民主衆院選総括 自己批判を再建に生かせるか

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Feb. 22, 2013)
Self-criticism not enough; DPJ must learn from the past
民主衆院選総括　自己批判を再建に生かせるか（2月21日付・読売社説）

Self-critical phrases were found throughout a Democratic Party of Japan report reviewing the Dec. 16 House of Representatives election. The report was quite unusual for an official document of a political party, but the real issue is whether the DPJ can use it to rebuild itself.
　まさに自己批判のオンパレードである。政党の公式文書としては異色だが、問題は、これを党再建にどう生かすかだ。

The report on the party's humiliating defeat and its handling of the government for about three years and three months was approved Wednesday at a general meeting of the secretaries general of local DPJ chapters. Dubbed a "plan to reform and recreate the DPJ," the report will be officially approved at a party convention scheduled for Sunday.
　民主党は全国幹事長会議で、衆院選の惨敗や３年３か月余の政権運営を総括する「党改革創生案」を了承した。２４日の党大会で正式決定する。

In the report, the party carefully avoided pointing fingers at anyone as a direct cause of the defeat. However, it did point out a "chain of errors committed by party heads," including those of three prime ministers--Yukio Hatoyama's haphazard handling of the planned relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture, Naoto Kan's remarks suggesting a consumption tax hike and Yoshihiko Noda's failure to properly set the date for a lower house dissolution.
　衆院選の敗因については、名指しを避けながら、鳩山元首相による米軍普天間飛行場移設問題の迷走、菅元首相の「消費税発言」、野田前首相の衆院解散時期の見定めを例に挙げて、「トップによる失敗の連鎖」を指摘した。

The report also admitted that the secession of party members, notably former party President Ichiro Ozawa and his followers, dealt a huge blow to the DPJ's image. This made the public feel "it was inappropriate to entrust the helm of government to a group unable to govern itself," the report said.
　小沢一郎元代表らの離党で「党内を治めることさえできない集団に国家の舵(かじ)取りを任せられない」と国民に見られたとも認めた。

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Responsibility of 'troika' leaders

Those analyses all have a point. We believe Hatoyama, Kan and Ozawa--once dubbed the troika of the DPJ--are especially responsible for the defeat. If the DPJ really wants to rally from the historical defeat and once again become a rival of the Liberal Democratic Party, it is essential to wholeheartedly examine past mistakes and thoroughly learn from them.
　いずれも当然の指摘である。特に、鳩山、菅、小沢３氏のトロイカの罪は重い。民主党が歴史的大敗から立ち直り、自民党の対抗勢力として復活するには、過去の過ちを徹底的に検証し、真剣に反省する作業が欠かせない。

In addition to the faults of the party leadership, we should not overlook the DPJ's lack of governance--a chronic problem for the entire party. Failure to communicate with bureaucrats, party management that lacks unity, members' lack of awareness that they should uphold the party's decisions--all the things pointed out in the report were on the mark.
　執行部の責任に加え、党全体の統治能力の欠如も見逃せない。官僚との意思疎通不足、まとまりのない党運営、決定事項を守るルールの緩み、政権を支える意識の希薄さ……。改革創生案が列挙した課題は、どれも的を射ている。

However, the problem is that all those problems had already been pointed out during the time the DPJ held the reins of government. Instead of taking effective measures to deal with them, the party spent all its energy on intraparty conflicts, such as the battle between the pro- and anti-Ozawa groups.
　問題なのは、与党時代に、こうした批判を再三受けながら、何ら有効な対策を取らないまま、「親小沢対反小沢」といった党内抗争に明け暮れていたことだ。

Based on its review of the general election defeat, the reform plan made seven proposals for the DPJ.
　改革創生案は、衆院選総括を踏まえ、７項目の提言をしている。

They include suggestions such as "carry the flag of a reformist party and march toward the realization of our reform goals," and "listen to the wide array of public opinions, utilize the knowledge of experts and reinforce our ability to convey our messages to the public."
「改革政党の旗を掲げ、実行に向けまい進する」「広く国民の声を聞き、専門家の知見を活用しつつ発信を強化する」などだ。

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Proposals too abstract

Frankly speaking, we were disappointed with the abstractness of the proposals. The proposals were supposed to be the centerpiece of the report to help the party fight in the House of Councillors election scheduled for this summer. However, they seem far from serving this aim.
　夏の参院選に向けて最も肝心な提言が抽象的な内容にとどまり、物足りないのは残念である。

The party needs to promptly decide on institutional reforms, such as how the party's decision-making system should be shaped and the status of its Policy Research Committee. The DPJ has been struggling with such reforms since it took power.
　試行錯誤を続けた党の意思決定システムや政策調査会の位置づけなどの制度改革については、早急に結論を出す必要がある。

The reform proposal said the DPJ "will offer counterproposals to ruling parties' policies, to fulfill the role of an opposition party capable of creating new values." Having said that, it will be important for the party to utilize the experience of holding the reins of government and tenaciously stick offer viable alternatives to the government's policies.
　「与党の政策に対する対案をまとめて、創造的野党の役割を果たす」と提言する以上、政権党の経験を踏まえて、「対案路線」を徹底することも重要だ。

Currently, the Diet is divided with the DPJ holding the most seats in the upper house. Thus the party shares the responsibility to move politics forward. If the party examines the policies of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration appropriately and gives constructive criticism as a responsible opposition party, it will lend a disciplined atmosphere to the national administration.
　民主党は今、参院第１党として衆参ねじれ国会の下、政治を前に動かす責任の一端を担っている。健全な野党として、安倍政権の政策をしっかり点検し、適切な注文をつけることは、国政に緊張感を持たせる効果を持つ。

At the same time, it will be important for the DPJ not to hesitate in cooperating with the ruling parties to realize policies that serve the national interest, as such an attitude could be an important step in restoring the public's trust.
　一方で、国益に資する政策には協力を厭(いと)わないことが、有権者の信頼回復を図る一歩となろう。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Feb. 21, 2013)
（2013年2月21日02時00分 読売新聞）