震災と国会―議員立法で働こう

2011/07/10
--The Asahi Shimbun, July 9
EDITORIAL: Lawmakers should get busy and lead Diet, instead of blocking Kan's efforts
震災と国会―議員立法で働こう

The Kan administration's frustrating inability to function amid the ongoing disaster recovery crisis is nothing short of scandalous.
　政権の機能不全は目に余る。

But what is the Diet doing about it?
では国会は何をしているのか。

Looking at the legislature, we find the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party, in tandem with the New Komeito and other opposition parties, has drafted a handful of bills to deal with important policy issues related to the Great East Japan Earthquake.
　そう思って見てみると、自民党が公明党など他の野党と共同で、東日本大震災対策の議員立法を矢継ぎ早に打ち出しているのが目立つ。

These include a bill that allows the government to make tentative compensation payments for losses caused by the accident at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
　東京電力の原発事故の賠償金を国が仮払いする法案、

They have also created a bill for full state financing of the work to clean up the debris left by the March 11 tsunami.
がれき処理の費用を全額国で負担する特別措置法案に続いて、

On July 8, the LDP and Komeito jointly submitted a bill to the Diet that will create a new entity to buy up loans to disaster-hit small businesses that have run into new debt.
きのうは、中小企業などの債務を買い取る組織を新設する二重ローン対策法案を国会に提出した。

The LDP is also considering legislation to set up a Diet committee to investigate the nuclear accident at the Fukushima plant.
　原発事故の調査委員会を国会に設ける法案なども検討しているという。

Some of these pieces of legislation are similar to the bills and measures being prepared by the Kan administration and the ruling Democratic Party of Japan.
　政府・与党が同じような法案や対策を準備しているものもあるが、

But others are more ambitious and substantial proposals reflecting opposition viewpoints.
野党の立場から、より踏み込んだ内容も少なくない。

As expected, the LDP's legislative drive is politically motivated.
　もちろん、自民党には政治的な思惑があろう。

The party is apparently hoping to emphasize the delays in the Kan administration's efforts to tackle the challenges posed by the disaster.
とにかく、菅政権の震災対応の遅れを印象づけたい。

The LDP is also seeking to convince voters that the opposition camp is not just causing legislative gridlock by hindering the ruling bloc's proposals.
野党が足を引っ張ってばかりで国政を停滞させているわけではない、と世論にアピールしたい。

The LDP seems to have decided that the best way to achieve these political objectives is to propose its own bills.
そのためには、どんどん法案を出すに限る。

This is obvious. We are aware of the political plotting that lies behind these opposition moves, and we urge the government and the ruling party to seriously consider demonstrating their magnanimity by adopting those proposals by the opposition that are most constructive.
　そんな野党の戦術を承知の上で、ここは政府・与党に真剣に考えてほしい。建設的な提案ならば、大胆に採り入れる度量を示したらどうか。

First of all, in the current circumstances, it is impossible for the ruling camp to enact bills without the cooperation of the opposition parties, which control the Upper House.
　もともと、衆参ねじれ国会の下では、与党単独で法案を通すことはできないのだ。

What we need now is quick action to enact bills and measures that will help rebuild areas devastated by the earthquake and tsunami.
　いま必要なことは、復旧・復興に役立つ法律や政策を一日も早くつくることだ。

But the Kan Cabinet is sinking deeper into a political quagmire. Last week, newly appointed reconstruction minister Ryu Matsumoto quit over his inappropriate remarks, and now Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Banri Kaieda has indicated he plans to step down.
　だが、松本龍復興担当相の辞任に続く、海江田万里経済産業相の辞意表明で、「内閣崩壊」が止まらない。

All this is happening when there are less than 60 days left in the current extended Diet session.
延長国会の残り会期は６０日を切っている。

The situation clearly calls for more vigorous action by the Diet.
　だからこそ、立法府が奮起するときだ。

There is no time to waste on partisan political battles over policy efforts to cope with this epic disaster.
震災対策で与野党が功名争いをしている時間はない。

Lawmakers in both camps should work in closer cooperation to accomplish their duties to benefit the disaster-hit regions and survivors.
もっと協調して被災地のために粛々と責務を果たそう。

In an encouraging move, the DPJ, the LDP and Komeito have revised the government-drafted bill to establish the basic organizational and financial frameworks for the policy efforts for post-disaster reconstruction and submitted it afresh to the Diet under the initiative of their lawmakers.
　復興基本法は、政府案を修正し、民主、自民、公明３党が議員立法で出し直した。

Legislation drafted and sponsored by Diet members, as opposed to bills written by the government, is an appealing and effective way to promote bipartisan cooperation.
与野党の協調を具体化する手段として、議員立法という手法は、わかりやすくて有効なのだ。

Both the ruling and opposition parties should demonstrate their political prowess by turning the current legislative impasse into an opportunity to expand the role of lawmaker-initiated legislation as an agent of change in this nation's politics.
　この際、今国会を議員立法で政治を動かす転機にする。そんな気構えを与野党に求める。

We should remember that it was legislation drafted by Diet members that first put Japan on the path of atomic energy development.
　思い起こせば、日本の原子力開発は議員立法で始まった。

In the mid 1950s, a nonpartisan group of lawmakers led by former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone drafted and sponsored both the bill for Japan's first budget for nuclear power generation and the basic legislation for nuclear power development.
１９５０年代半ば、日本初の原子力予算も原子力基本法も、中曽根康弘元首相を中心とした超党派の議員の発案だった。

Now, we need legislators in both camps supporting the cause of making Japan less dependent on nuclear power to band together and create legislation to expand the use of renewable energy sources.
　「脱・原発依存」をめざす与野党の議員は、いまこそ自然エネルギーを画期的に普及させる議員立法を構想してほしい。

This is a great opportunity for the Diet to show that, rather than being incapable of making any important policy decisions while locked in partisan bickering, it can move to help the plight of the disaster victims.
　被災地そっちのけで政争に明け暮れ、何も決められない。そんな国会の汚名を返上しよう。