(Jul. 30, 2008) The Yomiuri Shimbun
Financial resources needed for ease of mind
安心プラン 不安解消には財源の裏打ちを（7月30日付・読売社説）
If the government wants to give the public peace of mind, it must offer solid policy plans and have the secure financial resources to put them into practice.
国民に“安心”をもたらすには、確かな計画と財源が必要だろう。
The government on Tuesday released a package of five plans for providing better social security services as a set of emergency measures to strengthen the functions of social security system.
政府は、「社会保障の機能強化のための緊急対策」として、「五つの安心プラン」をまとめた。
The package incorporated about 150 items across five categories: policies on elderly people; improving medical services; providing assistance for child-rearing; tackling problems arising from the increase of nonregular workers; and administrative reform of health, labor and welfare services.
Created under the initiative of Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, the package incorporates several fresh ideas.
高齢者政策、医療強化、子育て支援、非正規労働者対策、厚生労働行政改革の５分野で、約１５０項目の施策を掲げている。福田首相の肝いりだけに、いくつかの新機軸が盛り込まれた。
One standout measure in the package is a system that would tackle the chronic shortage of doctors. The new system will provide financial assistance directly to doctors who work in pressure-cooker situations, such as in emergency care, in obstetrics and in remote areas.
特に注目されるのは、医師不足対策だ。救急や産科、へき地など過酷な医療現場を支える医師に対して、手当を直接支給する制度を創設する。
pressure-cooker=過酷な obstetrics=産科
Although the government has decided to increase the enrollment quotas for medical schools, it takes about 10 years for a medical school student to become a professional doctor. Improving working conditions will encourage doctors already engaged in these strenuous fields to hang in there until a new generation of doctors is nurtured.
政府は医学部定員を拡大する方針を決めたが、医学生が一人前の医師になるには約１０年かかる。過酷な分野を支える勤務医の待遇を改善し、人材が育つまで踏みとどまってもらわねばならない。
strenuous=多大な努力を要する、難しい nurture=育てる、育成する
It is important that struggling doctors receive a special payment as reward for their efforts. We think the government should quickly draw up specific plans on how to determine what kind of, and how much, financial assistance they should receive.
特別の手当によって、苦労している医師に報いることは重要だ。どのような基準や規模で支給するのか、早急に具体案を練ってもらいたい。
===
Give elderly more help
（高齢者にもっとましな政策を）
The category of policies for issues relating to the elderly also raised a few eyebrows. In addition to the present situation in which each company is required to create, by the end of fiscal 2013, a system in which employees are kept on the payroll until they are 65, a new system will be set up to provide subsidies to companies that keep employees who want to work past the age of 65 on the payroll.
高齢者政策の分野では、これまで取り組んできた６５歳までの雇用確保に加え、６５歳以上の高齢者についても、雇用する企業への助成制度を新設する。
subsidy=国の交付金 payroll=従業員名簿、給料支払い
It also is worth noticing that the package offered a clearer direction for pension system reform. It clarified that the government would "examine" the establishment of a guaranteed minimum pension payment, which The Yomiuri Shimbun and some other observers have proposed.
年金改革の方向性を示したことも注目に値する。読売新聞などが提言している最低保障年金の創設について、「検討する」と明記した。
This indicates the government will take a step forward from its current position of merely observing proposals from every sector of the society and discussions by panels of experts.
各界の提案や審議会などの議論を見守る姿勢から、政府が一歩踏み出すということだろう。
Although the package, as a whole, is studded with attractive measures, we think it lacks punch because it addresses an overly broad range of topics. It also gives the impression that all manner of policies had been clumped together and were listed according to category.
だが、プラン全体を見ると、目を引く施策はあるのに、迫力に欠ける。内容があまりにも多岐にわたり、ポイントが絞りきれていないからだろう。関連する政策をとにかく集めて、分野ごとに並べた印象も伴う。
stud=飾りをちりばめる clump=ひとまとまりになっている、かたまっている
===
It's all about the money
（財源がすべてを左右する）
Discussions over financial resources will begin soon. In the budgetary request guidelines for fiscal 2009, the government will create the "important issues promotion category," which comes with a price tag of 330 billion yen. Funding the package of five plans depends on this special category, but it is unclear how much of this 330 billion yen will be used for this new package.
財源の議論もこれからだ。政府は来年度の予算編成で、３３００億円の「重要課題推進枠」を新設する。安心プランはこの特別枠を当て込んでいるが、どの程度認められるかはまだ見えない。
The fiscal 2009 budgetary request will keep the policy of curbing the natural increase in social security costs resulting from the rapid aging of the population by 220 billion yen. The prime minister's leadership will be put to the test over whether he can make the package of proposals a reality under such circumstances.
予算編成では、社会保障費の自然増を２２００億円抑制する措置が継続される。この状況で、どこまでプランを実現できるか、首相の指導力が問われよう。
It is patently obvious that there is no other way to secure enough money to fund the future social security system in a society saddled with an extremely low birthrate and an aging population, other than to raise the consumption tax rate.
超少子高齢時代に必要な将来の社会保障予算は、消費税率を引き上げて確保する以外にないことは誰の目にも明らかだ。
patently=明白な saddle with=税を負わせる
Many lawmakers are becoming loath to raise the consumption tax rate due to the economic downturn and out of concern it might torpedo their chances in any upcoming general election. However, discussion on raising the consumption tax rate should not be put off any longer. The government should set a course for increasing the rate.
景気にかげりが見え始めたことや、総選挙の時期をにらんで、消費税率の引き上げに消極論が強まっている。だが、議論を先送りせず、道筋をつけねばならない。
loath=気が進まないtorpedo＝魚雷で粉砕する
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, July 30, 2008)
（2008年7月30日02時00分 読売新聞）
PR
