１３参院選 規制改革 成長促す緩和策を見極めよう

The Yomiuri Shimbun July 19, 2013
We should clearly comprehend parties’ deregulatory proposals
１３参院選　規制改革　成長促す緩和策を見極めよう（7月18日付・読売社説）

To foster new industries and put the economy on a growth track, it is necessary to remove excessive regulations. We should form a clear view of which political parties advocate realistic and effective regulatory reforms.
　新しい産業を育て、経済を成長軌道に乗せるには、過剰な規制を取り払う必要がある。
　現実的で実効性ある規制改革を掲げる政党を、しっかりと見極めたい。

The administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been leading his Liberal Democratic Party’s campaign for the House of Councillors election by making regulatory reforms the top priority in the administration’s growth strategy.
　安倍政権は、規制改革を成長戦略の「一丁目一番地」に位置付けて参院選に臨んだ。

One of the most important points of contention is a review of employment regulations.
　重要な論点の一つは、雇用に関する規制の見直しである。

Many experts have pointed out that many businesses have redundant staff in loss-making divisions. Such surplus workforce strains companies’ business performance, causing the overall economy to stagnate.
　多くの企業が不採算部門に余剰人員を抱えている。それが企業業績を圧迫し、経済の停滞を招いている一因との指摘は多い。

As a way to deal with such problems, the government is studying the idea of institutionalizing “limited regular workers,” whose job descriptions, job locations and working hours are limited as stipulated in their job contracts, while easing regulations on the ability of employers to dismiss such workers. Abe has also shown an interest in introducing this system.
　その対策として、政府は、職務や勤務地、労働時間を限定する代わりに、解雇の規制を緩める「限定正社員」を制度化することを検討中だ。首相もこの制度導入に意欲を示している。

For companies, it would become easier to close down unnecessary operations and eliminate obsolete job categories. For the limited regular workers themselves, there would be the merit of greater job stability, compared with the status of nonregular workers, although job insecurity would not be fully eliminated.
　企業にとっては、役割を終えた事業所の閉鎖や職種廃止がしやすくなる。労働者側は、雇用不安はぬぐえないものの、非正規社員に比べると雇用は安定するというメリットもある。

Workforce redeployment

Regarding employment issues, the LDP, Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party) and Your Party advocate in their respective election platforms that workers should be shifted from declining industries to sectors with higher productivity. New Komeito advocates the expansion of the system concerning “regular workers with shorter work hours,” showing common ground with these three parties when it comes to increasing the diversity of employment patterns.
　雇用については、自民党はじめ日本維新の会、みんなの党が、衰退産業から生産性の高い分野に労働力を移動させることを公約に掲げている。公明党は短時間正社員の拡充を打ち出した。雇用形態の多様化では共通する立場だ。

The Democratic Party of Japan, meanwhile, opposes the idea of easing employment regulations, such as institutionalizing limited regular workers. People’s Life Party, the Japanese Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party take similar stances.
　民主党は、限定正社員など労働規制緩和に反対している。生活、共産、社民の各党も同様だ。

If low-paid nonregular workers are the only category in which numbers increase, the average income of workers will decline, which will not lead to sustainable economic growth.
　賃金の低い非正規雇用が増えるばかりでは、所得は下がり、持続的な成長にもつながらない。

How can the smooth transition of workers from one sector to another be realized while protecting employment security? We should listen carefully to what these parties are saying about related issues, including assistance such as vocational training for those who want to change jobs or rejoin the workforce.
　雇用を守りつつ、いかにして円滑な労働力移動を実現するか。職業訓練などの再就職・転職支援のあり方についても、各党の主張を聞きたい。

Mixed treatment

Regarding the relaxation of regulations in the medical field, the main issue is so-called mixed treatment, meaning the combination of medical treatments that are covered by public health insurance with those that are not. Such combinations are currently allowed only in exceptional cases.
　医療分野の規制緩和を巡っては、公的医療保険で認められた検査や投薬と、保険適用外の治療とを併用する「混合診療」が主要な論点となっている。現在は例外的にしか認められていない。

The LDP advocates the expanded application of mixed treatment so that the most advanced drugs and medical equipment can be used promptly. If renegerative medicine or other cutting-edge techniques that are not covered by public health insurance were approved as part of mixed treatment, it would help patients in terms of their other medical expenses that would remain covered by the insurance.
　自民党は、最先端の医薬品や医療機器が迅速に使えるよう、混合診療の適用範囲の拡大を掲げた。再生医療など保険適用外の先進的医療が混合診療に認められれば、患者の利益にかなうだろう。

Your Party and Ishin no Kai call for complete approval of mixed treatment, while PLP and the SDP oppose expanding it.
　一方、みんな、維新は混合診療の全面解禁を主張し、生活や社民は適用拡大に反対している。

Implementing regulatory reforms would mean addressing a thorny tangle of interests among organizations concerned. Although the political parties make differing assertions on reform, and tend to focus on different aspects, important issues having to do with the future of this nation have been presented.
　規制改革には関係団体の利害が絡み合う。各党の主張の隔たりは大きく、論議は拡散気味だが、日本の将来にかかわる重要な問題が提示されている。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, July 18, 2013)
（2013年7月18日01時18分 読売新聞）