自民党総裁選告示

(Sep. 11, 2008) The Yomiuri Shimbun
Great vision should be shown by candidates
自民総裁選告示　大きな「構想力」が問われる（9月11日付・読売社説）

Will the Liberal Democratic Party's upcoming presidential election give the party a chance to ride out its biggest crisis since its founding?
On Wednesday, the LDP election campaign officially kicked off.
「結党以来の危機」を脱する契機になるのか。自民党総裁選が１０日、告示された。

Five LDP members--former party Policy Research Council Chairman Nobuteru Ishihara; former Defense Minister Yuriko Koike; party Secretary General Taro Aso; former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba; and Kaoru Yosano, state minister in charge of economic and fiscal policy--registered as candidates for the party presidency.
石原伸晃・元政調会長、小池百合子・元防衛相、麻生太郎幹事長、石破茂・前防衛相、与謝野馨経済財政相の５氏が立候補を届け出た。

Only Aso leads a party faction. Koike is the first female presidential candidate in LDP history. Key factors to determine the outcome of the presidential race are whether a candidate can get the cross-factional support of LDP lawmakers and how many votes he or she can win from rank-and-file party members around the country.
麻生氏を除く候補は、派閥の領袖(りょうしゅう)ではない。小池氏は女性として初の出馬だ。各派の議員個々の横断的な支持と、党員票の争奪が勝敗のカギを握る。

As circumstances stand now, Aso, a party veteran who has run in four presidential races, is said to have the advantage in securing votes from party lawmakers. Aso is expected to be the front-runner in the 12-day race.
現時点では、立候補４回目の麻生氏が議員票固めで優位に立っており、選挙戦は麻生氏を軸に展開される見通しだ。

Meanwhile, the LDP is facing an unprecedented challenge.
自民党は現在、過去に例をみないような挑戦を受けている。

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Prelude to a general election

The result of the House of Councillors election last summer saw the Democratic Party of Japan replace the LDP as the largest force in the upper house.
昨夏の参院選で自民党は、民主党に第１党の座を奪われた。

On Monday, Ichiro Ozawa was reelected uncontested for a third term as DPJ president. Ozawa vowed his party would win a majority of single-seat constituencies at the next House of Representatives election, stressing that he is determined to end the LDP-led government.
先に３選された小沢民主党代表は、次期衆院選の小選挙区選で「何としても過半数を獲得する」と表明、「自民党中心の政権に終止符を打つ」と強調した。

Aso defines this presidential race as an election to choose the LDP leader who can best take on Ozawa. The LDP presidential election is shaping up to be a kind of prelude to the next lower house election said to be on the horizon.
麻生氏は、今回の総裁選について、小沢代表を相手に「戦う人」を選ぶ選挙と位置づけている。総裁選は、近づく衆院選の前哨戦の色合いを深めつつある。

Promises and statements made by the five candidates during the presidential contest will be reflected in campaign pledges the LDP will compile before the lower house election.
５氏の公約や討論の内容は、自民党の衆院選の政権公約に反映されることになろう。

This means that all the candidates must bear responsibility for their remarks. But they do not need to hesitate to express clearly what they want to accomplish.
各候補とも発言に責任を負わねばならない。といっても臆(おく)することはない。「何を実現したいのか」を明確に語るべきである。

Though economic policy is said to be a major campaign issue, other issues also need to be touched upon. Pressing issues facing this nation include an extension of the refueling mission by the Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels in the Indian Ocean, termination of North Korea's nuclear development program and a resolution to its abduction of Japanese.
経済政策が争点とされるが、それにとどまってはなるまい。インド洋での海上自衛隊による給油活動の延長、北朝鮮の核廃棄や拉致問題の解決などは焦眉(しょうび)の急だ。

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Post-Koizumi reform

Even if the LDP triumphs in the next lower house election, the so-called divided Diet situation, under which the upper house remains under DPJ control, would still exist. What can be done to restore Diet functions? This also is a question for the LDP presidential election.
衆院選で自民党が勝利しても、衆参ねじれ状況は解消しない。国会機能を回復させるためにどうすべきか。それも問われる。

For a while, the LDP succeeded in preventing voters from turning away from the party thanks to former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's populist political style and the public's expectations of his structural reforms. However, this cannot last forever.
自民党は、小泉元首相によるポピュリズム（大衆迎合）型政治手法と、小泉構造改革への期待感から“自民離れ”を食い止めた時期があった。だが、これが、いつまでも通用するものではない。

LDP presidential candidates used the word "reform" many times during their joint press conference Wednesday afternoon. However, they failed to give details of their post-Koizumi policies.
共同記者会見で、各候補は「改革」という言葉を多用した。しかし、「小泉後」の政策は十分に見えてこなかった。

How can a sustainable and reliable social security system be constructed under the fiscal crisis? How can Japan establish its presence as the world becomes more multipolar, as indicated by the rapid emergence of China and India as new powers?
財政危機の下で、安心できる社会保障制度をどう構築していくのか。中国、インドが台頭するなど、多極化する世界の中で、日本はどう地歩を固めるのか。

The LDP presidential candidates must face those issues squarely before engaging in full-fledged discussions. Their abilities to devise solutions will be an important indicator of who is qualified to be LDP president, and prime minister of Japan.
本格論戦に臨む総裁候補には、これらのテーマに正対してもらいたい。そこでみせる「構想力」が、首相の座にたえられるかどうかの重要な指標になるだろう。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 11, 2008)
（2008年9月11日01時58分 読売新聞）