小沢新党 大衆迎合の色濃い「生活第一」

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Jul. 13, 2012)
Ozawa's latest political party is mainly a populist stunt
小沢新党　大衆迎合の色濃い「生活第一」（7月12日付・読売社説）

The third-largest party in Diet, after the Democratic Party of Japan and the Liberal Democratic Party, has been born. The new party's size makes it a force to be reckoned with in national politics, especially in light of the dissolution of the House of Representatives for a general election.
　民主、自民に次ぐ第３党の誕生だ。衆院解散・総選挙に向けた政局で、侮れない規模である。

We are concerned about the addition of yet another factor that could throw Japan's politics into further turmoil.
　政治を一層混迷させる要因が増えたことに、懸念を抱かざるを得ない。

Former DPJ President Ichiro Ozawa and his followers, who had been expelled from the ruling party, held a meeting to inaugurate Kokumin no Seikatsu ga Daiichi (People's livelihoods first) in Tokyo on Wednesday. Forty-nine lawmakers from the lower house and the House of Councillors who had belonged to the DPJ joined the new party.
　民主党を除名された小沢一郎元代表らが、都内で新党「国民の生活が第一」の結党大会を開いた。民主党に属していた衆参国会議員４９人が新党に参加した。

Ozawa, who became leader of the new party, said, "I'm determined to take action to seek the withdrawal of bills to raise the consumption tax rate in the name of integrated reform."
　代表に就任した小沢氏は、「一体改革に名を借りた消費増税法案を撤回させるべく行動していく決意だ」と訴えた。

The aim of launching the new party is to consolidate forces opposed to the consumption tax hike. It can also be said the new party is vying for power in opposition to the line that the DPJ, the LDP and New Komeito have taken on the integrated reform of the social security and tax systems.
　新党旗揚げの狙いは反消費増税勢力の結集だ。社会保障・税一体改革での民主、自民、公明路線に対する権力闘争とも言えよう。

===

A potential rebel network

Ozawa is aiming to form loose alliances with regional parties, including Genzei Nippon (Tax cut Japan) led by Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura, and other opposition parties. In the Diet, the new party plans to form a parliamentary group with the Kizuna Party, which was formed by earlier DPJ defectors.
　小沢氏は、河村たかし名古屋市長の「減税日本」など地域政党や野党と緩やかに連携することを目指している。国会では、民主党離党組の「新党きづな」と統一会派を結成する方針だ。

At a press conference on Wednesday, Ozawa also said he would cooperate with former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and others who remain in the DPJ although they rebelled against the party during the vote on integrated reform bills.
　小沢氏は記者会見で、一体改革関連法案の採決時に造反しながら民主党に残った鳩山元首相らと連携していく考えも示した。

Hatoyama's appalling words and deeds keep dragging down Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, but the number of rebels remaining in the DPJ cannot be ignored.
　野田首相の足を引っ張り続ける鳩山氏の言動には、あきれるばかりだが、党内に残った造反組の数は軽視できない。

It looks certain that Noda will experience more difficulties in handling the government now. To counter Ozawa, Noda must do his utmost to maintain cooperative relationships with the LDP and Komeito.
　首相の政権運営が、一層難しくなることは確かだろう。小沢氏に対抗するためにも、首相は自公両党との協調関係を保つことに全力を挙げねばなるまい。

===

A lack of vitality and solidity

However, the launch of the new party lacks emotional uplift. This is because it is the fourth new party that Ozawa, dubbed the "destroyer," has formed and therefore it lacks freshness.
　ただし、新党の発足に高揚感は乏しい。何しろ、「壊し屋」と称される小沢氏の４度目の新党であり、新鮮味に欠ける。

Among lower house members who joined the new party, two-thirds are first-time lawmakers with weak electoral bases. Their ulterior motive--surviving the next lower house election with opposition to the tax hike as a driving force--can be seen.
　新党に参加した衆院議員のうち３分の２は、選挙地盤の固まっていない新人議員だ。反増税をバネにして次期衆院選で生き残ろうという思惑が、透けて見える。

The new party's name, Kokumin no Seikatsu ga Daiichi (People's livelihoods first), is a slogan used in the DPJ's manifesto for the 2009 lower house election. An LDP member remarked, "It [the new party] may be taking the same path as the DPJ, which touted a pie-in-the-sky manifesto." This criticism has a point.
　新党名に選んだ「国民の生活が第一」も、民主党の政権公約（マニフェスト）のキャッチフレーズである。「出来もしないマニフェストを掲げた民主党と同じ道を進んでいくことになるのでは」という自民党の批判は一理ある。

It is unclear how the new party would reconstruct critical state finances and cover social security costs, which are swelling by more than 1 trillion yen a year, without the consumption tax hike.
　消費増税なしに、どうやって危機的な国家財政を立て直し、毎年１兆円以上増え続けている社会保障費をまかなうのか不透明だ。

Ozawa also said his party will make it clear that it will seek to end nuclear power generation. There is no denying that such a policy is haphazard. How will a stable power supply be realized?
　小沢氏は、「脱原発を鮮明にしていきたい」とも語った。場当たり的な感は否めない。電力の安定供給をどう実現するのか。

If the new party proclaims it will put people's livelihoods first, it should give a concrete and detailed explanation of how it will do so. Simply advocating populist slogans to appeal to voters is irresponsible.
　国民の生活本位と言うのなら、具体的かつ丁寧に説明してもらいたい。有権者へのアピールを意識して、大衆迎合的なスローガンを唱えるだけでは無責任である。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, July 12, 2012)
（2012年7月12日01時21分 読売新聞）