一体改革法案 党首会談で事態を打開せよ

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Aug. 8, 2012)
DPJ-LDP talks needed to end Diet impasse
一体改革法案　党首会談で事態を打開せよ（8月7日付・読売社説）

The prospects for passage of bills for integrated reform of the social security and tax systems through the Diet are doubtful.
　社会保障・税一体改革関連法案の成立が危ぶまれる状況である。

This is because of the high-handed attitude of the Liberal Democratic Party, which refuses to help enact the bills unless Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda gives assurance he will dissolve the House of Representatives for a general election immediately after the bills are passed.
　自民党が、野田首相から衆院解散の確約を得られなければ法案の成立を認めない、という強硬路線へ強引に舵(かじ)を切ったからだ。

The lower house passed the bills after some modifications following a three-party agreement among the Democratic Party of Japan, the LDP and New Komeito that the bills were needed to rehabilitate the government's finances.
　民主、自民、公明３党が財政再建の重要性を確認し、修正合意の末に衆院を通過させた法案だ。

It is intolerable for the LDP to treat the three-party accord so lightly at this late date. The bills must be enacted swiftly through a vote in the House of Councillors.
今になって蔑(ないがし)ろにすることは到底許されない。参院で速やかに採決し、成立させるのが筋である。

"To accomplish the task of carrying out the integrated reform, we should seek a public mandate to rebuild momentum," LDP President Sadakazu Tanigaki said.
　自民党の谷垣総裁は「一体改革を成し遂げるには国民に信を問い、態勢を立て直すことが必要だ」と述べた。

He indicated that if the LDP's demand for dissolution of the lower chamber was not met, the party would submit a no-confidence motion against the Cabinet or a censure motion against the prime minister as early as Tuesday.
解散要求が通らない場合、内閣不信任決議案や首相問責決議案を７日にも提出する。

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Public won't understand

The LDP is using a tactic in which it holds the reform bills--the national interest--hostage as it is making support for them contingent on the prime minister pledging to dissolve the lower house.
　法案成立と引き換えに早期の衆院選に持ち込もうとするのは、一体改革という国益を“人質”に取るような手法ではないか。

Should a censure motion against Noda or a no-confidence motion against his administration be submitted, the Diet would almost certainly be thrown into turmoil and the bills would face the danger of being scrapped.
　問責決議案や内閣不信任案が出されれば、国会は混乱し、法案は廃案になりかねない。

Besides the disintegration of the three-party agreement, confidence in Japan's political system would evaporate both at home and abroad.
　その場合、３党合意の瓦解どころか、日本の政治そのものが内外の信用を失うだろう。

In a comment on the LDP's hard-line stance, Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi quite reasonably pointed out that the largest opposition party should be "more circumspect about what consequences would ensue."
　自民党の強硬姿勢について、公明党の山口代表が「どういう結果を招くか、慎重に考えるべきだ」と指摘したのはもっともだ。

The LDP's stance is hardly likely to gain the understanding of most people.
多くの国民の理解は得られまい。

The party must think carefully about the wisdom of submitting a no-confidence motion against the Cabinet. And the idea of using a censure motion, which has no binding power under the Constitution, as a means of toppling an administration would set a bad precedent in the nation's politics.
　自民党は内閣不信任案の提出を再考すべきだ。法的拘束力のない問責決議案を倒閣に使うのも悪(あ)しき前例を残すことになる。

"The three-party agreement is highly important, and I'm determined to do my utmost to enact the bills," Noda said.
　野田首相は、「３党合意は大変重たい。法案を成立させることに全力を尽くす」と語った。

If he really wants to maintain his resolve, the prime minister will have no other recourse but to try to break the impasse through face-to-face talks with Tanigaki.
それなら、谷垣氏との会談で事態の打開を図るしかないだろう。

One major factor behind the current imbroglio is the lack of sincerity on the part of the prime minister and other DPJ executives.
　そもそも、こうした状況を招いた一因は、首相と民主党執行部の不誠実さにある。

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DPJ move belated

In his talks with Nobuaki Koga, president of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo), Noda expressed his desire to stay in office for the compilation of next fiscal year's state budget. This struck a nerve in the LDP, which wants the lower house dissolved soon after the passage of the tax and security reform bills.
　首相は、連合の古賀伸明会長との会談で来年度予算編成に意欲を示し、法案成立後の解散を求める自民党の神経を逆なでした。

The DPJ leadership has been cautious about agreeing on an early vote on the bills for fear that a number of legislators could bolt the party.
　民主党執行部は、離党者がさらに出ることを恐れ、法案の早期採決には及び腰だった。

It earlier called for a vote on Aug. 20, arguing that the bills should be voted on at the same time as votes on bills to enable the government to issue deficit-covering bonds and for lower house electoral system reform to rectify the disparity in the weight of votes between the most and least represented constituencies.
当初、赤字国債発行を可能とする特例公債法案の成立や衆院選挙制度の「１票の格差」是正との同時決着を主張し、２０日の採決を唱えていた。

Although all this legislation is important, the DPJ's argument can only be seen as a pretext for putting off a vote on the social security and tax reform bills.
　これらが大事なのは言うまでもないが、一体改革関連法案の参院採決を先送りする口実ではないか、と疑われても仕方がない。

The DPJ has finally changed its stance, as it is now making overtures to the LDP to have the relevant committees vote on the tax and social security bills on Wednesday. There can be no denying the DPJ's move is belated.
　ようやく民主党は自民党に８日の委員会採決を提案したが、対応が後手に回ったのは確かだ。

One thing must not happen: The DPJ-LDP brawling and bickering must not lead to scrapping of the reform bills.
　民主、自民両党の駆け引きの揚げ句に、法案を葬り去ることだけは回避しなければならない。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Aug. 7, 2012)
（2012年8月7日01時52分 読売新聞）