創新党旗揚げ 首長連合らしい具体策を示せ

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Apr. 21, 2010)

New party must propose concrete policies for nation
創新党旗揚げ　首長連合らしい具体策を示せ（4月20日付・読売社説）

Another new party aiming to become the third major political force in the Diet has been formed, reflecting disappointment and frustration toward the Democratic Party of Japan and the Liberal Democratic Party, this country's two leading political parties.
　民主、自民２大政党への失望や不満を背景に、第３極をめざす新党が、またも誕生した。

Current and former heads of local governments--including Hiroshi Yamada, mayor of Tokyo's Suginami Ward, and Hiroshi Nakada, a former mayor of Yokohama--have formed Nippon Soshinto (party aiming to create a new Japan).
　山田宏・東京都杉並区長、中田宏・前横浜市長ら自治体の首長と首長経験者が、「日本創新党」を結成した。

Nippon Soshinto is led by Yamada, who has expressed a strong sense of crisis concerning the current political situation in this country.
"Japan will collapse if things remain as they are," Yamada said.
　党首に就任した山田氏は、「このままでは日本が崩壊する」と述べ、政治の現状に対する強い危機感を表明した。

He criticized the economic policy of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's Cabinet, saying it lacks cost-consciousness and management sense.
Yamada also said the Hatoyama Cabinet is shaking up the Japan-U.S. security alliance and upsetting the peace by brandishing empty ideals.
　鳩山内閣の経済政策については「コスト意識と経営感覚が欠落している」と批判、外交政策も「空想的な理念を振りかざして日米同盟を揺るがし、平和を攪乱(かくらん)している」と厳しく指摘した。

===

Critical of DPJ despite ties

As both Yamada and Nakada are former members of the defunct Japan New Party, they have close ties with members of the DPJ. As a result, a recently formed alliance of local government chiefs supporting the new party includes many former DPJ members, including Saitama Gov. Kiyoshi Ueda.
　山田、中田両氏は旧日本新党出身で、人脈的には民主党に近い。新党を支援する「首長応援連合」にも、上田清司・埼玉県知事ら民主党出身の首長が名を連ねる。

However, Yamada and the others--who could be expected to support the DPJ--have instead started a new party and are criticizing DPJ policies. This indicates how frustrated they are with the current administration's management of national politics.
　本来なら民主党を支援してよいはずの山田氏らが新党を旗揚げして、民主党の政策を批判していることは、現政権の政治運営に対する不満の強さを示すものだ。

Although regional economies are sluggish, the DPJ-led government considers public investment to be villainous and has frozen even projects necessary for local communities. It also has not yet finalized the details of its promised child-rearing allowances, although time is running short before local governments are scheduled to begin distributing the allowances in June.
　地方経済が疲弊しているにもかかわらず、公共投資を罪悪視し、地元が必要とする事業を凍結してしまう。子ども手当は、６月の支給事務開始を目前にして、いまだに細部が詰まっていない。

Local government heads are supporting the new party apparently due to their strong reaction to such negligence toward local governments. The DPJ should take their criticism seriously.
　地方の首長が、創新党の支援に駆けつけたのも、こうした地方軽視の政治への反発によるものだろう。民主党は、批判に真摯(しんし)に耳を傾けるべきだ。

However, the LDP also cannot afford to stay on the sidelines. A spate of new parties has been formed because the main opposition LDP lacks the aggressiveness to take power back from the ruling party and has failed to capitalize on criticism of the DPJ.
　自民党も、他人(ひと)事(ごと)ではいられない。「反民主」を掲げる新党の結成が相次ぐのは、最大野党の自民党が、政権奪還の気迫を欠いて、民主党批判の受け皿になり得ていないからだ。

The LDP also must appreciate the grave fact that local government heads are rejecting the current management of national politics.
　地方の首長から国政にノーを突き付けられた重みを、自民党も受け止めなければならない。

===

Clear policies required

If Soshinto is aiming to be part of national politics, it must propose concrete solutions to various problems both within and outside this country. If it is concerned about the possible bankruptcy of the national government, it must state by how many percentage points the consumption tax rate needs to be raised.
It should also clarify one of the key policies named in the new party's basic philosophies--"self-reliance of the nation" is ambiguous. How is this different from the "fifty-fifty relationship" between Japan and the United States sought by the DPJ?
　創新党は、国政進出をめざす以上、内外の諸課題について具体論を提示することが求められる。
　財政破綻(はたん)を憂えるなら、消費税率は、どの程度引き上げる必要があると考えるのか。基本理念に掲げる「国家の自立」は、意味があいまいだ。民主党の言う「対等な日米関係」とどう違うのか。

Also, the self-reliance of local governments mentioned in the basic philosophies sounds similar to the regional sovereignty advocated by the DPJ. Soshinto will be able to fully capitalize on its strengths only when the party makes detailed proposals on decentralization, based on its members' administrative experience as heads of local governments.
　「地方の自立」も、民主党が唱える「地域主権」に似通った主張に受け取れる。首長としての行政経験に裏打ちされた、地方分権の具体的なアイデアを示してこそ、創新党の持ち味を発揮することができよう。

Soshinto members must present their policies and help deepen discussions in the Diet so they will not be criticized as forming a new party just to hold the deciding votes in the Diet.
　単なるキャスチングボート狙いの新党結成と言われぬよう、政策を高く掲げ、論争を深める役割を果たしてほしい。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, April 20, 2010)
（2010年4月20日01時28分 読売新聞）