2009年12月の記事
全30件 (30件中 1-30件目)
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新成長戦略 目標実現の具体策が見えない
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Dec. 31, 2009)Govt's new growth strategy short on details新成長戦略 目標実現の具体策が見えない（12月31日付・読売社説）Having an ambitious goal alone is not enough to ensure a bright future. The government's newly unveiled growth strategy for a "shining Japan" lacks vital substance in that it fails to illuminate how to achieve these goals in detail. The strategy, the basic policy of which was approved by the Cabinet on Wednesday, sets a target of achieving a more than 2 percent annual growth in the gross domestic product in real terms through fiscal 2020. In nominal terms, the growth target is aimed at staying above 3 percent. 高い目標を掲げるだけで、明るい未来は開けない。肝心なのは実現する具体的手法の明示だが、そこが欠けている。 政府は３０日の閣議で、新たな成長戦略の基本方針「輝きのある日本へ」を決定した。 国内総生産（ＧＤＰ）を２０２０年度まで実質で年２％、名目は３％を上回るペースで成長させる数値目標を掲げた。This means that in 10 years, the nominal GDP is expected to grow from the 470 trillion yen of this fiscal year to 650 trillion yen. But the fact is that the nominal GDP has been in negative territory for the past six straight quarters, pushing GDP down by 50 trillion yen. As the economy has entered a deflationary phase, which also shrinks the GDP, obstacles to reaching the target are extremely high. 名目ＧＤＰは今年度の４７０兆円から６５０兆円に増える計算だが、現状はここ６四半期連続のマイナスで、５０兆円も減った。名目ＧＤＰをしぼませるデフレに再び陥ったこともあり、目標達成のハードルは極めて高い。=== Solid ends, vague means In its growth strategy, the government declared it would pursue a "third way" of seeking the creation of new demand, instead of relying on public works projects or following the principle of market fundamentalism as seen under the administration of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. The new stance touted by the administration of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama appears to be in line with a policy pledge to "shift from concrete to human beings," meaning a departure from an industrial structure heavily dependent on public works projects. 成長戦略は公共事業依存でも、小泉路線のような市場原理主義でもない、新需要の創造という「第３の道」を進むとしている。「コンクリートから人へ」などの政権公約に沿った考え方だろう。The strategy listed two areas--the environment and energy, and medical and nursing care services--that the government intends to focus on and shore up. In these areas, which Japan can boast of having strengths in, there will be a goal of creating new demand worth 100 trillion yen and 4.2 new million jobs. 具体的には、環境・エネルギーと医療・介護を、日本が強みを持つ２分野として集中的にテコ入れし、１００兆円の需要と４２０万人の雇用を新たに生み出す。The government also intends to stimulate trade with other Asian nations--whose economies are continuing to grow fast--support scientific and technological development and strengthen measures to sustain employment. 高成長が続くアジアとの取引活性化や、科学技術の支援、雇用下支えの強化なども図る。There is nothing wrong with the direction of these policy courses. But, in terms of details in the measures, we find little difference with those included in about a dozen growth strategies hammered out by the governments of the past decade. 方向性に問題はないが、具体策は政府が過去１０年に出した十指に余る成長戦略と大差ない。This is likely because the strategy was compiled from worn-out proposals submitted by ministries and agencies concerned. As it took only half a month to devise the strategy, it gives an impression that the government threw it together in order to thwart criticism that the current administration has no growth strategy. 関係府省が持ち寄った案をまとめたため、新味のないアイデアが並んだのだろう。策定作業は約半月と短く、成長戦略がないという批判をかわす「やっつけ仕事」との印象もぬぐえない。=== Get private sector input The government intends, by June, to complete the growth strategy by putting flesh on these basic policy bones and provide a road map for achieving these goals. 政府は来年６月までに、この基本方針に肉付けをして成長戦略を完成させ、実現に向けた工程表も示す方針という。But it would be better to drastically review the strategy by, for example, inviting ideas widely from the private sector and narrowing down the list of measures to those that appear to have the greatest potential effect and feasibility. There also should be mention of how necessary funds for nurturing new industries and supporting technological development should be allocated. だがこの際、民間からアイデアを広く募って、効果や実現性の高いものに絞り込むなど、抜本的に練り直した方がいい。新産業の育成や技術支援に必要な費用をどう工面するのかも示すべきだ。If the Hatoyama administration sticks to its policy pledge not to raise the consumption tax rate for four years, it is unlikely that it will be able to secure a stable revenue source to implement policy measures. It must not have faith in a "rising tide" theory of economic growth being able to increase tax revenues. 消費税率を４年間は上げないという政権公約にこだわれば、安定した財源は得られまい。「経済成長で税収が増えれば賄える」とする“上げ潮”依存は禁物だ。It also is necessary to show the path to fiscal reconstruction for the mid- to long-run in order to ease people's anxiety about the future of social security and other matters. 中長期的な財政再建の道筋も同時に示し、社会保障などの将来不安を和らげる必要もある。Unless measures are taken to prevent a further economic decline and solve the deflation problem, any great growth strategy will merely end up being pie in the sky. 景気の底割れを防ぎ、デフレを解消しないと、どんな立派な成長戦略も絵に描いたモチになる。The government has cut spending for public works projects by nearly 20 percent in the fiscal 2010 budget, compared with the current fiscal year. Spending for urgently needed projects such as construction work to improve the earthquake resistance of primary and middle school buildings also has been reduced. These projects should be revived and used to help economic recovery. 政府は来年度予算の公共事業を前年度より２割近く減らし、小中学校の耐震化など急ぐべき事業も削った。これらを復活して、景気回復に役立てるべきだ。(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 31, 2009) （2009年12月31日01時16分 読売新聞）
Dec 31, 2009
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０９回顧・国際 オバマ政権登場で動いた世界
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Dec. 30, 2009)2009 provided plenty of grist for media mill０９回顧・国際 オバマ政権登場で動いた世界（12月30日付・読売社説）It has been a busy year. From a pandemic of a new type of influenza that hit the world this year to the struggles of the global economy to get out of recession to the prevention of nuclear proliferation and global environmental problems--the international community had to tackle a wide variety of issues. 世界不況からの脱却へ模索が続く中、新型インフルエンザの世界的大流行に見舞われた。 核の拡散防止や地球環境問題など、国際社会で取り組む課題が相次いだ。On the list of the top 10 international news stories chosen by readers of The Yomiuri Shimbun, Barack Obama's inauguration as U.S. president and his winning of the Nobel Peace Prize ranked second and fifth respectively. This shows how popular Obama is, even in Japan. 本紙の読者が選ぶ「海外１０大ニュース」は、オバマ米大統領の就任（２位）とノーベル平和賞の受賞（５位）が上位入りした。オバマ人気の高さがうかがえる。 ◆「核なき世界」を決議◆In April, Obama announced his target of a nuclear free world during a speech in Prague--a story that ranked 13th on the list. Although he said it would be difficult to realize that goal during his lifetime, Obama chaired a summit-level meeting of the U.N. Security Council in September and led the council to approve a historic resolution aimed at ridding the world of nuclear weapons--a story that ranked 15th on the list. オバマ大統領は４月、プラハでの演説で「核兵器なき世界」の実現を訴えた（１３位）。自らが生きている間の実現は難しいとしたが、９月の国連安全保障理事会の首脳級会合で議長を務め、「核兵器なき世界」を目指す決議を採択に導いた（１５位）。However, Obama said during a speech at the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony in December; "The instruments of war do have a role to play in preserving the peace," positioning the U.S. war in Afghanistan and other conflicts as "just wars." He made the remark as the leader of the world's preeminent superpower, based on the cold, hard realities of the world. そのオバマ大統領は１２月のノーベル平和賞の受賞演説で、「平和維持のためには戦争という手段が演じる役割もある」と述べ、アフガニスタン戦争などを「正しい戦争」と位置づけた。超大国の最高指導者として、冷徹な現実を踏まえた発言だった。=== N. Korea still source of concern In April, North Korea test-fired a long-range ballistic missile--the news story raking sixth on the list. The U.N. Security Council immediately adopted a presidential statement condemning the launch, but Pyongyang held an underground nuclear test in May (story No. 14 on the list). 北朝鮮は４月に弾道ミサイルを発射した（６位）。国連安保理は非難声明を採択したが、さらに北朝鮮は５月、地下核実験を強行した（１４位）。As it was the second nuclear test North Korea has conducted since 2006, it was reasonable that the Security Council unanimously approved a resolution widening sanctions against the reclusive state. ２００６年以来２度目の核実験で、国連安保理が制裁決議を採択したのは当然だった。Though the United States and China are continuing negotiations with North Korea, the six-way talks aimed at stopping Pyongyang's nuclear development program have remained suspended and will see the old year out without any likelihood of resumption. 米中による北朝鮮への働きかけが続いているが、中断されたままの６か国協議は、再開のメドが立たないまま越年する。The news story ranked eighth was the riots by Muslim Uygurs that erupted in Urumqi, the capital of China's Xingjian Uygur Autonomous Region, in which 197 people died. The incident highlighted the antagonism between China's majority Han people and Uygurs, showing that ethnic minority issues could prove to be the Achilles' heel of China, whose economy continues to grow rapidly. 経済成長著しい中国の新疆ウイグル自治区で暴動が発生、１９７人が死亡した（８位）。漢族とウイグル族の反目も露(あら)わになり、少数民族問題が中国のアキレス腱(けん)であることが鮮明になった。In October, China celebrated the 60th anniversary of People's Republic of China, staging the military parade for the first time in 10 years, a story readers ranked 18th. It symbolized the efforts by the Chinese Communist Party and the government to boost national prestige. However, the administration of Chinese President Hu Jintao, who has just three more years or so in office, is facing a mountain of problems such as the growing gap between the rich and the poor, and spreading corruption. 中国は１０月、建国６０周年を迎え、１０年ぶりに軍事パレードを実施した（１８位）。国威発揚に向けた党・政府の取り組みだが、貧富の差の拡大や汚職の増加など、残りの任期３年余りとなった胡錦濤政権にとって課題は山積だ。=== Deadly blaze The news story ranked seventh on the list is the shooting range fire in Busan, South Korea, in November that killed 15, including 10 Japanese tourists. 韓国南部の釜山で１１月、室内射撃場で火災が発生し、日本人観光客１０人が死亡した（７位）。Also in South Korea, former President Roh Moo-hyun killed himself in May and Kim Dae Jung, former president and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, passed away in August, both of which were sad news for South Koreans. その韓国では盧武鉉・前大統領が５月に自殺し、ノーベル平和賞受賞者の金大中・元大統領も８月に死去した。From the first outbreak in Mexico in April, a new type of flu spread around the world this year. According to the World Health Organization, the global death toll from the disease, including deaths in Japan, topped 10,000. This was the No. 1 story on the The Yomiuri Shimbun's list of the top 10 international news stories. ４月にメキシコで発生した新型インフルエンザは、世界に広がった。世界保健機関（ＷＨＯ）によれば、日本を含む世界全体の死者は１万人を突破した。これが本紙海外ニュースの１位である。The new flu pandemic highlighted various concerns about the way governments around the world cooperate to fight the global spread of infectious diseases. Developing countries suffered shortages of vaccines against the type A H1N1 flu virus. 途上国ではワクチンの供給が不足するなど、感染症の世界的な拡大における国際協力のあり方に教訓を残したと言える。The financial crisis entered its second year in the wake of momentous events in the first half of the year including the bankruptcies of major U.S. auto manufacturers General Motors and Chrysler--the story ranked fourth on the list of international news stories. ２年目に入った金融危機は、米自動車業界大手のゼネラル・モーターズ（ＧＭ）やクライスラーが相次いで経営破綻(はたん)に追い込まれる（４位）など、今年前半は厳しい状況が続いた。===
Dec 30, 2009
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首相インド訪問 新たな大国との関係強化を
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Dec. 29, 2009)Japan should cement ties with new big power India首相インド訪問 新たな大国との関係強化を（12月29日付・読売社説）Despite the hectic political calendar at year-end, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama chose to schedule a trip abroad, to South Asian major power India. 鳩山首相が、年末の慌ただしい時期に選んだ外国訪問先は、南アジアの大国インドだ。India, which has been displaying remarkable economic growth, emulating that of China, is located in an important position connecting the Middle East and East Asia. Japan should promote an economic alliance and security cooperation with India and strengthen the bilateral relationship from a strategic perspective. 中国を追うように経済成長著しいインドは、中東と東アジアを結ぶ要路に位置する。経済連携や安全保障協力などを進め、日印関係を戦略的に強化していくべきだ。India has been maintaining an annualized economic growth rate of 8 percent and has the second-largest population in the world. The country is an attractive economic market for advanced nations. The number of Japanese companies that have advanced into India has tripled in the past three years. インドは年率８％の経済成長を続け、世界第２の人口を有する。先進国にとっては魅力的な経済市場だ。日本の進出企業も過去３年間で３倍に増えた。But Japan's total trade volume with India has remained at a low level, and amounts to about one-twentieth of the value of the trade this country does with China. だが、日印間の貿易総額はいまだに低水準で、日中間と比べると約２０分の１の規模だ。Signaling his desire to boost the Japan-India bilateral economic relationship, Hatoyama held talks with business leaders in the commercial city of Mumbai before traveling to New Delhi for talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. 鳩山首相が首都ニューデリーに入る前に商都ムンバイを訪れ、経済界の代表らと会談したのも、日印経済関係をいっそう強化したいとの強い意欲の表れだろう。=== Intensify EPA talks Experts point out that India's social infrastructure is still insufficient, hindering the expansion of investment from abroad. It is important for Japan to steadily implement its economic assistance for large-scale projects in India, including the construction of a railway for freight transportation linking New Delhi and Mumbai. インドは社会基盤の整備が不十分で、それが投資拡大の阻害要因と言われる。ニューデリー・ムンバイ間の貨物鉄道建設など大型プロジェクトに対する経済援助を着実に実施することが重要だ。Japan also needs to accelerate its negotiations for an economic partnership agreement with India. 経済連携協定（ＥＰＡ）の交渉も加速すべきだ。In the negotiations, India has asked Japan to streamline its procedures for approving generic drugs and increase the number of tariff-free items. The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry and the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry are reluctant to accept such demands, but we hope that concerned ministers will discuss policies for the negotiations, working out which items Japan should compromise on and which ones it should not, without relying too much on bureaucrats. インド側は、後発医薬品の承認手続きの簡素化や関税撤廃品目の積み増しを求めている。厚生労働省や農林水産省は消極的だが、関係閣僚は、何を譲り、何を守るのか、官僚任せにせずに交渉方針を検討してもらいたい。This summer, South Korea signed an economic partnership agreement with India. Japan should be aware this means South Korean companies will be able to get a head start in India on a more advantageous footing than Japanese firms. 韓国は今年夏、インドとのＥＰＡ署名にこぎつけた。韓国企業が先んじて有利な条件でインドに進出できるようになることも、十分意識すべきだろう。=== Antipiracy steps needed In Tuesday's summit meeting, Hatoyama and Singh are expected to establish a regular bilateral security consultation forum involving the foreign and defense vice ministers of the two countries. The countries are considering upgrading the security talks to a ministerial-level meeting in the future. きょう行われる日印首脳会談では、外務、防衛両省の次官級による安全保障定期協議の新設で合意する予定だ。将来的には閣僚級への格上げも想定している。Ensuring the security of sea-lanes connecting the Middle East and East Asia is desperately important for Japan, which relies heavily on foreign countries for energy resources and food. We hope the Japanese and Indian leaders will discuss concrete steps toward that goal, such as sharing of information on pirates and mounting joint antipiracy patrols. 中東と東アジアを結ぶシーレーン（海上交通路）の安全確保は、エネルギーや食糧の多くを海外に依存する日本にとって、死活的に重要だ。海賊情報の共有や共同パトロールなど、具体的な協力方法を探ってほしい。India is an important partner for Japan in the regional cooperative framework centered around the East Asia Summit. インドは東アジア首脳会議を核とした地域協力でも重要なパートナーだ。On the other hand, concerning the new round of multilateral trade talks under the World Trade Organization and the climate change problem, India, along with China, continues to take the side of developing countries, and its words and deeds have caused friction with advanced nations, including Japan. 一方、世界貿易機関（ＷＴＯ）の新多角的貿易交渉や気候変動問題では、インドは中国とともに途上国側に立った言動を繰り返し、日本を含めた先進国と対立する場面が目立っている。Japan should patiently call on India to play constructive roles that fit its new status as a major power. インドが新しい大国にふさわしい建設的役割を果たすよう、日本としても粘り強く働きかけていく必要がある。(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 29, 2009) （2009年12月29日01時16分 読売新聞）
Dec 29, 2009
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指導要領解説書 「竹島」に触れないのは問題だ
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Dec. 28, 2009)Teaching manual mustn't avoid Takeshima dispute指導要領解説書 「竹島」に触れないのは問題だ（12月28日付・読売社説）The generations who will forge this nation's future must be accurately taught about its territories and history. 将来を担う世代に自国の領土や歴史をきちんと教えていくのは、大切なことだ。However, the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry has made no reference to the Takeshima islets--which South Korea claims as its sovereign territory, an assertion Japan disputes--in an instruction manual containing its new high school curriculum guidelines on geography A and geography B set to come into effect in the 2013 academic year. This omission is extremely questionable. 文部科学省が、２０１３年度から実施する高校地理Ａ、地理Ｂの新学習指導要領の解説書で、日本の領土にもかかわらず、韓国が領有権を主張している「竹島」に言及しなかった。これは極めて問題だ。Japan established sovereignty over the Takeshima islets no later than the mid-17th century--in the early Edo period (1603-1867). In 1905, the islets were placed under the jurisdiction of Shimane Prefecture following approval by the cabinet. 竹島は、遅くとも江戸時代初期の１７世紀半ばには日本が領有権を確立し、１９０５年、閣議決定を経て、島根県に編入された。However, South Korea has been occupying the islets unlawfully since 1952, when Seoul unilaterally drew the Syngman Rhee Line--a boundary laid down by then South Korean President Syngman Rhee in the Sea of Japan claiming fishing rights in the area--a move made in defiance of international law. ところが、韓国は１９５２年、国際法に反して日本海に「李承晩ライン」を一方的に設けて以降、竹島の不法占拠を続けている。This country's official stance on the islets is that Takeshima has always been an integral part of the nation's territory, a view backed historically and by international law. 「竹島は歴史的にも国際法上も我が国固有の領土」というのが、日本政府の見解だ。In current high school textbooks, six authorized textbooks for geography A and five books for geography B state there is a sovereignty dispute with South Korea over the Takeshima islets, and that they are an integral part of Japan. 現在の高校教科書にも、地理Ａで６冊、地理Ｂで５冊に、「日本固有の領土の竹島で韓国との間に領有権問題がある」などと記述されている。=== 1 step backward In July last year, the education ministry added for the first time the teaching of Japan's stance on the Takeshima islets to a teaching manual for middle school curriculum guidelines for social studies, which will take effect in the 2012 academic year. ２０１２年度に実施される中学校社会科の指導要領の解説書には昨年７月、竹島を日本の領土と教えるよう初めて盛り込まれた。But the teaching manual in question does not clarify that the territorial dispute involves the Takeshima islets. It simply says, "Following up on what is taught in middle school, we should handle this issue accurately, based upon our country's rightful assertions, and help students deepen their understanding." ところが、高校の解説書では、領土問題について竹島とは明記せず、「中学校における学習を踏まえ、我が国が正当に主張している立場に基づいて的確に扱い、理解を深めさせる」とあるだけだ。The education ministry says the government's stance--that the Takeshima islets are an integral part of the nation--remains unchanged. If so, the ministry should state this clearly. It makes no sense that what is taught about the Takeshima dispute at high school level is a step backward from what is taught at middle school level, despite high school being a place to develop what has been studied at middle school. 文科省は「竹島は我が国固有の領土という立場は変わらない」と言うが、それならそう明記すべきではないか。中学校で学んだ内容を発展させる高校のほうが、記述が後退するのは筋が通らない。=== Consideration for S. Korea Unlike the curriculum guidelines, the teaching manual comes with no legal obligation to be implemented. However, it will be a lodestar both for textbook publishers and teachers preparing for classes. The manual in question has the potential to generate misunderstanding among textbook publishers and teachers and cause them to disregard the Takeshima dispute. 解説書は指導要領と違い、法的拘束力はないが、教科書を作る出版社や授業を行う教員の指針になる。今回の解説書では、出版社や教員にも竹島を軽視して構わないといった誤解を生みかねない。Sources said Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama made the final decision that the new manual should not mention the Takeshima issue. 今回は鳩山首相が最終的に判断したという。When he was in the opposition camp, Hatoyama said, "It's natural to clearly state [the Takeshima issue]" when the issue was included in a teaching manual for middle school curriculum guidelines for social studies, which drew a series of harsh protests from South Korea. It is doubtful his latest decision could be squared with his previous remark. 首相は野党時代、中学校解説書に竹島が盛り込まれたことに韓国が反発した際、「明記するのは当然」と話していた。その発言との整合性も取れまい。Observers said the absence of any mention of the Takeshima issue resulted from the government's consideration for South Korean ties, as next year will mark the 100th anniversary of Japan's annexation of Korea. 竹島の記述を今回見送った背景には、来年、日韓併合から１００年の節目を迎えるため、韓国に配慮したと見る向きも多い。Territorial issues and how to teach them at schools form an important theme that touches on the fundamentals of nationhood. South Korea is a valuable neighbor, but fundamental truths must not be distorted due to diplomatic considerations. 領土問題やそれを学校でどう教えるかということは、国の根幹にかかわる重要なテーマだ。韓国は大事な隣国だが、外交上の配慮でゆがめてはならない。It will not be easy to resolve the territorial dispute over the Takeshima islets. For this reason, an unstinting effort must be made to educate people who will in the future help the public fully understand the issue as well as convey Japan's stance to the international community. 竹島の領有権をめぐる問題の解決は容易ではない。だからこそ、国民に十分理解させ、国際社会に日本の立場を発信していける人材を育成する努力が欠かせない。(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 28, 2009) （2009年12月28日01時22分 読売新聞）
Dec 28, 2009
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来年度予算 公約優先では財政がもたない
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Dec. 26, 2009)DPJ must find funds for its election pledges来年度予算 公約優先では財政がもたない（12月26日付・読売社説）The shift in power brought about by the last general election has caused a sea change in the process of putting together a government budget. However, the budget for the next fiscal year devised by the Democratic Party of Japan-led administration indicates that the government is unchanged in relying on the issuance of government bonds and nontax revenue for resources to underwrite its budget. In fact, the next budget shows the government has become even more dependent on borrowing as a means of securing budgetary resources. 政権交代で予算編成の過程は様変わりした。だが、出来上がった来年度予算案は、国債と税外収入に頼る構図が相変わらずで、借金体質は例年に増して強まった。 ◆税収はわずか３７兆円◆On Friday, the Cabinet of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama finalized the budget for fiscal 2010. Its general account expenditures total 92.3 trillion yen, an all-time high for an initial fiscal budget. 政府は２５日、２０１０年度予算案を閣議決定した。一般会計の歳出総額は９２・３兆円と、当初予算では過去最大である。The budget entails 53.5 trillion yen in spending for specific government policies, greater than the amount of expenditures in this category under the fiscal 2009 budget. Debt-servicing costs--expenditures needed to redeem government bonds and pay interest on such bonds--total 20.6 trillion yen, and local tax grants for discretionary purposes 17.5 trillion yen. 具体的な政策の実行にあてる一般歳出は５３・５兆円に膨らんだ。国債の利払いや償還に使う国債費は２０・６兆円で、地方交付税は１７・５兆円だった。=== Only 37.4 tril. yen from taxes Meanwhile, the next fiscal budget has set annual government revenue from taxes at 37.4 trillion yen, which nearly compares with that to be expected under the fiscal 2009 budget in the wake of a second supplementary budget. Tax revenue has fallen to about the same level as was registered 26 years ago. 一方の歳入は、税収が３７・４兆円と、第２次補正後の０９年度予算とほぼ同じであり、２６年も前の水準まで落ち込む。The government hopes to make up for a projected revenue shortfall using nontax revenue totaling 10.6 trillion yen--known as "buried treasure"--and government bond-generated revenue worth 44.3 trillion yen. The money includes funds deposited in the special account for government loan and investment programs, as well as surplus funds from the foreign exchange special account. 財政投融資特別会計の積立金や外国為替特会の剰余金など、いわゆる埋蔵金をかき集めた１０・６兆円の税外収入と、４４・３兆円の国債発行で不足分を補う。Government bond issuance accounts for 48 percent of total revenue under the fiscal 2010 budget, meaning almost half of revenue is expected to come from debts. 歳入全体に占める国債への依存度は４８％と、ほぼ半分を借金で賄う計算だ。The current economic situation is so precarious it must be rectified by an underpinning fiscal stimulus. Given this, issuing new government bonds will be unavoidable. It is easy to see, however, that the government's chronic reliance on debt cannot be left unaddressed any longer if one stops to look at the government's fiscal crisis from a medium- and long-term standpoint. 景気は財政出動で下支えしなければ危うい状況である。このため、国債の増発はある程度やむを得ないが、中長期的には、借金依存の財政を放置出来ないのも明らかである。 ◆政権公約墨守で迷走◆The greatest factor behind the difficulties in devising the next budget was the Hatoyama Cabinet's obsessive adherence to its goal of carrying out policies spelled out in the DPJ's election manifesto. The confusion embroiling the government in this respect started immediately after the new Cabinet was launched. The Hatoyama administration scrapped the guidelines for budgetary appropriation requests set by its predecessor, the coalition government of the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito, and also ordered each government ministry and agency to submit new budgetary demands. 今回の予算編成を難航させた最大の原因は、政権公約（マニフェスト）に掲げた政策の実現に鳩山内閣がこだわったことである。 内閣が発足するや、自公政権が決めた概算要求基準（シーリング）を廃止し、各府省に概算要求を出し直させたことが、迷走の始まりだった。=== 2 miscalculations Total budget requests came to 95 trillion yen, up 6.5 trillion yen from the 2009 initial budget. This increase was the result of the inclusion of policies contained in the DPJ manifesto, such as child-rearing allowances, making public high school eduction virtually free and a plan to eliminate some expressway tolls. 概算要求の総額は９５兆円と、０９年度当初予算を６・５兆円も上回った。子ども手当、高校授業料の実質無償化や高速道路料金の一部無料化など、政権公約の関連項目が並んだためだ。In the course of discussing how to fund these pledges in the budget, the Hatoyama administration noticed it had made two glaring miscalculations: a major drop in tax revenue, and its pruning of budget requests fell well short of expectations. これらの取り扱いについて議論するうち、鳩山内閣は二つの“誤算”に見舞われた。The economic downturn has caused tax revenue for fiscal 2009 to plunge more than 9 trillion yen below initial forecasts, with the fall in corporate tax especially severe. Tax revenue is also expected to stay flat for fiscal 2010. 一つは税収の大幅な落ち込みである。景気の低迷で、０９年度は法人税を中心に、予想より９兆円以上減少することがわかった。１０年度も税収の回復は期待できず、前年度並みの水準を見込まざるを得なくなった。The DPJ assumed it could secure additional revenue by cutting wasteful programs. However, its attempts to eliminate budget fat finished with disappointing results. 二つめは、予算の無駄減らしによる財源の確保が、期待はずれに終わったことである。The DPJ had insisted 10 trillion yen to 20 trillion yen could be freed up by reviewing both the general and special accounts. In its manifesto, the party stipulated it would wring out nearly 17 trillion yen annually four years after taking power. 民主党は、一般会計と特別会計を見直せば、１０兆円や２０兆円の財源を確保するのは容易だと主張してきた。政権公約には、政権奪取から４年後に、年間１７兆円近い財源を捻出(ねんしゅつ)すると明記した。The budget screening to cut wasteful spending started with great fanfare. However, the screening panel could not find wasteful programs to the extent that the DPJ first assumed. The administration initially set a target of 3 trillion yen in cuts, but could only come up with about 1 trillion yen. ところが、鳴り物入りで始めた事業仕分けでは、無駄の洗い出しが進まなかった。当初は３兆円の削減を目指したが、実際には１兆円程度にとどまった。Despite this, the Hatoyama administration insists revenue sources are still waiting to be uncovered. The administration bears a heavy responsibility for these actions. 民主党が想定したほどには、無駄がなかったということである。それなのに、財源はあると言い続けた鳩山政権の責任は重いと言わざるを得ない。Despite this chronic revenue shortage, Hatoyama refused to budge from his plans to implement policies spelled out in the DPJ manifesto. This greatly delayed the compilation of fiscal 2010 tax reform plans. 鳩山首相は、深刻な財源不足に直面してもなお、政権公約の実行にこだわり、税制改正大綱のとりまとめは大幅に遅れた。Hatoyama eventually accepted DPJ requests submitted by Ichiro Ozawa, the party's secretary general, and modified several manifesto pledges, such as virtually retracting a proposal to abolish the provisionally higher gasoline tax. In the end, the budget was compiled within this year, although it was anything but smooth sailing. 結局、小沢幹事長が出した民主党の要請を受け入れ、暫定税率廃止の撤回など政権公約の一部を修正した。この結果、予算案の年内編成になんとかこぎ着けた。Worryingly, huge sums have been allocated to policies apparently designed to impress voters ahead of next year's House of Councillors election, such as an income compensation plan for individual farmers. だが、農家への戸別所得補償など、来年の参院選を意識したと思われる党主導の政策に多額の予算をつけたのは問題だった。Also disconcerting is the slashing of public works-related budgets by 1.3 trillion yen to 5.8 trillion yen, an 18 percent reduction from the initial budget for this fiscal year. 景気低迷が続く中、公共事業関係費を前年度比１８％、１・３兆円も削り、５・８兆円に縮減したことも懸念材料である。
Dec 26, 2009
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元秘書２人起訴 鳩山首相の政治責任は重大だ
Yomiuri Shimbun (Dec. 25, 2009)Scandal responsibility lies with Hatoyama元秘書２人起訴 鳩山首相の政治責任は重大だ（12月25日付・読売社説）Prosecutors have decided not to indict Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama over falsified reports on his political funds. However, the prime minister bears a heavy political responsibility for, in effect, allowing his former secretary to continue illegal accounting practices for years. The prime minister also deceived the public as he did his best to avoid telling the truth on the murky matter. 元秘書の不正行為を放置したうえ、国民に真実を語ろうとしなかった。鳩山首相は不起訴だったとはいえ、政治的責任は極めて重大である。Prosecutors on Thursday indicted Hatoyama's former state-funded first secretary without arrest for alleged violations of the Political Funds Control Law. The secretary, who was in charge of the administrative affairs of Hatoyama's political fund management organization, allegedly falsified official fund reports of Hatoyama's political fund organizations. The prosecutors also filed a summary indictment against another state-paid former secretary for policy affairs to Hatoyama, who served as the accountant for the fund organization, ordering him to pay a fine. 首相の資金管理団体などの収支報告書に虚偽を記載したとして、実務担当者だった元公設第１秘書が、政治資金規正法違反で在宅起訴された。会計責任者だった元政策秘書も略式起訴され、罰金の略式命令を受けた。The prosecutors concluded the former first secretary disguised funds extended by Hatoyama and his mother as income from individuals' donations and sales of tickets for fund-raising parties. The former policy affairs secretary was charged with gross negligence for failing to notice the falsifications by leaving the accounting work up to the first secretary. 元公設秘書は、首相や母親からの資金などを個人献金やパーティー収入に偽装した。元政策秘書は元公設秘書に任せ、注意を怠る重大な過失があったという。 ◆「知らぬ」は通用しない◆It is extremely unusual for former aides to a prime minister to be indicted while the premier is still in office. But the amount of funds falsely entered in the reports totaled about 400 million yen over five years. The scale of the deception means that laying criminal charges in this case was an easy call to make. 現職首相の元秘書の訴追は異例だが、虚偽記入の総額は５年間で約４億円にも上っており、刑事責任が問われるのは当然だ。=== Prime minister standing firm Hatoyama has deflected calls to step down over the messy affair. "It's my responsibility to fulfill my mission as a politician," he said at a press conference following the indictments. 鳩山首相は記者会見で、「政治家としての使命を果たすことが、私の責任だ」と述べ、自らの辞任を否定した。While Hatoyama was a member of the opposition camp, however, he was quick to make comments that seem to contradict his position in this case. "The responsibility lies with a politician if his or her secretary committed a crime." "If I were the person involved, I'd take off my Diet member pin." Hatoyama took these potshots on such occasions as the arrest of a secretary to former Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Koichi Kato and that of a secretary to Muneo Suzuki, a House of Representatives lawmaker. だが、首相は野党時代、加藤紘一自民党元幹事長や鈴木宗男衆院議員の秘書らが逮捕された際、何度もこう明言していた。 「秘書の犯罪は議員の責任だ」「私なら議員バッジを外す」But now the shoe is on the other foot and Hatoyama must face up squarely to the situation he finds himself in. Where once Hatoyama was calling on others to resign, now he finds himself the target of such demands. この言葉が今、自身の進退に向けられていることを、厳粛に受け止める必要がある。Hatoyama insisted at the press conference that he was "totally unaware" of the massive amount of funds originating from his mother. Even if he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, his explanation leaves us shaking our heads. 首相は記者会見で、母親からの巨額の資金提供について「全く承知していなかった」と改めて強調した。首相がいかに裕福な家庭環境で育ったとしても、この説明は信じがたい。Even if Hatoyama did not know about the funds dispensed from his mother up until June, when disguised donations filed in the names of dead people came to light, he later had the first secretary make a report on the matter and let a lawyer look into the case. It is inconceivable that Hatoyama did not notice the about 1.2 billion yen in funds from his mother. 仮に「故人献金」問題が発覚した６月までは知らなかったとしても、その後、元公設秘書から事情を聞き、弁護士に調査までさせている。計１２億円超の資金提供に気づかないことはあり得ない。=== Questions unanswered The revelations came out just as the lower house election was approaching. If Hatoyama hid the funds from his mother in an attempt to save his own neck and avoid any negative fallout that could impact on his party's election chances, this would be an act of betrayal against the public. 当時は、衆院選が迫っていた。自らの保身と、選挙への悪影響を避けるため、母親からの資金提供を隠していたのなら、国民に対する背信行為である。Why did the first secretary make false entries in fund reports? For what purposes were the mother's funds used? Was the provision of funds from his mother a way to dodge paying inheritance tax? 元公設秘書はなぜ虚偽記載を行ったのか。母親の資金をどんな活動に使ったのか。資金提供は相続税対策だったのではないか。Hatoyama has provided scant explanations to these questions. The prime minister must explain in detail about the series of fund-management irregularities. Without doing so, he will never be able to regain public trust. こうした多くの疑問に対して、首相の記者会見での説明は極めて不十分だった。首相は改めて機会を設け、一連の問題の全体像を自ら丁寧に説明すべきだ。それなくして国民の信頼は回復しない。
Dec 24, 2009
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「佐藤」核密約 東西冷戦下の苦渋の選択だ
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Dec. 24, 2009)Secret accord inevitable during Cold War era「佐藤」核密約 東西冷戦下の苦渋の選択だ（12月24日付・読売社説）A key document that gives credence to the existence of a secret agreement between Japan and the United States over the reentry of nuclear weapons into Okinawa after its reversion to Japan has been discovered. 沖縄返還後の核再持ち込みをめぐる日米密約の存在を裏付ける貴重な資料が発見された。The document is an "agreed minute" signed by Prime Minister Eisaku Sato and U.S. President Richard Nixon during a summit meeting held in Washington in November 1969, prior to the 1972 return of Okinawa. １９７２年の沖縄返還に先立つ６９年１１月、ワシントンで開かれた日米首脳会談で、佐藤栄作首相とニクソン米大統領が極秘に署名した「合意議事録」である。The document showed that the United States intended to remove all nuclear weapons from Okinawa by the time of its reversion. It also indicated that Washington would require the reentry of nuclear weapons into Okinawa during emergencies, such as a possible incident in the Far East. 文書は、米国が沖縄返還時にすべての核兵器を撤去するものの、極東有事などの際には再び持ち込む権利を持つことを、日本側が認める内容となっている。The existence of this kind of secret accord had already been suggested by Kei Wakaizumi, who served as a secret envoy for Sato. However, proof of the existence of the document has now come to light and the finding is of significant historical importance. 密約の存在は、佐藤首相の密使を務めた若泉敬氏が明らかにしていたが、文書自体の確認は初めてで、その歴史的意義は大きい。=== Difficult decision During talks over the reversion of Okinawa, Japan requested "nuclear-free, mainland status" for Okinawa. The United States, on the other hand, stressed the necessity of allowing for the reentry of nuclear weapons in the case of an emergency. 沖縄返還交渉で、日本側は「核抜き本土並み」の返還を求めたのに対し、米側は、極東の安全保障の観点から、有事の核再持ち込みの必要性を主張した。Agreeing to the secret accord was thus a tough decision taken to ensure the reversion of Okinawa by striking a balance between the Japanese public's negative feelings about nuclear weapons, and security concerns within the Cold War structure brought about by the confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union. 密約は、米ソ対立による東西冷戦の下、核を忌避する日本の国民感情と安全保障を両立させつつ、沖縄返還を確実にするための苦渋の選択だったと言えよう。The Foreign Ministry has set up a panel of experts to research and examine the issue of four purported secret agreements with the United States, including the one relating to the reentry of nuclear weapons after the reversion of Okinawa. The recent discovery of the aforementioned document likely will help the panel make significant progress. 外務省は、有識者委員会を設置し、今回の件を含む四つの密約問題を調査、検証している。合意議事録の発見は、この作業を大きく前進させるだろう。Sato kept the document at home and we wonder whether its contents were passed on to successive prime ministers and senior ministry officials in an appropriate manner. The panel should uncover the truth through interviews with the people concerned, and via other means. 議事録は、佐藤首相の自宅に保管されていた。その内容は、歴代首相や外務省幹部にきちんと引き継がれていたのか。有識者委員会は、関係者からの聞き取り調査などを通じて、真相を究明してもらいたい。The government has consistently denied the existence of such agreements. But, to restore the people's trust in this nation's diplomacy, the government should acknowledge that secret accords were struck and thereby settle the controversy. 政府は従来、一貫して密約の存在を否定してきた。だが、日本外交に対する国民の信頼を回復するには、密約の存在を認め、問題にけじめをつけるべきだ。=== Deterrence still essential Though the Cold War has ended, it is hard to say whether the circumstances surrounding Japan's security have improved. 冷戦は終わったが、現在の日本の安全保障環境は必ずしも改善されたとは言い難い。North Korea, which has twice conducted nuclear tests, reportedly possesses a huge number of ballistic missiles capable of striking Japan. Meanwhile, China has registered double-digit growth in its defense spending for 21 consecutive years. China reportedly has deployed a number of nuclear missiles targeting Japan. 北朝鮮は核実験を２度実施し、日本を射程に収める弾道ミサイルを大量に保有する。中国の国防費は２１年連続で２ケタの伸びを示した。日本に照準を合わせた核ミサイルも多数配備している。The U.S. military's nuclear deterrence is still essential for Japan. 日本にとって米軍の核抑止力は依然、不可欠である。Presently, however, the Japan-U.S. alliance is being seriously shaken. The administration of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has indecisively handled the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture, resulting in a strong sense of U.S. distrust toward Japan. ところが、鳩山政権は、米軍普天間飛行場の移設問題をめぐる優柔不断な対応で米側の強い不信を招き、日米同盟は今、大きく揺らいでいる。To maintain the effectiveness of the U.S. deterrence, we believe it is worth giving consideration to allowing port calls or stopovers of vessels and aircraft carrying nuclear weapons. However, such an act would have implications for the third of the nation's three nonnuclear principles of not possessing, not producing and not allowing the entry of nuclear weapons into this nation. 核抑止力を維持するには、「持たず、作らず、持ち込ませず」の非核三原則の「持ち込ませず」のうち、核搭載艦船や航空機の寄港・立ち寄りを可能にすることも、十分検討に値するだろう。(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 24, 2009) （2009年12月24日01時31分 読売新聞）
Dec 23, 2009
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来年度税・予算 政権公約へのこだわり捨てよ
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Dec. 23, 2009)Put the economy before manifesto promises来年度税・予算 政権公約へのこだわり捨てよ（12月23日付・読売社説）Compilation of the fiscal 2010 budget has entered the homestretch. ２０１０年度予算の編成作業が、大詰めを迎えている。The outline of tax revisions for next fiscal year was approved Tuesday at a Cabinet meeting, and the treatment of child-rearing allowances and an income compensation system for individual farmers has been decided, too. 国民生活や企業活動に深くかかわる来年度の税制改正大綱が２２日に閣議決定され、子ども手当や農家への戸別所得補償など予算の主要項目の扱いも固まった。However, a serious tax revenue shortfall has cast a shadow over the process. Tax revenues in fiscal 2009 are estimated to be 36.9 trillion yen, over 9 trillion yen less than initially expected. Tax revenues in fiscal 2010 will remain almost the same. 一連の作業に影を落としたのが深刻な税収不足だ。０９年度の税収は、当初の見積もりより９兆円余り少ない３６・９兆円となる見込みだ。１０年度についても同程度の額にとどまりそうだ。This situation has made measures to secure tax revenue the most important agenda item in discussing tax revisions. However, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama failed to make any decisions on this matter, preferring to stick to implementation of the Democratic Party of Japan's manifesto pledges made for August's House of Representatives election, which will lead to huge budgets and a drastic reduction of tax revenue. このため、税制改正では、いかに税収を確保していくかが重要なテーマになった。だが、鳩山首相は巨額の予算計上や、大幅な税収減につながる政権公約（マニフェスト）の実現にこだわって決断できなかった。Hatoyama, having gone back and forth, finally decided the outline by accepting the requests of the DPJ submitted by its Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa. 最後は、小沢幹事長から出された民主党の要望を受け入れる形で大枠を決める迷走ぶりだった。The prime minister followed the same process in the budget compilation. 予算編成でも、同じような過程をたどっている。The government's budget plan for fiscal 2010 is to be decided soon. The prime minister in a few days must come up with a way to make a budget that can pump up the economy and offer reassurance to people with insufficient financial resources. １０年度予算は、近く政府案が決まる予定だ。乏しい財源で、いかに景気を下支えし、国民生活に安心をもたらす予算を作り上げていくか。鳩山首相は、あと数日で答えを出さねばならない。Treatment of the provisionally higher tax rate on fossil fuels, including gasoline, symbolizes the confusion afflicting tax revisions. The prime minister initially was determined to abolish the provisional tax rate in April as it was the pillar of his party's election pledges, but he finally decided only to lower the rates of the automobile weight tax. 税制改正の迷走の象徴が、ガソリン税などの暫定税率だ。鳩山首相は政権公約の目玉として、来年４月の暫定税率廃止に固執したが、最終的には自動車重量税の一部引き下げにとどめた。 ◆暫定税率維持は当然◆We think Hatoyama's decision is reasonable. If the provisional tax rate was abolished, central and local governments would lose a total of 2.5 trillion yen in tax revenues, worsening fiscal deficits. 国と地方で２・５兆円の税収がなくなれば、財政赤字はさらに膨らむ。この判断は当然だろう。The DPJ had claimed that the provisional tax could be abolished because abundant new financial resources could be created by trimming fat from government spending. But wasn't it apparent from the very beginning that such a claim would end up being pie in the sky? 暫定税率の廃止などについて民主党は、「歳出の無駄の洗い出しで、財源はいくらでも出てくる」と主張していた。だがそれが空手形に終わるのは、最初から分かりきっていたことではないか。This shows the collapse of so-called manifesto politics. We have to say that the actions and remarks of Hatoyama, who stuck to the abolition of the provisional tax rate, have ended up deceiving the public. マニフェスト政治の破綻(はたん)を示すものだろう。廃止にこだわった首相の言動は、結果的に国民を欺いたと言わざるを得ない。The prime minister is apparently unaware of his own responsibility, maintaining that his change of policy is in line with public opinion. He must give the public a detailed explanation of why he decided to change the policy. 首相は、今回の方針転換は「国民の思いに沿ったもの」と述べるなど、責任を自覚していない。転換の経緯を、国民に詳しく説明しなければなるまい。The government said it would spend a year or so studying the introduction of an environment tax, which was once considered to offset the scrapping of the provisional tax rate on fossil fuels. An environment tax, which would be imposed widely on fossil fuels and others, would become a heavy burden on industries and household budgets if introduced. It should be considered very carefully. 暫定税率の代わりに導入が検討された環境税については、今後１年程度かけて検討するとした。化石燃料などに幅広く課税する環境税は、産業界や家計に重い負担となる。慎重に扱うべきだ。=== Child benefit needs rethink The government likely will set up a special fund worth 2 trillion yen in the next fiscal budget, using such financial resources as the revenue to be generated through the maintenance of the provisionally higher tax rates. The money set aside for this specified-purpose budgetary framework will be used to help create more jobs, reinvigorate regional economies and implement other pump-priming policies. 政府は、暫定税率の維持で得た税収などで、来年度予算に２兆円の特別枠を設け、雇用対策や地域活性化などに振り向ける方針だ。The government has good reason to consider giving the economy an additional shot in the arm. It is also essential that the list of purposes for which such budgetary means would be used be narrowed down to a handful of measures that promise to produce an immediate economy-boosting effect. 景気への配慮は妥当であり、使途は景気に即効性がある対策に絞り込むことが肝要だ。Another focus of the dispute over the fiscal 2010 budget was whether an income limit should be imposed on the eligibility of households to be covered by the child-rearing allowance system. The government has settled the controversy by deciding the scheme will not set such a limit. This means every family with a child or children in the middle school age bracket or younger will be paid 13,000 yen per child monthly. もうひとつの焦点だった子ども手当については、所得制限を設けないことで決着した。中学生以下の子どもを持つすべての家庭に、子ども１人につき月１万３０００円が支払われる。
Dec 23, 2009
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野口飛行士 宇宙の新時代を開く活躍を
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Dec. 22, 2009)Noguchi's ISS trip heralds new era for space activity野口飛行士 宇宙の新時代を開く活躍を（12月22日付・読売社説）Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi safely departed for the International Space Station on a Russian Soyuz rocket. 日本の宇宙飛行士、野口聡一さんが、ロシアのソユーズ宇宙船で国際宇宙ステーションに向けて無事、旅立った。Noguchi will stay aboard the ISS for about six months. これから約半年間、ステーションの「住民」になる。His stay will be the longest that a Japanese astronaut has experienced. We hope he will steadily fulfill his duty in international space cooperation and enhance Japan's international presence. 日本人の宇宙滞在としてはこれまでで最も長い。宇宙の国際協力で着実に使命を果たし、日本の存在感を高めてほしい。Unlike a past stay by a Japanese astronaut, Noguchi plans to stay for about six months and has a private room. これまでと違って、野口さんは当初から半年の滞在を予定しており、専用の個室もある。Construction of the ISS is near completion. The number of residents there will increase from the initial two to the maximum of six by next spring, when Noguchi will still be at the station. ステーション完成は間近い。住民も、野口さんが滞在中の来春までに、今の２人から最大定員の６人まで増える。We can now say that the ISS is in full operation, and world space activities have entered a new age. ステーションの本格運用が始まり、世界の宇宙活動は新たな時代に入ると言ってもいい。Noguchi is expected to not only conduct space experiments for Japan, but also support the operation and maintenance of the station and experiments carried out by other countries, including one the United States plans to ascertain the perceptual effect of sleeping drugs. Noguchi himself will be involved in the U.S. experiment by taking the drugs. 野口さんは、日本の宇宙実験だけでなく、ステーション運営と整備や他国の実験も支援することになる。米国が予定している睡眠薬の知覚影響を調べる実験など、体を張った協力もある。=== Soyuz a trusted spacecraft As part of leisure and public relations activities designed to promote international space cooperation, Noguchi will make sushi in space. He will be very busy with various missions in the ISS, but we hope he will relax and carry out his duties. 国際協力を盛り上げる余暇、広報活動では、宇宙でスシを握るといった見せ場も計画している。大忙しになるだろうが、肩の力を抜いて乗り切ってほしい。This is the first time that an official Japanese astronaut will use the Soyuz capsule for a return trip from the Earth to space. 日本の公式の宇宙飛行士が地上との往復にソユーズ宇宙船を利用するのも、今回が初めてだ。Past Japanese astronauts used U.S. space shuttles, but the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration is preparing to retire its aging space shuttle fleet after the completion of construction of the ISS in the spring. Traveling into space means relying on Russia until the United States develops a new spacecraft. The launch of the Soyuz rocket this time is the first case under such circumstances. これまでは米国のスペースシャトルに搭乗していた。だが、ステーションが来春完成すると老朽化で退役する。米国の新宇宙船が出来るまで宇宙への足はロシア頼りで、今回はその１号だ。The vital structures of the Soyuz spacecraft have been kept, and other parts have been steadily improved over the past four decades since the era of the former Soviet Union, during which period the vehicle has been launched about 100 times. The Soyuz has accumulated technology and is very safe, and its launch cost is one-tenth the 80 billion yen it costs to launch a U.S. space shuttle. ソユーズ宇宙船は、旧ソ連時代から約４０年、根幹の構造を受け継ぎながら改良され、約１００回打ち上げられてきた。技術の蓄積があり、安全性は高い。打ち上げコストも、約８００億円の米シャトルの１０分の１程度と言われる。=== Space station's future unclear In Japan, meanwhile, there are growing calls for this country to develop manned spacecraft. 日本でも、有人宇宙船の開発を期待する声が高まっている。The H-2 Transfer Vehicle, Japan's first unmanned spacecraft, which successfully delivered materials to the ISS in September, is said to be a prototype for the nation's manned spacecraft. この９月に初飛行に成功したステーションへの無人補給船（ＨＴＶ）はその原型とされる。The HTV can haul more than twice as much cargo as Russia's unmanned supply spacecraft. The United States is considering using the HTV to supply materials to the ISS after the space shuttles are retired. The experience with the Soyuz spacecraft will provide Japan with pointers on what is required to turn the HTV into a manned spacecraft. 輸送能力を比べればロシアの無人補給船の倍以上だ。米国はシャトル退役後の補給手段として利用を検討している。ＨＴＶの有人化へ向けて何が必要か、ソユーズの経験は参考になるだろう。What worries us is the unclear future of the ISS. The United States, one of the major countries promoting the ISS project, only plans to use the ISS until 2015. 心配なのは、ステーションの将来計画が不透明なことだ。主要国の米国が、２０１５年までの利用計画しか決めていない。Plans to develop space will not proceed smoothly unless the nations concerned take ample time beforehand to think them through. In line with the start of the full-fledged operation of the ISS, the government should quickly discuss its plan with concerned countries. 宇宙利用は、事前に時間をかけて周到に準備しないとうまく行かない。ステーションの本格運用に合わせて、政府は、関係各国との将来計画の協議を急ぐべきだ。(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 22, 2009) （2009年12月22日01時24分 読売新聞）
Dec 21, 2009
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科学技術戦略 国際競争を勝ち抜くために
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Dec. 21, 2009)Japan can't afford to trail in intl science, tech race科学技術戦略 国際競争を勝ち抜くために（12月21日付・読売社説）Without progress in the fields of science and technology, new industries will stagnate, which may put this nation on the road to decline. How then should the government bolster science and technology--a key source of national strength. 科学技術の発展がなければ、新たな産業は育たず、日本は衰退への道をたどりかねない。国力の源泉とも言える科学技術を政府は今後、どうもり立ててゆくべきか。A new strategy on science and technology has been compiled by a committee belonging to the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry and headed by Nobel Chemistry Prize winner Ryoji Noyori, president of the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (Riken). ノーベル化学賞受賞者の野依良治・理化学研究所理事長を主査とする文部科学省の委員会が、新たな科学技術戦略をまとめた。The strategy incorporates measures aimed at promoting effective yet flexible research and development efforts. 研究開発を、これまでより効率的かつ機動的に推進するための方策を盛り込んでいる。Such measures should form part of a wider growth strategy, which the administration of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama is expected to draw up by the end of the year. 新政権が年内にもまとめるという「成長戦略」に、しっかりと位置づけるべきだ。As the Government Revitalization Unit--tasked with identifying wasteful government spending--has judged many projects in the fields of science and technology should be scrapped or have their budgets cut, concern has arisen both at home and abroad that Japan no longer has a science and technology strategy. Such concerns should quickly be put to rest. 事業仕分けに大なたを振るったことで、科学技術戦略なき日本、との懸念も国内外にある。それを払拭(ふっしょく)したい。=== Better coordination needed Under previous government policies, four fields, including life sciences and information and telecommunication, were given priority when compiling budgets. However, the scope of each field was too broad, which meant cooperation among the related ministries and agencies was poorly coordinated. This made it difficult to create an efficient structure for ensuring cooperation among industry, government and academia. これまでの政策では、「生命科学」「情報通信」など重点４分野を設けて予算を投じていた。だが分野ごとの範囲が広過ぎたため省庁間の連携が弱く、産官学の協力体制を築くのが難しかった。It was this failing that impeded development of the nation's next-generation supercomputer--a project that attracted much public attention during the Government Revitalization Unit's budgetary screening process. 事業仕分けで注目された「次世代スーパーコンピューター」の開発も、そこが弱点だった。While the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry took the initiative and threw its weight behind the program, the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry, which oversees the electronics industry, has kept its distance. 文部科学省が主導したので、電子産業を所管する経済産業省は距離を置いていた。The development of a supercomputer is tied to the development of related fields. However, the ripple effect turned out to be limited as the project created little momentum. 本来なら、関連産業界の振興につながるはずだが波及効果は限定的で、盛り上がりを欠いていた。As a result, under the latest strategy, the project has had its goals narrowed down to a dozen, with each to be carefully overseen and implemented. これを受け、新戦略では、政策課題を十数項目に絞り込み、個別にきめ細かく対応する。Under the strategy, each selected policy goal will see concerned ministries and agencies as well as certain industry groups closely involved in the process from the initial formulation of strategies through construction and operation of the systems put in place to ensure a successful outcome. 選定した政策課題ごとに、関係省庁と産業界などが、当初の戦略策定から支援体制の構築、運営まで緊密に関与する。=== Steady investment vital The new strategy lists possible tasks, including tackling global warming via the development of a highly efficient solar battery and a regenerative medicine project that will see more backing for research into induced pluripotent stem cells--a type of human stem cell that is capable of being developed into various types of human cells. 課題の候補として、高効率の太陽電池開発などを目指す「地球温暖化」や、新型万能細胞（ｉＰＳ細胞）の研究強化を含む「再生医療」といった例を挙げている。The strategy was drawn up with reference to policies adopted by many European nations. 欧州の政策を参考にした。The strategy will likely spell out, both its goals and means, and should back research proceed in a flexible manner and in a way that promotes the effective use of budgetary funds. 目標と手段が明確になろう。研究が機動的に進み、予算の効率的な活用にもつながるのではないか。Obviously, support for fundamental research is essential, as it will help new fields in science and technology to come about. むろん、基礎研究分野への支援も大切だ。新たな科学技術の芽を生むきっかけになる。The problem is funding. The new strategy calls for the allocation of 1 percent of the nation's gross domestic product, about 5 trillion yen, as its related budget. Although there should be room for discussion due to the nation's severe financial situation, there is no question that steady investment is of vital importance. 問題は資金だ。新戦略は、関連予算に国内総生産（ＧＤＰ）の１％（約５兆円）を充てる目標を提示している。厳しい財政の下、議論の余地はあるだろうが、着実な投資の重要性は論をまたない。However, it also goes without saying that wasteful spending should be eradicated on the condition that necessary funding is allocated. To ensure research and development proceed in an effective manner, it is vital to nurture researchers who are knowledgeable in the operation and management of research organizations. ただ、予算投入の前提として無駄の排除は当然のことだ。効率的に研究開発を進めるため、研究の組織運用、経営の知識を備えた研究者の育成も大切になる。As European countries and the United States are already aiming to strengthen their competitiveness in the fields of science and technology by boosting investment, Japan should act promptly. 欧米も、科学技術への投資を増やして競争力の強化を目指している。日本も対応を急ぎたい。(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 21, 2009) （2009年12月21日00時18分 読売新聞）
Dec 21, 2009
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ＣＯＰ１５ 懸案先送りで決裂を回避した
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Dec. 20, 2009) COP15 avoids collapse by delaying decisionＣＯＰ１５ 懸案先送りで決裂を回避した（12月20日付・読売社説）The latest U.N. Climate Change Conference was successful only in that it avoided complete collapse. 決裂を回避できたことが、国連気候変動枠組み条約の第１５回締約国会議（ＣＯＰ１５）が残した唯一の成果といえよう。Participants at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change approved the Copenhagen Accord drawn up by major developed and developing countries on Saturday. ＣＯＰ１５は主要国がまとめた政治合意文書である「コペンハーゲン合意」を承認した。The political agreement, however, made no mention of matters in which the interests of developed nations conflict with those of emerging and developing countries. The fact that the document lacks substance reflects the deep disagreement at the talks. The most important issue at hand--what to do with a new framework to succeed the Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012--was left unsettled and postponed for further discussion. 文書は、先進国と新興国・途上国の間で利害が相反する部分をそぎ落としており、乏しい内容が根深い対立を反映している。京都議定書に次ぐ２０１３年以降の枠組みをどうするか、という最重要懸案は先送りとなった。The 10-day conference proceeded at the pace of emerging and developing countries. In particular, China and India strongly supported extending the 1997 Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012, frustrating the developed countries. １０日間余の会議は、新興国と途上国のペースで進んだ。特に中国やインドなどが京都議定書を１３年以降も延長する案を強硬に主張し、先進国は振り回された。The Kyoto Protocol obliges only developed countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions and as such is a very convenient framework for emerging and developing countries. 京都議定書で、温室効果ガスの排出削減を義務付けられているのは先進国だけだ。新興国・途上国にとって、京都議定書は、非常に好都合な枠組みである。=== Accord includes all nations Japan and the European Union have been insisting a new framework involving emerging and developing countries be established, a natural course of action given that China has become the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter. 日本や欧州連合（ＥＵ）は、新興国・途上国をも含めた新たな枠組みが必要だと主張してきた。中国が世界一の排出国になったことなどを考えれば、当然だ。The Kyoto Protocol, even if it is extended, would have no impact on the United States, which had withdrawn from it. Japan should be relieved at the fact that such a flawed framework was not extended. 米国は京都議定書から離脱しており、仮に延長されても影響は及ばない。こうした欠陥だらけの枠組みである京都議定書が今回は延長されなかったことが、日本にとっての救いである。The Japanese government must maintain its stance of opposing the extension of the protocol. 日本政府は、今後も延長に反対する姿勢を崩してはならない。Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama took part in the conference touting, Japan's midterm goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent from 1990 levels by 2020. The intention of presenting such an extremely aggressive goal was to encourage other countries to raise their own reduction targets. 鳩山首相は、「２０年までに１９９０年比で２５％削減」という日本としての中期目標を掲げてＣＯＰ１５に臨んだ。極めて高い目標の提示で、他国に削減目標の引き上げを促す戦略だった。However, the latest climate talks were tough as Hatoyama admitted that other nations had not necessarily presented bold goals. Hatoyama's lack of foresight was exposed. しかし、首相が、「他の国々が必ずしも大胆な目標を提示してくれない状況だ」と語るほど、交渉は厳しく、首相の見通しの甘さが露呈した。=== Financial help led to deal The tangled negotiations eventually made progress after Japan and the United States announced financial assistance to emerging and developing countries to help them mitigate climate change. This clearly shows the reality that emerging and developing countries do move if they see practical benefit--assistance from developed countries. 交渉が進展したのは、日本や米国が新興国・途上国向けの資金支援策を表明してからだ。新興国・途上国は、先進国からの支援という実利によって動くという現実が如実に示された。The Copenhagen Accord states that developed countries will stipulate their emission reduction targets for 2020 in an appendix to the accord by Jan. 31. It is highly likely that each country will be obliged to achieve these targets under the post-Kyoto Protocol framework. 合意には、「先進国は２０年の削減目標を来年１月３１日までに合意の別表に記載する」という内容が盛り込まれた。この数値が次期枠組みで各国が負う削減義務となる可能性が高い。Considering the lessons learned from the Kyoto Protocol, under which Japan had to shoulder disadvantageous obligations, the next framework to be established should be fair. The Japanese government will be pressed to make a difficult decision on whether to pledge in the appendix the target of a 25 percent reduction from 1990 levels, which is a substantially tougher figure than those likely to be named by the United States and other countries. 日本が不利な削減義務を負った京都議定書を教訓に、次期枠組みは、公平なものにしなくてはならない。米国などより大幅に厳しい「９０年比２５％減」を記載するのか。日本政府が難しい判断を迫られるのは、これからである。(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 20, 2009)（2009年12月20日01時02分 読売新聞）
Dec 20, 2009
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answer.com （オンライン英英辞書）
オンライン英英辞書での学習効果的です。こんなにすぐれた英英電子辞書が無料で利用できるは驚きです。インターネットでJapan Times を読んでいてこれを発見しました。発音注意の単語も確実にものにすることができますね。例（今朝の英字読売新聞より）facade ふぁさーど （うわべ、表面上の顔）indict いんだいと （起訴する）answers.com top page↓http://www.answers.com/main/answertips.jsp?lid=AnswerTip_enable&lpos=ATip_bottom
Dec 19, 2009
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公設秘書初公判 小沢氏は検察の指摘に答えよ
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Dec. 19, 2009)Ozawa must come clean on funds allegations公設秘書初公判 小沢氏は検察の指摘に答えよ（12月19日付・読売社説）A lawmaker's aide allegedly collected donations from a general contractor, which expected to receive orders for lucrative public works projects in return, and made false entries in political fund reports to conceal the actual flow of funds. 公共工事の受注を期待するゼネコンから献金を集めながら、実態を隠すため政治資金収支報告書にうそを書いた――。In the first hearing of the trial of a state-funded secretary to Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa over alleged violations of the Political Funds Control Law, prosecutors pointed to such a cozy relationship between Ozawa's office and a construction company. If the allegations are proved true, they would certainly be an act of deception that betrayed the public. 政治資金規正法違反に問われた小沢民主党幹事長の公設第１秘書の初公判で、検察側が指摘したのは小沢事務所と業者との癒着の構図だ。事実なら国民の目を欺く行為である。During Friday's trial, the secretary denied all the claims presented in the indictment as well as the prosecutors' argument that he by himself had "the voice of heaven," or the authority to issue commands, to influence the process of determining winners of contracts for public works projects. 秘書は公判で、起訴事実とともに、受注に影響を与える「天の声」を自ら出していたとする検察側の主張を全面否定した。Although the secretary denied the allegations, he is on trial as a defendant in a criminal case. Ozawa is a politician with heavy responsibilities as secretary general of the dominant ruling party. We think Ozawa must provide clear explanations on the allegations aired in the trial. 否認しているとはいえ、公設第１秘書が刑事被告人として裁かれている。小沢氏は政権与党の幹事長という重責を担う政治家だ。公判での指摘について、自ら明確に説明しなければなるまい。=== Shady dealings It has been found that two political organizations headed by former officials of the general contractor, Nishimatsu Construction Co., donated 35 million yen over four years to Ozawa's political fund management organization and a DPJ local branch headed by Ozawa. 小沢氏の資金管理団体などには西松建設のＯＢを代表にした二つの政治団体から４年間で計３５００万円が献金されていた。The prosecutors claimed the two organizations were merely dummies and that Nishimatsu Construction was actually the true source of the donations. The prosecution also argued that Ozawa's secretary was well aware of these details. この政治団体に実体がなく、献金の主体は西松建設であり、公設秘書もそれを認識していた、というのが検察側の主張である。To support the allegation, the prosecutors presented, during their opening statement and on other occasions, details of a number of instances in which the secretary had spoken with officials of Nishimatsu and other general contractors. それを裏づける事実として、検察側は冒頭陳述などで、西松建設をはじめゼネコンと公設秘書とのやり取りなどを挙げた。The secretary allegedly was able to convince the firms to fork over huge donations after taking over from his predecessor the role of "the voice of heaven" regarding the public works contracts. 公設秘書は、前任者から「天の声」を出す役割を引き継ぎ、多額の献金などを要求していた。A dam construction project that the Iwate prefectural government planned to put up for tender lies at the heart of this case. The secretary allegedly told Nishimatsu officials when they lobbied to receive the order: "Right, I've got it. I'll let Nishimatsu undertake the project." The secretary reportedly wrote down the title of the project as he was talking. 岩手県が発注予定のダム工事では、西松建設から陳情を受けた際に、工事名をメモしながら、「よしわかった、西松にしてやる」と了解を与えていた。When Nishimatsu officials were reluctant to extend financial support to Ozawa's election campaign, the secretary reportedly brought up the name of another dam, on which the company had received an order. He allegedly told the officials, in an apparent attempt to intimidate them, "Don't forget that it's Ozawa's dam." また、西松建設が選挙への協力を渋った際には、同社が受注した別のダム名を挙げ、「小沢ダムだということを忘れるな」と脅しまがいの言葉を口にしたという。=== More scandals rear heads In their opening statement, prosecutors said Nishimatsu donated 138 million yen over 10 years to the Ozawa side, including donations falsely registered in political fund reports. It is believed another 10 million yen in donations were raked in annually from subcontractors. 冒頭陳述では、西松建設側から小沢氏側への献金は、虚偽記入分も含めて１０年間で１億３８００万円に上り、下請け企業からの献金も年間１０００万円程度あった、とされている。Adding more fuel to the scandal fire, Ozawa's political fund management organization is under the spotlight over a dubious land purchase. このほか、小沢氏の資金管理団体には、不動産購入に絡む別の疑惑も浮上している。We wonder how Ozawa will respond to these allegations. 小沢氏はこうした点について、どう答えるのだろうか。In another money scandal embroiling a DPJ heavyweight, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's political fund management organization is suspected of having falsified political fund reports. A former state-paid secretary to Hatoyama is expected to be indicted without arrest soon over the case. 民主党では、鳩山首相の資金管理団体でも収支報告書の虚偽記入の疑いがあり、元公設第１秘書が近く在宅起訴される見通しだ。The DPJ is considering banning political donations from companies and organizations. Ozawa spoke of this plan at a press conference soon after his secretary was arrested. But if Ozawa cannot clear up the troubling allegations against him, such a policy proposal will inevitably be regarded as a mere facade. 民主党は、企業・団体献金の全面禁止を検討している。小沢氏が秘書逮捕後の記者会見で突然表明したものだ。だが、自らに向けられた疑惑を払拭(ふっしょく)できないのであれば、単なる「目くらまし」と受け止められても仕方あるまい。(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 19, 2009) （2009年12月19日01時20分 読売新聞）
Dec 19, 2009
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ansers.com （発音つき英英辞書）
この辞書は英英辞書のみ検索されますので、どうしても英和が切り捨てられない人向きです。ネイティブの発音がついているので発音のチェックだけに用途を限って使用することもできます。これなら初歩の英語学習者でも手軽に利用できますよね。ちなみにオンラインのJapan Timesは標準で辞書機能をそなえていますが、このanswer.comを利用しているものです。使用目的に合わせて下記の３種類が用意されています。あなたのブログやHPに小さなアフィリのバナーを貼り付けることで英英辞書機能が付与されます。辞書引きは左ダブルクリックで一発検索↓http://www.answers.com/main/answertips.jsp?lid=AnswerTip_enable&lpos=ATip_bottomあなたのPCのどのページでも alt+左クリックで一発検索↓http://www.answers.com/main/download_answers_win.jspファイアーフォックスをご利用の方↓http://www.answers.com/main/firefox_plugins.jsp
Dec 18, 2009
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習近平氏来日 日中外交の難しさ浮き彫りに
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Dec. 18, 2009)Xi's visit highlights delicate China ties習近平氏来日 日中外交の難しさ浮き彫りに（12月18日付・読売社説）Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping's visit to Japan this week left some bitter feelings among the Japanese public toward China. Most of the irritation can be blamed on both governments' tactless handling of Xi's hastily arranged audience with the Emperor. 中国の習近平国家副主席の日本訪問は、天皇陛下と習氏との会見を巡る日中両国政府の不手際によって、日本国民の対中感情にしこりを残す形になった。Xi is widely seen as a future Chinese leader. It is regrettable that his visit did not serve as an opportunity for the two nations to move their bilateral relationship toward a new stage. 中国の「次代のリーダー」と目される習氏の来日が、今後の日中関係の展望を切り開く契機にならなかったことは残念だ。Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and Xi agreed during their meeting to promote a strategic and mutually beneficial relationship between the two nations. As was to be expected, the prime minister called on China to proceed with joint development of gas fields in the East China Sea--a pending issue between the two nations--and to improve its military transparency. 鳩山首相と習氏の会談では、日中の戦略的互恵関係を推進していくことで一致した。首相が、日中間の懸案である東シナ海のガス田共同開発を前進させることや、中国の軍事力の透明性を高めるよう求めたのは当然である。Xi, for his part, made a point of bringing up the Taiwan issue as well as ethnic minorities in the Tibet and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regions. Xi said these matters concern China's core interests. 習氏は台湾問題の重要性とともに、チベット、ウイグルの少数民族問題が「中国の核心的利益」であると指摘、日本側にくぎを刺すのを忘れなかった。That may be so, but we consider it imperative that China first stop its suppression of ethnic minorities and improve human rights in these regions by holding dialogue with minority representatives. だが、少数民族問題ではまず、中国側が弾圧行為をやめ、対話を通じて、人権状況を改善することが先決ではないか。=== Xi's swift rise Xi is a son of former Chinese Vice Premier Xi Zhongxun. In the autumn of 2007, Xi Jinping was given a special two-rank promotion to become a member of the nine-seat Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. In the spring of 2008, he was elected vice president of China. 習氏は、習仲勲・元副首相を父とする高級幹部の子弟だ。一昨年秋、２階級特進で、党中央政治局常務委員（９人で構成）に抜てきされ、昨春には国家副主席に選出された。His portfolio also includes serving as the point man of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He thus is seen as the most promising candidate to be the next president of China. 昨夏の北京五輪では運営の責任者を務めるなど、次期国家主席の最有力候補と見られている。The Prime Minister's Office afforded Xi state head-level treatment, such as specially arranging an audience with the Emperor and holding a state dinner hosted by Hatoyama. Xi's political weight appears to have been taken into consideration in making these arrangements. 首相官邸が天皇陛下との会見を特例として実現したり、首相主催の夕食会を開いたりして国家元首級の扱いをしたのも、習氏の立場を重視したためだろう。China had pressed Japan hard to set up Xi's meeting with the Emperor. Given that Chinese President Hu Jintao had an audience with the Emperor during his visit to Japan as vice president in 1998, the Chinese government likely wanted the same level of treatment given to Xi. 中国側も天皇陛下との会見実現を強く求めた。胡錦濤国家主席が副主席だった９８年に来日した際に、天皇陛下と会見していたこともあり、習氏に同等の待遇を求めたものと見られる。China likely believed that a meeting with the Emperor would enhance Xi's authority as a leading figure at home. 中国側は、天皇と会見することが、指導者としての権威付けになると考えたのだろう。=== Power struggle continues But the power struggle to determine Hu's successor is rumbling on. While Xi is backed by former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, who still wields considerable influence even after his retirement, Hu has thrown his weight behind Vice Premier Li Keqiang. ただ、中国では、引退後も影響力のある江沢民前国家主席を後ろ盾とする習氏と、胡主席が支持する李克強副首相との後継争いはまだ決着していない。The arm wrestle to determine the next Chinese president seems set to continue for some time. 習氏に代表される勢力と、李氏を推す勢力の綱引きが、当面続くと見られている。China heaped praise on the Emperor's visit to that nation in 1992, saying it helped Beijing emerge from its international isolation after the Tiananmen Square incident. This indicates that the Emperor's overseas trips could have political implications. ９２年の天皇陛下の訪中は、天安門事件による国際的孤立からの脱却に効果があった、と中国側は評価している。天皇外遊の政治的側面を示すものだ。In light of the importance of Japan-China ties, any trouble of the kind that tarnished Xi's visit must not be repeated. Both governments must tread very carefully when handling issues particularly relating to the Emperor's public duties, including holding an audience with him. 日中関係の重要性からも、今回のようなトラブルはあってはならない。天皇の会見など公的行為にかかわる問題には、日中双方に慎重な対応が求められよう。(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 18, 2009) （2009年12月18日01時56分 読売新聞）
Dec 18, 2009
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日米航空自由化 「空」も大競争時代を迎えた
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Dec. 15, 2009)Age of megacompetition in air markets has arrived日米航空自由化 「空」も大競争時代を迎えた（12月15日付・読売社説）More than half a century after the opening of routes over the Pacific Ocean between Japan and the United States, a full liberalization of their civil aviation markets will be achieved at last. 太平洋路線が開設されてから半世紀を経て、日米間の空の完全自由化がようやく実現する。The Japanese and U.S. governments have agreed to liberalize air traffic under a so-called open skies accord. 日米両政府が、航空自由化（オープンスカイ）協定の締結で合意した。The agreement will be formally signed by October, allowing all Japanese and U.S. carriers to freely decide on the routes and numbers of flights between the two countries, in principle. 正式に協定が結ばれる来秋には、両国のすべての航空会社が日米間の路線や便数を自由に設定できるようになる。To attract tourists and trade from abroad, the United States, European countries and South Korea have already concluded open skies agreements with one another and are promoting liberalization of their respective civil aviation markets. But Japan has cut such a deal only with eight countries and regions, mainly in Asia. 欧米や韓国は、自国に人やモノを呼び込むため、互いに航空自由化協定を結び、空の自由化を進めている。だが、日本がこれまで自由化協定を結んだのはアジアなど８か国・地域にすぎない。If Japan falls behind further in this endeavor, it could find itself left out of the world's main aviation networks. The Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry should strive to ensure that the Japan-U.S. open skies agreement serves its purpose of revitalizing the aviation industry and improving passengers' convenience. The ministry also must quickly overhaul the administration of air transportation and prepare for the fierce competition in the industry that the agreement will bring about. これ以上後れをとれば、日本は世界の主要航空網から外されかねない。国土交通省は自由化協定を航空業界の活性化や利用者の利便性向上につなげるとともに、航空行政の転換を急ぎ、業界内の競争激化に備えるべきだ。=== Too few flight slots available To increase the routes and numbers of flights under the latest open skies agreement, airports must be able to handle such additional traffic. The liberalization of the civil aviation market has been delayed in Japan mainly because departure and arrival slots at airports in the Tokyo metropolitan area, to which many foreign airlines hope to extend services, have always been fully occupied. 自由化によって路線や便数を増やすには、空港にそれを受け入れる余力がなければならない。日本の航空自由化が遅れたのは、乗り入れ希望が多い首都圏空港の発着枠が恒常的に満杯だったことが大きく影響している。The Japan-U.S. open skies agreement was realized in response to the extension of Runway B at Narita Airport and the scheduled expansion of Haneda Airport, whose fourth runway will open in October, increasing the departure and arrival slots for international flights operated by the two airports by 20,000 and 30,000 a year, respectively, from next year. 今回の日米合意は、成田、羽田両空港で滑走路が延伸・増設され、来年に国際線の発着枠が成田で年２万回、羽田で年３万回増えることを受けて実現した。But the two airports are expected to immediately fill these increases in flight slots. To see results from the open skies agreement, it is indispensable that efforts be made to increase the flight slots further. だが、この程度の発着枠の増加はすぐ使い切ってしまう。自由化の実をあげるため、さらに発着枠を増やす努力が欠かせない。At the same time, it is important to proceed with the plan to transform Haneda Airport into an international hub airport. 同時に、羽田の国際拠点（ハブ）化も進めることが重要だ。In the Japan-U.S. negotiations for the open skies agreement, Japan has agreed to grant the United States landing and departure slots at Haneda Airport for up to four round-trip flights daily late at night and early in the morning. Transport minister Seiji Maehara, meanwhile, has expressed his willingness to allow flights to and from the United States and European countries in the daytime at the airport in and after 2011. 今回の日米協議では、深夜・早朝に羽田を発着する米国便を１日８便新設することが決まったが、前原国土交通相は２０１１年以降、昼間にも羽田に欧米便を就航させる考えを示している。=== JAL tie-up to have big effects With the liberalization of flight route scheduling, it is possible that airlines could increase the number of flights to and from the United States at Haneda Airport and reduce those at other international airports. Therefore, Narita, Kansai and Chubu airports will have to make more managerial efforts, including lowering their landing fees. 路線設定の自由化によって、航空会社は羽田の米国便を増やす代わりに、他の国際空港の米国便を減らすことも考えられる。成田、関西、中部の国際空港は、着陸料の引き下げなどの経営努力が、さらに必要になろう。With the liberalization, there is a higher possibility that even if Japanese and U.S. airlines jointly fix prices and sell tickets to fill seats, they could be exempted from the application of the Antimonopoly Law. A reorganization of the Japanese and U.S. aviation industries likely would be accelerated. 自由化によって、日米の航空会社が共同で運賃や座席管理などを進めても独占禁止法の適用除外となる可能性が高まる。日米航空業界の再編が加速しそうだ。With whom will cash-strapped Japan Airlines conclude a business tie-up--Delta Air Lines or American Airlines? The two U.S. carriers belong to different airline alliances, and JAL's tie-up will have major consequences for the power relationships among the world aviation industries. 経営再建中の日本航空は、米デルタ、アメリカン航空のどちらと提携するのか。両社は異なる航空連合に属し、提携の行方は航空業界の勢力図を大きく変える。We hope that JAL will decide who to tie up with by taking into account passengers' needs, such as reasonable airfares and transit convenience. 日航は運賃や乗り継ぎの利便性など、利用者の視点も忘れずに、提携相手を決めてほしい。(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 15, 2009) （2009年12月15日00時50分 読売新聞）
Dec 14, 2009
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米朝協議―北朝鮮は６者合意に戻れ
--The Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 11(IHT/Asahi: December 12,2009) EDITORIAL: U.S.-North Korea talks.米朝協議―北朝鮮は６者合意に戻れAt long last, negotiations between the United States and North Korea have resumed, with the visit of the first U.S. government envoy to Pyongyang since the administration of President Barack Obama began. オバマ政権になって初めて米政府代表が北朝鮮を訪問し、ようやく協議の仕切り直しが始まった。 Stephen Bosworth, U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, met with First Vice Foreign Minister Kang Sok Ju, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's close aide who handles foreign policy. ボズワース北朝鮮政策特別代表が、金正日総書記の側近で外交を取り仕切る姜錫柱第１外務次官と会談した。 Returning to Seoul from Pyongyang on Thursday, Bosworth said to the effect that the United States reached a "common understanding" with North Korea on the role of the six-party talks. きのう平壌からソウルに戻った特別代表は、「６者協議の役割」について「北朝鮮と共通の理解に達した」と語った。However, he also stated that further discussion is needed among the six parties about when and how North Korea would return to the table. だが北朝鮮が６者協議にいつ、どのように復帰するかは「６者でさらなる協議が必要だ」とも述べた。 It has been a year since the six-party talks were suspended. During this time, as if to test the newly established Obama administration, Pyongyang repeatedly test-fired ballistic missiles and even conducted its second nuclear test in May. ６者協議が途絶えてちょうど１年である。この間、北朝鮮は発足早々のオバマ政権を試すかのように、弾道ミサイルの発射実験を繰り返し、２回目の核実験まで強行した。 North Korea also openly admitted for the first time in June that it embarked on uranium enrichment tests. Furthermore, it reportedly reprocessed used nuclear fuel and extracted plutonium, which can be used to make nuclear weapons. It also declared its withdrawal from the six-party talks. ウラン濃縮の試験に乗り出したことも初めて公にした。使用済み核燃料を再処理し、核兵器の材料であるプルトニウムを新たに抽出したともいう。６者協議からの離脱も宣言した。 Uranium enrichment must not be tolerated. But even if North Korea tries to advance its uranium program, it would take some time before the program can become fully operational. The first priority must be to stop North Korea from resuming operations of nuclear reactors that can lead to the production of plutonium. ウラン濃縮は認めるわけにはいかない。だが、北朝鮮が計画を進めようとしても、本格的な活動までにまだ時間がかかるとされる。まずはプルトニウムを生む原子炉を再び稼働させないことを最優先としなければならない。 There are also suspicions that North Korea exported weapons to Africa in violation of a United Nations Security Council resolution. Surveillance for executing sanctions against Pyongyang must be strengthened. 北朝鮮が国連安保理の制裁決議に違反してアフリカに武器を輸出した疑惑も浮上している。制裁の履行への監視も強める必要があろう。 Now that U.S.-North Korea talks have resumed, it is important not to allow Pyongyang to act selfishly and aggravate the crisis. 米朝間の協議が再開したばかりのいま大事なのは、こうした危機を高める身勝手な行動をこれ以上、取らせないことである。 For that, we need dialogue to take root and encourage North Korea to sit down at the negotiating table of the six-party talks. Although the future of U.S.-North Korea talks remains uncertain, we urge Washington, which holds the key to the North Korean problem, and Beijing, which chairs the six-party talks, to continue their effort to persuade Pyongyang. そのためには対話への流れを定着させ、北朝鮮を６者協議の交渉テーブルにつかせないといけない。米朝協議の行方はまだ不透明だが、北朝鮮問題の鍵を握る米国、６者議長国の中国には引き続き説得を重ねてもらいたい。 The purpose is the complete denuclearization of North Korea. 目的は北朝鮮の完全な非核化だ。 There are concerns over Kim's health. In addition, North Korea hopes to open its doors toward becoming "a major power" to commemorate the centennial of the birth of former North Korean leader Kim Il Sung three years from now. 金総書記の健康不安。３年後の故金日成主席生誕１００年に「大国」への扉を開けるという目標。Because of such time restraints, perhaps North Korea is growing impatient for achievements, such as paving the way to replace the cease-fire agreement of the Korean War with a peace accord through direct negotiations with the United States. そうした時間の制約から、北朝鮮は米国との直接交渉で、朝鮮戦争の休戦協定から平和協定への転換の道筋をつけるなど、成果を急ぎたいかもしれない。 But what North Korea needs to understand is that the issues of a peace accord, denuclearization and normalization of diplomatic relations with the United States and Japan cannot be resolved by Washington and Pyongyang alone. だが、北朝鮮が心しておかねばならないのは、平和協定にせよ、非核化や米朝・日朝の国交正常化にせよ、米朝だけで解決できないという現実だ。 Such objectives have already been incorporated into the joint statement of the six-party talks four years ago. North Korea must return to that track. こうした目標はすべて、４年前の６者協議の共同声明にすでに盛り込まれている。北朝鮮はそのレールに戻ってこなければならない。 North Korea has staged crises to solicit kickbacks from other countries. But it must also seriously accept that Japan, the United States and South Korea have vowed not to allow a repeat of such developments. 北朝鮮が危機を演出し、他の国が見返りを与える。過去のそんな繰り返しはしないと日米韓が強調していることも北朝鮮は重く受け止めるべきだ。 Japan, the United States, South Korea, China and Russia should not easily compromise until they can move North Korea toward denuclearization. They should put the 2005 joint statement into practice. It is vital that they further strengthen their cooperation. ５者は安易に妥協せず北朝鮮を非核化へと動かさねばならない。そして共同声明を実行に移させる。さらなる連携強化が欠かせない。
Dec 14, 2009
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天皇特例会見 憂慮される安易な「政治利用」
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Dec. 13, 2009)Emperor must never appear to be political tool天皇特例会見 憂慮される安易な「政治利用」（12月13日付・読売社説）It is quite understandable that Shingo Haketa, grand steward of the Imperial Household Agency, expressed grave concern at a press conference Friday about the decision process that led to an audience with the Emperor being hastily arranged for Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping. Breaking with convention, Haketa said, could lead to political exploitation of the Emperor. 宮内庁の羽毛田信吾長官が、天皇の政治利用に当たる懸念がある、として深い憂慮の念を示したのも当然である。Xi is scheduled to visit Japan from Monday and meet the Emperor a day later. １４日に来日する中国の習近平国家副主席が天皇陛下と会見することになった。長官の発言は、この決定過程について記者団に語ったものだ。According to Haketa, the agency received a request from the Chinese government for a meeting with the Emperor through the Foreign Ministry on Nov. 26, which was less than 20 days before Xi's planned visit. 羽毛田長官によると、宮内庁が外務省を通じて、中国政府からの会見要請を受け取ったのは、習副主席の来日まで２０日を切った１１月２６日のことだ。Government regulations state that an application for a meeting with the Emperor by any visiting foreign dignitary must be received at least one month in advance. Therefore, a day after receiving the petition, the agency told Beijing it could not accept the request in accordance with this rule. 陛下と外国要人の会見は、１か月前までに申請を受け付けるという政府のルールがある。このため宮内庁は「ルールに照らして応じかねる」と回答した。However, the matter did not end there. しかし、事はそれで収まらなかった。According to Haketa, he was phoned on two occasions by Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano, who asked that Xi be exempted from the rule. The top government spokesman pressed Haketa to accept his request, saying on his second call that he was making it "on the instruction of the prime minister." 平野官房長官が、電話で２度にわたり長官に特例扱いを要請し、最後は「総理の指示だ」と強引に説き伏せたという。=== Unwelcome precedent set Because Xi is widely seen as likely to succeed President Hu Jintao, the Chinese government apparently urged Tokyo to arrange the meeting with the Emperor through personal connections, including Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa. 中国側が、胡錦濤国家主席の後継者と目される習副主席の来日にあたり、民主党の小沢幹事長など複数の人脈を使って、日本政府に天皇との会見を強く働きかけたことが背景にあるようだ。Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said the government's handling of the matter in no way meant it had used the Emperor for political purposes. "I was aware of the one-month rule, but I had to consider whether it's right from the viewpoint of international friendship to rigidly stick to it," Hatoyama said. 鳩山首相は「１か月ルールは知っていたが、杓(しゃく)子(し)定規なことが国際的な親善の意味で正しいことなのか」と述べて、政治利用に当たらないとの見解を示した。But breaking the rule once has set a precedent. How would Hatoyama now deal with a similar request were one to come from a nation such as the United States, South Korea or Russia? だが、一度ルールを破ると、それが当たり前になる恐れがある。今後、例えば米国や韓国、ロシアから同様の要請があった場合、首相はどう対応するのか。=== Treat all requests equally According to Haketa, Hirano also said he was making the request "in view of the importance of the Japan-China relationship." 羽毛田長官によると、平野官房長官は「日中関係の重要性にかんがみ」と話したという。But it is precisely because Japan-China ties are important that Hirano should have explained Japan's Imperial system--which recognizes the Emperor as the symbol of the state--and other matters to Beijing, and gained China's understanding. This approach would promote bilateral friendship in the truest sense. 日中関係が大事だからこそ、きちんと象徴天皇制などについて説明し、理解を得るべきだった。それでこそ日中友好の真の促進にもなる。The Emperor meets foreign guests more than 100 times a year. Meetings with the Emperor, in addition to being subject to the advance-application rule, have been arranged on an equitable basis, regardless of the size of countries and their political importance. The Emperor has said it is important his official duties be performed on an equitable footing and based on certain criteria. 天皇陛下が外国の賓客などに会われる回数は年１００回以上に上る。国の大小や政治的重要性を問わず、事前に申請があれば平等に設定されてきた。陛下も「公務はある基準に基づき公平に行われることが大切」と語られている。The one-month rule is intended to allow for the smooth scheduling of the Emperor's many official duties. Since 2003, when the Emperor underwent prostate cancer surgery, the rule has been strictly enforced to ensure the Emperor's health is not adversely affected. １か月ルールは、様々な公務があり、多忙な陛下の日程調整を円滑に行うためのルールだ。陛下が２００３年に前立腺がんの手術をされて以降は、健康管理のためもあり、特に厳守されてきた。Recently, Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada was criticized for a remark he made about the speech the Emperor delivers to mark the opening of the Diet. 岡田外相が国会開会式での陛下のお言葉の内容について発言し批判されたのも、最近のことだ。Acting in a way that makes it appear the Emperor is being used for political ends must be strictly avoided. The Hatoyama administration does not appear to understand this basic premise. 天皇が時の政権に利用されたと疑念が持たれることは、厳に慎むべきなのだ。その基本を現政権はわかっていないのではないか。(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 13, 2009) （2009年12月13日01時16分 読売新聞）
Dec 13, 2009
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小沢訪中団 握手とツーショットだけでは
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Dec. 12, 2009)Ozawa's group visit to China lacks substance小沢訪中団 握手とツーショットだけでは（12月12日付・読売社説）Many people probably wondered what was going on when they saw dozens of Democratic Party of Japan lawmakers shaking hands with Chinese President Hu Jintao and having their photos taken with him during their visit to China on Thursday. 民主党国会議員が大挙して中国を訪問し、胡錦濤・国家主席と次々に握手をして、ツーショット写真に納まる。そんな光景に首をかしげた人は少なくないだろう。The group, whose honorary head is DPJ Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa, comprised 143 party lawmakers from both chambers of the Diet, including some of those elected for the first time in the House of Representatives election in August. The entire entourage, including their supporters, comprised more than 600 people. 小沢幹事長を名誉団長とする訪中団の参加者は、先の衆院選で当選した新人をはじめ、衆参国会議員１４３人。各議員の支持者らを含めると６００人を超えた。The visit was part of the Japan-China exchange program called the "Great Wall Plan" that Ozawa started years ago when he was a member of the Liberal Democratic Party. 今回の訪中は、小沢氏が自民党時代から進めてきた日中交流「長城計画」の一環だ。The visit also served as a so-called exchange and discussion mechanism between lawmakers of the DPJ and the Chinese Communist Party. This forum was established based on a proposal Ozawa made during his meeting with Hu in July 2006, when Ozawa was the party leader. 同時に、民主党と中国共産党との定期協議の場「交流協議機構」の政治家交流も兼ねている。これは、小沢氏が党代表を務めていた２００６年７月、胡主席との会談で提案し、設置が決まった。Activating exchanges between political parties is certainly admirable, since opportunities for politicians to have contact with their counterparts have become quite limited. 日中の政治家同士のパイプが細くなる中で、政党間交流を活発化させる意義は大きい。But we wonder if it was really necessary for so many ruling party lawmakers to visit at a time crucial for budget compilation--the first time the administration of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has faced such a task. しかし、新政権にとって初の予算編成が本格化しているこの時期に、これほど多数の与党・民主党議員が一斉に訪問する必要性はあったのか。=== Tough topics dodged Ozawa held talks with Hu on Thursday, but they reportedly skirted touchy bilateral issues. 小沢氏は１０日、胡主席と会談した。しかし、日中２国間の懸案は素通りしたという。Investigations into cases of food poisoning in Japan likely caused by frozen gyoza produced in China have yet to get to the bottom of the matter. In addition, China has refused to hold talks with Japan over concluding a treaty to jointly develop gas fields in the East China Sea. Making matters worse, China is preparing to unilaterally start drilling in the Shirakaba gas field, known in China as the Chunxiao gas field. 中国製の冷凍ギョーザ事件は依然、未解決のままだ。東シナ海のガス田開発問題で、中国側は、日本との条約交渉を拒むとともに、「白樺」ガス田では一方的に掘削開始の態勢を整えつつある。According to an opinion poll jointly conducted in November by The Yomiuri Shimbun and a weekly magazine published by China's official Xinhua News Agency, about 70 percent of Japanese respondents said they do not trust China. It would not be too much of a stretch to suggest these pending issues have cast a shadow on Japanese people's feelings toward China. 読売新聞などが１１月に実施した日中共同世論調査によると、日本では中国を「信頼できない」と答えた人が７割に上った。これらの問題が中国への信頼感に大きな影を落としているのは確実だ。During his talks with Hu, Ozawa reportedly said discussions between governments tend to end up as mere formality. Ozawa stressed that each and every issue could be put up for discussion at party-level talks. 小沢氏は、胡主席との会談の中で、「政府間では、どうしても形式的な議論に陥る。党と党のレベルでは、あらゆる問題を話し合えるように」と語っている。Ozawa should have practiced what he preached from the outset of his talks with Hu. The DPJ heavyweight should have set an example by exchanging opinions frankly with the Chinese leader. 小沢氏には早速、自ら実践し、胡主席と率直な意見交換をしてほしかった。To his credit, Ozawa did express concern over China's military buildup during his meeting with Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie on Friday. Such candid dialogues are essential. ただ、１１日の梁光烈国防相との会談では、中国の軍事力増強に懸念を示した。こんな忌憚(きたん)のない対話が必要だろう。=== Don't forget Washington Japan-U.S. relations are in turmoil as the fallout continues from the Hatoyama administration's handling of the planned relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture. Summit talks between Hatoyama and U.S. President Barack Obama, which the Japanese leader wanted to hold in Copenhagen on the sidelines of U.N. climate talks, now look unlikely to go ahead. 鳩山内閣は、普天間問題の混乱で日米首脳会談も実現できず、日米関係は危機的な状況にある。Worryingly, the Ozawa-led group's visit to China likely gave the impression, both in Japan and abroad, that the DPJ-led government is leaning more toward China. This could have negative repercussions on Tokyo's relations with Washington. 心配なのは、小沢訪中団が、民主党政権の「対中傾斜」を内外に印象づけ、対米関係に悪影響をもたらしかねないことだ。Maintaining friendly relations between Japan and China is certainly important. But cordial ties alone will not be enough to resolve the many complicated issues between the two nations. むろん、日中の友好関係は大切だ。だが、両国間には友好だけでは解決できない複雑な問題が多数存在する。Bearing this in mind, interparty exchanges should be promoted through more practical visits by smaller groups. 政党間交流は、その点を踏まえ、もっと少人数の相互訪問で実務的に進めるべきだ。(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 12, 2009) （2009年12月12日01時14分 読売新聞）
Dec 12, 2009
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スズキＶＷ提携 二つの「エコ」が生んだ再編劇
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Dec. 11, 2009)Suzuki-VW tie-up ushers in new eraスズキＶＷ提携 二つの「エコ」が生んだ再編劇（12月11日付・読売社説）The combined global sales of Suzuki Motor Corp. and Germany's Volkswagen AG eclipse that of Toyota Motor Corp. 両社をあわせた販売台数はトヨタ自動車を上回る。The forging of the world's largest automobile alliance will significantly change the landscape of the auto industry's power map. 世界最大規模の自動車連合の誕生は、業界の勢力図を塗り替えることになりそうだ。Suzuki, a maker of compact cars, and Germany's largest automaker agreed Wednesday to form capital and business tie-ups. 小型車メーカーのスズキとドイツ最大手のフォルクスワーゲン（ＶＷ）が、資本・業務提携で合意した。Volkswagen will become Suzuki's largest shareholder by acquiring 19.9 percent of Suzuki's outstanding shares. Suzuki, in return, will purchase up to 2.5 percent of Volkswagen's shares. ＶＷはスズキ株の１９・９％を取得して筆頭株主となり、スズキも最大で２・５％のＶＷ株を取得する。The two companies will cooperate in such areas as the development of electric vehicles and fuel-efficient engines, as well as work in tandem on sales in newly emerging nations. その上で、両社は電気自動車や低燃費エンジンの開発、新興国での販売などで広く協力する。The Suzuki brand has a reputation for its minicars. However, its Swift and other compact car models also contribute to its annual global sales of 2.3 million units. Volkswagen, the world's third-largest automaker, also is strong in the compact car sector, thanks to its Golf and Polo models. The two companies had been competitors for many years. スズキは軽自動車のイメージが強いが、「スイフト」などの小型車を合わせると、全世界の販売台数は年間２３０万台にのぼる。世界３位のＶＷも主力は「ゴルフ」「ポロ」などの小型車で、両社は長年、ライバル関係にあった。Not any more. The automakers have teamed up because each has strength in different areas of the compact car sector. その両社が一転して手を結んだのは、同じ小型車といっても、得意分野が異なっているためだ。=== Give-and-take Suzuki has excelled at producing low-priced automobiles targeted at newly emerging markets as it made the best use of low-cost production technologies it developed in its production of minicars. Volkswagen, on the other hand, has established a reputation for its environmentally friendly technologies used in low-emission engines. スズキは軽自動車で培った低コスト生産技術を駆使し、新興国向けの低価格車を得意とするのに対し、ＶＷは低公害エンジンなどの環境技術に定評がある。The tie-up is aimed at allowing the automakers to complement each other through the fusion of two "eco" elements--Suzuki's "economy"-conscious technologies and Volkswagen's "ecology"-conscious technologies. 提携には、スズキの「エコノミー」技術とＶＷの「エコロジー」技術を持ち寄り、二つの「エコ」の融合で、互いの弱点を補完しあう狙いがある。Suzuki stands atop the rankings for sales in India, while Volkswagen rules the roost for sales in China. The two companies will be able to take advantage of each other's sales networks in these key markets. スズキはインド、ＶＷは中国で販売トップの座にあり、互いの販売網も利用できる。Suzuki had been eager to find a new partner after it ended its nearly 30-year ties with General Motors Co. of the United States. 特に、スズキは３０年近く続けてきた米ゼネラル・モーターズ（ＧＭ）との提携を解消し、新たな提携先を必要としていた。Suzuki's signing of a new alliance with Volkswagen can be largely attributed to the Japanese automaker's entry into newly emerging markets before many rivals, which enabled it to build solid footholds there. 新興国市場にいち早く進出して足場を築いてきたことが、提携実現の大きな武器となった。=== Industry at turning point The auto industry is at a historic turning point. Automakers must consider shying away from vehicles that run on gasoline as they suffer from sluggish sales in the wake of last year's Lehman shock--the financial meltdown triggered by the collapse of U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. 自動車業界は昨年のリーマン・ショック以降の販売不振に苦しむ中で、脱ガソリンという歴史的な転機を迎えている。The development of green technologies and expanding sales routes in emerging economies likely will be critical to automakers' survival. But achieving these goals will not come cheaply. It would be very difficult for one company to shoulder these huge costs alone. 生き残りのカギを握る環境技術開発と新興国への販路拡大には巨額の資金がかかり、単独での負担は難しい。The Big Three U.S. automakers, which had been the leading players in the industry, no longer have the wherewithal to make such investments. Japanese and European companies therefore will need to review their strategies on courting potential allies. だが、これまで業界をリードしてきた米ビッグスリーは投資余力を失い、日欧メーカーは提携戦略の見直しを迫られている。Mitsubishi Motors Corp., which had an alliance with Chrysler Group LLC of the United States, is now in talks with French carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroen. Peugeot reportedly is keen to tap MMC's pioneering work in the commercial production of electric vehicles and strength in the Russian market. 長年にわたり米クライスラーと組んできた三菱自動車も、仏プジョー・シトロエングループ（ＰＳＡ）と資本提携の交渉中だ。ＰＳＡは三菱が電気自動車を他社に先駆けて市販し、ロシア市場に強いことに注目しているという。"Economy" and "ecology" look set to be critical elements in any auto industry tie-ups in the years ahead. A new era has dawned on the realignment of the auto industry. 自動車業界では今後も「二つのエコ」を軸にした提携が続くことが予想される。自動車再編は、新たな局面を迎えたといえよう。(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 11, 2009) （2009年12月11日01時01分 読売新聞）
Dec 11, 2009
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普天間協議中断 同盟の危機回避へ決断せよ
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Dec. 10, 2009)PM must be decisive to avert crisis with U.S.普天間協議中断 同盟の危機回避へ決断せよ（12月10日付・読売社説）The Japan-U.S. security alliance is in a crisis situation now that Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has placed priority on the state of the coalition government after flip-flopping in regard to the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture. その場しのぎの優柔不断な対応を重ねた末、連立政権の維持を最優先するという鳩山首相の判断が、日米同盟の危機を招いている。If the current situation is left as is, it might gravely impact Japan-U.S. relations as a whole, which cover not only security but also political and economic spheres. このまま放置すれば、安全保障だけでなく、政治、経済などの分野を含め、日米関係全体に重大な影響を与えかねない。Bilateral relations are in a worrisome state, and Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada has even admitted that the alliance with the United States had been "shaken a little bit." Hatoyama should face up to this fact and hammer out a constructive policy course on the relocation issue. 岡田外相が「日米同盟が若干揺らいでいる」との懸念を表明するほど、現在の日米関係は憂慮すべき状況にある。鳩山首相は、この事実をきちんと認識し、建設的な対処方針をまとめるべきだ。=== Whole plan in jeopardy Bilateral ministerial-level talks on the issue have been suspended. This is because the Japanese government conveyed to the U.S. side its intention to postpone the settlement of the issue by the end of this year due to opposition from the Social Democratic Party--one of the junior coalition partners of Hatoyama's Democratic Party of Japan--toward the current relocation plan within the prefecture. 沖縄県の米海兵隊普天間飛行場の移設問題を協議する日米の閣僚級の作業部会が中断されることになった。日本側が、与党の社民党の反対を理由に、年内の決着を先送りするよう伝えたためだ。Washington, meanwhile, has notified Tokyo that it would postpone bilateral talks to "deepen" the security alliance, which had been planned as next year marks the 50th anniversary of the revision of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty. 来年の日米安保条約改定５０周年に向けて、同盟関係を深化させるための日米協議についても、米側が延期を通告してきた。Hatoyama agreed at a summit meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama last month to "expeditiously" solve the Futenma relocation issue. But the prime minister then unilaterally decided to give up settling the issue before the new year due to domestic circumstances. Moves like this are unacceptable if the two nations seek to work together based on a relationship of trust. 首脳会談で「迅速に結論を出す」と確認しながら、国内事情から年内決着を一方的に断念する。これでは、信頼関係を基盤とする日米の共同作業は成り立たない。The government must give serious consideration to how crucial it really is to postpone a settlement of the issue within this year. 政府は、年内決着を先送りすることの重大な意味を真剣に考えねばなるまい。If the government fails to solve the issue before the end of the year, the current relocation plan would effectively be shelved. It also would be extremely difficult to find an alternative site and the process as a whole would certainly take a great deal of time. 年内決着が実現しなければ、現行計画は事実上頓挫する。新たな移設先を探す作業は極めて困難で、膨大な時間を要する。If this comes about, the Futenma base likely will continue for years to expose local residents to dangers due to its location in a densely populated part of Ginowan, and could even end up staying at its current location indefinitely. It also would increasingly risk the collapse of a plan to transfer 8,000 U.S. marines to Guam and return six U.S. military facilities to the nation. その場合、市街地に隣接し、危険な普天間飛行場が現状のまま長期間存続し、固定化する恐れが大きい。海兵隊８０００人のグアム移転と米軍６施設の返還も白紙に戻る可能性が高まる。=== Keep coalition in check Some government officials are considering a plan to ask the United States to place priority on taking measures to mitigate burdens on people in the prefecture, such as the elimination of dangers posed by the Futenma base. But the possibility would be low for the United States to accept any plans that benefit only the Japanese side. 政府内では新たな対処方針として、普天間飛行場の危険除去など沖縄の負担軽減策を優先して米側に要請する案が浮上している。だが、日本側にだけ都合のいい案に米側が同意する可能性は低い。It also would be difficult to obtain the understanding of the United States if the government incorporates expenses necessary for the planned relocation in the next fiscal year's budget but has not accepted the current relocation plan. 現行計画を容認しないまま、移設費用を来年度予算に計上しても米側の理解を得るのは難しい。After all, it is essential that the Japanese government clarify at an early stage that it supports the existing plan to relocate the Futenma base to a coastal area of the Henoko district of Nago, in the prefecture, where the U.S. Marine Corps' Camp Schwab is located, as agreed by the two governments in 2006. やはり、日本政府として、現行計画を推進する立場を早期に明確にすることが欠かせない。We recently have seen several episodes in which the DPJ was swayed by its minor coalition partners--the SDP and the People's New Party--over such issues as the Futenma relocation and the budget compilation. Coupled with Hatoyama's lack of leadership, doubts on the coalition government's ability to implement policy are gathering steam. 普天間問題や予算編成などをめぐり、民主党が少数与党の社民党や国民新党に振り回される事態が目立つ。首相の指導力の欠如と相まって、連立政権の政策実行能力に大きな疑義を生んでいる。The SDP threatened to leave the coalition when party leader Mizuho Fukushima said she would have to make "a grave decision" if the government decided to go along with the current relocation plan. We believe it is Hatoyama who must make a grave decision to resolve the Futenma issue as soon as possible, even it is at the cost of the coalition. 社民党は「重大な決意」に言及して連立離脱をちらつかせ、現行計画に反対した。鳩山首相こそ、連立解消も辞さない「重大な決意」で普天間問題の早期解決に取り組むべき時である。(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 10, 2009) （2009年12月10日00時55分 読売新聞）
Dec 10, 2009
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緊急経済対策 景気の底割れを防ぐ効果は
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Dec. 9, 2009)Efficacy of stimulus measures questionable緊急経済対策 景気の底割れを防ぐ効果は（12月9日付・読売社説）The economic pump-priming measures agreed upon by the government and Cabinet on Tuesday seem sizable if judged only on the basis of the amounts involved, but whether we can expect economic effects equivalent to the measures' face value remains an open question. 数字だけを見れば大型の景気対策だが、額面通りの景気刺激効果を期待していいのだろうか。The emergency economic package lays out 7.2 trillion yen in spending and is predicted to have a ripple effect of more than 24 trillion yen in terms of extending credit to small and medium-sized companies, among other effects. 政府は８日、財政支出の「真水」で７兆円、融資枠などを含む事業規模で２４兆円超の緊急経済対策を決めた。Japan's economic recovery has been erratic and severe employment conditions and deflation remain. There is concern that the economy might stall in the first half of next year. 厳しい雇用情勢とデフレで景気回復の足取りは弱い。来年前半にも腰折れする恐れもある。Nonetheless, we welcome the fact that the government and the Bank of Japan have become closely aligned in their pursuit of economic stimulus measures and an easy-money policy. ともかく政府と日銀が、景気対策と金融緩和で足並みをそろえたことは歓迎できよう。Adoption of the economic measures was delayed due the People's New Party's demand for even more government spending, but in the end the amount added to the initially envisaged figure was very small. The market is increasingly concerned by the government's incoherent policy decisions. The administration of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama must compile the fiscal 2010 budget by the end of this year to reassure the market. だが、対策の決定が国民新党の増額要求で遅れた揚げ句、上積みはわずかだった。市場は政策決定の迷走に懸念を強めている。来年度予算を年内に着実に編成し、市場を安心させねばならない。=== Multi-pronged approach The stimulus package aims to prop up the economy by pursuing six policy goals including improving employment conditions, boosting consumption by facilitating the purchase of environmentally friendly products, financing small and midsize firms, and supporting regional economies. The employment measures include expanding eligibility for coverage under the employment adjustment subsidy that prevents dismissal of employees by providing companies with leave allowances from the government, in addition to job-placement assistance for young people fresh out of school. 対策は雇用、環境、景気、地方支援など６本柱で景気の下支えを目指す。雇用では、休業手当を企業に支給して解雇を防ぐ雇用調整助成金の対象拡大や、新卒者の就職支援などを盛り込んだ。The environmental measures aim at alleviating insufficient domestic demand by facilitating the purchase of eco-friendly cars and energy-saving home electrical appliances, and by introducing an eco-point program for home construction. 環境は、エコカーと省エネ家電に、新たに住宅を加えた「エコ消費３本柱」への購入支援をテコに国内の需要不足の改善を狙う。The government will also add a total of 10 trillion yen to credit guarantees and emergency lending programs to help financing of small and midsize companies. 中小企業の資金繰りを助けるため、信用保証と緊急融資の枠も、計１０兆円積み増す。These programs are expected to have some effect since they have a good track record from use on previous occasions. However, most of them are expansions or extensions of past programs and break no new ground. They should proceed under careful, constant scrutiny since some of them have already become ineffective. これらは、これまでの景気対策で実績があり、一定の効果は期待できよう。ただし、延長や拡充が中心で新味に乏しい。すでに効き目が薄れている可能性もあり、効果のほどを点検しながら取り組みを進めなければならない。=== Redirecting funds The government expenditure backing those programs is already padded a little. Of its financial resources, about 3 trillion yen is money saved from freezing some of the economic programs in the first supplementary budget, meaning that the money cut from the previous budget is just being redirected into a new one. 裏付けとなる財政支出は水増し気味だ。財源のうち３兆円弱は第１次補正予算の凍結分で、削った予算が戻るに過ぎない。The latest package includes some public works projects such as those promoting the greening of cities, repairing old bridges and putting power lines underground. Though the government pruned public works projects, which would have had a quick effect in boosting the economy, from the first extra budget, it now is trying to put them back into the second supplementary budget. Wasn't this just a waste of time? 今回、公共事業として、都市の緑化、橋の補修、電線地中化などが盛り込まれた。だが、景気対策に即効性が期待できる公共事業を第１次補正から一度削り、今度は戻すのでは、その間の時間が無駄になっただけではないか。This could be the price the Democratic Party of Japan-led government has to pay for sticking to its election campaign pledge to shift spending "from concrete to human resources." 「コンクリートから人へ」などという選挙スローガンにこだわったツケといえよう。Unless the public works projects, which will be allocated in the latest budget, are highly cost-efficient, the government will be criticized for freezing part of the first supplementary budget when its Cabinet was launched. 今回の予算再配分先がよほど効率の高い事業でないと、「内閣発足直後の凍結作業は何だったのか」という批判も出かねない。A total of 3.5 trillion yen is provided to help local economies, but 3 trillion yen of it will be used to make up for a decrease in central government tax revenues allocated to local governments, which were cut as a result of reduced central government tax revenues. 総額３・５兆円に及ぶ地方支援にしても、３兆円は国の税収減に応じて目減りする地方交付税の穴埋めに充てられる。This means that local governments will not receive money in addition to the initially envisaged budgets. 地方にすれば、当初予算に上積みしてもらえるわけではない。The government should pay consideration to employment and social welfare, and put priority on policy measures effective in stimulating the economy in its compiling of the fiscal 2010 budget, which has entered a crucial phase. ヤマ場にさしかかった来年度予算の編成では、雇用と福祉に目配りし、景気刺激に役立つ施策に重点を置くべきである。(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 9, 2009) （2009年12月9日01時33分 読売新聞）
Dec 9, 2009
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高校無償化 低所得層への支援に転換せよ
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Dec. 8, 2009)Dole-outs could widen educational disparities高校無償化 低所得層への支援に転換せよ（12月8日付・読売社説）The government has begun discussing whether to include an income-cap provision in its plan to make high school tuition effectively free, one of the main pillars of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan's manifesto for the last House of Representatives election. 民主党が主要な政権公約に掲げた高校授業料の実質無償化について、政府は所得制限を設けるかどうか検討を始めた。There is concern among some in education circles over the plan to make high school tuition free regardless of household income, with critics of the plan saying it could actually widen existing gaps in educational opportunity. 所得に関係なく一律に無償化する方式には、教育関係者の間にも「教育格差を助長しかねない」と懸念する声がある。Instead of earmarking the costs for the plan in the fiscal 2010 budget, the government should instead use the money to strengthen support for those in the low-income bracket and for other education-related projects. 来年度の予算計上は見送り、浮いた財源を低所得層への支援拡充や他の教育関連事業に活用すべきだ。The plan for free high school education calls for providing households with 118,800 yen a year--equivalent to yearly public high school tuition--for each child they have at public or private high schools. As the tuition of private high schools is about three times the amount charged by public ones, a household with a yearly income of less than 5 million yen and with one or more private high school students will receive effectively double the amount in benefit that would be received by a household with one or more public high school students. 無償化は、公立高校生のいる世帯に授業料相当の年１１万８８００円、私立高校生のいる世帯にも同額を助成する。私立は、授業料が公立の３倍のため、年収５００万円未満なら助成額を倍にする。In next fiscal year's budget, about 450 billion yen has been earmarked for the plan to provide free high school education. About 12 billion yen was separately allocated to fund scholarships for low-income households. 約４５００億円の予算を要求しており、これに関連し、低所得層向けの給付型奨学金として約１２０億円も盛り込まれた。Senior Vice Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda has said he will consider setting income caps in implementing free high school education. For his part, Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister Tatsuo Kawabata proposes across-the-board free tuition but a reduction in the annual income tax deduction of up to 630,000 yen for families with children between the ages of 16 and 22. 高校無償化について、野田佳彦財務副大臣は所得制限も念頭に置くことを表明した。これに対し、川端文部科学相らは、一律無償化と併せて、１６～２２歳の扶養家族がいる世帯を対象に、課税所得から６３万円を差し引く特定扶養控除の縮小を提案している。=== Poor families to benefit little Prefectural governments already exempt families on welfare and those in the low-income bracket from paying high school tuition. The tuition-waiver project covers a total of about 430,000 students--10 percent of public high school students and 18 percent of those at private schools. 高校の授業料減免については、生活保護世帯やそれに準じる低所得層に都道府県が既に実施している。公立高校生の１０％、私立高校生１８％の計約４３万人が対象だ。Low-income families will enjoy little new advantage from the government's plan to provide free high school education across the board. Upper-income households, however, could use the allowance to pay cram-school tuition for their children, which could widen existing education disparities. 一律無償化では、低所得層には新たな恩恵がほとんどない。家計に余裕のある層は塾代に回すことができ、格差が開きかねない。Households have to shoulder a heavy burden in academic expenses for high school students, including school tuition fees. According to an education ministry survey, families with a public high school student must spend more than 300,000 yen annually just on costs paid to their schools, including tuition fees, while those with a child going to a private high school must shell out about 800,000 yen. 高校生の学費には、授業料以外にも負担が多い。文科省の調査では、授業料を含む学校教育費だけで、公立で年３０万円以上、私立では８０万円近くかかる。The 12 billion yen earmarked to fund scholarships for children of low-income families targets households whose yearly income is 3.5 million yen or less. The scholarships are intended to pay admission fees and textbook costs. In the budget request for fiscal 2010 under the previous administration of former Prime Minister Taro Aso, about 45.5 billion yen was earmarked in scholarships to be used for wider purposes, including costs of school trips, school uniforms and school supplies. 文科省が低所得層向けの給付型奨学金として計上した約１２０億円は、年収３５０万円以下の世帯を対象としたもので、入学金と教科書代のためだ。前政権下の概算要求では、修学旅行費や制服代、学用品費なども含め、４５５億円が盛り込まれていた。=== A wiser way to use budget If the government were to expand eligibility for tuition waivers and increase the amount of money available for scholarships for low-income households, the bill would total less than half of the amount needed to make high school tuition free across the board. Using the available budget in this way would greatly alleviate burdens on poverty-stricken households. 授業料減免の対象を広げ、低所得層向けの給付型奨学金を拡充するための予算を国が負担しても、無償化予算の半分もいらないはずだ。実際に困窮している世帯への負担軽減効果も大きいだろう。In the 2008 academic year, 2,200 high school students were forced to drop out for financial reasons. The government should prioritize measures to prevent high school students from poor families dropping out and middle school students from such families not advancing to high school. The government should not adopt a dole-out policy for that purpose. 昨年度、経済的理由で中退を余儀なくされた高校生は２２００人いた。こうした高校生や経済的理由で高校進学を断念する生徒をなくすことを優先すべきだ。ばらまきであってはならない。High school tuition is free in the United States and many European countries, but Japan's education ministry does not seem to understand the actual situation in those countries sufficiently. The ministry should rethink its policy after investigating the circumstances in those countries. 欧米諸国の多くは高校の授業料を無償化しているが、文科省は実情を十分把握していない。調査した上で、改めて検討すべきだ。(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 8, 2009) （2009年12月8日01時47分 読売新聞）
Dec 8, 2009
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ＣＯＰ１５開幕 国益最優先で交渉にあたれ
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Dec. 7, 2009)National interests key for Japan at COP15vＣＯＰ１５開幕 国益最優先で交渉にあたれ（12月7日付・読売社説）The government faces a crucial stage of negotiations on drawing up a framework to fight global warming at the 15th Conference of Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP15). 地球温暖化対策で、公平なルール策定への道筋をつけられるのか。気候変動枠組み条約の第１５回締約国会議（ＣＯＰ１５）で、日本政府は交渉の正念場を迎える。The U.N. climate conference will start in Copenhagen on Monday, with leaders from about 100 countries, including Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, scheduled to attend at the climax of the Dec. 7-18 meeting. ＣＯＰ１５は７日、コペンハーゲンで開幕し、首脳級会合には、鳩山首相ら約１００か国の首脳が出席する予定だ。Japan will attend the conference having set a midterm goal of cutting domestic greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent from 1990 levels by 2020. By declaring that extremely ambitious goal, the government aims to persuade other nations to cut their emissions further. 日本政府は、温室効果ガスの国内排出量を、２０２０年までに１９９０年比で２５％削減するという中期目標を掲げて臨む。極めて高い目標の提示により、他国にも排出削減を促す戦略といえる。Due to the global recession and other reasons, preliminary negotiations among countries have become bogged down. Major industrialized countries and developing nations are pressing each other to pledge tougher emissions goals, leaving them at loggerheads on the issue of how to combat global warming. だが、世界的な経済危機の影響もあって、各国による事前折衝は難航している。先進国と途上国が互いに積極的な取り組みを迫り、その溝は埋まっていない。=== Hatoyama out on a limb An international framework to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, which expires at the end of 2012, was expected to be adopted at COP15. But it was put off, with the result that the focus of attention now is whether the COP15 nations can reach a major political agreement that could lead to the adoption of a new protocol next year. ＣＯＰ１５では、１３年以降の削減ルールとなる「ポスト京都議定書」の採択が期待されていた。しかし、これは先送りされ、来年の新議定書採択につながる政治合意ができるかどうかが焦点である。Japan must prevent a repeat of what occurred when the Kyoto pact was being formulated, when this nation was backed into a disadvantageous position. ここで大切なのは、日本が不利な削減義務を負った京都議定書の二の舞いを演じないことだ。As a precondition to make efforts to achieve the self-proclaimed goal, Hatoyama has said that all major emitter countries must join the scheme, agreeing to set ambitious goals. The prime minister must stick firmly to this stipulation. 鳩山首相は、自ら掲げた目標の達成に取り組む前提条件として、「すべての主要国の参加による意欲的な目標の合意」を挙げている。最後までこの条件を堅持していかなければならない。We hope the government will launch tenacious negotiations toward creating a fair post-Kyoto Protocol framework with the United States and China--the two largest emitters of greenhouse gases, which are not obliged to cut their emissions under the current pact. 京都議定書で削減義務を負っていない２大排出国の米国、中国を相手に、公平な枠組み作りに向けて粘り強く交渉してほしい。The Danish government, the host of COP15, has presented a draft climate change proposal aimed at realizing a political accord that states major industrialized nations would specify individual reduction obligations in an agreement document. 議長国のデンマーク政府が示した政治合意の原案には、先進各国が合意関連文書に削減目標を明記することが盛り込まれている。If the draft proposal passes, Japan will be in a difficult situation. The numerical target that the United States has presented is to reduce emissions by around 4 percent from the 1990 level by 2020. The U.S. target is far more modest than the Japanese goal. この原案が通れば、日本は難しい対応を迫られることになるだろう。米国が示している数値目標は、２０年までに９０年比で４％前後削減するというものだ。日本との削減率の差はあまりに大きい。The government should avoid specifying a goal of reducing emissions by 25 percent under such inequitable circumstances. こうしたバランスを欠いた状況では、日本として「２５％減」を明記するのは避けねばならない。=== Easy compromise a bad idea A demand by developing countries to extend the Kyoto Protocol can hardly be accepted. China and other major developing countries need to shoulder responsibilities for emissions reduction. 途上国側が求めている京都議定書の延長論は到底、受け入れられない。中国など主な途上国も応分の削減責任を負う必要がある。The Hatoyama administration has not yet presented a road map to achieve its pledge of a 25 percent reduction. Strong opposition from business circles persists against the stringent target. 鳩山政権は、２５％削減を達成するための行程を示していない。産業界には高い目標への反発が強まっている。In such a situation, if the government accepts unfavorable conditions at COP15, a consensus within the country on emissions reduction may prove hard to reach. こうした中、政府がＣＯＰ１５で不利な条件をのむようなことがあれば、「２５％削減」の国内の合意形成は遠のくばかりだろう。During negotiations at COP15, the government must not damage national interests by making an easy compromise. 日本政府は、国益を最優先に交渉にあたるべきだ。(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 7, 2009) （2009年12月7日00時58分 読売新聞）
Dec 7, 2009
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鳩山「巨額資金」 検察と国税は厳正に対処せよ
Please click on this banner for my fc2 blog ranking.Thank you.fc2 blob rankingThe Yomiuri Shimbun (Dec. 5, 2009)No room for leniency in Hatoyama fund probe鳩山「巨額資金」 検察と国税は厳正に対処せよ（12月5日付・読売社説）The extraordinary Diet session ended Friday without any intensive deliberations focusing on the shadowy fund management of certain politicians, or debates between party leaders. Just as worryingly, the issue of falsified reports on political donations involving Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's fund-management organization remains unsettled. 党首討論も「政治とカネ」の集中審議も開かれないまま、臨時国会が４日閉幕した。だが、鳩山首相の偽装献金問題は終わったわけではない。The first whiff of scandal arose when it was found that Hatoyama's fund-management organization had listed dead people as donors. Adding to the maelstrom, Hatoyama now is suspected of having received a huge amount of money from his mother. The public has been astonished by these allegations. 首相の資金管理団体が死亡した人を「寄付者」と偽った「故人献金」問題は、母親から首相への巨額の資金提供疑惑に発展し、世間を揺るがしている。Hatoyama's mother allegedly extended 180 million yen annually as "loans" to the prime minister. These payments, which totaled about 1.1 billion yen over about six years, reportedly began shortly after the 2002 Democratic Party of Japan presidential election, in which Hatoyama was elected party leader for a third term. 「貸付金」と称して提供された金額は、年１億８０００万円、６年余りで１１億円を超える。２００２年の民主党代表選の後から提供が始まったという。Former Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Kunio Hatoyama, who is the younger brother of the prime minister, also is believed to have received a similar amount of money from his mother. 弟である自民党の鳩山邦夫元総務相も、ほぼ同額を母親から受け取ったとみられている。=== Unanswered questions The prime minister's fund-management organization apparently made false entries regarding donations and income from sales of fund-raising party tickets, including money that came from funds provided by Hatoyama's mother, totaling 360 million yen in political fund reports over five years. 首相の資金管理団体が、母親からの資金を原資とする分も含め、献金やパーティー券収入を政治資金収支報告書に虚偽記入した総額は、５年間で３億６０００万円に上っている。The prime minister has yet to give a proper explanation about these funds, citing the investigation being conducted by the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office for suspected violations of the Political Funds Control Law. Asked about the funds from his mother, the prime minister said, "I myself am surprised." Hatoyama's remark gave the impression that he saw this as someone else's problem. We think this is inexcusable. 首相は、東京地検が政治資金規正法違反の疑いで捜査していることなどを理由に、事実関係を説明していない。母親からの資金提供についても、「私自身、驚いている」と人ごとのように言っている。だが、それでは済まされまい。Why did he need such a massive sum of money? For what purposes was this money used? The prime minister must answer these questions. なぜこれほどの資金が必要だったのか。一体何に使ったのか。こうした疑問に首相は答えなければならない。Prosecutors reportedly have decided not to question the prime minister and instead are considering asking him to submit a written statement. However, we think the prosecutors should speak to Hatoyama directly to unravel the truth behind this disturbing affair. 東京地検は首相の事情聴取を見送り、上申書の提出を求めることを検討しているという。だが、真相を解明するには、本人の話を聞く必要があるのではないか。=== Don't let history repeat After former Liberal Democratic Party Vice President Shin Kanemaru was found to have illegally received 500 million yen in donations in 1992, the prosecutors office made a summary indictment after letting Kanemaru submit a written statement without undergoing questioning. １９９２年、金丸信・元自民党副総裁が５億円の違法献金を受けたことが明るみに出た際、東京地検は本人に事情聴取しないまま上申書提出だけで略式起訴した。Surely prosecutors have not forgotten the public outrage sparked by the handling of the Kanemaru incident. Groups of people filed 40,000 criminal complaints calling for further investigations into the case. これが国民の反発を買い、４万件の告発が寄せられた事実を忘れてはなるまい。We believe prosecutors should conduct a meticulous investigation into Hatoyama's donations that will satisfy the general public. 検察は国民の視点に立ち、捜査を尽くすべきだ。Common sense suggests the amount of money Hatoyama received from his mother was too large to have been loans. Furthermore, it appears that no written documents or agreements specifying repayment of these "loaned" funds were made. 母親からの資金提供は、「貸付金」にしては、常識外れの大きさだ。しかも、借用書や返済についての取り決めはなかった。If national tax authorities deem this money to be gifts, the prime minister would have to pay more than 400 million yen in tax as he failed to declare them as such. 国税当局が贈与と認定した場合は、単純な申告漏れでも首相に４億円以上の納税義務が生じる。Tax authorities will determine whether the funds in question were loans or gifts. If the authorities treat the prime minister leniently, the public will feel the matter is not being handled fairly. They might even lose trust in tax authorities. 貸付金か贈与かは、国税当局が実態に応じて判断するが、一国の首相に甘い対応をとれば、国民は不公平感を募らせ、納税に対して疑問を抱きかねない。The Yomiuri Shimbun has received a number of comments from its readers on this issue. "It's unacceptable that [the prime minister] simply says he didn't know what was going on after he received up to 1.1 billion yen," one reader said, while another complained, "I don't feel like paying my taxes any more." 読売新聞には、「１１億円ももらって知らぬ存ぜぬでは済まされない」「もう税金を納めたくない」という声が寄せられている。The tax authorities should be relentless in their handling of this case. 国税当局も厳正に対処しなければなるまい。(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 5, 2009) （2009年12月5日01時38分 読売新聞）
Dec 5, 2009
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普天間移設 年内決着へ首相は再考せよ
Your kind click on the following banner is much obliged.It's for fc2 blog ranking competition!↓ http://blogranking.fc2.com/in.php?id=425086The Yomiuri Shimbun (Dec. 4, 2009)Resolve Futenma issue by year-end普天間移設 年内決着へ首相は再考せよ（12月4日付・読売社説）Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama reportedly has decided to give up on settling the issue of the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station within Okinawa Prefecture this year. 米海兵隊普天間飛行場の移設問題で、鳩山首相が年内決着を断念する意向を固めたという。Hatoyama's decision apparently stems from a desire to avoid ructions in the coalition government his Democratic Party of Japan formed with the Social Democratic Party and the People's New Party. Hatoyama is unable to escape the fact that the SDP opposes the current relocation plan, and that the PNP also takes a dim view of it. 現行計画に反対する社民党や、それに同調する国民新党に配慮し、連立政権の維持を優先するためだとされる。Hatoyama has reiterated that the agreement made between Tokyo and Washington on the relocation carries weight and that the feelings of the people in the prefecture should be respected. An early resolution to the issue with the current relocation plan is earnestly sought by the U.S. government, the Okinawa prefectural government as well as the Nago city government, which is where the base's facilities would be relocated. We think Hatoyama should rethink his stance on this matter. 鳩山首相は従来、「日米の合意は重い」「沖縄の思いが大事」などと繰り返してきた。米国も、沖縄県も、移設先の名護市も、現行計画による早期決着を切実に求めている。首相は再考すべきだ。In a summit meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama last month, Hatoyama agreed to "expeditiously" resolve the issue. Hatoyama even told Obama to "trust" him on the dispute. Ensuing ministerial-level working group talks then tried to smooth coordination in line with the current relocation plan. If a decision will not be reached this year, what was the point of all these get-togethers and discussions? 首相は日米首脳会談で「迅速な解決」に合意し、「私を信頼して」とまで見えを切った。その後、日米の閣僚級の作業部会で、県内移設の現行計画を軸に調整を急いできたのは、何だったのか。=== Strained ties The U.S. government's distrust of the prime minister and the Japanese government will certainly deepen due to this to-ing and fro-ing. The incentive at the working group talks to produce a positive result likely will evaporate. The adverse impact on the overall Japan-U.S. relationship could be immeasurable. 米政府が今後、首相と日本政府に対して、不信感を一段と募らせるのは確実だ。作業部会で前向きの結論を出す機運も低下するだろう。日米関係全体に与える悪影響は計り知れない。Hatoyama's postponement of a final decision until early next year or later is unlikely to result in any concrete scenario for the resolution of the issue. 結論を年明け以降に先送りしても、問題の解決に向けて、その後の具体的な展望が首相にあるとは思えない。A Nago mayoral election is scheduled to be held in late January. The incumbent, who has accepted the current plan, is running against a first-time candidate who has given it the thumbs-down. If the incumbent fails to win reelection, calls for moving the base outside the prefecture would grow louder, a situation that would leave the Okinawa prefectural government between a rock and a hard place. １月下旬に予定される名護市長選では、現行計画を容認する現職に、反対派の新人が挑戦する。仮に現職が敗れれば、県外移設を求める声が広がり、沖縄県の立場はより苦しくなるだろう。Hatoyama himself admitted at a joint press conference with Obama after their summit meeting that resolving this issue will only become more difficult the longer it is left to simmer. The prime minister must not continue his expedient approach. If the current plan is shelved, the envisaged return of the Futenma facilities by 2014 would be left up in the air. 首相自身、首脳会談後の共同記者会見で、「時間がたてば、より解決が難しくなる」と認めたはずだ。その場しのぎの対応を続けるべきではない。現行計画が頓挫すれば、２０１４年の普天間飛行場の返還が宙に浮く。=== DPJ should pull rank SDP leader Mizuho Fukushima has indicated her party might leave the coalition if the government decides to go ahead with the current plan. 社民党の福島党首は、政府が現行計画を決定した場合、政権を離脱する可能性を示唆している。The prime minister should do everything he can to convince the SDP that the issue must be settled by year-end under the current plan to reduce the burdens on communities that host the U.S. base and to ensure the security alliance with the United States remains solid. 首相が今すべきは、日米同盟を堅持しつつ、地元の基地負担を軽減するためには、現行計画での年内決着が不可欠だと、社民党を真剣に説得することだ。If the SDP refuses to back down and eventually splits from the coalition, the administration would be shaken up for some time. However, it would not be an insurmountable nuisance for the government. 社民党が説得に応じず、連立政権を離脱した場合、一時的に政権運営は不安定になるが、乗り切れないほどではあるまい。The DPJ holds more than 300 seats in the 480-seat House of Representatives, and is just shy of a majority in the House of Councillors. 民主党は、衆院では３００議席超を占める。参院でも過半数にわずかに届かないだけだ。The SDP and the PNP each have only five seats in the upper house. The DPJ must not jeopardize landmark measures designed to reduce the burden imposed on Okinawa Prefecture by hosting U.S. bases, or the Japan-U.S. relationship, by cowering to two minor coalition partners. 参院で各５議席ずつしかない社民、国民新の両党に配慮するあまり、画期的な沖縄の基地負担軽減策や日米関係を危うくするのは、避ける必要がある。The Hatoyama administration also might find it worthwhile to call on the Liberal Democratic Party and other opposition forces to cooperate on key bills and policies to keep the wheels of administration management turning smoothly. 重要な法案や政策については、自民党など野党に個別に協力を要請し、連携するといった工夫をすることで、政権を運営していく手法も十分検討に値しよう。(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 4, 2009) （2009年12月4日01時49分 読売新聞）
Dec 4, 2009
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松本亨先生（博士）
1９６２年、私は中学校の一年生でした。この年、芹沢栄先生のラジオ基礎英語の勉強を開始、すぐに松本亨先生のラジオ英語会話もあわせて聴取するようになりました。芹沢栄先生の座右の銘は ｢slow and steady wins the race (遅くとも着実なものが勝利する）｣ でした。週替わりで英語の歌もたくさん教えていただきました。マイボニー懐かしいですね。松本亨先生のラジオ英語会話は1９７２年、講師が代わるまで聞き続けました。思えば1０年間も、この一日僅か1５分の番組を聞き続けたことになります。芹沢栄先生の座右の銘はその正しさが自分の体験を通して実証されました。大学受験のとき、英語だけは特別に時間を割かなくともそれで通用しました。松本亨先生が英語学習に対する情熱を次の言葉で何度も表現されるのを聞きました。"Think in English"（英語で考える、翻訳しないで）その通りだと思いましたが、翻訳英語がすっかり身に着いているので切り替えはなかなか難しいのです。それから ｢生きた英語 living English｣ という言葉も何度も耳にしました。ラジオ英語会話は英語だけで放送されるので、松本亨先生が日本語を話すのを聴いたことがありません。つい最近、英語教育（研修）を専門業となされているカプラン石綿誠先生のブログに以下のような記事が掲載されていました。（石綿先生のブログより抜粋）↓｢そして読解力を高めるには、松本博士のモットーしかないと考えます。ラジオ英会話で有名になったので、会話の先生としてのイメージが大きかった博士ですが、座右の銘は"Read, Read, and Read"だったそうです。また、このモットーを博士はこのように和訳しています。「多読、速読、直読」です。この３つを実践していくことがリーディングでは必要だということを、意味しているわけです。｣松本亨先生の後任、とうごかつあき先生（漢字忘れました）が松本亨先生の読書量、保有されている蔵書の多さに圧倒されたという話をされていました。松本亨先生は1９７９年に逝去されたそうですね。ご冥福をお祈り申し上げます。（感謝をこめて）srachai from khonkaen, thailand
Dec 3, 2009
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元局長証言 「沖縄密約ない」は崩れ去った
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Dec. 3, 2009)Govt's denial of Okinawa secret pact lacks weight元局長証言 「沖縄密約ない」は崩れ去った（12月3日付・読売社説）Now that a former senior diplomat has admitted in court that he signed a document as part of a secret agreement between Japan and the United States over the 1972 reversion of Okinawa, it appears the government's long-held stance that such a pact did not exist has been toppled. 「密約」の文書に署名した――と、日本側の当事者が法廷で証言したことで、「密約は存在しない」としてきた従来の政府見解は、完全に崩れ去ったといえるだろう。Bunroku Yoshino, who was in charge of negotiations with Washington over the reversion at the time, admitted to the existence of a secret agreement during testimony as a witness in an information disclosure lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court on Tuesday. １９７２年の沖縄返還を巡る対米交渉の責任者だった元外務省アメリカ局長の吉野文六氏が、東京地裁での情報公開訴訟に証人として出廷し、日米間に密約があったことを明言した。Yoshino, the then Foreign Ministry's American Bureau chief, had already confessed in interviews with news organizations that there was a secret pact regarding the cost burdens for reverting Okinawa to Japanese rule from U.S. control. But his public testimony in open court carries much more weight. 吉野氏はこれまでも、報道機関に密約の存在を語っていた。だが、公開の法廷で証言したことは、より重い意味を持つといえる。The lawsuit was filed by a group of plaintiffs, including former Mainichi Shimbun reporter Takichi Nishiyama, who had been found guilty for his involvement in leaking government documents on the secret pact. Group members demanded the disclosure of documents believed to indicate the existence of the secret pact, but the government said it would not disclose them. The plaintiffs then demanded the government nullify its decision not to disclose the documents. 訴訟は、密約の存在を示す文書の漏えいに関与したとして有罪となった元毎日新聞記者の西山太吉氏らが起こした。情報公開請求で、密約関連の文書が不開示とされたため、国に不開示決定の取り消しなどを求めている。=== U.S. disclosure made Yoshino testified in court that Tokyo and Washington made a secret agreement to have Japan shoulder 4 million dollars the United States was supposed to pay to restore farmland in Okinawa that had been used by U.S. forces, as well as 16 million dollars for the transfer of a U.S. shortwave radio station. 米軍用地の原状回復補償費４００万ドルと米短波放送中継局の国外移転費１６００万ドル。吉野氏は、これらを日本側が肩代わり負担すると極秘裏に米側と合意したと証言した。During Nishiyama's trial in 1972, Yoshino denied the existence of the secret agreement. But after giving his testimony this week, Yoshino said, "I've come to believe that pursuing the truth about the past will benefit Japan's future." 吉野氏は７２年、西山氏の公判では、密約を否定する証言をした。今回の証言後、吉野氏は「過去の真実を追求することが、日本の将来のために有益と信じるようになった」と語った。Thirty-seven years separate Yoshino's two testimonies, and he likely judged that coming out with the truth would not cause any major problems to Japan-U.S. relations or other state affairs. 前回の証言から３７年が経過している。「真実」を明らかにしても、対米関係などに支障は生じないとの判断もあったのだろう。A number of official documents that support the existence of bilateral secret pacts have been made public in the United States since 2000. There is no reason for the Japanese government to protect such documents as diplomatic secrets. ２０００年以降、密約を裏付ける公文書が米国で公開された。日本政府が「外交秘密」として保護する理由はなくなっている。=== Time for reconciliation Under the initiative of Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada, a ministry panel comprising external experts has started investigating and analyzing four secret agreements believed to have been made between the two countries, including the one on the cost burdens of Okinawa's reversion. 岡田外相の意向で外務省の有識者委員会が、今回の沖縄返還関連を含めた四つの「密約」を対象に調査・分析作業を進めている。Following Yoshino's latest testimony, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said, "I intend to let the people learn [the truth] by appropriate means when all the facts are confirmed." 鳩山首相は、吉野氏の証言を受け、「事実関係を確認できた暁には、国民にしかるべき手段でお知らせしたい」と語った。We hope the government expresses its view on the matter based on a report to be compiled by the panel next month. 来月にまとまる予定の有識者委員会の報告書を踏まえて、政府としての見解を示してもらいたい。In diplomacy, governments occasionally choose not to make public the content of agreements made with other governments in order to maintain trusting relations and to prevent any damage to national interests that could occur if third-party nations obtained such information. The government needs to explain the circumstances that led to the secret pact Yoshino spoke about. 外交では、相手との信頼関係の保持や、第三国に知られて国益を損なわないようにするため、合意内容を公にしないことがある。政府は今回の密約を結んだ事情についても説明する必要があろう。In the United States, diplomatic documents in principle can be disclosed 25 years after being made. In Japan, the Foreign Ministry decides whether to disclose its documents after a certain period. We suggest that disclosure be made as defined by rules that would limit the ministry's discretion on the issue. 米国では外交文書について、２５年が経過すると原則的に秘密指定を解除する制度がある。日本では一定期間後、外務省が文書公開の是非を判断しているが、外務省任せにせず、一定のルールの下での公開を促進していくべきだ。(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 3, 2009) （2009年12月3日00時36分 読売新聞）
Dec 2, 2009
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量的金融緩和 日銀がデフレ退治に動いた
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Dec. 2, 2009)BOJ moves to combat deflationary trend量的金融緩和 日銀がデフレ退治に動いた（12月2日付・読売社説）The Bank of Japan has decided to launch a new quantitative monetary easing measure to fight deflation. デフレ退治のため、日銀が新たな量的金融緩和策に踏み切った。The central bank held an extraordinary policy meeting on Tuesday and decided to introduce a new money-easing measure to offer three-month loans to financial institutions at an ultralow interest rate of 0.1 percent. 日銀は１日、金融政策決定会合を臨時に開き、０・１％の超低利で、返済期間３か月の資金を金融機関に供給する新たな金融緩和策の導入を決めた。The central bank showed its intention to overcome deflation in cooperation with the government by compiling its own additional measure before talks between Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and Bank of Japan Gov. Masaaki Shirakawa to be held Wednesday. ２日に予定される鳩山首相と白川日銀総裁の会談を前に、日銀として追加策を取りまとめ、政府と一体となってデフレ解消に取り組む姿勢を打ち出したものだ。We expect the central bank to enhance its coordination with the government further and to prevent Japan from falling into a deflationary spiral--a combination of deflation and recession--with every possible measure. 日銀は、今後も政府と連携を強め、デフレと不況が同時に進むデフレスパイラルの防止に全力を挙げてもらいたい。The moves to supply funds to the financial system will start from early December at the rate of 800 billion yen per week. The total of injected funds will reach 10 trillion yen in three months and be increased further if necessary. 資金供給は今月上旬から週８０００億円のペースで実施し、３か月後に残高を約１０兆円に積み上げる。必要に応じて上積みする。Shirakawa said at a press conference the action constitutes "quantitative easing in a broad sense." The new measure is expected to have wider monetary easing effects than the current policy of keeping the key short-term interest rate at 0.1 percent. 白川総裁は記者会見で、今回の措置を「広い意味での量的緩和」と認めた。短期金利を０・１％に誘導する現行の政策より、幅広い緩和効果が期待できるという。The Bank of Japan decided that quantitative easing needs to be enhanced to deal with the commotion in the international financial market caused by fears of a debt default in Dubai and the yen's soaring value. 日銀は、中東ドバイの信用不安による国際金融市場の動揺や、急速な円高に対応するため、金融緩和の強化が必要と判断した。=== Bringing yen back to earth The government has already declared that the nation is in deflation and is planning to put forth additional economic measures, including one to cope with the strong yen, by the end of this week. 政府もすでにデフレを宣言し、円高対策も含めた追加景気対策を今週中にもまとめる方針だ。It is appropriate that the central bank's policy board hammered out the new measures in an agile manner without waiting until its next regular meeting. A further decline of the interest rate will help alleviate the rise in the yen. 日銀が定例会合を待たず、機動的に追加策を打ち出したのは適切な判断だ。一段の金利低下は、円高の改善も後押ししよう。However, it was regrettable to see the central bank adopt a tight money policy by terminating part of its corporate financial assistance at the end of October. ただ、日銀が企業金融支援の一部を打ち切る「引き締め策」を１０月末に決めたのは残念だった。Many people may not be able to understand the true intention of the central bank in deciding on the additional money easing operation just one month later. The Bank of Japan should explain to the public in detail how it will maintain its policy of monetary easing until deflation has been overcome. わずか１か月後の今回の緩和措置に、日銀の真意が理解できないという人も多いのではないか。日銀はデフレ解消まで緩和を続けることを丁寧に説明すべきだ。=== Further measures needed Of course, an easy-money policy alone is not sufficient to combat deflation. むろんデフレ対策は、金融緩和だけで十分とは言えない。The business climate is improving thanks to measures stimulating consumption such as the introduction of eco points in exchange for the purchase of energy-saving home electrical appliances. However, there is concern about whether the government's decision to freeze some public works projects could have adverse effects. Drafting of next fiscal year's budget also must not be delayed. 景気は、省エネ家電のエコポイントなど消費刺激策で持ち直しつつあるが、政府が公共事業の一部を凍結した悪影響などが心配だ。来年度予算の編成が遅れる事態は厳に避けるべきだ。The government's finances are in critical condition, but it may now be necessary to concentrate the budget on projects with high reflationary effects even if the government has to increase the issuance of bonds to a certain degree. 財政は危機的だ。だが今は、ある程度の国債を増発してでも、景気浮揚効果の高い事業に予算を重点配分することも必要だろう。However, if the increased issuance of government bonds causes a sharp rise in long-term interest rates, the business climate will suffer strong side effects. The Bank of Japan will be required to support the government financially by buying more government bonds. ただし、国債増発で長期金利が急上昇すれば、景気への悪影響は大きい。日銀が国債買い入れ額をさらに増やすなど、財政を側面支援することが求められよう。The strong yen deals a blow to exporting companies and worsens business conditions. At the same time, it increases deflationary pressures by lowering prices of imported items. The government should clarify its determination to stem the soaring appreciation of the yen. 円高は輸出企業に打撃を与え、景気を悪化させる。同時に輸入品の物価が下がり、デフレ圧力も高まる。政府は円高阻止の決意を明確に示すべきだ。(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 2, 2009) （2009年12月2日01時13分 読売新聞）
Dec 2, 2009
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デフレ危機 政策総動員で景気の悪化防げ
if you could click the following banner.Thanking you in anticipation.↓fc2 blog rankingfc2 blog rankingThe Yomiuri Shimbun (Dec. 1, 2009)Use all policy tools to rescue economyデフレ危機 政策総動員で景気の悪化防げ（12月1日付・読売社説）Falling prices resulting from deflation may seem like a blessed rain after the drought for salaried workers pinching pennies in the economic downturn and pensioners. デフレによる物価下落は、不況で給料の減ったサラリーマンや、年金暮らしの人にとっては「恵みの雨」だろう。But deflation is an awful, intractable disease that wreaks havoc on an economy. It is dangerous to make light of it. だが、デフレは経済を冷やし、衰退させる恐ろしい難病だ。軽視するのは危険である。 ◆格安チキンで節約ランチ◆Recently, a simple lunch combo offered by a convenience store--instant noodles in a cup plus a piece of fried chicken--has proved a hit with salaried workers looking to save money. 「カップめん＋チキン」 コンビニで最近、こんな節約メニューの昼食を選ぶサラリーマンが増えている。Lawson Gate City Ohsaki convenience store, located in front of JR Osaki Station in Tokyo, is crowded with salaried workers at lunchtime. Not a few of the men among them presumably opt for cup noodles to save time and money. 東京・大崎駅前にあるローソンゲートシティ大崎店の昼時は、サラリーマンやＯＬでにぎわう。確かに、時間とカネの節約からか、男性にはカップラーメン派が少なくない。But cup noodles alone seems a paltry lunch. Most of them buy one more item under the hit "plus one" offer--a new fried chicken product called L Chiki that went on sale this spring. でも、カップめんだけではさすがにわびしい。ほとんどの人が「あと１品」を買う。そのヒット商品が、今春発売したフライドチキンの新製品「Ｌチキ」だ。A single L Chiki nugget weighs about 100 grams, almost the same as Lawson's regular fried chicken nugget, but costs 128 yen, 40 yen less than the regular nugget. According to Ryosuke Kobayashi, 26, head of the Osaki shop, the new product has proved popular because it is cheap and filling, and its sales are between 150 percent and 200 percent greater than the regular product. 約１００グラムと従来品とほぼ同じ量で、値段を１６８円から１２８円へ下げた。小林亮介店長（２６）によると、安くて食べ応えがあると評判で、「以前の１・５倍から２倍も売れている」という。The new fried chicken product is cheap because imports of low-priced Brazilian chicken have jumped, causing a collapse in the price of chicken, including Japanese chicken. Following the worldwide economic slump that began last year, demand for Brazilian chicken in the United States and European countries, which had been major importers of the product, decreased, and the price-busting chicken began to be imported into Japan in large volumes. 値下げできたのは、安いブラジル産鶏肉が大量に出回り、国産も含め値崩れが起きたためだ。昨年来の世界不況でブラジルの得意先だった欧米の需要が減り、格安の鶏肉が日本に流入した。This prompted convenience stores to offer low-priced fried chicken products. They have found themselves waging a price war with boxed-meal chain store operators, which are luring customers with fried chicken lunches priced at about 300 yen. こうして、コンビニに安いフライドチキンが並び、ライバルの弁当チェーンも３００円前後のから揚げ弁当で安さを競う。The consumer price index, meanwhile, continues to fall, declining 2.2 percent in October from a year earlier, marking the eighth consecutive monthly fall. Prices of food--a daily necessity--had been thought to be resistant to deflation, but food prices have been below those of the previous year for five months in a row. １０月の消費者物価指数は前年同月比２・２％下落し、大幅なマイナスが続いている。必需品のため、下がりにくいとされる食料も、５か月連続で前年を下回る。 消費者にとってうれしい「食のデフレ」だが、かつてない逆風に苦しむ人たちもいる。Although this downward trend in food prices may be a blessing for consumers, people on the other side of the shop counter are being buffeted by unprecedentedly strong headwinds. ===
Dec 1, 2009
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