hot potato

Japan Times Online July 18にタイトルが "Responsibility for reactor restarts a hot potato" と書かれた記事がありました。タイトルに続くサブキャプションは： Regulators, politicians and bureaucrats bob and weave as the public asks one question: Who will take responsibility for the decision to authorize reactor restarts?
となっていました。タイトルで使われた表現 "hot potato" は手に取った茹でられたばかりのジャガイモが熱いので持っていられずに誰かに渡す状況が目に浮かびます。この推測で合っていると思いますが、一応辞書で確認します。
・Oxford English Dictionary: A controversial issue or situation that is awkward or unpleasant to deal with: 'dog registration has become a political hot potato’
・Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary: a controversial question or issue that involves unpleasant or dangerous consequences for anyone dealing with it: He tried to avoid taking a strong stand on political hot potatoes like abortion.
なんと言ってもVocabulary.comの説明が一番丁寧です。
A controversial subject that no one wants to talk about is one kind of hot potato. A hot potato is an issue that makes everyone feel uncomfortable.
The phrase hot potato comes up a lot in politics. For example, a reporter might explain that a candidate won't speak about a controversial topic because it's "a political hot potato," or an issue that people disagree strongly about. Hot potato comes from the idea of passing a literal hot baked potato from one person to another ? no one wants to be left holding it for very long, because it will burn their fingers.