After a bruising battle, Kan faces tough tasks

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Sep. 16, 2010)
After a bruising battle, Kan faces tough tasks
菅代表再選　円高と景気対策に挙党態勢を（9月15日付・読売社説）

Prime Minister Naoto Kan defeated Ichiro Ozawa, former secretary general of the Democratic Party of Japan, by a significant margin in the party presidential election Tuesday following a hard-fought battle that has opened a rift in the party.
　党内を二分する激戦となった民主党代表選は、菅首相が小沢一郎前幹事長を大差で破った。

The confusion in the party, which followed the major defeat it suffered in the House of Councillors election in July, has effectively created a political vacuum in the nation. It cannot be denied that the situation has caused national policies to stagnate and has smothered the nation's politics in a sense of helplessness.
　７月の参院選敗北に続く民主党内の混乱は、事実上の政治空白を生み、国政全体に停滞と閉塞(へいそく)感をもたらしてきたことは間違いない。

During the intraparty struggle, the government fell one step behind in dealing with the yen's rapid appreciation and the flagging economy. This was widely noticed.
　この間、円高・経済対策では政府の対応が後手に回り、反応の鈍さも目立った。

Kan should immediately form his new Cabinet, appoint new party executives and exert leadership in implementing economic stimulus measures and drafting the fiscal 2011 budget.
　菅首相は、すみやかに内閣・党役員人事を断行して態勢を整え、景気対策や来年度予算編成に全力をあげねばならない。

Scandal held Ozawa back
　◆資金疑惑響いた小沢氏◆

Kan's victory, however, owes a lot to the "weak points" of his opponent, Ozawa.
　菅首相の勝利は、対立候補の小沢氏が抱えていた多くの「弱点」に救われた面が大きい。

In connection with scandals involving his political funds management organization, his former secretaries were arrested and indicted. He resigned as party secretary general right before the upper house election.
　自らの資金管理団体の政治資金規正法違反事件で元秘書らが逮捕・起訴された小沢氏は、参院選前に幹事長を辞職したばかりだ。

In the party leadership race, former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who was also involved in a politics-and-money scandal and had resigned as prime minister, threw his support behind the DPJ heavyweight. It was a renewed challenge by the Ozawa-Hatoyama duo toward the party leadership, a move that most observers found hard to understand. It was natural that many non-lawmaker party members and registered supporters did not accept them.
　今回の代表選は、同じく「政治とカネ」の問題を抱えて辞任した鳩山前首相の支援を受けての「小鳩」による不可解な再挑戦だった。多くの党員・サポーターが受け入れなかったのは当然だろう。

In connection with the scandal, an inquest of prosecution committee is scheduled to decide in October--for the second time--whether Ozawa should be indicted in connection with a suspicious land purchase by his political funds management group.
　小沢氏の「政治とカネ」の問題では、１０月にも検察審査会が再度の議決を行う予定だ。

When Ozawa was asked what he would do if the independent panel decides that he merits the indictment and he is prosecuted, he clearly stated he would neither leave the party nor resign as Diet member, indicating that he planned to fight the charges in court.
そこで「起訴すべき」との議決が出され、強制起訴になった場合、小沢氏は「離党も辞職もしない」と明言し、司法の場で争う考えを示した。

However, Ozawa has failed to fulfill his responsibility to explain his politics-and-money problems. His remarks undoubtedly aroused opposition and doubt among many party members.
　しかし、「政治とカネ」の問題で説明責任を果たそうとしてこなかった小沢氏のこの発言には、多くの党員が、反発や疑問を抱いたに相違ない。

In the end, one factor behind Ozawa's defeat in the presidential election was the possibility that the country might have ended up with a prime minister who was on trial in a criminal case.
　結局、「刑事被告人の首相」になる可能性があったことも、小沢氏敗北の一因といえる。

Passive support to Kan
　◆首相への支持は消極的◆

However, much of the support Kan received in the presidential election was passive. In other words, many of his supporters apparently did not want to have yet another prime minister barely three months after Kan assumed the post, or the third prime minister within a year.
　代表選での首相への支持は消極的なものに過ぎない。党内抗争によって、政権を担当して３か月余で首相が交代したり、１年間に３人目の首相が生まれたりするのは避けたい、という理由だ。

Kan and Ozawa staged a neck and neck battle for votes by Diet members, suggesting that there are deep-rooted frustrations over the prime minister's management of his administration.
　国会議員の獲得票では、首相と小沢氏がほぼ互角だったことは、党内に首相の政権運営に根強い不満があることを示している。

How does Kan intend to handle the divided Diet, in which the ruling bloc controls the House of Representatives while the opposition camp holds a majority in the upper house? And how will he reunite his party, which was split in the presidential election?
　菅首相は一体、衆参ねじれ国会をどう乗り切り、代表選で亀裂の入った党をどう修復して「挙党態勢」を築くのか。

During the presidential election campaign, Kan failed to present clear strategies on how to overcome such problems, simply insisting that it would be possible to form a consensus through "careful" and "modest" discussions in the divided Diet.
　代表選で首相は、ねじれ国会でも、「丁寧に謙虚に議論していけば合意形成は可能だ」などと述べるだけで、確たる戦略を示すことが出来なかった。

In a speech after his reelection as party leader, he sought cooperation from party members. "To form a united party in which all party members will be able to fully exert their power now that the game is over and there are no sides, I ask for your support," he said.
　首相は再選が決まった後の挨拶(あいさつ)で「ノーサイドで全員が力をフルに発揮できる挙党態勢のために協力をお願いする」と表明した。

If Kan opts for a troika system by appointing Ozawa and Hatoyama to key Cabinet or party posts, it may end up creating a dual power structure, just as in the Hatoyama administration. We urge the prime minister not to repeat that mistake. He must appoint the right people to the right positions to decisively implement policies.
　仮に小沢氏や鳩山前首相を要職で起用する「トロイカ体制」を組むとすれば、鳩山前内閣同様の二重権力体制を生むことになりかねない。失敗を繰り返すことなく、適材適所で政策を果断に遂行できる布陣で臨むべきだ。

Now that the party leadership race is over, it is anticipated that Ozawa's supporters will intensify moves to shake the administration not only in personnel affairs but also in budget compilation and other policy matters. Some may even try to break away from the party.
　今後、人事だけでなく、予算編成など政策面でも、小沢支持派による揺さぶりが強まり、離反の動きが出ることも予想される。

The prime minister is highly likely to face difficult political situations, in which he has to confront the Liberal Democratic Party and other opposition parties on one hand while dealing with the "intraparty opposition group" formed by Ozawa's supporters on the other.
　首相が、前面に自民党などの野党と、後方に小沢支持派の「党内野党」とそれぞれ対峙(たいじ)する局面も大いにありえよう。

In addition, Kan has to deal with a full political agenda.
　菅首相が取り組むべき政策課題は数多い。

As for the consumption tax rate hike, the prime minister has toned down his recent stance on the issue compared with what he said in the upper house election campaign. "We'll discuss the future of social security services together with fiscal resources. It'll be important to discuss the consumption tax in that process," he said during the presidential election campaign.
　消費税率引き上げ問題について首相は、代表選で「社会保障のあり方を財源と一体で議論する。その中で消費税の議論をすることが重要」などと述べ、参院選時より発言をトーンダウンさせた。

However, if he adopts the "once bitten, twice shy" approach, he will unlikely be able to restore this country's public finances, which is one of his key policies.
　「羹(あつもの)に懲りて膾(なます)を吹く」という姿勢では、自らの看板政策である財政再建は果たせまい。

The prime minister should expedite efforts to call on the LDP and other parties for suprapartisan negotiations to lay the groundwork for a consumption tax hike in the near future.
　首相は、自民党などに超党派協議を呼びかけ、近い将来の消費税率引き上げに向けた環境整備を急ぐべきである。

Reevaluate election pledges
　◆公約を大胆に見直せ◆

In the presidential election campaign, Ozawa called for sticking to the pledges the party made for the lower house election last year. However, his defeat indicates that his argument had been rejected.
　衆院選政権公約（マニフェスト）への原点回帰を唱える小沢氏の主張は、結果として否定されることになった。

Japan's fiscal condition is the worst among the major industrialized countries. To meet the fiscal 2010 budget, the government has been forced to issue bonds in an amount greater than its tax revenues. Given the situation, we believe there is no room for the government to continue the handout policies outlined in its manifesto, especially since no economic effects can be expected from such measures.
　日本の財政は、今年度予算で税収を上回る国債を発行せざるを得ないなど、主要国で最悪の状況にある。経済効果も期待できない政権公約によるバラマキ政策を続ける余裕はないはずだ。

The government therefore must drastically review the child-rearing allowance program and the plan to make expressways toll-free in the fiscal 2011 budget compilation.
　来年度予算編成では、子ども手当、高速道路無料化などの政策は大胆に見直す必要がある。

In the middle of the presidential election campaign, the prime minister ordered the relevant government offices to consider lowering effective corporate tax rates, which are high by international standards. The step is necessary to boost Japanese companies' potential power and raise their international competitiveness. The government must put this measure into practice in the tax system reform for the next fiscal year.
　首相は代表選のさなか、国際的に高い法人税の実効税率引き下げの検討を指示した。企業活力を引き出し、国際競争力を高めるためにも必要な施策だ。来年度の税制改正でぜひ実現させるべきだ。

As for the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture, Ozawa suggested reviewing the Japan-U.S. agreement reached in May under the Hatoyama administration, exposing the fact that the DPJ is significantly divided over security policies.
　米軍普天間飛行場の移設問題では、小沢氏が５月の日米合意の見直しに含みを持たせ、民主党政権内に安全保障政策で大きな違いがあることを露呈させた。

As soon as possible, Kan should dispel U.S. concerns that may have been generated by Ozawa's remarks and start full-fledged coordination with Okinawa Prefecture and the United States in line with the Japan-U.S. agreement.
　首相は、小沢氏の発言がもたらした米側の懸念を早期に払拭(ふっしょく)するとともに、日米合意に基づいて沖縄や米国との調整を本格化させる必要があろう。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 15, 2010)
（2010年9月15日01時53分 読売新聞）