一体法案可決 民自公路線で確実に成立を

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Jun. 28, 2012)
3 main parties must ensure reform bills pass upper house
一体法案可決　民自公路線で確実に成立を（6月27日付・読売社説）

　◆造反には厳正な処分が必要だ

The House of Representatives passed bills on integrated reform of the social security and tax systems at a plenary meeting Tuesday. This marked a significant step toward the nation's fiscal reconstruction and social security reform.
　財政再建と社会保障制度改革を推進するための大きな一歩だ。

The set of bills--with an increase in the consumption tax rate as the centerpiece--was approved by the ruling Democratic Party of Japan and its junior partner, People's New Party, and also by the two main opposition parties, the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito.
　消費税率引き上げを柱とする社会保障・税一体改革関連法案が衆院本会議で民主、自民、公明、国民新各党などの賛成多数で可決された。

We applaud the fact that nearly 80 percent of lower house legislators voted for the bills on the consumption tax increase.
衆院議員の実に約８割が、賛成票を投じたことを評価したい。

The nation's political parties should ensure the bills pass the House of Councillors. This will require breaking free from the kind of politics that has prevented leaders from making hard decisions.
　「決められない政治」に決別し、参院で法案を確実に成立させなければならない。

It was disappointing that as many as 57 DPJ lawmakers--mostly from groups led by former party President Ichiro Ozawa--voted against the consumption tax hike bills.
　残念なのは、消費増税法案の採決で小沢一郎元代表のグループを中心に５７人もの民主党議員が反対したことである。

　◆民主はもはや分裂状態

If 54 or more DPJ lawmakers leave the party, the ruling coalition would lose its majority in the lower house and become a minority government.
　仮に造反議員が５４人以上、離党すれば、民主、国民新の連立与党は衆院で過半数に届かず、少数与党に転落する。

The ruling party's effective breakup over the bills is proof that its executives lack leadership skills.
民主党はもはや分裂状態だ。党執行部が統率力を欠いていることの証左である。

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Take action against rebels

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda will face more hardships in managing his administration if the ruling coalition becomes a minority government. While preserving his party's agreement on the reform bills with the LDP and Komeito, Noda should urgently rebuild the DPJ, which has been dysfunctional as a ruling party.
　野田首相の政権運営は、一層困難になる。民自公の３党合意を堅持する一方で、政権党としての体を成していない民主党の態勢を立て直す必要がある。

Deciding how to deal with Ozawa and other dissidents should be his first step.
そのための第一歩が、造反した小沢氏らへの対応にほかならない。

When Ozawa's supporters held a meeting after the vote, they agreed to leave their next move in Ozawa's hands. "I'll have to make a decision soon," he reportedly said.
　小沢氏は、採決後、グループの会合で今後の対応について一任を取り付けた。「近いうちに決断しなければならない」とも語った。

Ozawa apparently aims to shake up Noda's administration further with an eye on leaving the DPJ to form a new party.
離党と新党結成を視野に野田政権を揺さぶる考えなのだろう。

On the surface, Ozawa insists that top priority should be placed on issues related to people's daily lives--a phrase the party trumpeted in its manifesto for the 2009 lower house election. Dig a little deeper, however, and it seems he is only interested in ensuring his and his group members' survival with an eye on the next lower house election.
　表向きは「国民の生活が第一」と政権公約（マニフェスト）にこだわる姿勢を示しながら、実際は次期衆院選をにらんで、グループの生き残りを図っているだけではないのか。

Former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama also voted against the consumption tax increase bills, saying the issue was not among the policies proposed in the manifesto. Hatoyama acted as if he owned the DPJ when he then said he would not leave the party.
　鳩山元首相も「マニフェストにまるでなかった」として消費増税法案に反対し、オーナー気取りで離党は考えないという。

Hatoyama himself should seriously reflect on his role in misleading the public by promoting the impractical manifesto.
鳩山氏こそ、実現性の乏しいマニフェストを主導し、国民を欺いてきたことを猛省すべきだ。

The DPJ's immature and vague policymaking process was not the only factor behind such a large number of lawmakers joining the rebellion. Part of the blame can be laid with Secretary General Azuma Koshiishi, who hinted before the vote that the party would give only lenient punishments to members who defied the DPJ leaders.
　造反議員がこれほど多数に上ったのは、民主党の政策決定過程が未熟であいまいなことと合わせて、輿石幹事長が採決前、造反しても寛大な処分とすることを示唆したからではないか。

The DPJ has never expelled members just because they rebelled against the party's leadership in voting. However, passage of the comprehensive reform bills is something that Noda declared he would stake his political life on.
　民主党では法案採決での造反を理由に除名とした例はないというが、今回は首相が「政治生命を懸ける」と言明した法案である。

As a condition for his party's cooperation in Diet deliberations on the reform bills, LDP President Sadakazu Tanigaki called on the DPJ leaders to strictly punish the dissenting lawmakers.
　自民党の谷垣総裁は、参院で一体改革法案の審議に協力する前提として、造反議員への厳しい処分を求めている。

Noda expressed his intention to come down hard on the rebels. We think the DPJ top brass should impose severe punishments as soon as possible. In particular, it does not need to show any restraint in dealing with Ozawa, who has gone as far as suggesting he will establish a new party.
　首相も厳正に対処する意向を示した。民主党執行部は、早期に、重い処分を下すべきだ。特に、新党結成にまで言及している小沢氏に遠慮は要るまい。

The DPJ's relationship of trust with the LDP and Komeito will be undermined unless it takes definite disciplinary action against the rebels. The possibility cannot be ruled out that further revolts will occur during upcoming votes in the upper house.
　党としてのけじめを明確にしなければ、自公両党との信頼関係が揺らぐ。参院での採決時にも造反議員が続出しかねない。

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Tripartite cooperation significant
　◆自公の協力を評価する

At a news conference after Tuesday's vote, Noda said: "We can no longer keep passing debts on to future generations. Securing stable fiscal resources for social security programs and getting the nation's fiscal conditions back on a sound footing is the point of carrying out the integrated reform."
　首相は、採決後の記者会見で、「将来の世代にツケを回すのは限界だ。社会保障の安定財源を確保し、財政健全化を達成するのが一体改革の意義だ」と強調した。

State debts, including those accruing from the issuance of government bonds and borrowings, amounted to about 960 trillion yen as of March 31, 2012. This is more than 7.5 million yen for every person in Japan. Furthermore, the social security budget will record a natural increase of 1 trillion yen a year as the population continues to age.
　国債や借入金など国の借金は昨年度末で約９６０兆円に上り、国民１人当たり７５０万円を超す。高齢者は増え続け、社会保障予算は年１兆円ずつ自然に膨らむ。

It is obvious to everyone that state finances cannot be sustained by borrowing more money to pay off debts.
　借金財政でしのぐ手法を繰り返せないのは、誰の目にも明らかである。

Noda was forced to reshuffle his Cabinet twice this year. This is one example that shows his clumsy management of the government. But on the issue of integrated reform, he has pushed ahead without flinching. He should be lauded for this.
　首相は、今年に入って２度の内閣改造を強いられるなど、政権運営で不手際も目立ったが、一体改革では全くぶれずに実現へ突き進んできた。その姿勢は評価されるべきだ。

It is undeniable that Noda could not have come up with a scenario for legislating the reform bills without the cooperation of the LDP and Komeito.
　無論、自民、公明両党の協力がなければ、到底、法案成立への道筋は描けなかった。

The two opposition parties joined talks with the DPJ on revisions of the bills even though there was no guarantee the lower house would be dissolved for a general election, and voted for the bills. This was a wrenching choice for the parties to make. The LDP and Komeito, it can be said, displayed a responsible attitude befitting parties that held power for many years as a coalition government.
　衆院解散の確約を得られなかったにもかかわらず、自公両党が修正協議に応じ、賛成に回ったことは重い決断だった。長年、政権を担ってきた政党として、責任ある態度を示したと言える。

There are still hurdles to overcome before the final passage of the bills. But they will clear the Diet if the DPJ, LDP and Komeito maintain their "partial coalition."
　法案成立まで、なおハードルはあるが、民自公３党の「部分連合」を保てば乗り切れよう。

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Electoral reform urgent
　◆「０増５減」実施を急げ

In the upper house, discussions must be deepened on more efficient budget spending, such as cuts in social security benefits, as well as how to lift the national economy out of deflation. To help low-income earners, who will be affected more acutely by a consumption tax increase, introduction of reduced tax rates on some items should be studied.
　参院では、社会保障の給付削減など「効率化」や、デフレ脱却の議論も深めるべきだ。消費税率引き上げの影響が大きい低所得者への対策として「軽減税率」導入の検討を重ねてもらいたい。

The three parties must tackle other pending issues in addition to the integrated reform bills. It will be necessary to pass a special bill for the issuance of deficit-covering bonds.
　３党は、一体改革以外の懸案にも取り組まねばならない。赤字国債の発行を可能にする特例公債法案を成立させる必要がある。

Reform of the lower house electoral system must not be left on the back burner.
　衆院の選挙制度改革も忘れてはならない。

The disparity of vote values between some constituencies under the current system has been judged by the Supreme Court as being in "an unconstitutional state."
「違憲状態」との司法判断が出ている。

However, no concrete steps have been taken to rectify this situation, which can only be described as dereliction on the part of the ruling and opposition parties.
いまだに何ら具体的な手立てを講じていないのは与野党の怠慢と言うしかない。

In cooperating with the LDP and Komeito, the DPJ should give priority to correcting the vote value disparity by quickly implementing a plan to cut single-seat constituencies from five prefectures without increasing seats in other prefectures.
　自公両党との協力で「０増５減」を先行して実施し、１票の格差を是正することが急務である。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, June 27, 2012)
（2012年6月27日01時18分 読売新聞）