米大統領選 続投オバマ氏を待つ財政の崖

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Nov. 9, 2012)
Obama must confront 'fiscal cliff,' Pacific affairs in his 2nd term
米大統領選　続投オバマ氏を待つ財政の崖（11月8日付・読売社説）

Democrat Barack Obama was reelected as president of the United States on Tuesday, defeating Republican challenger Mitt Romney, a former Massachusetts governor.
　米大統領選で、民主党の現職バラク・オバマ氏が、共和党候補ミット・ロムニー前マサチューセッツ州知事を退けて、再選を決めた。

The tasks Obama will face in his second term are as weighty as those of four years ago. The United States has overcome the financial crisis for the time being, but it is still in the process of revitalizing its economy. We hope Obama will realize his country's large role and great responsibility in the world and exercise strong leadership.
　オバマ氏が２期目で直面する課題の重さは、４年前にひけをとらない。金融危機はひとまず克服したが、経済再生は、なお途上にある。米国が世界で担う役割と責任の大きさを踏まえ、強い指導力を発揮してもらいたい。

Obama failed to fulfill his promise to cut the country's budget deficit in half by the end of his first term. He could not make the desired progress in job creation, with the unemployment rate remaining high at nearly 8 percent.
　オバマ氏は、「１期目の任期中に財政赤字を半減する」との公約を実現できなかった。雇用創出も思うようには進まず、失業率は８％近くに高止まりしている。

The reason Obama was reelected despite these factors is probably because what he did achieve in the fields of economic reconstruction and national security was largely positively evaluated.
　それでも再選できたのは、経済再建や安全保障分野での実績がおおむね評価されたからだろう。

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First-term highlights

Obama stabilized the country's financial system by launching a massive economic stimulus package as soon as he took office. He pulled the United States back from the brink of a major depression by rescuing General Motors Co. after it failed.
　就任早々に巨額の景気対策を実施し、金融システムを安定させた。破綻した米自動車大手ゼネラル・モーターズ（ＧＭ）も救済して、大恐慌に転落する瀬戸際にあった米国を救ったと言える。

Also, Obama put an end to the Iraq War, which was a negative legacy of the country, and set a course for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
　「負の遺産」だったイラク戦争を終わらせ、アフガニスタンからの米軍撤収にも道筋をつけた。

Romney's defeat in the presidential race can only be attributed to the fact that he could not present a convincing economic policy of his own even while he pointed his finger at Obama's mismanagement of the economy.
　ロムニー氏の敗因は、大統領の経済失政を指弾しながら、説得力のある経済政策を示せなかったことに尽きる。

The immediate top priority for Obama is balancing economic stimulus measures with reconstruction of government finances.
　オバマ氏の最優先課題は、景気対策と財政再建の両立である。

The "fiscal cliff" awaits. This is a situation in which big tax cuts will expire at the end of this year and the U.S. government must start to make mandated spending cuts at the beginning of next year. If no measures are taken, the country will face harsh fiscal restraints and could fall into a serious recession. The impact on the world, including Japan, would be immense.
　年末から年明けにかけ、大型減税が失効し、歳出の強制削減が始まる「財政の崖」が控えている。何の手も打たなければ、大規模な財政緊縮をもたらし、米国は深刻な景気後退に陥りかねない。日本など世界への影響は甚大だ。

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A 'divided' Congress

To get through this ordeal, cooperation from the U.S. Congress is indispensable.
　この試練を乗り切るには、連邦議会の協力が欠かせない。

As a result of the congressional elections, there was no real change in the "divided" Congress in which Republicans hold a majority in the House of Representatives while the Democrats hold a majority in the Senate. Obama should do his utmost to enact necessary bills to prevent confusion in the U.S. economy.
　議会選の結果、下院で共和党、上院で民主党がそれぞれ過半数を占める“ねじれ”の構図に変化はなかった。経済の混乱を防ぐため必要な法案を成立させるべく、オバマ氏は全力を挙げるべきだ。

In foreign and security policy, there is a mountain of pending issues such as nuclear development by North Korea and Iran and the situation surrounding Syria.
　外交・安全保障政策でも、北朝鮮、イランの核開発やシリア情勢など懸案が山積している。

We'd like to pay particular attention to U.S. policy toward China, with its growing economic and military might.
　特に注目したいのは、経済・軍事で膨張する中国への政策だ。

The fact that the United States, as a "Pacific nation," has adopted a strategy placing importance on Asia is of great significance for regional stability and prosperity. How will the United States regard Japan, its ally, and what kind of relationship does it plan to build with China?
　米国が「太平洋国家」としてアジア重視の戦略を打ち出していることは、地域の安定と繁栄に大きな意味を持つ。米国は同盟国の日本をどう位置づけ、中国とどのような関係を築くつもりなのか。

Japan, for its part, needs to have a series of policy consultations with the United States in a bid to join the Washington-led talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade framework at an early date.
　日本も、米国主導の環太平洋経済連携協定（ＴＰＰ）への早期参加を目指し、米国と政策協議を重ねる必要がある。

Japan must further cement the Japan-U.S. relationship by taking necessary steps.
自らの役割を果たす中で、日米関係をより強固にしていかなければならない。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 8, 2012)
（2012年11月8日02時00分  読売新聞）