「安心会議」報告 提言を建設的議論の出発点に

The Yomiuri Shimbun(Jun. 16, 2009)
Use proposals as basis for social peace of mind
「安心会議」報告　提言を建設的議論の出発点に（6月16日付・読売社説）

The direction Japan's social security system should take has been sorted out to a large degree.
　日本が目指す社会保障の方向性が、かなり整理されたのではないか。

A government panel, which has been discussing ways to realize a society that feels secure about its future, came out with its final report Monday.
　政府の「安心社会実現会議」が１５日、最終報告をまとめた。

The final report was worked out through discussions on Japan's future among experts in a variety of fields. It presented a set of goals that a future administration, whatever its political framework, should tackle.
　幅広い顔ぶれで日本の将来像を議論し、練り上げたものだ。今後、政権がどのような枠組みになったとしても取り組むべき基本線を示したと言えよう。

The report takes as its foundation the idea of "realizing both peace of mind and vitality" in Japanese society.
　最終報告が根底に据えたものは「安心と活力の両立」という考え方である。

Although the structural reform spearheaded by former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi had some successes, including the disposal of bad loans held by financial institutions, its policy management, which is characterized as market fundamentalism, caused various institutions, including the social security system, to fray around the edges and fall into disarray. The report suggested that these problems be corrected in a balanced manner.
　小泉構造改革は不良債権処理に成果を上げるなどしたものの、市場原理主義的な政策運営により、社会保障など、さまざまな分野で綻(ほころ)びや混乱を生じさせた。これをバランスよく軌道修正する、ということだろう。

The report discusses social security with a slightly wider concept it describes as "peace-of-mind security."
　報告書は、社会保障の概念をもう少し幅広くした「安心保障」という造語を用いている。

The new concept stresses that the people's sense of security must be pursued in five fields--employment, child-raising, education, health care and retirement--which should be linked seamlessly. In particular, it puts employment security at the center.
　雇用、子育て、教育、医療、老後の５分野で、国民の安心を追求し、切れ目なく連動させる。中心には「雇用の安心」を置く。

===

Steady jobs mean stable society

A stable household economy leads to security in the other four fields and they will all in turn create a foundation that supports the country's economic vitality. There can be no objection to this understanding.
　家計の安定が他の４分野の安心につながり、経済の活力を支える土台となる。この認識に異論はあるまい。

The panel also lists 10 urgently needed measures, which should be implemented by fiscal 2011, a symbolic year that marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the universal public health insurance and public pension systems.
　安心社会実現会議は、２０１１年度を国民皆保険・皆年金の実現から５０年の象徴的節目ととらえ、それまでに行うべき、１０の緊急施策も挙げた。

The panel also made various proposals, including, financial assistance to families with small children, expansion of application of social insurance to nonregular workers, improvement of scholarship, guaranteeing of housing for the elderly, introduction of a social security number system, and reorganization of administrative bodies to carry out reforms.
　子育て世帯への経済支援、非正規労働者への社会保険適用拡大、奨学金の充実、高齢者に対する住宅保障、社会保障番号の導入、改革に取り組むための行政組織の再編などが提言されている。

It is necessary to secure funds to implement these urgently required measures on a permanent basis and improve them even further.

===

Covering costs

The report presents a method for transforming the consumption tax into a tax to support social security in which a social security account would be created in the national budget and funded with all the revenues from the consumption tax. The report says such a method is worth discussing.
　こうした緊急施策を恒久化し、さらに充実していくには確固とした財源が必要だ。
　報告書は、国の予算に「社会保障勘定」を作り、そこに消費税をすべて繰り入れて社会保障目的税化する方法を示した上で、「検討に値する」とした。

The problem is whether there exists the political will to make such changes. In this respect, the report proposes establishment of "a roundtable council" in which the ruling and opposition party members discuss the matter in a suprapartisan fashion and reach consensus.
　問題は、実現させる政治の意思である。この点については、与野党が党派を超えて議論と合意形成をすすめるための「円卓会議」の設置を提唱している。

The Diet established a similar joint council of both chambers to discuss social security reform four years ago. Suprapartisan lawmakers at the council attempted to carry out the reform, but failed to hold fruitful discussions, apparently because they simply insisted on their positions without sorting out a compromise they could agree upon.
　国会は４年前にも社会保障改革のための衆参合同会議を設置し、超党派による改革を試みたが、実りある議論にならなかった。一致できる基本線がまったく整理されないまま、主張をぶつけ合ったからではないか。

The latest proposals by the panel could promote constructive discussions on the matter in politics and serve as a starting point for building national consensus. We hope deeper discussions will be held based on these proposals.
　安心社会実現会議の提言は、政治に建設的議論を促し、国民的な合意を形成するための出発点となりうる。これをたたき台に議論を深めたい。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, June 16, 2009)
（2009年6月16日01時33分 読売新聞）