政策決定過程 機能するシステムを構築せよ

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）