民主党代表選 「小鳩」の総括と政策論が先だ

(Aug. 21, 2010)
DPJ should debate policy, shun politicking
民主党代表選　「小鳩」の総括と政策論が先だ（8月20日付・読売社説）

With less than two weeks until campaigning for the Democratic Party of Japan's presidential election gets underway on Sept. 1, each DPJ group has been engaged in an increasing amount of intraparty wheeling and dealing.
　来月１日の民主党代表選の告示まで２週間を切り、各グループの駆け引きが活発化している。

On Thursday, former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama held a seminar for members of his group. The meeting was attended by former DPJ Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa, who heads the ruling party's largest segment.
　１９日には鳩山前首相がグループ研修会を開き、党内最大勢力を率いる小沢一郎・前幹事長も出席した。

Ozawa is reportedly considering running in the presidential race, provided he can receive support from a wide range of DPJ members, including those of the Hatoyama group. This has given rise to speculation that Ozawa's attendance at the Thursday meeting may have been part of his preparations for the election.
　小沢氏は、鳩山グループなど党内の幅広い支持が得られることを条件に、出馬を検討しているという。研修会への出席も、そのための布石とみられている。

The seminar, which attracted about 150 DPJ lawmakers, served to display Hatoyama's continuing influence within the party. After stepping down as prime minister in early June, Hatoyama at one time expressed his intention to retire from politics.
　一時は政界引退を表明していた鳩山氏も、約１５０人の国会議員を研修会に集め、党内への影響力を誇示した。

Hatoyama's move could be seen as an attempt to regain his lost political privileges, by taking advantage of the obvious advances being made toward him by both Prime Minister Naoto Kan and Ozawa. Kan is apparently trying to woo Hatoyama to his side, in the hope of ensuring his reelection as DPJ chief and consequently prime minister. Ozawa is behaving in a similar fashion as he explores the possibility of running in the Sept. 14 election.
　再選をめざす菅首相、出馬の可能性を探る小沢氏の双方から秋波を送られる状況を利用し、政治的復権を果たすつもりなのだろう。

DPJ chiefs must fulfill duties

During Thursday's seminar, Hatoyama reiterated his assertion that the DPJ must be firmly united in running the country as the ruling party. He has said he will support Kan's bid to win reelection as DPJ leader if all the party's groups close ranks with each other.
挙党一致を条件に首相続投を支持している鳩山氏は、研修会でも、挙党態勢の構築を求めた。

However, we believe both Ozawa and Hatoyama must look squarely at their respective must-do lists, instead of engaging in calculated activities tied to their party's election.
　しかし、小沢氏も鳩山氏も、代表選をにらんで動く前に、なすべきことがあるのではないか。

Hatoyama bears a heavy responsibility for the rift created in the Japan-U.S. relationship as a result of the turmoil that arose from his inconsistent approach to the dispute over the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture. Both Hatoyama and Ozawa have yet to fulfill their duty to fully explain about their connections with politics-and-money scandals.
　鳩山氏には、米軍普天間飛行場の移設問題の迷走で、日米関係に亀裂を生じさせた重い責任がある。「政治とカネ」をめぐる問題では、両氏とも十分な説明責任を果たしていない。

How do Hatoyama and Ozawa appear to the public in these circumstances? These DPJ heavyweights are obviously resorting to an alliance as a political expedient, instead of reflecting on the scandals that erupted when the former was head of the DPJ and the latter was the party's secretary general.
　「小鳩」政権時代への反省と厳しい総括をしないまま、合従連衡に走る姿が、国民の目にどう映るだろうか。

Ozawa deserves particular reproach as a Tokyo inquest of prosecution panel continues to reconsider the pros and cons of prosecutors' earlier decision not to indict him over the politics-and-money scandal. If Ozawa enters the DPJ election, he should explain what he will do to settle the dispute over the scandal politically, morally and otherwise.
　特に小沢氏の場合、「政治とカネ」の問題で検察審査会の審議が継続中だ。代表選に出馬するなら、どうけじめをつけるのか、具体的に語る必要があろう。

Use election opportunity

Meanwhile, Kan's attitude is no less problematic.
　一方、菅首相の対応も、問題なしとは言えない。

During a press conference in late July, he said the list of pledges he would prepare for the DPJ race would not include a rise in the consumption tax rate. Is it acceptable for Kan to use his party's setback in the last House of Councillors election as a reason for retracting his promise to restore fiscal health?
　先月末の記者会見で、消費税率引き上げを代表選の公約に掲げないとの考えを示したが、参院選で敗北したからといって、財政健全化の旗まで降ろしてよいのか。

We believe the prime minister should more actively use the DPJ race as an opportunity to deepen intraparty discussions about the controversy over the consumption tax rate.
　むしろ代表選を機に、消費税問題の党内論議を深めるぐらいの攻めの姿勢が求められよう。

Another important issue to be taken up in campaigning for the race is how to treat the DPJ manifesto for last year's House of Representatives election.
　昨年の衆院選の政権公約（マニフェスト）をどう扱うかも重要な論点である。

It is easy to see the DPJ-led government will be unable to continue such lavish handouts as child-rearing allowances and toll-free services on expressways, when one considers the need to raise a massive amount of funds for such measures.
　子ども手当の支給や高速道路無料化といったバラマキ政策を続けることが財政的に不可能であることは明らかだ。

The DPJ government cannot avoid fundamentally reconsidering the electoral manifesto, given its year-end budget compilation.
年末の予算編成を考えれば、政権公約の大胆な見直しは避けて通れない。

Last year's change in administration means the DPJ race is comparable to the Liberal Democratic Party's earlier presidential elections in that the winner will, in effect, gain a passport to the premiership.
　昨年の政権交代で民主党代表選は、かつての自民党総裁選のように首相選びに直結する。

The DPJ should take this to heart. The upcoming presidential race must provide its candidates with an opportunity to compete to discuss what shape our country should take and present policies that would affect people's lives.
　民主党はそれを強く自覚し、今回の党首選びを、国家ビジョンや国民生活にかかわる政策を競う場としなければならない。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Aug. 20, 2010)
（2010年8月20日01時25分 読売新聞）