大阪ダブル選 「都構想」への関門はなお多い

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Nov. 29, 2011)
Many hurdles ahead for an Osaka metropolis
大阪ダブル選　「都構想」への関門はなお多い（11月28日付・読売社説）

Former Osaka Gov. Toru Hashimoto won Sunday's Osaka mayoral election. Hashimoto, who heads Osaka Ishin no Kai (Osaka restoration group), a local party, had resigned as Osaka governor to run in the mayoral race.
　地域政党・大阪維新の会の代表を務める前大阪府知事の橋下徹氏が、くら替え出馬した大阪市長選で勝利した。

In the Osaka gubernatorial election, Ichiro Matsui, the local party's secretary general Hashimoto named as his successor, also won.
　府知事選でも、橋下氏から後継指名を受けた大阪維新の会幹事長の松井一郎氏が当選を決めた。

The party's victories in the elections represented a success for Hashimoto's strategy of engineering the double election, stepping down as governor before his four-year term of office was due to expire.
知事を任期途中で辞職し、ダブル選を仕掛けた橋下氏の戦略が成功したことになる。

The main issue in the double election was Hashimoto's proposal to establish an Osaka metropolis.
In an envisioned overhaul of the local administrative system, he called for the reorganization of the Osaka prefectural government and the Osaka and Sakai municipal governments into a metropolis that provides administrative services in a wider area.
　争点となった「大阪都構想」は府と大阪、堺両市を再編し、広域行政を担う「都」に移行する制度改革だ。

As for the areas currently under the jurisdiction of the Osaka and Sakai municipal governments, Hashimoto proposed dividing the cities into 10 to 12 special administrative wards that will provide services for local residents and introducing elections by popular vote to choose ward mayors, as in Tokyo.
両市域については、住民サービスを受け持つ１０～１２の特別自治区に分割し、東京都のように区長公選制を導入するという。

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New sources of revenue

Hashimoto called for conserving fiscal resources by eliminating overlapping administrative services by the prefectural and municipal governments and promoting growth strategies by consolidating industrial policies and projects to improve infrastructure.
　橋下氏は、二重行政の無駄をなくして財源を生み出し、産業政策やインフラ整備を一元化して成長戦略を推し進めると訴えた。

Matsui also urged implementing the plan.
松井氏も構想の実現を唱えた。

Other candidates supported by prefectural chapters of the Democratic Party of Japan and the Liberal Democratic Party failed to win broader voter support as they were unable to present clear counterproposals against Hashimoto's Osaka metropolis proposal.
　民主、自民両党府連などの支援を受けた候補は、ともに都構想への明確な対案を示すことができず、支持を広げられなかった。

The election results apparently reflect voters' desire for strong leadership and bold system reforms to revitalize Osaka.
　大阪再生のためには、強い指導力と大胆な制度改革が必要だ、と有権者が判断したのだろう。

If the outcome of Sunday's elections helps end what Hashimoto called the "100-year battle between the Osaka prefectural and Osaka city governments," it will certainly benefit residents of Osaka Prefecture.
橋下氏が言うように「大阪府と大阪市の１００年戦争」に終止符が打たれれば府民にもプラスとなる。

Another issue of contention in Sunday's elections was Hashimoto's high-handed tactics.
　ダブル選では橋下氏の強引な政治手法も争点の一つとなった。

Hashimoto managed to increase his support by treating public officials and others opposing him as "resistance forces," causing friction with them in the process.
　橋下氏は自らに反対する相手や「官」を抵抗勢力とし、あつれきを起こして支持を得てきた。

In some ways, it is understandable that rival candidates attacked Hashimoto as "dictatorial."
　相手候補が「独裁的」と攻撃したのは、もっともな面もある。

Hashimoto should humbly take to heart the votes cast against him.
橋下氏は批判票を謙虚に受け止めるべきだ。

Moves will now accelerate in Osaka Prefecture to realize an Osaka metropolis.
　大阪では今後、都構想の実現に向けた動きが加速する。

Those promoting the idea will have to present specific plans on how to divide cities into wards as well as how to secure tax and fiscal resources and sufficiently explain the plan's benefits to voters.
具体的な区割りや税財源などの案を明らかにし、そのメリットを有権者に十分説明する必要がある。

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Election only first obstacle

The double election was only one hurdle that must be cleared before establishing an Osaka metropolis.
　ダブル選は都構想への関門の一つに過ぎない。

Various other hurdles are expected ahead, including approvals by local assemblies, local referendums and revisions of the Local Government Law.
地方議会の承認、住民投票、地方自治法改正など、様々なハードルが予想される。

Expected to be particularly difficult are legislative procedures that will be necessary to transform the prefecture and the municipalities into a metropolis.
　とりわけ難しいのは、都制度移行手続きのための法整備だろう。

This is because such procedures will require drastic reviews of what forms local government organs and administrative systems should take.
統治機構や自治のあり方の大きな見直しにつながるからだ。

Not a few among the ruling and opposition parties oppose the Osaka metropolis plan. DPJ Policy Research Committee Chairman Seiji Maehara said, "[The plan] is meant to strengthen the authority of prefectural governments, which runs counter to our party's policy."
　民主党の前原政調会長が都構想について「府県の権限を強化するもので、党の考えからすると逆」と述べるなど、与野党には反対論が少なくない。

Osaka is faced with grave problems.
　大阪が抱える問題は深刻だ。

But many of them, such as a faltering local economy and an increasing number of welfare recipients, cannot be resolved simply through reform of the administrative system.
経済の低迷や生活保護受給者増など、組織改革だけでは解決できない課題も多い。

The reform of the public servant system Hashimoto pledged during the election campaign will also be tested.
公約した公務員制度改革の真価も問われる。

What actions will Hashimoto, who managed to build political foundations both in Osaka prefectural and city governments, take now?
　府と市に基盤を築いた橋下氏がどう動くか。

We hope he will present us with tangible outcomes through his "system restoration."
「体制維新」の具体的な成果を出してもらいたい。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 28, 2011)
（2011年11月28日01時18分 読売新聞）