳ 宇宙開発の先導役目指したい（9月16日付・読売社説）
The government's Strategy Headquarters for Space Development has finalized a plan to construct a Japanese version of the Global Positioning System. 日本版の全地球測位システム（ＧＰＳ）を構築する方針を、政府の宇宙開発戦略本部の専門調査会がまとめた。
The envisaged system is expected to stimulate various industries in Japan. The United States, operator of the existing GPS network, welcomes the idea of linking up with a Japanese counterpart from a security point of view. We expect the government to decide the details of the plan quickly, realizing it as the vanguard of Japan's space development. これを活用した産業活性化が期待されている。米国も安全保障の観点から日米連携を歓迎している。日本の宇宙開発の先導役となるよう、詰めを急ぎ、実現を目指してもらいたい。
The GPS, which is used in devices such as car navigation systems, analyzes radio waves received from U.S. satellites, using them to calculate the receiver's precise location on Earth. The GPS, originally developed by the U.S. military, covers the whole world. カーナビに使われているＧＰＳは、米国の人工衛星からの電波を解析し、地上の位置を割り出している。もとは米軍が開発したもので、全世界をカバーしている。
The envisaged Japanese system would cover mainly the Japanese archipelago and surrounding areas. Four to seven quasi-zenith satellites would be launched for the system, which would fly above Japan and Australia in figure-eight loops. 日本版ＧＰＳは、日本から豪州までの上空を、８の字形に周回する「準天頂衛星」を４～７基打ち上げて使う。主に日本列島と周辺地域に対象を絞ったものだ。
This system has a few advantages. For instance, since at least one satellite would be above Japan at all times, there should be no blind spots. Also the accuracy of positioning would be improved, with the margin of error reduced to one meter or less. 常に１基以上が日本の上空に位置することになり、電波の死角がないといった利点がある。位置を割り出す精度が上がり、１メートル単位の測位も可能になるという。
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GPS for various uses
In the case of the U.S. system, the benefits of space development have been utilized in many aspects of daily life, such as mobile phones. We hope more such benefits will be realized as a result of the establishment of the Japanese system. 米ＧＰＳは携帯電話をはじめ幅広く活用され、宇宙開発の成果が暮らしに生かされている。日本版の構築で、さらに広げたい。
For instance, the network would be useful in automobile collision-avoidance systems, navigation systems to assist aged or handicapped people and precise management of mechanized fertilization on large farms. たとえば、高齢者や障害者の歩行用“カーナビ”や、自動車の衝突警報、大規模農地での精密な施肥管理などに役立ちそうだ。
Since the Great East Japan Earthquake, another possible use of the satellite system for disaster management has been attracting attention. Even if a disaster severs ground communication networks, the satellite system could obtain a broad array of information to assess damage. With the system, it will also become possible to proceed efficiently with the remote-controlled work of cleaning up radioactive contamination at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. 東日本大震災後は、防災への応用も注目されている。地上通信網が途絶しても、広域の被災状況を把握できよう。福島第一原子力発電所事故の放射能汚染でも、遠隔操作による除去作業を効率的に進めることが可能になる。
China and European countries are also working actively on construction of their own GPS networks. 欧州や中国も、独自のＧＰＳ構築に積極的だ。
The Beidou navigation system, the Chinese version of the GPS, is expected to go into service soon. Japan cannot sit passively by and watch China's moves as it increases its influence in economic and military fields. If the Japanese GPS is promoted in other Asian countries, Japan can enhance its partnerships with them. The system would thus become significant in terms of security. 中国版「北斗」は運用開始が近い。経済、軍事で影響力を拡大しようとする中国の動きは座視できない。日本版ＧＰＳをアジア地域で普及させれば、各国との連携が進み、安全保障上も重要な意義を持つだろう。
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Problems for space project
However, there are more than a few problems. ただ、課題も少なくない。
First, it would cost a huge amount of money. Launching four to seven satellites would cost 170 billion yen to 290 billion yen in total. The government must find a way to give this plan a higher priority than other space projects that are currently deemed equally important. 巨額の予算を要する。４～７基の衛星打ち上げに１７００億～２９００億円かかる。他の重要な宇宙プロジェクトとの間で優先順位を上げる工夫が必要だ。
Japan's space industry must overcome several hurdles before it is able to manufacture and launch satellites on its own. 衛星の製造、打ち上げを日本の宇宙産業が担うためには、乗り越えるべき関門がある。
In 1990, Tokyo and Washington agreed to procure commercial satellites by public tender to alleviate trade friction between the two countries. 日米は１９９０年、貿易摩擦を緩和するため、実用衛星については公開入札することで合意している。
However, if a U.S. company succeeds in accepting orders for quasi-zenith satellites to be used in this project, the Japanese space industry will get into a business jam. The government must ask the United States to consider this project as an exception to the 1990 agreement. だが、準天頂衛星を米企業に受注されては、日本の宇宙産業は窮地に陥ってしまう。米国には例外扱いを求めねばならない。
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has expressed his ambitions for space development. He should exercise his leadership to solve this difficult problem. 野田首相は、宇宙開発への意欲を示している。難題の解決にリーダーシップを発揮すべきだ。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 16, 2011) （2011年9月16日01時14分 読売新聞）
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Sep. 16, 2011) Ruling, opposition parties need to cooperate in Diet （9月15日付・読売社説）
The public is watching the ruling and opposition parties closely, to see whether they can do away with unproductive confrontation and cooperate with each other. 与野党が不毛な対立を脱し、協力し合えるかどうかが問われている。
Representatives of political parties have begun to ask questions about the policy speech Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda delivered at the Diet. 野田首相の所信表明演説に対する各党の代表質問が始まった。
Noda has been responding in a detached tone, similar to what he used when delivering his policy speech. Perhaps having learned from the bad example of former Prime Minister Naoto Kan, Noda did not get riled up at provocative questions. We understand his humble attitude in requesting cooperation from opposition parties. 首相の答弁は、所信表明演説と同様、淡々とした語り口だった。菅前首相を反面教師としたのだろう。挑発的な質問にムキになることもなかった。低姿勢で野党に協力を求めるのは理解できる。
Concerning the three-party policy agreement between the Democratic Party of Japan, Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito, LDP President Sadakazu Tanigaki said, "I can't help but have serious doubts whether the agreement will be kept." 自民党の谷垣総裁は、民主党の政権公約（マニフェスト）見直しを前提とする民主、自民、公明の３党合意について、「守られるかどうか、大きな危惧を抱かざるを得ない」と指摘した。
A key premise of the agreement was a review of the DPJ's 2009 House of Representatives election manifesto. Tanigaki made this statement because Noda prioritized intraparty conciliation and appointed people who are reluctant to review the manifesto to key posts in the Cabinet and the DPJ. 首相が党内融和を優先し、内閣や党人事でマニフェスト見直し慎重派も要職に起用したからだ。
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3-party policy agreement
Noda emphasized again he would implement policies based on the three-party agreement. Concerning a review of the child-rearing allowance system in particular, Noda said, "I hope the three parties will sufficiently discuss the matter to work out a new system by the end of the year." His remark appears to indicate that he respects the process of cooperation among the three parties. 首相は「政策は３党合意を踏まえて進めていく」と改めて強調した。特に、子ども手当の見直しについて、「３党で十分に協議し、年末までに制度をまとめてほしい」と述べたのは、民自公の協調路線を重視する意向の表れだ。
However, concerning the resignation of Yoshio Hachiro as economy, trade and industry minister, Noda only said, "It is quite regrettable" and did not talk about his own responsibility in appointing Hachiro. だが、鉢呂吉雄前経済産業相の辞任に関して、首相は「誠に残念だ」と述べるにとどめ、自らの任命責任には言及しなかった。
Noda previously said he put "the right people in the right posts," and we regret he did not explain his choices. 首相が言う「適材適所」について説明がなかったことも残念だ。
Tanigaki criticized the ruling parties for the fact that the current extraordinary Diet session will last only four days, saying they were "taking Diet business extremely lightly." 与党が臨時国会の会期をわずか４日間にしたことについて、谷垣氏は「国会軽視も甚だしい」と批判した。
If Noda attaches importance to "thorough debate and dialogue" with opposition parties, he must acquiesce to all seven opposition parties' request that the Diet session be extended. 首相は野党との「徹底的な議論と対話」を重視するなら、野党７党がそろって求める会期延長に応じるべきではないか。
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Realistic stance from Noda
Noda generally took a realistic stance toward immediate policy issues. 当面の政策課題に関しては、首相の現実的な姿勢が目立った。
For instance, he denied "a dichotomy between zero nuclear power and promotion" of nuclear power generation, and sought to achieve the best combination of safe, stable energy sources. 例えば、原子力発電では「脱原発と推進という二項対立」を否定し、「安心できるエネルギーのベストミックス」を目指すとした。
He clearly stated the government will restart operations at nuclear power stations following regular inspections, once their safety has been thoroughly verified and confirmed. 定期検査後の再稼働も言明した。
It is a matter of course for him not to continue Kan's irresponsible "zero nuclear power" initiative. 菅前首相の無責任な「脱原発」路線を継承しないのは当然だ。
On the Trans-Pacific Partnership multinational trade framework, Noda said only, "We will strategically pursue a conclusion of a high-level economic partnership agreement." He must swiftly decide that Japan will participate in negotiations on the TPP. 環太平洋経済連携協定（ＴＰＰ）については、「高いレベルの経済連携協定の締結を戦略的に追求する」と述べただけだった。ＴＰＰ参加を早急に決断すべきだ。
At this juncture, when the divided Diet has coincided with a national crisis, opposition parties also bear a heavy responsibility. ねじれ国会と国難が重なる今、野党が担う責任も重い。
Tanigaki acknowledged recovery and reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake as "a responsibility beyond party boundaries" and declared his party would cooperate fully with the administration. 谷垣氏は大震災の復旧・復興を「党派を超えた責務」と認め、政権への全面的協力を明言した。
In that case, Tanigaki should participate in discussions between the ruling and opposition sides aimed at early passage of a third supplementary budget for this fiscal year to finance full-fledged restoration programs. そう言う以上は、本格的な復興のための第３次補正予算案の早期成立に向け、与野党協議に応じるのが筋である。
The LDP is scheduled to shuffle its lineup of major party posts shortly. The party needs to have an appropriate executive lineup to conduct discussions with the DPJ. 自民党は近く、執行部人事を予定している。与党との協議を進めるため、それにふさわしい体制を整える必要がある。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 15, 2011) （2011年9月15日01時13分 読売新聞）
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Sep. 15, 2011) To rebuild Tohoku, first rebuild trust 所信表明演説 日本再生へ具体的な行動を（9月14日付・読売社説）
The Democratic Party of Japan-led administration and the nation's politics as a whole are now on the very edge. It is essential for the government to do its utmost to carry out important policies with urgency and seriousness. 日本の政治も民主党政権も今、瀬戸際にある。その危機感を持ち、重要政策の実現に全力を挙げることが肝要だ。
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda delivered his first policy speech at the Diet since taking office. 野田首相が就任後初の所信表明演説を行った。
The stagnant state of Japanese politics has come under scrutiny by other countries. Noda said the trust that Japan has accumulated over the years is now at risk. He also said the government and the Diet should fulfill their roles "to restore hope and pride to Japan." 政治の停滞に対する海外の視線は厳しい。これまで積み上げてきた「国家の信用」が危機にひんしている。「希望と誇りある日本を再生する」ため、政府と国会は自らの役割を果たすべきだ――。
We have no objection to Noda's view of the current situation. The problem is how to take concrete action to restore trust and revitalize the nation. そうした首相の現状認識に異論はない。問題は、「国家の信用」を回復し、日本を再生するための具体的な行動をどう取るかだ。
In his policy speech, Noda said restoration of social infrastructure and reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake are among his Cabinet's top priorities, and emphasized that the government will speed up the compilation of a third supplementary budget. 首相は演説で、東日本大震災からの復旧・復興を内閣の「最優先課題」と位置づけ、第３次補正予算編成を急ぐ考えを強調した。
Six months have passed since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, but restoration of social infrastructure and reconstruction of areas affected by the disaster have been significantly delayed. This is because politicians failed to exercise leadership and bureaucrats simply put the problem off. 震災から半年間、復旧・復興は大幅に遅れている。政治の指導力が発揮されず、官僚も問題先送りの姿勢に終始したためだ。
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Show respect for bureaucrats
An urgent task is to rebuild the relationship between politicians and bureaucrats. Noda needs to thoroughly instill among ministers, senior vice ministers and parliamentary secretaries a mind-set in which politicians and bureaucrats work on tasks together. The Noda administration can be praised for its decision to reinstate administrative vice ministers' meetings, which is a positive step. 政官関係の立て直しが急務だ。首相は、政治家と官僚が一体で課題に取り組むという発想を、各府省の閣僚ら政務三役に徹底させる必要がある。事務次官会議を事実上復活させたのは、前向きな一歩と評価できる。
It is important for politicians to set policy priorities themselves and take responsibility for the results, but it is also essential for them to humbly listen to bureaucrats' technical opinions, to motivate them and to elicit and utilize their abilities to the maximum extent. 政治家が自ら政策の優先順位を判断し、結果に責任を持つ一方、官僚の専門的意見に謙虚に耳を傾け、その能力と意欲を最大限引き出し、活用することが重要だ。
Noda also announced in his policy speech that the government will establish a new body tentatively called the "national strategy council" that will gather wisdom from academia, government and the private sector to achieve economic growth and restore fiscal soundness. He will charge the council with drawing up by the end of this year a strategy to revitalize Japan. 首相はまた、経済成長と財政健全化の両立に向け、産官学の英知を集めた「国家戦略会議」（仮称）を創設し、年内に日本再生の戦略を策定する方針を表明した。
It is proper and appropriate for the government to cooperate with the business sector to effectively deal with the hollowing-out of industry and the yen's surge after the March 11 disaster. 震災後の産業空洞化や円高に効果的に対処するため、経済界と緊密に連携するのは当然だ。
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Undo damage done by Kan
Economic policy went astray under the administration of former Prime Minister Naoto Kan due to his impromptu responses, and trust between the government and business groups was damaged. It is vital for Japan to work as one to overcome the current national crisis. 菅政権では、前首相の場当たり的対応で経済政策が迷走し、経済団体との信頼関係も損なわれた。国家の危機克服には、オールジャパンの取り組みが欠かせない。
Noda also announced that the government will submit to the ordinary Diet session next year bills related to integrated social security and tax reforms that include a consumption tax rate hike. He called for discussions between the ruling and opposition parties on the matter as quickly as possible. 野田首相は演説で、消費税率引き上げを伴う社会保障と税の一体改革の関連法案を来年の通常国会に提出する方針を表明し、与野党協議の早期開催を呼びかけた。
To pass those bills under the current divided Diet, it is imperative for the government and ruling parties to approach discussions with the opposition with "seishin seii" (sincere spirit and just intent), a Japanese term used by Noda. 衆参ねじれ国会で法案を成立させるには、政府・与党が、首相の言う「正心誠意」の精神で野党と話し合うことが不可欠だ。
Yet, the ruling parties decided to hold the extraordinary Diet session for a mere four days, the better to dodge questioning by the opposition. This is unreasonable. The ruling parties must repair strained ties with the opposition by holding examinations at the Budget Committee during a Diet recess as soon as possible. それなのに、野党の追及を避けることばかりを優先し、臨時国会をわずか４日間で閉じるのは、おかしい。できるだけ早期に予算委員会の閉会中審査を行い、野党との関係を修復せねばなるまい。
The Liberal Democratic Party and other opposition parties also should be aware of their responsibility to revitalize Japan as they enter discussions with the ruling parties. 自民党など野党も、日本再生の責任の一端を担っている自覚を持ち、与野党協議に臨むべきだ。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 14, 2011) （2011年9月14日01時09分 読売新聞）
(Mainichi Japan) September 13, 2011 Children's watchful eyes see though prejudice 火論：幼い目が見ている＝玉木研二 ＜ｋａ－ｒｏｎ＞
There is a traffic light for pedestrians just outside one of the exits at Jimbocho Station on the Tokyo Metro subway system. 東京都営地下鉄神保町駅のある出口を出ると、狭い道ながら歩行者用信号機が付いている。
Even if no cars are seen nearby, most pedestrians strictly observe the signal because of a nearby signboard that says, "Children are watching your behavior." The notice appears to be effective. 車影が全くなくとも信号を守るのは看板の言葉の力ゆえだろう。これは効く。
＜子供が見ています＞
It is painful to cover accidents and incidents in which children are victimized. 子供が巻き込まれた事件事故を取材するほどつらいことはない。
It would be horrifying to imagine what would happen if children saw adults ignore the traffic lights and themselves did the same thing. この信号無視を幼い目が見てまねしたら、と想像するだけで足はすくむ。
It is important to feel children's watchful eyes in considering the government's slow response to the ongoing crisis at the tsunami-hit Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant, as well as over groundless rumors about radiation contamination and some adults' insensitive behavior, such as the former economy, trade and industry minister's nuclear gaffe, which forced him to step down. 福島の原発事故災害で後手に回った対応のほか、根拠のない風評や心ない言動の対策を考える時、常に子供の視線を感じ取っていたい。 「放射能をつけたぞ」という趣旨の発言などで引責辞任した前経済産業相の問題では、それを強く感じた。
The minister's remark reminded me of another gaffe during a Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly session in July 1976 when a medical expenses subsidy system for the offspring of hibakusha, or atomic-bombing victims, was up for deliberation. この問題は３５年前の東京都議会のある「放言」も想起させた。１９７６年７月、被爆２世への医療費助成制度などを審議していた委員会でのことだ。
A member of the assembly asked the metropolitan government if there was any way to "exterminate" hibakusha, which created a stir in the chamber. 質問に立った中堅議員が「被爆者の絶滅の方法はないか」とただして議場を驚かせた。
A representative from the executive branch of the metropolitan government answered, "We'll continue to work seriously to extend relief to survivors," before closing the session. 都は「今後も援護に取り組んでいきたい」とかわし散会したが、当時の記事によれば、記者が議員に聞くと、こう語った。
In response to questions by reporters, the assembly member said, "If the number of hibakusha continues to increase, it may include those who took over the disease from their parents through heredity or those who falsely reported they are hibakusha," according to news articles at the time. 「被爆者が今も増える傾向にあるとすれば、遺伝によるものか、虚偽の届け出も含まれているのではないか」
"For now, hibakusha should be allowed to receive treatment but they should be advised through administrative directives to refrain from having children until they have recovered completely," he said. He explained that such a measure would be good for the fiscal health of the nation. 「さしあたって被爆者には治療を続けさせ、完治するまで子供を持たないよう行政指導すべきだ」。その方が財政にかなっているというのだ。
The number of those who held hibakusha certificates actually increased in the 1970s and 1980s after applicants increased over that period. It has been pointed out that hibakusha became less worried about prejudice because they retired from jobs, their children found jobs or married and overall social prejudice against hibakusha had declined. 被爆者健康手帳取得者が７０年代から８０年代にかけて増えたのは、自らの定年、子供たちの就職や結婚、偏見の軽減など、生活環境の比較的落ち着いた状況が要因の一つではないかといわれている。
I'm the son of a Hiroshima hibakusha and started my career the year before the gaffe at the metropolitan assembly. I was surprised at his remarks, which reminded me that people who thought that way still existed. 私は広島の被爆者の子供で、この「放言」の前年に就職したが、もはやこのような発想をする人がいようとは思わなかった。いたのである。
Hiroshima and Nagasaki hibakusha had been forced to live in a gutter between longstanding information control during the U.S.-led post-war occupation and social prejudice. 広島、長崎の被爆者は、戦後占領期の長い情報統制と偏見の谷間に放置された。
There had been no organized campaign demanding relief for hibakusha until anti-atomic and hydrogen bomb movements began after crewmembers of the tuna fishing boat Daigo Fukuryu Maru (Lucky Dragon No. 5) were exposed to nuclear fallout from U.S. hydrogen bomb testing. ５４年に核実験の「死の灰」を浴びた第五福竜丸事件で原水爆禁止運動が始まるまで、組織化されることはなかった。
There was deep-rooted prejudice that radiation could be infectious. Many hibakusha have been denied entry into public baths because of that prejudice. 「うつる」「伝染する」という偏見は根強かった。例えば銭湯で入浴を断られたという体験は、かつて多くの被爆者が持っていた。
The former economy, trade and industry minister apparently did not use the phrase "radiation infection" to that effect. However, his insensitive gaffe has reminded many people of their sad experiences, even if they do not speak out about that. 前経産相が「うつる」などという言葉をそういう意味で理解して使ったとは思わない。だが、その「失言」から伝わる無神経さに、いや応なく悲痛な思い出や、底なしの闇がのぞいたような気持ちをよみがえらせる人々がいる。声を上げずとも。
Simply replacing the minister will not lead to any fundamental solution to the issue. The mental capacity of politicians is being tested. 閣僚ポストの異動で解決することではない。何が一番必要か。あえていえば「想像力」だろう。
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Sep. 13, 2011) His insensitive remarks meant Hachiro had to go 鉢呂経産相 無神経発言での辞任は当然だ（9月11日付・読売社説）
The administration of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda started with high approval ratings, only to suffer an immediate setback. 高い支持率で船出した野田政権が、いきなりつまずいた。
Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yoshio Hachiro resigned Saturday over careless remarks he made on his recent inspection tour to the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant and the surrounding area. 鉢呂吉雄経済産業相が１０日、福島県の原子力発電所視察を巡る失言の責任を取って辞任した。
While the nuclear crisis has yet to be controlled, Hachiro repeatedly made remarks that appeared to ride roughshod over the feelings of those affected. His qualification as the minister in charge of nuclear power policy was cast into doubt. 原発事故がまだ収束しない中、原子力政策の担当閣僚が、被災者たちの感情を踏みにじるような発言を繰り返すようでは、資質が疑われる。
A chorus of calls for his resignation arose from members of the ruling parties plus members of opposition parties. 野党側からも鉢呂氏の辞任を求める声が強まっていた。
His resignation is quite reasonable. Noda himself shares in the blame for having appointed Hachiro as a Cabinet member. 辞任は当然だ。野田首相の任命責任も問われよう。
===
'Here's some radiation'
Accompanying Noda, Hachiro made an inspection tour to the nuclear plant in question and neighboring municipalities Thursday. 鉢呂氏は８日、野田首相に同行し、東京電力福島第一原発や周辺自治体を視察した。
After he returned from the tour and was questioned by a reporter at a housing facility for Diet members, Hachiro reportedly gestured as if to press the sleeve of his jacket against the reporter, saying, "Here's some radiation." 帰京後、議員宿舎で記者団の取材を受けた際、着ていた防災服の袖を記者にこすりつけるようなしぐさをして、「ほら、放射能」などと語ったとされる。
"I don't remember exactly what I said," Hachiro explained later. But as a politician who is supposed to prevent radiation-related rumors and misinformation from causing harm, such remarks and behavior are insensitive. 鉢呂氏は「言葉は正確に記憶していない」と釈明したが、風評被害を抑えるべき立場にある政治家としては、あまりに無神経だ。
At a press conference Friday morning, he called the areas he visited near the nuclear plant "towns of death." ９日の記者会見では、視察した原発の周辺市町村を「死のまち」と表現した。
Those affected by the crisis must have been dismayed to hear their hometowns called "towns of death" by a member of the Cabinet, which should be doing its utmost to tackle the crisis. 事故対応に全力を挙げるべき内閣の一員から、ふるさとを「死のまち」と呼ばれては、被災者は到底納得できまい。
At a press conference later the same day, he apologized for his remark and withdrew it. 鉢呂氏は陳謝して発言を撤回した。
Even regarding trade and industrial policies, Hachiro made faltering remarks. 鉢呂氏は産業・通商政策に関しても腰の定まらない発言が目立った。
Concerning the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade accord, he said, "It is difficult to reconcile the elimination of tariffs and revitalization of the nation's agriculture," thus showing his backward-looking stance on the issue. 環太平洋経済連携協定（ＴＰＰ）については「関税ゼロと農業再生の両立は難しい」と後ろ向きの姿勢を示していた。
On nuclear power policy, he expressed his view that nuclear plants will, in principle, be eliminated in the long run, showing little understanding of the need for a stable energy supply. 原子力政策でも、将来は基本的に「原発ゼロ」になるとの見通しを語るだけで、エネルギー安定供給への認識には乏しかった。
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Noda tries damage control
Noda tried to put an early end to the matter, probably because of his judgment that, with an extraordinary Diet session--his administration's first--scheduled to start on Tuesday, he might face a hard time steering Diet proceedings with the opposition raising questions concerning Hachiro's gaffe. 首相が早期幕引きを図った背景には、１３日から始まる政権初の臨時国会を控え、失言に対する野党の追及で厳しい国会運営を強いられるとの判断があろう。
The situation whereby a key minister has resigned just nine days into the job is, indeed, a heavy blow to the Noda administration. 重要閣僚が就任から９日目に辞任する事態は、野田政権には極めて大きな打撃だ。
In another resignation related to the Great East Japan Earthquake, Ryu Matsumoto resigned as minister in charge of rebuilding areas ravaged by the March 11 disaster after making offensive remarks in July. 東日本大震災を巡っては、７月に松本龍・前復興相が失言で辞任している。
Public distrust in politics thus continues to grow. 政治への不信感はさらに増幅するばかりである。
In addition to Hachiro's gaffes, inappropriate remarks have been made by members of the Cabinet and the ruling Democratic Party of Japan. 鉢呂氏以外にも、政府・与党からは不用意な発言が飛び出している。
Defense Minister Yasuo Ichikawa has described himself as an "amateur" on national security issues. 一川防衛相は「安全保障に関しては素人だ」と発言し、
Hirofumi Hirano, the DPJ's Diet Affairs Committee chairman, told his opposition party counterparts his idea of not holding a Budget Committee meeting during the extra Diet session, saying, "As the [newly launched] Cabinet remains in an incomplete condition, we cannot properly reply to interpellations." 平野博文国会対策委員長も「内閣が不完全な状態では十分な国会答弁ができない」と語った。
The Noda administration has many policy issues waiting to be handled, including post-disaster reconstruction efforts, ways to deal with the rapid rise of the yen, and diplomatic issues. 震災復興、円高対策、外交問題など、野田政権には多くの政策課題が待ち構えている。
Noda must rebuild his Cabinet quickly and make doubly sure that he is fully prepared to manage the administration. 首相は早急に体制を立て直し、政権運営に万全を期さねばならない。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 11, 2011) （2011年9月11日01時16分 読売新聞）
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Sep. 11, 2011) Govt must offer visible support for reconstruction ３・１１から半年 復興へ政府は目に見える支援を（9月10日付・読売社説）
Six months have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11. 東日本大震災から、あすで半年になる。
Recovery and reconstruction efforts have been continuing in disaster-hit areas. 被災地では復旧・復興に向けた懸命の努力が続いている。
But the scars left by the massive earthquake and tsunami are so profound that many affected municipalities have yet to draw up blueprints to rebuild their areas. だが震災の爪痕は深く、思うように地域再建の青写真が描けていない自治体がほとんどだ。
In areas around the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, where evacuation orders have been issued, municipal government offices and residents were uprooted en masse. No prospect is in sight for their return home. 避難指示が出ている福島第一原子力発電所周辺では、役場と住民がそっくり移転しており、帰郷の見通しも立っていない。
In his first news conference after taking office, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said recovery and reconstruction of the disaster-stricken areas and measures to end the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima plant are at the top of his administration's agenda. 野田首相は就任の記者会見で、被災地の復旧・復興と原発事故対応が「何よりも最優先だ」と述べた。
After inspecting the crippled plant Thursday, Noda pledged to Fukushima Gov. Yuhei Sato his government's commitment to swiftly decontaminate areas affected by radioactive material released by the nuclear power plant. ８日は福島第一原発を視察した後、佐藤雄平福島県知事に、事故で放出された放射性物質の除染を早急に進めると確約した。
People in disaster-hit areas became increasingly impatient with the slow response to the disaster by the previous Kan administration. 菅前政権の震災対応の遅れに被災地はいらだちを募らせてきた。
The current administration must provide swift, strong and visible support for recovery and reconstruction of the devastated areas. 被災地の再生へ、政府は迅速かつ強力な復旧・復興支援を、目に見える形で推進すべきだ。
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Debris disposal key issue ◆瓦礫処理と除染がカギ◆
Nearly 4,000 residents died or went missing in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, which had a pre-disaster population of 160,000. 人口１６万の宮城県石巻市は、津波被害で４０００人近くが死亡または行方不明になった。
With debris removal completed in the city center, shops have resumed business there. 中心部の瓦礫(がれき)撤去は終わり、商店も再開し始めた。
Residential streets and principal roads have also been cleared of debris. 住宅街や主要道路の瓦礫も片づいた。
But in suburban areas, debris lies scattered on farmland and elsewhere and has been piled up in temporary storage locations. だが、郊外に出ると、農地などに未処理の瓦礫が散乱し、仮置き場には搬入された瓦礫が山積みになっている。
Painstaking efforts were reportedly made to eradicate the swarms of flies infesting the garbage. 大量のハエも発生、駆除に手を焼いたという。
The dismantling of wrecked houses and office buildings will add to the heaps of debris, overwhelming the capacity of temporary storage places. 今後、倒壊した家屋や事業所の解体が進めば、仮置き場が収容能力を超えてしまう恐れがある。
Through consultations with the prefectural government, the municipal government is accelerating efforts to build a new incinerator and select a final debris disposal center. 市は県と協議し、焼却炉の新設と最終処理場の確保を急いでいる。
Disposal of the huge amount of debris hampers reconstruction. 膨大な瓦礫の処理問題が復興の妨げになっている。
The central government must do everything it can to reduce the financial burdens of local governments. 政府は自治体の負担軽減に、最大限の努力を払う必要があろう。
The reconstruction of Fukushima Prefecture cannot be completed without ending the nuclear crisis. 福島県では、原発事故の収束なくして復興はありえない。
Stable cooling of the reactors is under way and almost no new radioactive substances are reportedly being released. 原発は今、原子炉の安定冷却が進行中で、新たな放射性物質の放出はほとんどなくなっている。
By January without fail, the reactors must be cooled so their inner temperatures are stabilized at less than 100 C. 来年１月を目標とする「冷温停止」を確実に達成しなければならない。
Decontamination is indispensable to bring about the day when evacuated residents can return home. 原発避難住民の帰宅に道筋をつけるには、地域の除染が不可欠だ。
Even in areas not subject to evacuation, there are places where radioactive contamination is high enough to cause health concerns among residents. 避難対象地域以外でも汚染度の高い場所があり、住民の健康への影響が心配されている。
Soil improvement must be carried out immediately at school grounds and on agricultural land. 校庭や農地などは直ちに土壌改良に取りかかる必要がある。
Removing the surface soil up to a depth of five centimeters will reduce radioactive cesium levels to just one-tenth, experts say. 表土を５センチ撤去すれば放射性セシウムは１０分の１に減り、
By replacing this soil with untainted earth, radioactive cesium contamination will be reduced to one-hundredth, they say. そこへ新たな土を盛れば元の１００分の１に低減できると専門家は指摘する。
The government should take the lead in promoting decontamination work without farming it out to local governments. 政府は自治体に丸投げすることなく、率先して除染作業を進めていってほしい。
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Disaster victims need jobs ◆生活の安定取り戻そう◆
Although production at factories and related facilities has begun to recover, the employment situation in the disaster-hit areas remains severe. 工場などの生産機能は回復しつつあるが、雇用環境は依然、厳しい。
More than 70,000 people are estimated to have lost their jobs in the three disaster-hit Tohoku prefectures of Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima. 震災による失業者は東北３県で７万人以上と推定される。
Job offers have been on the rise as workers are being sought for reconstruction projects. 復旧事業で求人は増えている。
Many people, however, cannot find work to suit the job skills they acquired before the disaster. だが、震災前の就業経験を生かす仕事が見つからない。
As unemployment benefit payments for many of them will expire soon, it is vital to create new full-fledged jobs through a wide variety of reconstruction projects. そろそろ失業手当も切れるころだ。多様な復興事業を本格化させ、新たな雇用を創出することが求められる。
Hospitals and nursing care facilities sustained tremendous damage in the disaster. 病院や介護施設は甚大な被害を被った。
Even before the disaster, the affected regions have long suffered a serious shortage of doctors, and the region's residents have continued to age. 被災地はもともと医師不足が深刻な地域で、住民の高齢化も進んでいる。
Although a number of medical and nursing care professionals have provided emergency support over the past six months, this cannot continue for much longer. この半年、医療・介護関連団体が緊急の人的支援をしてきたが、継続は難しい。
Making the best possible use of such information technologies as electronic patient files and deploying medical personnel efficiently would make medical and nursing care services more effective. 電子カルテなどのＩＴ（情報技術）活用で連携態勢を強化し、効率的に人材を配置すれば関連施設の大胆な再編が可能になる。
The government should take speedy legislative steps and extend financial assistance to set up a medical and nursing service special zone to provide advanced services by an adequate number of medical professionals. 政府も特区などの法整備や財政措置で後押しし、医師などの人材が集まるような医療・介護の先進モデル地域を作るべきだ。
Construction of temporary housing has made considerable progress, allowing many disaster victims to move out of evacuation centers. 仮設住宅の建設が進み、多くの人が避難所生活から解放された。
However, it is important to provide the victims with a proper range of care after they move into temporary housing or other publicly operated housing facilities. だが、仮設や公共住宅に移った後のケアも重要だ。
After the Great Hanshin Earthquake, many elderly persons died after being left unattended in temporary housing. 阪神大震災では仮設や「復興住宅」で高齢者の孤独死が相次いだ。
This should never be repeated. 悲劇を繰り返してはならない。
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Preparedness essential ◆災害への備えを教訓に◆
As of Friday, the number of deaths in the Great East Japan Earthquake stood at 15,780, while 4,122 remain missing. 東日本大震災による死者は９日現在、１万５７８０人、行方不明者は４１２２人に上る。
We sincerely pray for the souls of those who perished in the disaster and hope that those still missing will be found as soon as possible. 亡くなられた方のご冥福を心からお祈りする。行方不明の方が一日も早く見つかれば、と願う。
In Japan, which can be called a "disaster archipelago," Typhoon No. 12 left more than 100 people dead or missing earlier this month. 「災害列島」日本では、今月も台風１２号で１００人を超す死者・行方不明者が出た。
We are sure many people in the past six months have felt anew the horror of natural disasters and the importance of preparing such calamities. この半年、改めて自然災害の恐ろしさと、それへの備えの大切さを噛(か)みしめた人は多かっただろう。
On Sept. 1, Disaster Prevention Day, about 510,000 people took part in disaster drills in 35 prefectures, including Tokyo and Hokkaido. 防災の日の１日、３５都道府県で５１万人が訓練に参加した。
Some companies and public organizations carried out such practical exercises as confirming the safety of all personnel, as well as drills conducted on the assumption that many of their personnel were unable to return home in the aftermath of a massive disaster. 社員全員の安否確認や、帰宅困難の事態を想定した現実的な訓練を実施した企業、公的機関もあった。
In its most recent opinion survey, The Yomiuri Shimbun asked people what measures they had taken after the March 11 disaster. Allowed multiple answers, many respondents cited "stockpiling of drinking water and food" and "confirmation of how family members can keep in touch with each other" in the event of a disaster. 読売新聞の世論調査では、震災後に講じた対策として「飲料水や食料の備蓄」「家族同士の連絡方法を確認」などを挙げた人（複数回答）が多かった。
Asked what they wanted the central and local governments to do in the event of a disaster, more than 50 percent of the respondents replied--again allowed multiple answers--they wanted "safety measures taken at nuclear power plants" and "ensuring safe evacuation routes and evacuation facilities." 国や自治体に望む取り組みでは、「原発の安全対策」「安全な避難経路や避難施設の確保」などが５割を超えている（同）。
We believe the lessons learned from the March 11 disaster should better prepare people in the future to swiftly and safely evacuate in the event of a disaster and to cooperate more closely with each other to deal with any hardships they might encounter. 日頃の備えを怠らず、その時には的確迅速に避難する、そして支え合って災害を乗り越える――。大震災からの教訓としたい。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 10, 2011) （2011年9月10日01時28分 読売新聞）
2011/09/11 --The Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 10 EDITORIAL: U.S. should lead efforts toward global cooperation テロ後１０年の米国―武力超え、協調の大国へ
How long will the war against terrorism, which no one is going to win, last? 誰も勝者になれない戦争は、いつまで続くのか。
Just a decade has passed since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks at the heart of the United States. 米国の中枢が襲われた同時多発テロから１０年。
The war against terrorism was launched by former U.S. President George W. Bush, who urged countries to join the fight saying, "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists." But the United States has suffered as much damage from the war as it did from the Vietnam War. 対テロ戦争はブッシュ前大統領が「米国と共にあるか、テロリストと一緒になるかだ」と始めたが、いまや米国はベトナム戦争に匹敵する大きな痛手を受けている。
U.S. forces have succeeded in killing Osama bin Laden, the founder of the al-Qaida terrorist group and the mastermind of the 2001 attacks, but the Americans are clearly feeling the pinch of the deteriorating economic health of their country, where jobless rates are hovering above 9 percent. テロの首謀者オサマ・ビンラディン容疑者は殺害したものの、９％を超える失業率が続く米国には重い疲労感が漂う。
■危うい超大国の座
American people are apparently disturbed, caught between anxiety about the possibility that their country may lose the status as the leading superpower and the desperate feeling that they cannot stand any additional burden. 「超大国の座を滑り落ちる」という不安と、「これ以上の負担に耐えられない」という悲鳴のはざまで、米国民の心も揺れている。
In a corner of the Arlington National Cemetery, a military cemetery stretched over a hill in the Washington suburbs, are rows of small signs bearing a name placed on the earth with the grass removed. 首都ワシントン郊外の丘に広がる国立アーリントン墓地の一角。芝生を削った土の上に、名前が刻まれた目印が置かれている。
They are meant to be the graves of soldiers who have died in Afghanistan. アフガニスタンで戦死した兵士の墓の予定地だ。
Nobody knows how many more white headstones will be laid in this corner of the cemetery. 白い墓石が今後どこまで並ぶのか、まだ誰も分からない。
Since the war on terror started, more than 6,000 U.S. military personnel have died and more than 550,000 have been injured. 開戦以来、米兵は６千人以上が戦死した。負傷者は５５万人を超える。
One estimate has put the total cost of the war, including medical expenses for injured servicemen and women, at $4 trillion (309 trillion yen). 負傷兵の医療費などを含む戦費全体で４兆ドル（３０９兆円）に達するという試算もある。
The quagmire of the war is hurting American society like a body blow. 泥沼化する戦争は、米社会をボディーブローのようにむしばんでいる。
The U.S. economy, which for a while enjoyed a boom driven by financial bubbles, has taken a downturn since the collapse of investment bank Lehman Brothers in 2008. 金融バブルに踊った経済も、リーマン・ショック以後は大きく傾いた。
The U.S. budget deficit for fiscal 2011, which ends on Sept. 30, is reaching $1.3 trillion. The towering budget deficit has prompted a U.S. credit rating agency to downgrade long-term federal debt, which has long been considered the safest investment, bringing humiliation to the world's largest economy. １１会計年度の財政赤字は１兆３千億ドル（１００兆円）に達し、信用の象徴だった米国債が格下げされる屈辱も味わった。
President Barack Obama has acknowledged that the United States has been on an unsustainable spending spree. "For a decade, we have been spending more money than we take in," he recently said. 「この１０年間、われわれは歳入以上に支出してきた」とオバマ大統領も認める。
But even more lives have been lost in countries where the United States has been fighting the war.
Some 125,000 civilians in Iraq, 11,700 in Afghanistan and 35,600 in Pakistan have been killed during the war, according to estimates by the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University. 米国の行動によって戦場にされた国では、もっと多くの命が失われた。米ブラウン大学ワトソン研究所の推計では、イラクの民間人は１２万５千人、アフガニスタンでは１万１７００人、パキスタンでも３万５６００人にのぼる。
In Iraq, years of failed occupation, plagued by an endless series of missteps and bad judgments, resulted in bloody nationwide sectarian strife. イラクでは誤算続きの占領政策の末、全土で血で血を洗う宗派争いをもたらした。
Amid continued conflict among various religious sects, Obama has promised to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of this year. Given the chaotic state of the war-torn country, however, many observers say it will be impossible to pull out all the U.S. troops by the deadline. 各派が対立する中、オバマ大統領は「今年末までの米軍撤退」と公約したが、混乱を考えると完全な撤退は無理とみられる。
■失われた多くの命
Meanwhile in Afghanistan, 66 American soldiers were killed in August, the worst ever monthly death toll among U.S. military personnel in the country. アフガニスタンでも、この８月に６６人と過去最悪の米兵の犠牲者を出した。
Obama has said 33,000 U.S. troops will leave the country by next summer, but the outlook for the U.S. strategy for dealing with the situation after the withdrawal remains murky. 来夏までに３万３千人を撤退させる方針だが、その後の見通しは立たない。
Many American citizens appear to be finding it hard to come up with a good reason for continuing the fight without a clear outlook. このまま戦闘を続ける意味を、米国民も見いだせなくなっているのではないか。
Outside the Unites States, indiscriminate terrorist attacks have also taken place in cities like Madrid and London. 米国の外にも、マドリード、ロンドンなどに無差別テロは拡散した。
The scope of targets for terrorist attacks has widened. At the end of August, for instance, a car bomb attack on the United Nations building in Nigeria killed more than 20 people. テロの標的も広がり、８月末にはナイジェリアの国連ビルに爆弾を載せた車が突っ込んで２０人を超す犠牲者が出た。
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the attack, saying in a grievous statement that it was "an assault on those who devote their lives to helping others." 国連の潘基文（パン・ギムン）事務総長は「人助けのために人生をささげた人々に対する襲撃だ」と悲痛な声明を出した。
In his historic speech delivered in 2009 in Cairo, Obama proposed reconciliation with the Muslim world for "a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world," raising renewed hope for peace. オバマ氏はカイロでの演説で「イスラム世界との和解」を提唱して期待を集めた。
But in countries like Yemen and Pakistan, the United States is expanding its strikes against terrorists using unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, instead of ground troops. だが、地上部隊にかわる無人機での攻撃はイエメンやパキスタンなどで拡大している。
The Obama administration has postponed the promised closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, where abuses of detainees have been disclosed. 虐待が明らかになったグアンタナモ収容所も、閉鎖を先送りしたままだ。
The Obama administration also initially failed to express its clear support to the revolutionary waves of demonstrations and protests that have led to the collapse of dictatorial regimes in some Arab countries including Tunisia and Egypt, now known as the "Arab Spring." チュニジア、エジプトなどで民衆が強権政治を倒した「アラブの春」でも、米国ははじめ、運動を支持することができなかった。
That's because the administration was concerned about a possible rise of Muslim extremists and about possible negative effects on Washington's relations with the autocratic governments of its allies in the region, like Saudi Arabia. イスラム過激派の台頭を恐れ、独裁だが友好関係にあるサウジアラビアなどに配慮したからだ。
Now that people in many Arab countries have embarked on a path to democracy by risking their lives, however, the United States should take steps to settle the dark past and build new relations with these countries. アラブの民衆が流血の犠牲を払って改革に踏み出したいま、米国も暗い過去を清算して、新たな関係を築かなければならない。
In particular, it is essential for Washington to tackle the Palestine issue, which is at the root of conflict in the Arab world. とくに、アラブ世界の紛争の根源にあるパレスチナ問題に取り組むことが必須だ。
As long as the United States keeps avoiding this challenge, anti-U.S. extremists will continue to come into being. その困難を避ける限り、今後も反米過激派が生まれてくる。
The Americans should not forget that Osama bin Laden personified the deep antipathy aroused among Muslims by the U.S. military presence in the "holy land" of Islam. ビンラディン容疑者も「イスラムの聖地」に米軍が駐留したことへの反感が生んだ鬼子だったことを忘れてはならない。
America's unilateralism also strained its ties with its key allies. 米国の単独行動主義は、同盟国との関係もゆがめた。
Japan, under the government of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, supported the U.S. war in Iraq and sent Self-Defense Forces troops to the country. 日本は小泉首相がイラク戦争を支持して自衛隊を送った。
But Japan's decision to support a war without cause, made under strong pressure from Washington, deeply damaged the bilateral relations. だが大義なき戦争に同調したことは、日米関係を深いところで傷つけた。
Japanese sympathy with the United States as the leading standard-bearer for democracy wore thin, while the Japanese government's action provoked criticism among Japanese people that it was blindly following in the footsteps of the United States. 民主主義の旗手としての米国への共感はすっかり薄れ、「米国追随」という反発を日本国内に呼んだ。
The past 10 years, in which the United States became overconfident of its power and tried to impose its values on the world, has been a decade of failure for the superpower. 米国が力を過信し、その価値観を世界に押しつけようとした１０年は失敗に終わった。
The United States will remain a country with overwhelming power, but it still needs to find a new role for itself as a member of the global community. 米国は今後も突出した大国だが、世界の一員として新たな役割を見いださなければならない。
Sick and tired of the endless war against terrorism, some Americans are arguing that their country should now wash its hands of intervention in affairs in other parts of the world. 対テロ戦争に疲れた米国内には、対外的な負担から手を引くべきだという声も出ている。
It would be good for the United States to respect the unique conditions in other countries and seek cooperative ties with them. 米国が各国の事情を認めて協調することは望ましい。
■重い役割変わらず
But if such a superpower becomes indifferent to stability and movements toward democracy in the outside world, the entire world may fall into serious confusion. だが、大国が自分の地域以外の安定や民主化を求める動きに無関心になれば、世界は混乱しかねない。
The United States should not abandon its efforts to establish a stable and peaceful world order. 安定した秩序の軸を失ってはいけない。
What the United States should do in the next decade is to seek serious dialogue with people living with different values in order to create a world without terrorism, instead of trying to stamp out terrorism with war. 戦争で抑え込むのではなく、価値観が異なる世界に住む人々とも真剣に対話して、テロがない世界の実現を目指す。それが米国のこれからとるべき道だ。
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Sep. 10, 2011) Unclear why pro-Pyongyang schools should be free 朝鮮学校無償化 審査再開の根拠が不明瞭だ（9月9日付・読売社説）
It is an enigmatic keepsake from former Prime Minister Naoto Kan. 不可解な「置き土産」である。
Kan told former Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister Yoshiaki Takaki on Aug. 29, shortly before his resignation as prime minister, to resume screening procedures to include pro-Pyongyang high schools in the government's tuition waiver program. 朝鮮学校への高校授業料の無償化適用について菅前首相が退任間際の先月２９日、審査手続きを再開するよう高木義明前文部科学相に指示した。
The screening procedures were suspended in the wake of North Korea's artillery shelling of a South Korean island last November. The former prime minister's administration said the situation on the Korean Peninsula was considered to have returned to conditions prior to the shelling, but we would like to ask if there are any grounds for that. 昨年１１月の北朝鮮による韓国砲撃を受けて審査を凍結していたが、「朝鮮半島情勢が砲撃前の状態に戻った」と判断したという。だが、根拠はどこにあるのか。
It is true that talks between North and South Korean senior officials were held in July for the first time in two years and seven months. U.S.-North Korean talks also took place in the same month. 確かに７月には、韓国と北朝鮮の高官協議が２年７か月ぶりに実現し、米朝協議も行われた。
However, the former administration did not explain in detail its assessment of the situation on the Korean Peninsula. It is still very difficult to understand why screening procedures would be resumed on what looked like last-minute instructions from the outgoing prime minister. とはいえ、情勢判断の詳しい理由説明もなく、駆け込み指示のような審査再開は、理解に苦しむ。
===
New govt should explain
In the last Diet session, Kan was grilled over suspicious donations by his political funds management organization to a civic group closely connected with a relative of a suspect in the abduction of Japanese citizens to North Korea. 菅前首相は、日本人拉致事件の容疑者親族と関係の深い団体への献金問題が先の国会で取り上げられた。
It is a matter of course that the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party, which has raised concerns about Kan's abrupt instruction regarding pro-Pyongyang high schools, is demanding the new administration rescind the instruction. 今回の唐突な指示を疑問視する自民党が、指示の撤回を求めたのも当然だろう。
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and education minister Masaharu Nakagawa, however, have indicated they will carry on with the former prime minister's directive. The two said in their inauguration speeches that Kan seemed to have made the judgment based on such factors as the resumption of talks between North and South Korea. 野田首相や中川正春文科相は就任会見で、「南北対話などからそう判断したのでは」と述べ、菅前首相の指示を追認する姿勢だ。
However, we think the current Cabinet cannot obtain public understanding for resumption of the procedures unless it makes a clear explanation based on its own assessment. しかし、情勢判断に関する現内閣の明確な説明がないままでは、理解は得られまい。
The screening will take two months. If they are deemed eligible for the government's tuition waiver program, 10 pro-Pyongyang high schools around the country will receive schooling assistance grants totaling at least 200 million yen from the government to compensate them for tuition. 審査は今後２か月かけて行われる。無償化が適用されると、全国に１０校ある朝鮮学校側に授業料分として少なくとも計約２億円の「就学支援金」が支給される。
Since the screening procedures have already started, the education ministry must scrutinize whether the schools' accounts are transparent. 審査に入った以上、文科省は朝鮮学校の経理の透明性を厳正にチェックする必要がある。
The pro-Pyongyang schools are closely linked with the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon), which is under North Korea's influence. 朝鮮学校は、北朝鮮の影響下にある在日本朝鮮人総連合会（朝鮮総連）と結びつきがある。
We are afraid the grants might be used for purposes other than waiving tuition. 就学支援金が授業料以外の目的に流用されるおそれはないのだろうか。
The education ministry is said to check documents submitted to it by the schools, but if necessary, the ministry should send officials to the schools and seek direct explanations from their administrators. 書面審査を行うというが、必要なら学校へ赴いて調査を行い、直接説明を求めるべきだ。
===
Program needs review
Some observers say students at pro-Pyongyang schools may have been taught untruths about the abduction of Japanese nationals by North Korea and other issues. 朝鮮学校ではこれまで、日本人拉致問題などに関して、事実と異なる教育が行われてきたのではないかとの指摘もある。
According to screening standards set by the education ministry, if problems are found in the curriculum or other elements of a school, the education minister can inform its administrator about them as points of concern. 文科省が策定した審査基準は、教育内容などに懸念される実態があれば、文科相が学校側に「留意事項」として通知できると規定している。
If any problem is found during the screening procedures, the education minister should strongly urge school officials to improve it voluntarily. 審査で問題が見つかった場合、文科相が自主的な改善を強く促すことも求められよう。
Reviewing the government's high school tuition waiver program, which has been advocated by the Democratic Party of Japan-led governments, is also a pressing issue. そもそも民主党政権が掲げてきた高校無償化の見直しも、喫緊の課題である。
A joint agreement reached by the DPJ, the LDP and New Komeito includes a clause that they would discuss necessary reviews of what form the waiver program should take from next fiscal year. 民主、自民、公明の３党合意には、来年度以降の制度の在り方について、必要な見直しを検討することが盛り込まれている。
We hope the new administration will study the effects of the program thoroughly, considering the nation's difficult fiscal condition. 厳しい財政状況の中で、政策効果を徹底検証してもらいたい。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 9, 2011) （2011年9月9日01時25分 読売新聞）
2011/09/09 --The Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 5 EDITORIAL: Transparency in access to the grid crucial for promotion of renewable energy. 再生エネ法―送電線の接続を透明に
The Diet enacted a law to expand the use of renewable energy sources during this year's regular session, which ran through August. 自然エネルギーの拡大をめざす再生可能エネルギー特別措置法が先の通常国会で成立した。
The law contains a so-called feed-in tariff system that requires electric power companies to buy electricity generated by using renewable energy sources--wind, solar, biomass, the heat of the Earth and small-scale water power--at fixed prices for specific periods. 風力、太陽光、バイオマス、地熱、小型の水力による電気を一定の期間、電力会社が固定価格で買い取る制度だ。
In Europe, this system has helped to sharply increase the use of renewable energy. 欧州では、この制度で自然エネルギーを大幅に増やした。
The success of the feed-in tariff system in Japan hinges on how it will be actually operated. 日本での成功の可否は、今後の運用にかかっている。
The law says the prices at which utilities buy renewable power should be determined in a way that ensures reasonable profits for power producers. 法律は、買い取り価格について、参入者の適正な利潤を考慮して決めることを明記した。
That means renewable electricity will be bought at various price levels, depending on the kind of energy source and the method of power generation involved. 自然エネルギーの種類や方式によって違う値段になる。
This is a reasonable approach. この点は評価したい。
It makes sense to set prices at levels that make renewable power businesses economically viable. ビジネスが成り立つ価格にすることが必要だ。
The costs of buying clean power will be passed onto consumers through higher electricity bills. 買い取り費用は電気料金に上乗せされる。
The law doesn't lay down any rules concerning the expected rate increases. But the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, which regulates the power industry, has said the rate hikes will be capped at 0.5 yen per kilowatt-hour. 法律に上げ幅の規定はないが、経済産業省は「１キロワット時０．５円を上限で運用する」といってきた。
There should be no such rigid limits on rate increases to buy renewable power. これはやめるべきだ。
Power rates actually fluctuate more sharply due to factors like changes in oil prices. 電気料金は、原油価格などによって、もっと大きく変動している。
Placing too strict restrictions on the scope of hikes in electricity bills would hamper efforts to popularize the feed-in tariff system. 自然エネルギーを対象に料金転嫁に歯止めをかけすぎると、うまく導入が進まない。
The biggest issue is setting up a connection to the power grid. 最大の問題は、送電線への接続だ。
While utilities are in principle obliged to allow renewable electricity to be fed into the grid, they are permitted to refuse to do so if there is any possibility of disruptions in stable power supply. 電力会社には自然エネルギーの電気を送電線につなぐ義務があるものの、「安定供給に支障がある場合」には接続しなくてもよいとされている。
This rule effectively means the current situation will remain unchanged. In Hokkaido, the Tohoku region and Kyushu, many plans to build wind farms have been dropped because the regional utilities have refused to buy electricity from the planned facilities under the pretext of "unstable supply." これでは、北海道や東北、九州で、多くの風力発電所の計画が「供給が不安定」という電力会社の判断で断念させられている現状と変わらない。
Hokkaido Electric Power Co. has said it will not be able to purchase more power from wind, at least for the time being, because it is already buying wind-generated electricity up to the limit of 360 megawatts. すでに北海道電力は、風力の受け入れ可能量３６万キロワットが満杯なので、新法施行後も当面は新たな受け入れはできないと表明している。
But wind power is the most widely used renewable energy source globally. Both China and the United States generate more than 40 gigawatts of electricity by using wind power. 風力は世界では自然エネルギーの柱で、中国、米国では４千万キロワットを超える。
In contrast, Japan's wind power output is a puny 2.5 gigawatts. 日本は約２５０万キロワットしかない。
The outlook for wind power generation in Japan will remain bleak if utilities, citing upper limits, refuse to buy electricity produced with wind despite the small overall output. それでも電力各社が「もう満杯」というのなら展望は開けない。
In order to inject more transparency into this program, it is necessary to build up a system in which independent experts judge the appropriateness of the ceilings utilities set for their purchases of wind-generated power. 電力会社のいう受け入れ可能量を外部の人間がチェックして透明化する態勢が必要だ。
The most crucial aspect for the success of the new system, however, is to establish integrated operations of the transmission networks of utilities. 何より送電線の広域運用が欠かせない。
In Japan, electric power companies that enjoy a monopoly on regional power markets operate separate transmission networks independently. Basically, utilities in principle don't supply electricity to other utilities, even if their service areas are adjacent. 日本の送電網は、地域独占の電力会社ごとに分割され、隣接する会社同士でも基本的に電気を融通しない。
This tradition should be changed so that the power grids are operated in an integrated way that allows electricity generated with renewable energy sources in rural areas to be sent to large markets like Tokyo and the Kansai region. That would ensure enough demand for clean power and help avert a situation where a utility's capacity to buy such electricity reaches its limit. これを改め、地域に偏在する自然エネルギー電力を東京や関西の大消費地に送るように送電網の運用を変えれば、供給に見合う需要が確保され、電力会社が「もう満杯」という事態は避けられる。
Renewable energy accounts for only 1 percent of Japan's overall power production. 日本の電力に占める自然エネルギーは１％だ。
The new legislation should be used to raise the low status of renewable energy in this country while promoting efforts to reduce nuclear power generation, reform the power supply system and develop next-generation storage battery technology. 新法をテコに、原発の削減や電力体制の改革、蓄電池などの研究開発も進めながら、「自然エネルギー後進国」から早く脱却しよう。
2011/09/08 --The Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 7 EDITORIAL: Fresh approach to financing can help disaster-stricken areas. 被災企業支援―連帯の金融を広げよう
A fresh approach to financing is needed to rebuild areas that have seen their economic bases wiped out by the March 11 disaster. 経済基盤を根こそぎ奪われた被災地域の再生へ、金融にも新たな発想が求められている。
The so-called double loan problem poses a major challenge to financial reconstruction. This is because the government has decided to establish an agency in each disaster-stricken prefecture that will buy up loans companies took out before the catastrophe. 金融復興の焦点である二重ローン問題では、政府が旧債権の買い取り機関を被災各県に設けることになった。
But as we feared, a stalemate may set in over purchase prices. だが案の定、買い取り価格をめぐって袋小路に陥る懸念が出ている。
Creditor financial institutions would naturally want to sell off the loans at high prices to minimize anticipated losses, while purchasing agencies would make lower offers. 債権者の金融機関は高く売り、見込まれる損失を転嫁したい。逆に買い取り機関側は安く抑えたい、という構図だ。
This is hardly the time for such a stalemate. にらみ合いで時間を費やしている場合ではない。
A decision must be made by taking various factors into account, such the degree of contribution made by each financial institution to help disaster-affected businesses rebuild themselves. 被災企業の再建に向けた金融機関側の貢献度合いなどを加味して総合的に決断するほかない。
All parties concerned must remember that speedy recovery should be their shared goal. 関係者は復興を加速するという大局に立ってほしい。
The problem, though, is that even if such businesses can be sure of having their old debts taken care of, they still have to deal with a lack of capital. ただ、被災企業にとっては旧債務の処理にメドがついても、資本の欠乏という壁がある。
Cases abound in the disaster-stricken prefectures of businesses that remain in a fix because they have no collateral against which to borrow funds to purchase equipment. 借金して設備を買おうにも担保がない、といった八方ふさがりの話が被災地にはあふれている。
One solution lies in getting private citizens to make direct investments in such businesses. 注目したいのは、被災企業と個人マネーを直接結ぶ取り組みだ。
A new flow of money from individuals who want to support the post-disaster reconstruction effort, even at their own risk, may result in a synergy with bank lending. 「損失も覚悟のうえで復興を支援する」という新たなお金の流れを作り、金融機関の融資との相乗効果を生み出したい。
In fact, programs are already in place for consumers to help pig farms and seafood processing factories by paying for their products in advance. すでに、商品の購入を先払いすることで養豚場や水産加工場の再建を助ける動きがある。
A growing number of people are signing up for similar deals where they become owners who run oyster farming businesses, for example. カキ養殖などのオーナー制度も広がっている。
Tokyo-based Music Securities Inc., which is known for its music CD fund, is helping to raise money for disaster-affected businesses by establishing a fund for each business. 被災企業ごとにファンドを設け、資金集めを支援しているのは、音楽ＣＤファンドで実績のあるミュージックセキュリティーズ（東京）だ。
Donations start at 10,000 yen, half of which is invested in the business of the donor's choice. The donor receives products from the business as a dividend. １口１万円で、出資金と寄付金を５千円ずつ出してもらい、被災企業の自慢の製品などで配当する。
Discovering promising entrepreneurs who help promote local resources and matching them up with private investors around the nation for long-term "partnerships" should provide a strong motivation for businesses to recover from the disaster. 被災地の資源を生かす魅力的な企業家を発掘し、全国の人々からの投資という形で息の長い連帯関係を結ぶ。これは事業者の復興への強い動機付けにもなる。
Such an arrangement can also help strengthen the operational base for disaster-affected businesses that are handicapped in distribution and financing. 販路や資金面でハンディを負う被災企業の基盤を強化する可能性も秘める。
We hope many individuals and groups, including nongovernmental organs, will work hard to discover promising businesses. ＮＰＯを含む多様な担い手が知恵を絞り、埋もれた企業を掘り起こしてほしい。
We would also like to see closer collaboration between those individuals/groups and existing financial institutions and administrative entities. 既存の金融機関や行政との連携も深めたい。
Policy-wise, it should be well worth giving tax breaks and other incentives to such investors. 投資家への税制優遇など、政策面で後押しする価値は大きいはずだ。
In the meantime, investment scams passing for disaster relief drives are on the rise. 一方、復興支援を語る投資詐欺が増えている。
This is outrageous, but it is also up to investors to be discerning. 実に腹立たしいが、投資する側は「本物」を見極める目を鍛えたい。
And here is a checklist in case of doubt. Is the party soliciting your investment able to give you specific information about the disaster damage suffered by the business in question? 被災の情報は具体的か。
Will you be given a chance to speak directly with a representative of the business in which you are investing, or pay that person a visit to see the situation for yourself? 投資先の事業者と対話したり、現地を訪ねたりして実態を把握する機会はあるか。
Are you fully apprised of your risks? リスクの説明は十分か。
Do you feel you are being pressed to make a much larger investment than what you are comfortable with? 無理に大口の投資を勧めていないか――。
We hope a "finance system of empathy and partnership" will take root. こうした点をしっかりチェックしつつ、共感と連帯の金融を広げたい。
2011/09/07 --The Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 6 EDITORIAL: Japan needs to open its doors wider for foreign workers. 外国人看護師―「人の開国」を大胆に
With its population aging rapidly, Japan will see an increased need for more nursing and health care professionals in the years ahead. 高齢化が進む日本社会では看護や介護の人材が一層必要になる。
Japan could find itself in serious trouble if it erects barriers too high for foreign workers wishing to work here. 外国人受け入れに高すぎる壁を設けては、むしろ日本が困ることにならないだろうか。
Japan and Vietnam are now holding talks to establish a system that will allow young Vietnamese to work as nurses and nursing care workers in Japan. ベトナムの若者が日本で看護師や介護福祉士になる枠組みを作る交渉が本格化している。
The negotiations are based on a bilateral economic partnership agreement. 日越間の経済連携協定（ＥＰＡ）に基づくものだ。
Japan already has programs to accept such health care workers from Indonesia and the Philippines under bilateral economic partnership agreements with these countries. But these programs have turned out to be riddled with problems. 先例となるインドネシア、フィリピンとのＥＰＡ協定で多くの問題点が浮き彫りになった。
These problems need to be fixed if Japan is to establish a better program with Vietnam. ベトナムとの枠組み作りではそこの是正がかかせない。
Under existing programs, trainees receive about half a year of training before coming to Japan and then work for three years at Japanese hospitals as they prepare for state examinations to qualify as a health care professional. 半年程度の入国前研修の後、看護師候補として３年間、各地の病院で働きながら国家資格の取得をめざす――。
Nearly 600 candidates from Indonesia and the Philippines have taken part in the programs since fiscal 2008. こうした制度の下で０８年度以降、インドネシアとフィリピン両国から６００人近くが来日した。
Of the 254 foreign trainees who took the nursing license exam last year, however, only three were successful. ところが、昨年の看護師国家試験の受験者２５４人のうち合格したのは３人だけ。
The number of successful applicants for the exam held in March this year was larger at 16, but the pass rate was still as low as 4 percent. 今年３月の試験の合格者は１６人に増えたが合格率は４％だった。
In order to prevent the unsuccessful candidates from returning home en masse, the government decided to allow the first group of Indonesian trainees to stay in Japan for one more year. But many of the young Indonesians who failed to qualify have given up on working in Japan and have returned home. 試験に落ちた若者の大量帰国を避けようと政府は、第一陣で来たインドネシア人候補者の滞在期限を１年延長したが、多くの若者が日本に見切りをつけて帰ってしまった。
The government should not allow a similar situation where the young Vietnamese who come to Japan with hopes of working here return home disappointed. ベトナムから夢を抱いて来日する若者を、同じように失意のまま帰国させるようなことにしてはならない。
The biggest factor behind the low ratios of successful applicants is clearly the language barrier. 合格率が低い一番の理由は日本語の壁だ。
It is apparently an overwhelming challenge for these trainees to learn enough Japanese while working. 働きながらの勉強には限界がある。
In addition, the need to learn many technical terms further increases the difficulty of passing the license examination. As a result, trainees whose work was rated highly by the hospitals did not necessarily pass the exam. しかも専門用語が出る国家試験のハードルは高く、病院から高い評価を受けた人材が必ずしも合格しない結果となっている。
In its current state, the system appears as if it was designed to reject rather than accept foreign nationals wishing to work as health care professionals in Japan. これでは、職業人として日本に残るのを拒む制度と受け止められても仕方あるまい。
It is necessary to give the trainees one year or so of Japanese language training so that they can acquire at least sufficient skills for everyday conversation. 来日前の日本語研修を１年程度行い、少なくとも日常会話に困らない程度の能力をつけて来てもらうことが必要だ。
The state license exam also needs to be improved. 国家試験の改善もさらに図りたい。
Under the economic partnership agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines, two or three years of experience in the profession are required to be eligible for the programs. But it is doubtful whether such lengthy experience is really necessary. これまでのＥＰＡ協定では本国で２、３年の実務経験を条件にしたが、それほどの年数が必要だろうか。
Some Japanese experts say it is easier for younger trainees to get acclimated to the working practices and conditions at Japanese medical institutions. 日本の医療慣行に慣れてもらうためにはより若い方がいいという声も聞く。
Since the Great East Japan Earthquake, many Indonesian and Philippine trainees remained at hospitals and facilities in affected areas to help victims. The ways they contributed to disaster relief efforts were reported and much talked about back in their home countries. 東日本大震災では、被災地の病院や施設に残って救援を続けたインドネシア人やフィリピン人の姿が母国で報じられ、話題となった。
We should value young foreigners who have come to have affection for Japan. 日本に愛着を持つようになった外国人の若者の存在は貴重だ。
Competition for human resources in Asia is getting stronger. アジアの人材獲得競争は激しさを増している。
Japan needs to create an open and attractive system to get more qualified and talented foreign workers. 優れた人材を確保するために開放的で魅力ある仕組みを作る必要がある。
The new administration of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda should reconsider the government's policy of accepting foreign workers so as to open the nation's door wider to human resources from around the world. 野田政権は外国人受け入れ政策を見直し、人の開国を大胆に進めるべきだ。
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Sep. 6, 2011) Japan-U.S. alliance must be rebuilt 外交立て直し まずは日米同盟の再構築だ（9月5日付・読売社説）
The inauguration of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's Cabinet should lead to a halt in the erosion of Japan's diplomatic relations of recent years, which is essential for making the nation's voice better heard in the international community. 近年の日本外交の地盤沈下に歯止めをかけ、国際的な発言力を高める。野田内閣の発足を、その転機としたい。
At a press conference held shortly after his appointment as prime minister, Noda stressed the need to achieve that goal, saying: "The Japan-U.S. relationship is a central pillar of our country's diplomatic and security policy at a time when the world is becoming more and more multipolar. [Bilateral relations] must be deepened and expanded." 野田首相は就任記者会見で、「世界が多極化する中、時代が求める外交・安保政策の軸は日米関係で、その深化・発展を遂げねばならない」と強調した。
Noda is an unknown quantity as prime minister. However, we hope he will steadfastly adhere to this fundamental principle in fulfilling his duties. 首相の手腕は未知数だが、その基本方針で突き進んでほしい。
The Japan-U.S. alliance has long functioned as a public good to preserve peace and security in the Asia-Pacific basin. 日米同盟は、アジア太平洋の平和と安全を支える公共財として機能してきた。
Many Asian countries share this perception. それは多くのアジア諸国の共通認識でもある。
Unstable Japan-U.S. ties would harm relations between Japan and its Asian neighbors. 日米関係の不安定化は、日本とアジア各国の関係にも悪影響を及ぼす。
The nation's diplomatic environment has been increasingly unfavorable in recent years. ここ数年、日本外交を取り巻く環境は厳しくなっている。
The Noda administration was preceded by short-lived cabinets formed by five prime ministers. This has been compounded by the rise of China and some other newly emerging nations, a development that has undeniably resulted in a relative decline in Japan's national strength as the mainstay of its foreign relations. ５人連続の短命首相に加え、中国など新興国の台頭で、外交を支える国力の相対的低下は否定できない。
===
Put U.S. ties on track
This is particularly evident in the turmoil and stagnation in the Japan-U.S. relationship due to a change of administration that took place two years ago. This paralysis can be attributed to former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's unskilled diplomacy, followed by an ill-conceived attempt by his successor, Naoto Kan, to put off bilateral issues. 特に２年前の政権交代後は、鳩山元首相の未熟な外交と菅前首相の懸案先送りで、日米関係は迷走・停滞した。
With this in mind, the new prime minister must work to bring the nation's tattered external relations back on track, focusing first on shoring up its alliance with the United States. まずは強固な日米同盟を再構築することから、外交を立て直さねばなるまい。
Noda is scheduled to attend a number of meetings with the leaders of other nations, including a session of the U.N. General Assembly in late September. His diplomatic itinerary for November and beyond also includes a summit meeting of the Group of 20 nations and territories, the East Asia Summit and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. 今月下旬の国連総会に続き、１１月の主要２０か国・地域（Ｇ２０）と東アジアの首脳会議、アジア太平洋経済協力会議と、首脳外交の日程が目白押しだ。
The prime minister must use these diplomatic opportunities to establish trust with U.S. President Barack Obama and other national leaders. Doing so is essential to defend our national interests. オバマ米大統領ら各国首脳と信頼関係を築き、日本の国益を守る必要がある。
He must also take specific actions to resolve pending issues facing Japan and the United States and not just follow the steps taken by his predecessors, Hatoyama and Kan, who both had only harped on "a deepening" of the bilateral alliance. 最も重要なのは、鳩山、菅両氏のように単に「同盟深化」を唱えるのでなく、懸案の解決に向けて具体的な行動をとることだ。
Washington has called on Tokyo to make "concrete progress" in settling the dispute over the transfer of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture "within one year." 米国は、米軍普天間飛行場の移設問題で「１年以内の進展」を求めている。
Failure to do so could prompt the U.S. administration to drastically reconsider a plan to relocate U.S. marines in the prefecture to Guam. それができない場合、在沖縄海兵隊のグアム移転が大幅に見直される恐れがある。
Noda must do all he can to overcome the gridlock in the Futenma controversy through talks with leaders and residents in Okinawa Prefecture. This task requires the prime minister to join hands with Cabinet members related to the dispute--Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba, Defense Minister Yasuo Ichikawa and Tatsuo Kawabata, state minister for Okinawa and Northern Territories affairs. 野田首相は、玄葉外相、一川防衛相、川端沖縄相とともに、沖縄との協議を重ね、打開策の模索に全力を挙げねばならない。
===
Promote talks with China
It is no less important for Noda to promote dialogue with China. 中国との対話も重要だ。
The collisions between a Chinese fishing boat and two Japanese vessels in waters off the Senkaku Islands in September last year strained bilateral ties. Although summit talks among Japan, China and South Korea have since taken place, Tokyo and Beijing remain caught in a standoff over natural gas field exploration in the East China Sea and other bilateral problems. 昨年秋の尖閣諸島沖での漁船衝突事件以来、日中韓首脳会談は開催したものの、東シナ海のガス田問題などは膠着(こうちゃく)状態が続く。
The prime minister should step up security talks between Japan and China while also increasing bilateral economic and trade cooperation. Living up to this responsibility is essential to realizing what is called a "strategically reciprocal relationship" between Tokyo and Beijing, instead of leaving the mutually avowed goal an empty slogan. 安全保障面の協議や経済・通商面の協力を拡充し、「戦略的互恵関係」を掛け声だけでなく、真に実のあるものにすべきだ。
The Noda administration also must decide, as soon as possible, whether to send Self-Defense Forces personnel to South Sudan for a U.N. peacekeeping mission, another decision his predecessors put off. 前政権が決断を先送りした南スーダンの国連平和維持活動（ＰＫＯ）への自衛隊派遣でも、早期に結論を出すことが肝要である。
We hope the Liberal Democratic Party and other opposition parties will agree to abandon the unreasonable practice established over the years of restricting visits to other countries by prime ministers and foreign ministers. For years, opposition parties have insisted that attendance at Diet sessions by such political figures must take precedence over overseas travel on official business. 自民党など野党に求めたいのは、国会審議を理由に、首相や外相の外国訪問を制約する悪(あ)しき慣例をやめることだ。
The public does not even begin to understand why the country's national interests must be compromised because its prime minister and foreign minister are prevented from visiting other nations under what can only be described as a misguided rule meant to preserve "the authority of the Diet." 「国会の権威」を盾に国益を損ね続けることは、国民の理解を超えている。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 5, 2011) （2011年9月5日01時15分 読売新聞）
Newly elected Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda formed his Cabinet on Sept. 2. 野田新内閣が発足した。
The team he put together, along with top posts in the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, indicate that he had three key objectives. 民主党の幹部人事と合わせた顔ぶれには、野田首相なりの配慮がくっきりとみえる。
His first priority was apparently reconciliation between rival groups within the DPJ. 一つめは党内融和だ。
In a gesture in that direction, he picked two members of the group led by former DPJ chief Ichiro Ozawa for his Cabinet. 小沢グループからも２閣僚を起用している。
Due partly to his attempts to restore harmony among party members, the Cabinet lineup has a low-key feel. その結果もあって、政権全体の印象はかなり地味だ。
Noda chose all his ministers from among Diet members. 非議員もいない。
Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura, the top spokesman for the new government, is probably unfamiliar to many voters. 内閣の要の藤村修官房長官は多くの有権者にとって「Ｗｈｏ？」だろう。
During the DPJ leadership race, Noda said he would not dissolve the Lower House for a snap election because public support for the DPJ would not rise quickly. 首相は党代表選のときに「支持率はすぐ上がらない。だから解散はしない」と語っていた。
His Cabinet choices apparently reflect that pledge and that view. その言葉を政権の布陣でも実証するかのようだ。
This is good news if it represents a first step toward policy formation not governed by short-term political exigencies ahead of elections. 解散風に右往左往する政治を改める一歩になるならば、いいことだ。
THE YOUNG TURKS ■政治改革の９３年組
Noda's second priority was a generational change. 二つめは世代交代だ。
He is the third youngest postwar prime minister. Five members of his Cabinet are in their 40s. 首相が戦後３番目の若さだし、閣僚には５人の４０歳代を配した。
There is little doubt that he is seeking to put an end to the "troika" DPJ leadership of Ozawa, Yukio Hatoyama and Naoto Kan. The latter two are Noda's immediate predecessors as prime minister. Noda is clearly trying to give young, up-and-coming lawmakers within the ruling party opportunities to develop their leadership skills. 菅、鳩山、小沢各氏による民主党のトロイカ体制を終わらせ、党を担う人材を育てる狙いも込められているのは明らかだ。
Noda and three other lawmakers who assumed key Cabinet and party posts--Fujimura, Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba, and new DPJ policy chief Seiji Maehara--were all elected to the Lower House for the first time in the 1993 election, when the Liberal Democratic Party was ousted from power. They were all candidates of opposition parties, including the Japan New Party, whose head, Morihiro Hosokawa, was prime minister of a non-LDP coalition government between 1993 and 1994. This exemplifies the changes now taking place in Japanese politics and is a fresh reminder that the old-fashioned LDP, criticized as money-driven and corrupt, is history. そして、首相、外相、官房長官、党政調会長という政権中枢が、いずれも１９９３年の自民党政権崩壊の総選挙に、日本新党などから挑んで初当選した点も時代の変化を象徴する。金権腐敗を指弾された自民党政治の終焉（しゅうえん）を改めて見る思いだ。
Some may worry that these young politicians lack the political skills needed to perform their important jobs. 政治家としての力量不足を危ぶむ声もあろうが、
However, we welcome their appointments in the expectation that they will mature as politicians with experience. 経験を積むことで成長する期待も込めて、前向きに評価する。
POLICY CONTINUITY
Thirdly, Noda tried to ensure continuity in government policies following the March 11 earthquake and nuclear disaster. He reappointed the ministers in charge of reconstruction and the response to the nuclear crisis. 三つめは、東日本大震災からの復興と、原発事故対応については担当相を再任し、喫緊の課題で継続性を重視した点だ。
He also assigned the national policy and welfare portfolios, the two key Cabinet posts for integrated tax and social security reform, to the two legislators who have been in charge of the issue within the Cabinet and the ruling party, respectively. さらに社会保障と税の一体改革を担う国家戦略相と厚生労働相には、これまで党と内閣で担当してきた政治家を充てた。
This is a reasonable move since this urgent policy issue requires leadership from people who understand their subject. 一から勉強している余裕などないテーマだけに、妥当な人事と言えるだろう。
Noda is the sixth prime minister in five years. この５年で、６人目の首相である。
We believe the Diet must regain its ability to build consensus and implement policies so that the new Cabinet can deal effectively with the challenges facing the nation. 私たちは、この新内閣が懸案を処理していくためには、国会が忘れてしまった合意形成の技術を取り戻し、政策を遂行する能力を身につけるしかないと考える。
■なじまぬ「対決型」
Under the so-called 1955 regime, the LDP's virtual monopoly on power in the postwar period, the main opposition Social Democratic Party did not actually seek to take power from the ruling party. The Socialists did not field a sufficient number of candidates to win a majority in the Lower House. かつての５５年体制では、野党第１党の社会党は過半数の候補者を立てず、実質的には政権奪取をめざしていなかった。
The SDP defined its mission as influencing the ruling party's policies through political maneuvering. そのぶん、政策で実績をあげることに存在意義を見いだそうとしていた。
Its high-profile stonewalling and boycotting of Diet sessions, with legislators walking at a snail's pace to filibuster initiatives, were designed to attract public attention to certain issues and put pressure on the ruling party to agree to the opposition party's demands. 牛歩戦術や審議拒否といった派手な抵抗は、世論の関心を高め、与党に主張をのませるための策だった。
As a new era of head-on competition for power between the two major parties began, the opposition party started concentrating on efforts to topple the government. それが２大政党による政権争奪選挙の時代になると、野党は倒閣にひた走り始めた。
This resulted in chronic partisan bickering, sometimes over surprisingly unimportant issues. 与野党間の政争が日常化し、こんな問題で対決するのかとあきれられる場面が増えた。
Opposition control of the Upper House has jammed the legislative process. そして衆参ねじれが、すべてを止めてしまう。
However, we no longer live in an age of ideological confrontation between political parties. しかし、イデオロギー対立はとうの昔に終わっている。
Powerful social and economic trends like globalization, low birthrates and the aging of the population impose limits on the scope of policies that can be adopted and the means to achieve political goals. グローバル化や出生率低下、高齢社会の制約から、動員できる政策の幅は狭まり、手段も限られている。
There is, for instance, no practical way to build new nuclear reactors. All the parties have to acknowledge the fact that the number of reactors in operation will decline in the future. 原発新設の道は事実上閉ざされ、原発が減るのはどの党も認めざるを得ない。
Given this political reality, it is hard to argue that there are unbridgeable differences over key policy issues between the DPJ and the LDP. こんな現実を見据えれば、民主、自民両党の立ち位置に抜きがたい違いがあるようには見えない。
There should be more issues on which the two parties can find common ground. 折り合える課題はもっと多いはずだ。
Noda has proposed policy talks between the DPJ, the LDP and New Komeito in three key areas, including integrated tax and social security reform. 野田首相は、一体改革など三つのテーマについて、民自公３党の協議機関設置を提案した。
The LDP should agree to that proposal. 自民党は応ずるべきだ。
Social security programs like the public pension program cannot be changed easily even if power changes hands. 年金などの社会保障制度は、政権が交代してもくるくる変えられない。
Raising funds to finance these vital programs is a key policy challenge for both the ruling and opposition parties. その財源の手当ても与野党共通の重要課題だ。
The ruling and opposition parties should work together in pushing through integrated reform. だからこそ、与野党が協力して一体改革に取り組んだほうがいい。
This is clearly a time to evolve from a "politics of confrontation" to a "politics of consensus." いまこそ、「対決の政治」を「合意の政治」へと進化させる好機なのだ。
THE FUTURE IS IN VOTERS' HANDS ■二重苦の国会で
Under the current political situation, bills cannot be enacted unless they are approved by the opposition parties. Those parties should play the central role in developing this politics of consensus. 現状では、野党が反対すれば法案は通らないので、「合意の政治」の主役は実は野党だ。
They are sure to win more public support by making sincere efforts to find compromise by putting forth easy-to-understand proposals to revise bills, instead of making unreasonable demands that the ruling party accept their proposals in their entirety. 強引な丸のみを要求せず、わかりやすい修正案を繰り出して真摯（しんし）に妥協を探るなら、きっと野党の側が評価される。
Voters, for their part, need to fairly assess the parties' contributions to the realization of policies and take this into account when deciding how to cast their votes. 有権者の側も、政党に対する評価の尺度として、政策実現への貢献度をきちんと見極める必要がある。
Currently, there is more serious political confrontation between intraparty groups than between the two major parties. いま政治の対立軸は、２大政党の間よりも、むしろそれぞれの党の内側にある。
Both the DPJ and the LDP are deeply split over the issue of tax increases, for instance. たとえば、増税政策を巡っては、民主、自民両党ともに容認派と反対派を抱え込んでいる。
Unfortunately for the immediate future of Japanese politics, this is the reality of our two main parties. The DPJ was united only for the sake of taking power and the LDP was united only for the sake of remaining in power. これが、政権奪取だけで結束してきた民主党と、政権維持だけで一致してきた自民党という２大政党の悲しい現実だ。
The new Cabinet will likely face a Diet plagued by divided control of its two houses and policy division within its major parties. 衆参ねじれと、政策ねじれという「二重苦の国会」に、新内閣は船出していく。
If the ruling and opposition parties fail to come to terms, with the prospect of a snap election looming over proceedings, the new Cabinet will collapse before long. ますます、解散・総選挙が視野に入ってこざるを得ない国会論戦で、与野党の合意を得られなければ、またしても短期間で沈んでいかざるを得ない。
The fate of the new governments is in the hands of voters. この政権の先行きを左右するのは、有権者に違いない。
The question is whether voters will be able to accurately assess the feasibility and credibility of various proposals likely to be made at the Diet, many of which will be aimed at winning votes. 国会で飛び交うであろう「選挙目当て」の甘言の実現性を確かめ、その信用性を聞き分けるかどうかだ。
It is, after all, the voting public who will change politics. 政治を変えるのは結局のところ、有権者である。
Newly elected Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda formed his Cabinet on Sept. 2. 野田新内閣が発足した。
The team he put together, along with top posts in the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, indicate that he had three key objectives. 民主党の幹部人事と合わせた顔ぶれには、野田首相なりの配慮がくっきりとみえる。
His first priority was apparently reconciliation between rival groups within the DPJ. 一つめは党内融和だ。
In a gesture in that direction, he picked two members of the group led by former DPJ chief Ichiro Ozawa for his Cabinet. 小沢グループからも２閣僚を起用している。
Due partly to his attempts to restore harmony among party members, the Cabinet lineup has a low-key feel. その結果もあって、政権全体の印象はかなり地味だ。
Noda chose all his ministers from among Diet members. 非議員もいない。
Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura, the top spokesman for the new government, is probably unfamiliar to many voters. 内閣の要の藤村修官房長官は多くの有権者にとって「Ｗｈｏ？」だろう。
During the DPJ leadership race, Noda said he would not dissolve the Lower House for a snap election because public support for the DPJ would not rise quickly. 首相は党代表選のときに「支持率はすぐ上がらない。だから解散はしない」と語っていた。
His Cabinet choices apparently reflect that pledge and that view. その言葉を政権の布陣でも実証するかのようだ。
This is good news if it represents a first step toward policy formation not governed by short-term political exigencies ahead of elections. 解散風に右往左往する政治を改める一歩になるならば、いいことだ。
THE YOUNG TURKS ■政治改革の９３年組
Noda's second priority was a generational change. 二つめは世代交代だ。
He is the third youngest postwar prime minister. Five members of his Cabinet are in their 40s. 首相が戦後３番目の若さだし、閣僚には５人の４０歳代を配した。
There is little doubt that he is seeking to put an end to the "troika" DPJ leadership of Ozawa, Yukio Hatoyama and Naoto Kan. The latter two are Noda's immediate predecessors as prime minister. Noda is clearly trying to give young, up-and-coming lawmakers within the ruling party opportunities to develop their leadership skills. 菅、鳩山、小沢各氏による民主党のトロイカ体制を終わらせ、党を担う人材を育てる狙いも込められているのは明らかだ。
Noda and three other lawmakers who assumed key Cabinet and party posts--Fujimura, Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba, and new DPJ policy chief Seiji Maehara--were all elected to the Lower House for the first time in the 1993 election, when the Liberal Democratic Party was ousted from power. They were all candidates of opposition parties, including the Japan New Party, whose head, Morihiro Hosokawa, was prime minister of a non-LDP coalition government between 1993 and 1994. This exemplifies the changes now taking place in Japanese politics and is a fresh reminder that the old-fashioned LDP, criticized as money-driven and corrupt, is history. そして、首相、外相、官房長官、党政調会長という政権中枢が、いずれも１９９３年の自民党政権崩壊の総選挙に、日本新党などから挑んで初当選した点も時代の変化を象徴する。金権腐敗を指弾された自民党政治の終焉（しゅうえん）を改めて見る思いだ。
Some may worry that these young politicians lack the political skills needed to perform their important jobs. 政治家としての力量不足を危ぶむ声もあろうが、
However, we welcome their appointments in the expectation that they will mature as politicians with experience. 経験を積むことで成長する期待も込めて、前向きに評価する。
POLICY CONTINUITY
Thirdly, Noda tried to ensure continuity in government policies following the March 11 earthquake and nuclear disaster. He reappointed the ministers in charge of reconstruction and the response to the nuclear crisis. 三つめは、東日本大震災からの復興と、原発事故対応については担当相を再任し、喫緊の課題で継続性を重視した点だ。
He also assigned the national policy and welfare portfolios, the two key Cabinet posts for integrated tax and social security reform, to the two legislators who have been in charge of the issue within the Cabinet and the ruling party, respectively. さらに社会保障と税の一体改革を担う国家戦略相と厚生労働相には、これまで党と内閣で担当してきた政治家を充てた。
This is a reasonable move since this urgent policy issue requires leadership from people who understand their subject. 一から勉強している余裕などないテーマだけに、妥当な人事と言えるだろう。
Noda is the sixth prime minister in five years. この５年で、６人目の首相である。
We believe the Diet must regain its ability to build consensus and implement policies so that the new Cabinet can deal effectively with the challenges facing the nation. 私たちは、この新内閣が懸案を処理していくためには、国会が忘れてしまった合意形成の技術を取り戻し、政策を遂行する能力を身につけるしかないと考える。
■なじまぬ「対決型」
Under the so-called 1955 regime, the LDP's virtual monopoly on power in the postwar period, the main opposition Social Democratic Party did not actually seek to take power from the ruling party. The Socialists did not field a sufficient number of candidates to win a majority in the Lower House. かつての５５年体制では、野党第１党の社会党は過半数の候補者を立てず、実質的には政権奪取をめざしていなかった。
The SDP defined its mission as influencing the ruling party's policies through political maneuvering. そのぶん、政策で実績をあげることに存在意義を見いだそうとしていた。
Its high-profile stonewalling and boycotting of Diet sessions, with legislators walking at a snail's pace to filibuster initiatives, were designed to attract public attention to certain issues and put pressure on the ruling party to agree to the opposition party's demands. 牛歩戦術や審議拒否といった派手な抵抗は、世論の関心を高め、与党に主張をのませるための策だった。
As a new era of head-on competition for power between the two major parties began, the opposition party started concentrating on efforts to topple the government. それが２大政党による政権争奪選挙の時代になると、野党は倒閣にひた走り始めた。
This resulted in chronic partisan bickering, sometimes over surprisingly unimportant issues. 与野党間の政争が日常化し、こんな問題で対決するのかとあきれられる場面が増えた。
Opposition control of the Upper House has jammed the legislative process. そして衆参ねじれが、すべてを止めてしまう。
However, we no longer live in an age of ideological confrontation between political parties. しかし、イデオロギー対立はとうの昔に終わっている。
Powerful social and economic trends like globalization, low birthrates and the aging of the population impose limits on the scope of policies that can be adopted and the means to achieve political goals. グローバル化や出生率低下、高齢社会の制約から、動員できる政策の幅は狭まり、手段も限られている。
There is, for instance, no practical way to build new nuclear reactors. All the parties have to acknowledge the fact that the number of reactors in operation will decline in the future. 原発新設の道は事実上閉ざされ、原発が減るのはどの党も認めざるを得ない。
Given this political reality, it is hard to argue that there are unbridgeable differences over key policy issues between the DPJ and the LDP. こんな現実を見据えれば、民主、自民両党の立ち位置に抜きがたい違いがあるようには見えない。
There should be more issues on which the two parties can find common ground. 折り合える課題はもっと多いはずだ。
Noda has proposed policy talks between the DPJ, the LDP and New Komeito in three key areas, including integrated tax and social security reform. 野田首相は、一体改革など三つのテーマについて、民自公３党の協議機関設置を提案した。
The LDP should agree to that proposal. 自民党は応ずるべきだ。
Social security programs like the public pension program cannot be changed easily even if power changes hands. 年金などの社会保障制度は、政権が交代してもくるくる変えられない。
Raising funds to finance these vital programs is a key policy challenge for both the ruling and opposition parties. その財源の手当ても与野党共通の重要課題だ。
The ruling and opposition parties should work together in pushing through integrated reform. だからこそ、与野党が協力して一体改革に取り組んだほうがいい。
This is clearly a time to evolve from a "politics of confrontation" to a "politics of consensus." いまこそ、「対決の政治」を「合意の政治」へと進化させる好機なのだ。
THE FUTURE IS IN VOTERS' HANDS ■二重苦の国会で
Under the current political situation, bills cannot be enacted unless they are approved by the opposition parties. Those parties should play the central role in developing this politics of consensus. 現状では、野党が反対すれば法案は通らないので、「合意の政治」の主役は実は野党だ。
They are sure to win more public support by making sincere efforts to find compromise by putting forth easy-to-understand proposals to revise bills, instead of making unreasonable demands that the ruling party accept their proposals in their entirety. 強引な丸のみを要求せず、わかりやすい修正案を繰り出して真摯（しんし）に妥協を探るなら、きっと野党の側が評価される。
Voters, for their part, need to fairly assess the parties' contributions to the realization of policies and take this into account when deciding how to cast their votes. 有権者の側も、政党に対する評価の尺度として、政策実現への貢献度をきちんと見極める必要がある。
Currently, there is more serious political confrontation between intraparty groups than between the two major parties. いま政治の対立軸は、２大政党の間よりも、むしろそれぞれの党の内側にある。
Both the DPJ and the LDP are deeply split over the issue of tax increases, for instance. たとえば、増税政策を巡っては、民主、自民両党ともに容認派と反対派を抱え込んでいる。
Unfortunately for the immediate future of Japanese politics, this is the reality of our two main parties. The DPJ was united only for the sake of taking power and the LDP was united only for the sake of remaining in power. これが、政権奪取だけで結束してきた民主党と、政権維持だけで一致してきた自民党という２大政党の悲しい現実だ。
The new Cabinet will likely face a Diet plagued by divided control of its two houses and policy division within its major parties. 衆参ねじれと、政策ねじれという「二重苦の国会」に、新内閣は船出していく。
If the ruling and opposition parties fail to come to terms, with the prospect of a snap election looming over proceedings, the new Cabinet will collapse before long. ますます、解散・総選挙が視野に入ってこざるを得ない国会論戦で、与野党の合意を得られなければ、またしても短期間で沈んでいかざるを得ない。
The fate of the new governments is in the hands of voters. この政権の先行きを左右するのは、有権者に違いない。
The question is whether voters will be able to accurately assess the feasibility and credibility of various proposals likely to be made at the Diet, many of which will be aimed at winning votes. 国会で飛び交うであろう「選挙目当て」の甘言の実現性を確かめ、その信用性を聞き分けるかどうかだ。
It is, after all, the voting public who will change politics. 政治を変えるのは結局のところ、有権者である。
