大阪維新の会 大衆迎合的な公約が気になる

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Sep. 5, 2012)
Osaka Ishin no Kai's populist pledges a cause of concern
大阪維新の会　大衆迎合的な公約が気になる（9月4日付・読売社説）

The question of whether the election pledges of Osaka Ishin no Kai (Osaka restoration group) are feasible cannot be dispelled.
　実現可能な公約なのか疑問は拭えない。

The group recently unveiled the final version of its policy statement for the next House of Representatives election. The policy statement is dubbed "Ishin Hassaku" (eight-point policy platform).
　大阪維新の会が、次期衆院選公約「維新八策」の最終版を公表した。

Osaka Ishin no Kai plans to form a new party in the middle of this month with participation of at least five incumbent Diet members. Sixteen percent of respondents to a Yomiuri Shimbun survey said they would vote for Osaka Ishin no Kai in proportional representation contests of the next lower house election, following the largest group--21 percent--who said they would vote for the Liberal Democratic Party. Osaka Ishin no Kai is likely to be at the eye of the storm in the election.
　維新の会は、現職国会議員５人以上の参加を得て今月半ばに新党を結成する方針だ。読売新聞の世論調査では次期衆院選比例選の投票先で、維新の会は１位の自民党２１％に次ぐ１６％だった。“台風の目”となりそうだ。

Some points of Osaka Ishin no Kai's election pledges are commendable. For example, it says Japan should join the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade framework.
　維新八策は環太平洋経済連携協定（ＴＰＰ）への参加を打ち出すなど、評価できる点もある。

On the other hand, some pledges that seem to have come off the top of their heads are conspicuous. "Halving the number of seats in the lower house" is one example. Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto, who heads Osaka Ishin no Kai, said it is necessary to make lawmakers think about the country as a whole, including foreign policies and security, by expanding electoral districts through integration of single-seat constituencies.
　一方で、思いつきのように見える公約も目立つ。たとえば「衆院議員定数の半減」だ。維新の会代表の橋下徹大阪市長は、小選挙区を統合して拡大し、国会議員が外交・安全保障など国全体を考えるようにする必要があると言う。

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Seat cuts easier said than done

However, it would be extremely difficult politically to realize this idea under the current divided Diet. In fact, the Democratic Party of Japan still has not been able to fulfill its pledge to eliminate 80 lower house seats allocated under proportional representation. It is understandable if Osaka Ishin no Kai's ideas are mid- and long-term proposals, but it should be cautious about making the ideas campaign pledges.
　だが、衆参ねじれ国会の下で実現するには大きな政治的コストがかかる。現に民主党は衆院比例選定数８０削減を公約しながら、依然実現できないままだ。中長期の問題提起ならわかるが、公約にすることは慎重であるべきだろう。

Making the consumption tax a local tax and abolishing distribution of tax revenues to local governments, which is entailed by the former, are also open to question.
　消費税の地方税化とそれに伴う地方交付税の廃止も疑問だ。

Given the harsh reality of state finances, how could it be possible, if consumption tax revenues are allocated to local governments, to cover social security costs, which are increasing by as much as about 1 trillion yen every year?
　財政事情が厳しい中、消費税収を地方財源に回して、一体どうやって毎年１兆円前後も増加する国の社会保障費を賄うのか。

Osaka Ishin no Kai also needs to clarify whether it supports laws for integrated reform of the social security and tax systems, which were enacted based on an agreement between the DPJ, the LDP and New Komeito.
　民主、自民、公明３党の合意をもとに成立した社会保障と税の一体改革関連法に対する賛否も、明らかにする必要がある。

Tax revenues allocated to local governments help adjust the disparities among local governments' finances. Hashimoto said how to handle the situation after tax allocations to local governments are abolished will be left to coordination among local governments and a third-party committee. However, it will not be so easy.
　地方交付税には、自治体の財政格差を調整する役割がある。橋下氏は、廃止後の対応を自治体間や第三者委員会の調整に委ねると言うが、そう簡単にはいくまい。

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Nuclear power stand dubious

As for economic policies, Osaka Ishin no Kai stresses "strengthening competitiveness" and calls for "building a system to end dependence on nuclear power generation." However, if the country moves away from nuclear power, energy costs will surge, and this could accelerate the hollowing-out of domestic industries. It should be explained how a growth strategy and an end to dependence on nuclear power generation can be compatible.
　経済政策では、「競争力の強化」を強調し、「脱原発依存体制の構築」も訴えている。脱原発依存を進めればエネルギー費用は増大し、産業の空洞化が加速しかねない。成長戦略と脱原発依存をどう両立させるか、説明が要る。

As a basic policy, Osaka Ishin no Kai stipulated in its policy statement the introduction of a system to elect prime ministers by popular vote, which requires a constitutional amendment.
　基本方針として、憲法改正が必要な首相公選制を明記した。

Israel once introduced this system but eventually abolished it after politics were thrown into turmoil. Osaka Ishin no Kai said it will prevent the system from becoming something like a popularity vote, but we doubt whether this is possible.
　ただ、この制度に関しては、一度導入したイスラエルで政治が混迷した末に撤廃されている。「人気投票的になることは防ぐ」というが、そんなことが可能なのか、疑問符を付けざるをえない。

It is worrisome that Osaka Ishin no Kai, which claims it "will change Japan's system," presents these pledges in a highly populist tone.
　「日本の国の仕組みを変える」と訴える維新の会が、こうした大衆迎合色の濃い公約を提起している点は、気がかりだ。

In the previous lower house election in 2009, the DPJ set out an array of policies aimed at appealing to the public and pledging that it would be able to squeeze out a hefty 16.8 trillion yen in fiscal resources by rearranging the state budget. This has since caused considerable confusion and should be taken as a lesson.
　前回衆院選で、民主党が国民受けを狙った政策を並べ、予算を組み替えれば１６・８兆円もの財源を作れると公約して大混乱を招いたことを教訓とすべきである。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 4, 2012)
（2012年9月4日01時19分 読売新聞）