民主党政権実現 変化への期待と重責に応えよ

The Yomiuri Shimbun(Aug. 31, 2009)
DPJ must be responsible, live up to expectations
民主党政権実現　変化への期待と重責に応えよ（8月31日付・読売社説）

People's dissatisfaction with the Liberal Democratic Party's politics and their expectation that a new administration led by the Democratic Party of Japan can bring "change" has ushered in a historic change in power in this country.
　自民党政治に対する不満と、民主党政権誕生による「変化」への期待が歴史的な政権交代をもたらした。

　The DPJ romped to a landslide victory in the House of Representatives election Sunday, handing the LDP its most devastating defeat since the party was formed.
　３０日投開票の衆院選で民主党が大勝し、自民党は結党以来の惨敗を喫した。

This is the first time since the end of World War II that an opposition party has won a single-party majority in the lower house and brought about a change in administration.
　野党が衆院選で単独過半数を獲得し、政権交代を果たしたのは戦後初めてのことである。

DPJ President Yukio Hatoyama, who is expected to be named prime minister in the special Diet session to be convened soon, will bear the heavy responsibility of managing the country.
　近く召集される予定の特別国会で、首相に指名される民主党の鳩山代表が、国家経営の重責を担うことになる。

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Disappointment and weariness

　◆自民党への失望と飽き◆
The largest cause of this sea change in public sentiment lies in the LDP itself.
　このような民意の大変動の要因は、自民党にある。

Policies taken by the administration of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, which espoused the importance of market principles, widened disparities in society, devastated the country's medical and nursing care services and impoverished many rural areas.
　小泉内閣の市場原理主義的な政策は、「格差社会」を助長し、医療・介護現場の荒廃や地方の疲弊を招いた。

Koizumi's successors--Shinzo Abe and Yasuo Fukuda--abruptly resigned as prime minister.
　小泉後継の安倍、福田両首相は相次いで政権を投げ出した。

Prime Minister Taro Aso, who took over from Fukuda, suffered a string of self-imposed setbacks with verbal gaffes and other blunders that raised questions about his ability to serve as prime minister before he could correct the policy line taken by the Koizumi administration.
　麻生首相は、小泉路線の修正も中途半端なまま、首相としての資質を問われる言動を続けて、失点を重ねた。

The LDP lost its status as the largest party in the House of Councillors after a thumping defeat in the 2007 election. Subsequently, the LDP's support organizations and industrial groups that traditionally supported the party began to increasingly distance themselves from the LDP.
　この間、自民党は、参院選敗北によって参院第１党の座を失い、従来の支持・業界団体も、自民離れを加速させた。

In short, it can be said that the LDP's historic defeat was brought about by the collapse of its structural reforms that went too far, its leaders' failure to live up to their responsibilities and their lack of leadership ability, the alienation of its traditional support base, and weariness and disappointment with the administration that had been in power for a long time.
　構造改革路線の行き過ぎ、指導者の責任放棄と力量不足、支持団体の離反、長期政権への失望と飽きが、自民党の歴史的敗北につながったと言えよう。

In addition to criticizing the LDP's failings, the DPJ wooed discontented voters by putting forward policies including support for households, such as a monthly child allowance for families and a gradual phasing out of highway tolls, as well as adopting election campaign tactics that included fielding a diverse range of candidates.
　民主党は、こうした自民党の行き詰まりを批判し、子ども手当や高速道路無料化など家計支援策、多様な候補者を立てる選挙戦術で有権者の不満を吸い上げた。

In the previous lower house election, the LDP was blessed with strong and favorable winds whipped up by the postal service privatization debate and the divisions wrought by the party's decision to put "assassin" candidates on the official party ticket to run against those LDP members who opposed the Koizumi-led postal reform drive and were forced off the party ticket.
　小泉政権下の前回衆院選では、「郵政民営化」と刺客騒動で、自民党に強い追い風が吹いた。

The winds of change then took a sudden turn, swinging behind the DPJ, which advocates a change in power--and the favorable conditions have remained since the dissolution of the lower house, culminating in heavy damage to the LDP's junior coalition partner, New Komeito, too.
　今回、風向きは一転、「政権交代」を唱えた民主党側に変わり、圧勝への勢いを与えた。この結果、自民党だけでなく、連立与党の公明党も大きな打撃を受けた。

This development should be interpreted as meaning that the overwhelming sentiment among voters was to give the DPJ a chance to hold the reins of power, despite anxiety in the electorate about how a DPJ-led administration might fare.
　民主党政権に「不安」は感じつつも、一度は政権交代を、との有権者の意識が、それだけ根強かったと見るべきだろう。

Despite the DPJ's landslide victory, however, it does not mean voters have given the party an open-ended mandate.
　しかし、３００議席を超す勝利は、必ずしも、民主党への白紙委任を意味するものではない。

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Review election pledges
　◆政権公約の見直しを◆

A new cabinet to be formed by Hatoyama is to carry out policy measures based on the schedule presented in the DPJ's election manifesto. However, the new government should not stick to its "election" pledges so much so as to destabilize people's lives.
　鳩山新内閣は、政権公約（マニフェスト）で示した工程表に従って、政策を進めることになる。だが、“選挙用”政権公約にこだわるあまり、国民生活を不安定にさせてはならない。

Its most important task is to put the Japanese economy, which is now in the process of recovering from a serious recession, on a steady road to recovery. Given the deteriorating employment situation, public spending on economic pump-priming measures must be continued seamlessly.
　最大の課題は、大不況から立ち直りかけている日本経済を着実な回復軌道に乗せることだ。雇用情勢の悪化を考えれば、切れ目のない景気対策が欠かせない。

When drafting the next fiscal year's budget, the new administration needs to give top priority to boosting the economy.
　来年度予算編成でも、景気浮揚に最大限の配慮が必要だ。

In the realm of foreign and security policy, the change of government will not be accepted as an excuse to tear up international agreements. The new government must seek to achieve consistency in this country's foreign policy and firmly maintain the Japan-U.S. alliance.
　外交・安全保障では、政権交代によって、国際公約を反故(ほご)にすることは許されない。外交の継続性に留意し、日米同盟を堅持しなければならない。

Since it does not have a single-party majority in the upper house, the DPJ will start talks soon with the Social Democratic Party and the People's New Party about the formation of a coalition government.
　民主党は、参院では単独過半数を持たないことから、社民、国民新両党と連立政権協議に入る。

One major concern is the huge gap between the DPJ and the SDP regarding their basic policies on foreign and security affairs, including the participation of the Self-Defense Forces in international peacekeeping activities.
　懸念されるのは、自衛隊の国際平和協力活動など、外交・安保の基本にかかわる政策をめぐって、民主、社民両党間に大きな隔たりがあることだ。

A political situation in which a small party can use its casting vote to push around a major party would be extremely harmful. The DPJ should approach the talks determined to scrap plans for a coalition with the SDP if they cannot reach an agreement on fundamental policies.
　少数党が多数党を振り回すキャスチングボート政治は、弊害が大きい。民主党は、基本政策で合意できなければ、連立を白紙に戻すこともあり得るとの強い決意で、協議に臨むべきだろう。

The DPJ has set a goal of "bidding farewell to bureaucrat-led policy-making."
　民主党は、「官僚政治からの脱却」も目標に掲げている。

But the DPJ should not be under the illusion that bureaucrats will dance to the party's tune simply by establishing a politician-led "National Strategy Bureau" or by assigning a bevy of lawmakers to positions within each government agency or ministry.
だが、首相直属の「国家戦略局」を設けたり、多数の国会議員を各府省に配置しさえすれば、官僚を動かせるというものではない。

Lawmakers will be scrutinized for their ability to use bureaucrats to serve their purposes, rather than to act hostilely against bureaucrats. Lawmakers should know that only when they win the trust of bureaucrats will they be able to effectively implement policies.
　官僚と敵対するのではなく、使いこなす力量が問われる。官僚の信頼を得て初めて、政策の遂行が可能になることを知るべきだ。

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Can LDP make comeback?

The LDP was formed in 1955 through a marriage of conservative parties to counter the Japan Socialist Party, which in that year merged the rightist and leftist socialist parties.
　自民党は１９５５年、左右の社会党の統一に対抗する保守合同によって誕生した。

The ideological clash between the LDP and JSP that was dominant in those days has since evaporated, and the JSP the nation knew then no longer exists. The LDP's crushing defeat in Sunday's election completed the demise of the so-called 1955 political system that centered around the LDP and the socialists.
　当時のイデオロギー対決はすでになく、かつての社会党も存在しない。今回の自民党の壊滅的な敗北は、自社主軸の「５５年体制」の完全な終幕を告げるものだ。

　◆自民党は立ち直れるか◆
The LDP must brace itself for an extended period in the opposition camp. The party will need to dust itself off and rebuild itself almost from scratch if it wants to be a viable political party that can occupy the position of one of the two major political parties--together with the DPJ.
　自民党は、これから野党時代が長くなることを覚悟しなければなるまい。民主党とともに２大政党制の一角を占め続けるには、解党的出直しが必要だ。

The LDP was temporarily ousted from power in 1993 in the wake of money-for-favor political scandals. Since then, it has remained at the helm of the government by forming coalitions with the JSP, Komeito and other parties.
　９３年、自民党は金権腐敗から一時期政権を退いた。その後、社会党や公明党などとの連立で政権を維持してきた。

The LDP has been forced by the voters to start over--after having neglected to reform itself.
　しかし、自己改革を怠り、結局、有権者の手によって、再出発を余儀なくされた。

The party will be pressed to drastically change everything from its political philosophy to its policies and its structure under a new party leader who will replace Aso ahead of the upper house election next summer.
　今後は、麻生首相に代わる新総裁の下、来年夏の参院選に向け、党の組織や政策、選挙体制など、すべての面にわたり徹底的な改革が迫られる。

The LDP must present healthy, sound policies and bolster its ability to counter the DPJ-led administration if it wants to be a key player that can level criticism at the government.
　説得力のある政策を示し、民主党政権に対する批判勢力として、闘争力を高めねばならない。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Aug. 31, 2009)
（2009年8月31日05時28分 読売新聞）