雇用不安 新成長戦略で働く場確保を

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The Yomiuri Shimbun (Nov. 30, 2009)
New growth strategy needed to protect jobs
雇用不安　新成長戦略で働く場確保を（11月30日付・読売社説）

At the end of last year, a large number of manufacturers across the nation fired temporary workers even before their work contracts expired. To help those who lost jobs, a civic group set up a tent camp, called Toshikoshi Hakenmura (village for temporary workers to see out the old year), in Tokyo's Hibiya Park. A year later, the country's employment situation has grown even more serious.
　昨年暮れは製造業の派遣切りが続き、日比谷公園に「年越し派遣村」ができた。１年たった今、雇用情勢は一段と深刻化している。

How effective will the government's emergency employment measures be? The government must do all it can to alleviate the severe employment situation as the year-end approaches.
　政府の緊急雇用対策は、どれだけの効果が期待できるか。年の瀬を前に、政府は雇用対策に全力を挙げなければならない。

===

Situation in rural areas bleak
　◆深刻な地方へのしわ寄せ◆

Kitakami, a city located in the southwest of Iwate Prefecture, has some of the leading industrial parks in the country. Blessed with vast plains and abundant water, the city capitalizes on its good location connected to an expressway.
　岩手県の南西部に位置する北上市は、全国有数の工業団地を持つ。広大な平野と豊かな水資源に恵まれ、高速道路も整備された立地条件の良さが売り物である。

With a large number of leading companies having set up plants there, the city until recently enjoyed a reputation as having successful industrial parks where a variety of industries are concentrated. Yet the tide of recession is sweeping toward the city.
　大企業が次々と進出し、産業集積が進んだ成功例とされるが、その北上市にも、景気悪化の荒波が押し寄せている。

At Iwate Toshiba Electronics Co., a Toshiba Corp. subsidiary located in an industrial park in the northern part of the city, a vast plot of land lies vacant next to the firm's semiconductor plant.
　市内北部の工業団地にある東芝子会社の岩手東芝エレクトロニクス。稼働中の半導体工場の横には広い敷地が残されたままだ。

Toshiba announced in 2008 it would build a new plant in Kitakami to produce cutting-edge NAND flash memory products. But the firm decided early this year to postpone construction of the plant due to flagging sales of semiconductors and a serious downturn in business. The site for the planned flash memory plant will soon see its second winter.
　東芝は２００８年、最先端のＮＡＮＤ型フラッシュメモリーの北上新工場を建設すると発表した。ところが、今年初め、半導体不況と業績悪化を理由に建設を延期した。新工場は着工されず２度目の冬を迎えようとしている。

Under the initial plan, the plant was scheduled to start operation in spring 2010 and employ about 1,000 new workers.
　計画通りならば、来春以降に稼働し、１０００人規模の新規雇用が見込まれていた。

About three years ago, the ratio of job offers to job seekers in the city rose to about 1.9 thanks to companies that flooded to the city to open new plants. As a result, the city ran short of workers. But now, the job-offers-to-job-seekers ratio has nosedived to about 0.3. Kitakami Mayor Akira Ito awaits the day when Toshiba decides to start the construction.
　北上市は約３年前、企業進出ラッシュで有効求人倍率が１・９倍程度まで上昇し、人手不足の時期もあった。それが今や、約０・３倍に急落した。伊藤彬市長は、東芝の着工決断を待つ日々だ。

The mayor has been visiting companies with branches in the city, asking them to hire even one more employee, in what he calls his "plus one" campaign.
　「プラスワン」作戦――。一人でも多くの採用を求める陳情攻勢を市長はそう名付け、地元に進出した企業を回り続ける。

This situation is not confined in Kitakami, but can be seen across the country. NEC Corp. has closed its liquid crystal panel plant in Izumi, Kagoshima Prefecture, while Honda Motor Co. postponed operation of its new plant in Yoriimachi, Saitama Prefecture.
　こうした状況は北上に限らない。ＮＥＣの液晶パネル工場閉鎖（鹿児島県出水市）、ホンダの新工場稼働延期（埼玉県寄居町）など、全国で相次いでいる。

Listed companies' midterm earnings reports for the period ending in September showed that their business performance is improving. But they are still cautious about making capital investments as they strive to cut costs to be globally competitive.
　上場企業の今年９月中間決算は、業績改善を裏付けた。しかし、グローバル競争を勝ち抜くため、各社は、コスト削減を徹底しており、設備投資には慎重だ。

The Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry announced Friday that the number of jobless people was 3.44 million in October, while the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.1 percent. The nation's job-offers-to-job-seekers ratio remains at a low level, at a seasonally adjusted 0.44.
　総務省が２７日発表した１０月の完全失業者は３４４万人で、完全失業率は５・１％だった。全国の有効求人倍率も０・４４倍と、低水準が続いている。

Under its slogan of "From concrete to people," the administration of Prime Minister Yukio Hatomaya touts a policy shift that allocates taxpayers' money to programs related to people's lives, rather than to public works programs, as was seen in the past. This policy shift has slashed the number of public works projects, which local economies rely heavily on, dealing a heavy blow to the economies, which were already suffering from the ongoing wave of corporate restructuring.
　鳩山政権は、「コンクリートから人へ」の政策転換を掲げる。頼みの公共工事が激減したうえ、企業リストラも加わり、特に地方経済にはダブルパンチである。

The government, which compiled emergency employment measures in October, has begun studying additional employment measures for inclusion in the second supplementary budget for fiscal 2009.
　政府は、１０月に緊急雇用対策をまとめたのに続き、２００９年度第２次補正予算に盛り込む追加雇用対策を検討し始めた。

===

　◆求められる大胆な追加策◆
Bolder steps needed

With the number of jobless rising, there are fears of downside risks for the economy, making it vitally important for the government to come up with new bold measures.
　失業者が増え続け、景気腰折れも懸念されており、ここは大胆な対策を打ち出すべきだ。

The pillar of the emergency employment measures is the provision of assistance to those who have lost their jobs and are in poverty and distress, and to new graduates, as well as the creation of jobs, mainly in such areas as nursing care, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, for about 100,000 people by the end of this fiscal year.
　政府の雇用対策は、仕事を失った貧困・困窮者や新卒者への支援のほか、介護や農林業などを中心に年度末までに約１０万人の雇用創造を目指すことが柱である。

With the measures, the government aims to make the Hello Work job placement offices one-stop centers that, as well as helping unemployed people find jobs, can also help those who have become homeless as a result of losing their jobs find accommodation. But these measures are nothing new.
　ハローワークの支援機能や住宅支援策の強化を目指すが、旧来型の政策で目新しさはない。

Meanwhile, to encourage firms to temporarily lay off rather than fire employees, the government will ease requirements for receiving a governmental subsidy to defray costs relating to layoffs.
　政府は、従業員を解雇せず休業などにとどめた企業を支援する雇用調整助成金の要件を緩和する。

Steps such as these would go some way to protecting jobs. But subsidies like the one for firms furloughing workers should be expanded, while the government should carefully design job-training programs.
雇用維持に一定の効果が期待できるが、助成金をさらに拡充すべきだろう。きめ細かな職業訓練も強化しなければならない。

The ratio of college students graduating next spring who have received unofficial job offers hovered at around just 60 percent as of October, leaving the job situation for job-hunting college students extremely tight. To avoid creating a generation of unemployed people, it is an urgent task to boost such assistance.
　来春の大卒予定者の就職内定率は、１０月現在で約６０％に低迷し、「超氷河期」と言われる。就職できない「ロストジェネレーション」を生み出さないよう、支援対策の強化も急務だ。

What is probably important in the mid- and long term is to expand job opportunities.
　中長期的に肝心なのは、雇用機会を拡大することだろう。

Although the government has set a target of creating 100,000 jobs, that figure is dwarfed by the number of jobless, which has ballooned to 3.44 million.
　政府が雇用創出の目標に掲げた１０万人は、３４４万人に膨らんだ失業者と比べると力不足だ。

Expanding cooperation among the sectors of agriculture, commerce and industry will reinvigorate these primary industries and boost tourism, the government should mobilize all workable policy steps so as to create more jobs in rural areas.
１次産業を活性化させる農商工連携の拡大や観光ビジネスなども絡め、政策を総動員し、地域の雇用を広げる工夫が求められる。

===

Domestic industries at risk
　◆国内産業の空洞化を防げ◆

Job-creation measures will also directly lead to measures to prevent the hollowing out of domestic industries.
　雇用対策は、国内産業の空洞化を防ぐ対策にも直結する。

Driven by fierce price-cutting competition for their products at home, more and more companies are shifting their production bases out of the country, further reducing the number of job opportunities. As a result, the Japanese economy is in danger of falling into a vicious cycle in which it becomes increasingly anemic.
　企業は製品の値下げ競争に追われるように、工場の海外移転を加速させており、雇用機会の縮小は深刻だ。日本経済は、それによってさらに弱体化する悪循環に陥りつつある。

For such reasons, the government needs to hammer out a new growth strategy that will revitalize domestic industries and regional economies.
　だからこそ、政府は、国内産業や地域が活性化できる新成長戦略を打ち出さねばならない。

The promotion of new industries that can capitalize on Japan's strong points, such as those in the area of environmental protection, will generate economic vitality and create jobs. The government needs to present a clear-cut vision to give domestic industries and regional economies hope for the future.
　環境などの日本の強みを生かした新産業をテコ入れし、活力を生みだし、雇用増につなげる――将来に希望を持てる、そんな明確なビジョンを示す必要がある。

In this respect, the key will be to generate demand in other Asian countries for Japanese goods by reinforcing product-development and export strategies targeted at consumer markets in Asia.
　アジアの消費者向けの市場を狙い、商品開発や輸出戦略も強化するなど、アジアの需要を国内に取り込むことが重要になろう。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 30, 2009)
（2009年11月30日01時11分 読売新聞）

ＣＯ２削減 米中の目標公表で弾みつくか

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The Yomiuri Shimbun (Nov. 29, 2009)
U.S., China could lead way to post-Kyoto deal
ＣＯ２削減　米中の目標公表で弾みつくか（11月29日付・読売社説）

The United States and China, the world's two largest emitters of greenhouse gas, have recently announced their medium-term targets for CO2 emission reductions. We hope their commitments will add momentum to the drafting of a fair framework to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, which expires at the end of 2012.
　温室効果ガスの２大排出国である米国と中国が削減の中期目標を公表した。京都議定書に代わる公平な枠組み作りの弾みとしたい。

The United States has set itself a target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020. The U.S. targets also include a 30 percent reduction by 2025, 42 percent by 2030 and 83 percent by 2050.
　米国の目標は、温室効果ガスの排出量を２０２０年までに０５年比で１７％削減するというものだ。さらに、２５年に３０％、３０年に４２％、５０年に８３％と段階を踏んで減らす内容である。

However, a 17 percent cut from 2005 levels actually represents a reduction of just a few percent from 1990 levels. This contrasts sharply with the target set by the administration of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, which aims to curb this nation's emissions by 25 percent from 1990 levels.
　「０５年比１７％減」は、１９９０年比に換算すると数％の削減に過ぎない。９０年比で一気に２５％削減しようという鳩山政権の目標との違いが際立っている。

The U.S. targets are very realistic, as restoring the economy is currently Washington's top priority.
　経済の立て直しが最優先課題である米国にとって、現実的な色合いが濃い削減目標といえよう。

===

China emissions could grow

Meanwhile, China, which has recently surpassed the United States to become the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter, has announced it will reduce carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product by 40 percent to 45 percent compared with 2005 levels by 2020.
　米国を抜き最大の排出国となった中国の場合は、国内総生産（ＧＤＰ）当たりの二酸化炭素（ＣＯ２）排出量を２０年までに０５年比で４０～４５％削減する。

The Chinese target of cutting emissions per unit of GDP is different from those adopted by Japan and the United States, which aim for reductions in total emissions volume. Under this approach, China would be allowed to emit more CO2 if its GDP grows.
　日本や米国のように、排出総量の削減目標ではなく、一定単位のＧＤＰを生み出す際のＣＯ２排出量を削減するという考え方だ。ＧＤＰが増えれば、ＣＯ２の総排出量も増加する可能性が高い。

China is apparently trying to trumpet to the world its contribution to tackling greenhouse gas reduction without damaging its economic growth. It also has stressed that cutting greenhouse gas emissions is a "voluntary action based on our own national situation."
　経済成長を損ねず、その一方で、排出削減に取り組む姿勢をアピールする狙いがあるのだろう。中国は「国情に基づく自主的な行動」とも強調している。

This indicates that Beijing is wary of entering into internationally binding deals on emissions reductions.
国際的に削減義務を負うことに対する警戒心がうかがえる。

===

COP15 nations divided

The 15th Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Climate Change Convention (COP15) will start in Copenhagen on Dec. 7. The U.S. and Chinese announcements of midterm targets is undoubtedly one step forward in the lead-up to COP15 discussions that will focus on a post-Kyoto Protocol international framework to be followed from 2013.
　１２月７日から気候変動枠組み条約締約国会議（ＣＯＰ１５）が開催される。１３年以降の国際的な削減ルールとなる「ポスト京都議定書」について討議するに当たり、米国と中国が中期目標を示したのは、一歩前進には違いない。

In reality, however, there is still a gulf of opinion between major industrialized countries and developing countries on how to tackle climate change. It already appears almost impossible for a post-Kyoto Protocol framework to be adopted in the Danish capital in December. The focus of attention has already shifted to whether the COP15 nations can reach a major political agreement that could lead to the adoption of a new protocol next year.
　だが、先進国と途上国の主張の隔たりは、依然として大きいのが現実である。早くも、新たな議定書の採択は絶望視されている。来年の議定書採択につながる踏み込んだ政治合意にこぎ着けられるかどうかが焦点といえる。

Moves by the United States and China hold the key to the success of the talks.
　米国と中国の動向は、その成否のカギを握るだろう。

There is concern that some developing countries are leaning toward a possible extension of the Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012. The Kyoto Protocol lacks teeth as the United States has withdrawn from it and China, as a developing country, is not obliged to cut its emissions under the pact.
　懸念されるのは、途上国の間に京都議定書の延長論が浮上していることだ。米国が離脱し、中国も途上国として削減義務を負っていない京都議定書は、世界の排出量を減らす実効性を欠いている。

Hatoyama has made an international pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent without seeking the backing of the Japanese public. As a precondition for committing the nation to this target, however, he has stated that all major nations must sign on to a post-Kyoto Protocol framework.
　鳩山首相は、国内の合意がないまま、「２５％削減」を国際公約に掲げた。一方で、目標を目指す条件として、ポスト京都への「すべての主要国の参加」を挙げた。

Japan must steadfastly maintain this condition at the upcoming COP15 talks.
　日本にとって大切なのは、ＣＯＰ１５で、この条件をあくまで堅持することである。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 29, 2009)
（2009年11月29日01時13分 読売新聞）

事業仕分け 政治家が責任持って決定を

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Nov. 28, 2009)
Budget decisions rest with lawmakers
事業仕分け　政治家が責任持って決定を（11月28日付・読売社説）

The Government Revitalization Unit on Friday ended its nine-day budget screening session to identify wasteful spending in fiscal 2010 budget requests for government-led projects.
　予算の無駄を洗い出す行政刷新会議の事業仕分けが、９日間の作業日程を終えた。

The unit judged that many of the 449 projects it examined should be abolished or downsized. The task force also demanded that some funds already distributed to independent administrative organizations and public-interest corporations be returned to the national coffers.
　対象とした４４９事業の多くに廃止や縮減などの判定を下した。

The money to be returned and savings raked in from the abolished projects outlined in the initial budget requests will top 1.6 trillion yen.
　独立行政法人や公益法人が抱える基金に国庫返納を求めた分を加えると、ひねり出した成果は１・６兆円を超えた。

Although this is still short of the government's target of 3 trillion yen, the savings could be used as a precious financial resource for next fiscal year's budget.
　目標の３兆円には届かなかったが、来年度予算に使える貴重な財源の一部にはなろう。

However, the first attempt to broadcast part of the government's budget drafting process live on the Internet created many problems.
　しかし、インターネットで国の予算編成作業の一端を同時中継するという初の試みは、数多くの課題を残した。

Some members of the unit's screening teams, comprised of lawmakers and experts from the private sector, basked in the public exposure and often played to the gallery, snapping at officials from the government organizations to give them explanations on the projects. It was appalling behavior.
　国会議員や民間有識者からなる仕分け人が、公開を意識してパフォーマンス的な言動を繰り返し、各府省の説明担当者を一方的にやり込める場面が相次いだのは見苦しかった。

The criteria by which budget examiners were chosen from the private sector also remain unclear.
　民間の仕分け人をどういう基準で選んだのか、それも不明なままだった。

===

Changes needed

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said he plans to continue the budget screening in and after fiscal 2010. If so, we think it is necessary to revise the rules for running the session--such as by giving sufficient opportunities for budget briefers to answer questions and clarifying the standards by which budget examiners from the private sector are selected.
　鳩山首相は、来年度以降も事業仕分けを続ける意向を表明している。そうであるなら、説明者側に十分な反論の機会を与え、仕分け人の選任基準を明確化するなど、運営方針の見直しが必要だ。

Many questions also have been raised about why some government projects were subject to the screening when it was obvious they could not be discussed properly in just one hour.
　仕分けの対象とされたテーマに疑問を呈する声も多かった。わずか１時間の議論では手に余る案件が幾つも含まれていたからだ。

Projects that fell under this category included allocations for the so-called sympathy budget for U.S. military forces in Japan, the Foreign Ministry's support of international institutions and funding to promote science and technology.
　在日米軍に対する「思いやり予算」や対外援助、地方交付税、科学技術振興関連などだ。

These matters are all closely related to what the nation should be and its future. They cannot be solved so easily.
　いずれも国の在り方、将来にかかわる問題で、簡単に答えが出るような話ではない。

===

Science gets cold shoulder

Perhaps the biggest controversy during the screening was the panel's decision to effectively freeze the budget for a next-generation supercomputer project.
　中でも、波紋を呼んだのは次世代スーパーコンピューターの開発予算を巡って、「事実上の凍結」という判定が出された件だ。

Nobel laureates and business leaders have poured scorn on this decision, saying that short-term cost-effectiveness was not the proper standard for evaluating science and technology projects. They also warned that Japan could eventually lose the global race to develop advanced technology.
　ノーベル賞受賞者や経済界からは、「短期的な費用対効果ばかりをみる議論は、科学技術にはなじまない」「世界の先端技術開発競争で、日本が負けてしまう」といった強い批判が噴き出した。

We wholeheartedly agree with them. The unit might have lacked the strategic thinking needed to deduce what fields should be given priority in budget allocations from long-term and international points of view.
　その通りだろう。長期的かつ国際的視点で、どんな分野に予算を重点配分していくか、という戦略的思考が、行政刷新会議に欠けていたのではないか。

It was also regrettable that the unit decided to abolish a project to encourage children to read books.
　子供に読書を勧める事業を廃止としたのも遺憾である。

Ill-advised judgments made by the panel this time around must be corrected in the future.
　誤った判定については今後、見直していかねばならない。

The decisions made during the budget screening session are not final. The government could treat them as a set of criteria for making decisions on the budget, but it should not be bound by them.
　そもそも、事業仕分けでの判定は、最終的なものではない。判断材料の一つにはなるが、縛られてはなるまい。

The responsibility for deciding how to treat the unit's judgments in the budget drafting process now rests in the hands of this nation's lawmakers.
今後の予算編成の中で、政治家が責任を持って扱いを決めるべきだ。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 28, 2009)
（2009年11月28日01時49分 読売新聞）

円急騰 ドル離れ進む世界の投資資金

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Nov. 27, 2009)
Yen's surge doesn't deserve appreciation
円急騰　ドル離れ進む世界の投資資金（11月27日付・読売社説）

The yen's value has surged as selling pressure on the U.S. dollar has accelerated on foreign exchange markets. This situation could deal a devastating blow to the tottering Japanese economy.
　外国為替市場で、ドル離れが加速し、円が急騰した。足元が不安定な日本の景気回復に打撃を与えかねない事態だ。

The yen jumped to a 14-year high in the 86 yen level against the dollar Thursday in Tokyo. The dollar seems to be declining across the board against the euro and currencies of newly emerging economies.
　２６日の東京市場の円相場は、１ドル＝８６円台をつけ、約１４年ぶりの円高水準になった。ドルは、ユーロや新興国通貨などに対しても値下がりし、「ドル全面安」の状況を呈している。

Finance Minister Hirohisa Fujii indicated the government would intervene in the currency market if exchange rates "move abnormally." U.S. Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke also warned against sharp falls of the dollar when he stated recently that the Fed would monitor changes in the value of the greenback.
　藤井財務相は、相場が異常に動いた場合には、円売り介入する考えを示唆した。米連邦準備制度理事会（ＦＲＢ）のバーナンキ議長も先日、「ドル相場を監視する」と発言し、急激なドル安を牽制(けんせい)したばかりだ。

As dollar-selling pressure appears unlikely to ease anytime soon, the appreciation of the yen and depreciation of the dollar likely will continue for some time. Monetary authorities in Japan and the United States, and other countries for that matter, must work together to moderate excessive fluctuations in currency markets by exploring the possibility of market interventions.
　ドル売り圧力は強く、円高・ドル安傾向が続くとみられる。日米などの通貨当局が、市場介入の可能性も探りながら連携し、過度な変動を抑える必要があろう。

===

U.S. economic woes

The biggest cause of the falling dollar is the expectation that the United States' ultralow interest rate policy will remain in place as the U.S. economy continues to sputter.
　ドル安が進んでいる最大の要因は、米国の景気回復の足取りが重く、超低金利政策が長期化すると予想されているためだ。

The U.S. unemployment rate has risen to 10 percent. Nascent indications are that this could be a jobless recovery. Some observers have even suggested that U.S. authorities are tacitly tolerating moderate falls in the dollar to stimulate the economy through growth in exports.
　米国の失業率は１０％台に上昇し、まさに「雇用なき景気回復」だ。輸出拡大による景気テコ入れを狙い、米当局が本音では、緩やかなドル安を容認している、との観測も背景にある。00

A more worrying problem is that the so-called dollar carry trade--investors selling dollars with relatively low interest rates and instead investing in higher-yielding currencies--has kicked into gear.
　さらに厄介なのは、低金利のドルを売って、高金利通貨などに投資する「ドルキャリー取引」が活発化している問題だ。

The yen carry trade was commonplace from about 2004 through 2007. This time around, the dollar is shaking up money markets around the world.
　２００４～０７年ごろに目立った「円キャリー取引」に代わり、今回はドルが、世界のマネーの動きを揺さぶっている。

The price of gold has surged to a record high near 1,200 dollars an ounce in New York. This also is a sign that investors are discarding the greenback because gold is purchased as an alternative currency to the dollar. Crude oil and grain prices also have been creeping up as investment funds are diverted into these markets.
　金の価格が史上最高値の１トロイ・オンス＝１２００ドル近くに急騰した。ドルの「代替通貨」として買われており、ドル離れを示すものだ。投資資金の流入で、原油や穀物価格も上昇している。

===

Exporters in peril

A sharp rise in the value of the yen and a plunge in the value of the dollar could spell disaster for the Japanese economy, which remains mired in deflation and has yet to get on the path to a full recovery.
　急激な円高・ドル安は、デフレに陥り、本格的な景気回復が遅れている日本経済にとって、特に重荷になるだろう。

Many exporting companies had assumed the yen would average about 90 yen per dollar throughout the second half of this fiscal year. If the yen continues to appreciate sharply against the dollar, these companies would take a battering. These exporters are a driving force of the nation's economy; any faltering by them could throttle the economy again.
　輸出企業の多くは、今年度下期に１ドル＝９０円程度の円相場を想定しており、急激な円高・ドル安が続けば、業績には大きな打撃だ。牽引役である企業の体力が弱れば、景気も腰折れしかねない。

Furthermore, the euro's surge could stall a full recovery of the European economy. Concern about economic bubbles is rising in newly emerging nations such as Brazil, which have been magnets for investment funds.
　ユーロの急騰は、欧州経済の本格回復にも悪影響を及ぼす。ドル離れした投資資金が流入しているブラジルなどの新興国では、バブル経済を懸念する声もある。

A fall in the dollar would throw the world economy into confusion. To ensure this does not come about, it is essential that the United States emerge from a jobless recovery and regain confidence in its currency. To this end, we consider it imperative that the United States implement effective measures to boost employment.
　結局、世界経済を混乱させるドル安に歯止めをかけるには、米国が「雇用なき景気回復」を脱却し、ドルの信認を取り戻すことが肝要だ。効果的な雇用対策の実施が急務といえよう。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 27, 2009)
（2009年11月27日01時33分 読売新聞）

日米密約調査 核抑止力の低下は避けよ

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Nov. 26, 2009)
日米密約調査　核抑止力の低下は避けよ（11月26日付・読売社説）
Pact probe must not dilute U.S. N-deterrence

A full investigation into alleged secret pacts involving the entry into Japan of U.S. nuclear weapons--among other issues said to have been agreed between Tokyo and Washington--is essential to recover public trust in this nation's diplomacy.
　核持ち込みなどに関する「日米密約」の真相究明は、日本外交への国民の信頼を回復するために重要だ。

However, the probe must not be allowed to weaken the effect of the U.S. forces' nuclear deterrence.
だが、その結果、米軍の核抑止力を低下させる事態は避けねばなるまい。

A panel of experts set up by the Foreign Ministry to investigate the alleged pacts will hold its first meeting Friday.
　密約問題を検証する外務省の有識者委員会の初会合が２７日に開かれる。

Based on the results of an in-house Foreign Ministry investigation, the panel members will interview retired ministry officials before submitting a report to Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada in January.
外交文書に関する内部調査結果を基に、外務省ＯＢらの聞き取り調査も実施し、来年１月に報告書を岡田外相に提出する。

The panel will examine four alleged secret pacts, including one said to have been inked in 1960 when the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty was revised. This agreement reportedly effectively allowed U.S. military ships and airplanes carrying nuclear arms to visit or pass through Japan without prior consultation between the two governments.
　検証対象は、１９６０年の日米安保条約改定時に、核搭載の米軍艦船や航空機の日本寄港・通過を事前協議の対象外としたとされる件など四つの密約問題だ。

Disclosed U.S. diplomatic documents and the testimony of a former administrative vice-minister for foreign affairs have already undermined the credibility of the former government's official denial of the existence of the pacts. Furthermore, the ministry's latest probe unearthed a document supporting the pacts' existence.
　核持ち込みについては既に、公開された米外交文書や元外務次官らの最近の証言により、「密約はない」とする政府見解の維持が困難となっていた。さらに、今回の外務省調査で、密約の存在を裏付ける文書が見つかったという。

===

Extenuating circumstances?

It is highly significant that Okada is launching his own inquiry after the Democratic Party of Japan wrested power from the Liberal Democratic Party and he was made foreign minister.
　政権交代を機に、岡田外相が密約の調査・検証を始めた意義は小さくない。

If the DPJ-led government was to officially admit the existence of the secret pacts based on the results of the inquiry, it would be the first step to dispelling the sense of mistrust felt by the public.
政府が、その結果を踏まえて、密約の存在を正式に認めることが、国民の不信感を解消する一歩となろう。

However, we can understand the circumstances under which the government at that time deemed it necessary to draw up a secret deal with the United States to secure the effectiveness of the U.S. "nuclear umbrella," while consideration likely was paid to the antipathy of Japanese people toward nuclear arms during the Cold War period.
　ただ、政府が東西冷戦期に、国民の核アレルギーに配慮しつつ、米国の「核の傘」の実効性を確保するため、密約を結ばざるを得なかった事情は理解できる。

We expect the panel members to take into account the historical background of the period and try to discern how such pacts might have been thrashed out.
　有識者委員会は、当時の時代背景も踏まえて、密約締結の経緯をきちんと検証してほしい。

Secrets are an inherent part of diplomatic negotiations. During such bargaining, there is much information that cannot immediately be disclosed in terms of maintaining relations of trust with a partner country and preventing harm to the people concerned. However, it is important to deepen discussions on the kind of circumstances in which it is appropriate to disclose such information after a certain period of time.
　外交交渉には秘密が付き物だ。相手国との信頼関係を維持し、関係者への悪影響を避けるため、すぐには公開できない情報は多い。一定期間の後、どんな条件の下で公開するのが適当なのか、議論を深めることが大切だろう。

Hereafter, discussions must be held to review the three nonnuclear principles of not producing, not possessing and not allowing the entry of nuclear arms into this country.
　今後、重要なのは、核を「持たず、作らず、持ち込ませず」とする非核三原則のあり方の議論だ。

===

Looking ahead

Japan's present security situation is becoming increasingly unstable in light of North Korea's declared possession of nuclear weapons, for example. This makes it necessary to maintain and even improve the U.S. forces' nuclear deterrence.
　北朝鮮が核保有を公言するなど現在の日本の安全保障環境は厳しい。米軍の核抑止力を維持、向上させることが求められる。

In 1991, the United States removed tactical nuclear weapons from its military ships and nuclear submarines. This made the entry of nuclear weapons into Japan unlikely, at least for a while. But in the medium-to-long term, there is no guarantee that a neighboring country will not threaten the security of this nation with nuclear, biological or chemical weapons.
　米国は９１年に米軍艦船・原潜から戦術核を撤去した。当面は、核持ち込みの事態は想定されにくくても、中長期的に、近隣国が核や生物化学兵器で日本の安全を脅かす事態がないとは限らない。

A founding principle of national security is that a country must remain militarily flexible to deal with changing situations.
　様々な事態の変化に対応できるよう、軍事面の柔軟性を確保することが、安全保障の要諦(ようてい)だ。

We believe it may be time for the government to seriously consider introducing "2-1/2 nonnuclear principles," which would still prohibit the deployment of nuclear arms on the ground but would allow ships and airplanes carrying nuclear weapons to visit Japan.
　核を「持ち込ませず」のうち、陸上への核配備の禁止は継続しても、核搭載艦船や航空機の寄港・立ち寄りは可能とする「非核２・５原則」の採用を、前向きに検討していいのではないか。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 26, 2009)
（2009年11月26日01時06分 読売新聞）

公共事業―撤退のためのルールを

--The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 24(IHT/Asahi: November 25,2009)
EDITORIAL: Unnecessary land plan.
公共事業―撤退のためのルールを

A land reclamation project in Okinawa Prefecture is highlighting afresh the old issue of public works projects that are kept alive when there is no longer a strong need for continuing them.
　動き出した公共事業は止められないのか――そんな疑問を改めて投げかける事例が、沖縄で起きている。

Last month, the Naha branch of the Fukuoka High Court ordered the suspension of public spending for a land development project to reclaim the Awase tidal mudflats in the city of Okinawa on the central-eastern part of the main Okinawa island.
　本島中部東側に位置する沖縄市沖の泡瀬干潟の埋め立てについて先月、福岡高裁那覇支部が費用支出を差し止める判決を出した。

But Okinawa Mayor Mitsuko Tomon intends to continue the landfill project by crafting a new plan for the use of the land by the end of the current fiscal year. The prefectural government supports the city's response to the ruling.
だが東門美津子市長は今年度中に新たな土地利用計画を作り直し、埋め立てを続ける考えだ。県も市に歩調を合わせている。

The Awase mudflats are among the largest coastal wetlands in Japan's southwestern islands and known as a habitat for more than 100 rare species.
　泡瀬干潟は南西諸島最大級で、１００種以上の希少生物が生息する。

The project would reclaim 187 hectares including the tidal flats to create an artificial island for the building of hotels and other resort facilities.
その干潟を含む約１８７ヘクタールを埋め立てて人工島を造成し、ホテルなどを誘致しリゾート施設などを整備する。

The reclamation work would be carried out by the central and prefectural governments at a cost of about 48.9 billion yen, and the beach development part of the project would require the prefectural and municipal governments to spend 30 billion yen. The plaintiffs sought a court injunction to stop the project, claiming it is damaging to the environment and questionable from an economic viewpoint.
　この計画を実現するために国と県による埋め立てに約４８９億円、県と市による海浜開発に約３００億円がかかる。原告側は、自然保護や経済性の観点から工事差し止めを求めた。

The high court ruled that promoting the project while its economic benefits are unclear would be illegal. The ruling basically supported the decision by the Naha District Court in November last year.
　高裁は、経済的合理性がないまま事業を漫然と進めることは違法だと判断した。昨年１１月の一審判決を踏襲する考え方である。

While the district court ordered the suspension of all public spending for the project, the high court ruled that spending to cover research and personnel costs necessary for reviewing the plan and changing the license to reclaim land would be legal.
ただ一審判決が「すべての公金支出差し止め」を命じたのに対し、高裁判決は、計画の見直しや埋め立て免許変更に必要な調査費と人件費の支出は適法だと認めた。

This judgment is behind Tomon's decision to redraw the development plan and not appeal the high court's ruling.
　沖縄市長が控訴審判決を受け入れて上告せず、計画を作り直す考えを示したのは、これを根拠にしている。

But does Tomon's refusal to withdraw from the project respect the spirit of the rulings, which both denied that the plan makes good economic sense?
　だが一、二審で経済的合理性を否定されながら撤退に踏み切らないのは、判決の趣旨に沿っているだろうか。

Indeed, the high court decision has left open the possibility of continuing the project. But the court set a tough condition for doing so, saying the economic benefits of the new plan need to be confirmed through "a considerably robust assessment."
　確かに高裁判決は事業継続の可能性を残した。しかし見直し案が経済的合理性を確保するには「相当手堅い検証が必要」と厳しい注文をつけている。

Such an assessment must be made before any decision to continue the project. A rigorous reassessment from scratch on the economic benefits of the project is also needed to determine if it is really necessary.
まず「継続ありき」の考え方であってはなるまい。事業の必要性をゼロベースで問い直し、だれもが納得できる経済的根拠を示す必要がある。

Land minister Seiji Maehara, who is in charge of Okinawa-related affairs, has called off this fiscal year's bidding for the project under the original plan and suspended the reclamation work. We hope he will take an equally uncompromising stance toward the new land use plan.
　元の計画にもとづく今年度の入札を取りやめ、埋め立て事業を一時中断した前原誠司沖縄担当相には、新たな土地利用計画にも妥協を許さぬ姿勢で臨んでもらいたい。

The law regulating such landfill works doesn't assume that a project can be aborted. This legal hole has been brought to the fore by the dispute over the Awase project.
　そもそも埋め立ての根拠法となる「公有水面埋立法」は事業中止を想定していない。この事業をめぐって、そんな法の不備も明らかになった。

The mammoth project to desalinate Shinjiko and Nakaumi--two brackish lakes with more salinity than fresh water but not as much as seawater straddling Shimane and Tottori prefectures--was frozen in 1988. But it took the government many years to scrap the project.
　島根、鳥取両県にまたがる宍道湖・中海の淡水化事業は８８年に凍結されたが、中止までに長い年月を要した。

The law on which the desalination project was based contained no rules for putting a project on hold. A 2001 revision to the law finally established the formal procedure for scrapping projects.
根拠法の「土地改良法」に中止の手続きがなく、０１年の改正でようやく事業廃止手続きの項目が盛り込まれた。

There are also no legal procedures for aborting public works projects to build roads and dams.
　ほかにも道路やダムの公共事業に法律上の中止規定がない。

Discontinuing public works projects usually requires settlements of the money provided by the central and prefectural governments as well as compensation for local communities affected.
公共事業を中止する時には、政府や県が負担した事業費の精算や地元への補償などが不可欠だ。

Given the dire fiscal situation and dubious economic benefits of public works projects, the era of extravagant spending on public investments is undoubtedly over.
危機的な財政事情や経済効果を考えても公共事業を大盤振る舞いできる時代は終わった。

It is urgent to create rules for pulling the plug on public works projects.
　公共事業から撤退する際のルールづくりを急がねばならない。

進化論１５０年―ヒトの未来を見つめ直す

--The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 24(IHT/Asahi: November 25,2009)
EDITORIAL: Evolution headed where?.
進化論１５０年―ヒトの未来を見つめ直す

Charles Darwin's seminal work "On the Origin of Species" revolutionized not only biology but also people's perception of the human race. It was first published on Nov. 24, 1859, exactly 150 years ago.
　生物学だけでなく、人間観を一変させたチャールズ・ダーウィンの名著『種の起源』が発売されたのは、ちょうど１５０年前の今日だった。

This year also marks the bicentennial of Darwin's birth. Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, also shares the same birthday--Feb. 12, 1809. Like Darwin, Lincoln changed history. With a rash of publications and events to commemorate the anniversary of Darwin's landmark theory, it behooves us to think anew about the human species from an evolutionary aspect.
　ダーウィンが生まれたのは１８０９年２月１２日だから、生誕２００年でもある。同じ日、後に大統領として米国の歴史を変えることになるエイブラハム・リンカーンも産声を上げている。
　今年は、進化論にとって記念すべき年とあって本の出版や催しが続いている。進化の観点からヒトという生物を改めて考え直す機会かもしれない。

From the time Darwin conceived the notion of evolution during his voyage on the Beagle, it took him more than 20 years to mull over his ideas and finally put them down in book form. One of the reasons it took so long was that Darwin anticipated strong resistance from society, especially the church. In fact, it was not until 1996 that the late Pope John Paul II finally acknowledged the theory of evolution as "more than just a hypothesis."
　ダーウィンがビーグル号の航海で進化の着想を得てから発表するまでに、実に２０年以上かかっている。熟慮の産物だ。教会はじめ社会の強い抵抗が予想されたからでもある。ローマ法王が「単なる仮説以上」と進化論を容認したのは１９９６年になってからだ。

All species evolve and branch out. The validity of Darwin's theory is also borne out by a finding that humans are close to chimpanzees. Their genetic differences amount to only 1.2 percent. Humans are not so special after all.
　すべての種は進化し、枝分かれしてできた。ヒトとチンパンジーとの遺伝子の違いは１．２％という最新の研究も、その近さを示し、ダーウィンの正しさを立証している。
　ヒトは決して特別な存在ではない。

What Darwin called "dizzying diversity of life" is a product of evolution and cataclysmic changes in the Earth's environment. But with humans now ruining that diversity, it has become more important than ever to understand where humans belong in the evolutionary chain.
　地球環境の大変動をくぐり抜け、ダーウィンのいう、進化の産物としての生物の「めくるめく多様性」ができあがった。それを人の手で損ないつつある今、ヒトの位置づけを知ることがますます重要になっている。

In the United States, many people still believe in creationism and vehemently object to the theory of evolution being taught in schools. We can only hope that the Obama administration's respect for science will steer the United States into a society that is more accepting of Darwinism.
　ところが、いまだに多くの人が天地創造説を信じ、教育現場でも進化論への反発が強いのが米国だ。科学の復権を掲げたオバマ政権の登場で、進化論の受け入れが進む社会への「チェンジ」も期待したいところだ。

Japan has contributed significantly to the advancement of the theory of evolution.
　進化論には日本の貢献も大きい。

As a key mechanism of evolution, Darwin proposed that the process of natural selection produces mutations favorable to the survival and propagation of species.
　ダーウィンは進化の原動力として、生存や繁殖に有利な変異が広がっていく「自然選択」を提唱した。

In 1968, however, the Japanese biologist Motoo Kimura (1924-1994) introduced the theory of neutrality of molecular evolution. Kimura argued that about 80 percent of sudden changes in protein and other substances are neither beneficial nor harmful, and that whether the mutants survive is accidental.
　これに対し、たんぱく質などの突然変異の約８割は有利でも不利でもないとし、１９６８年に「分子進化の中立説」を唱えたのが故木村資生博士だ。残るかどうかは偶然、というわけだ。

Kimura's theory was met with considerable opposition at first, but has since come to be accepted as one of the two pillars to support Darwin's theory of evolution along with natural selection.
　当初は強い反対にあったが、今では、自然選択と並んで進化論を支える二本柱として認められている。

According to Mariko Hasegawa, a professor of anthropology at the Graduate University for Advanced Studies, living creatures possess numerous mutant factors, some of which kick in when the environment has changed. For instance, there are Antarctic fish whose blood does not freeze. It appears that their mutant factor helped when they were migrating and found themselves in sub-zero waters.
　長谷川真理子・総合研究大学院大教授によれば、生物はそんな変異を数多くため込んでいる。その中のあるものが、環境が変わったときに働きだす。
　例えば、南極にいる血液が凍らない魚は、大陸移動で海水が０度以下になる環境ができたときに、たまたま抱えていた変異が役立ったらしい。

Humans, on the other hand, have caused their environment to change considerably over the last 10,000 years. Today's children are growing up quite differently from their peers in the past. Of the five senses, only the visual sense is inundated with information. The other senses tend to remain less developed. How will humans change in the environment of their own making? The future of the human race is something to think about.
　一方、人類はこの１万年ほど、自らの手で環境を大きく変えてきた。その中で子どもの育ち方も一変した。五感のうち視覚情報が多様化する一方、他の感覚は平板になりがちだ。
　自ら作り出した環境によって人類はどう変わっていくのか。ヒトの未来にも思いをはせてみたい。

フィリピンで大量虐殺

フィリピンミンダナオ島南西部ラナオデルソール（ダバオの西側）で大量虐殺。
知事選挙キャンペーンのグループと同行する取材記者が襲われた。
死者は４０名以上。
犯行は計画的で１００名以上の武装集団がこれにかかわっているのが確認されている。
犯行グループの準備は周到で殺戮（さつりく）後に死体を埋める大きな穴が前もって掘られていたということだ。
スラチャイがミンダナオ島に仕事で配属されていたときには、もっと西側のほうが危険だと言われていた。
ザンボアンガ州でモロ解放戦線が活動していたからだ。
一度ホテルでモロ解放戦線の隊長、ヌルミズワリ氏と同じホテルに宿泊しそうになったが、生きたここちはしなかった。
ホテルや周辺には「歓迎ヌルミズワリ閣下」の横断幕（バナー）がたくさん飾り付けられていた。
心の底からの歓迎じゃなくて、報復を恐れるあまりの歓迎のセレモニーだと私の目には映った。

（スラチャイ記）

(Mainichi Japan) November 24, 2009
Philippines declares emergency after 24 killed

MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo placed two southern provinces under a state of emergency Tuesday, giving security forces free hands to pursue gunmen who killed at least 24 people in one of the country's worst election massacres.

The emergency measures, including checkpoints and random searches by authorities, will remain in place until the president is confident that law and order have been restored in the region, Arroyo spokesman Cerge Remonde said.

The attack Monday was on a convoy of vehicles filled with supporters of a gubernatorial candidate along with his relatives, including his wife, and several journalists. The candidate, Ismael Mangudadatu, who was not a part of the convoy, accused his powerful political rival of being behind the slayings.

The government stressed that it would go after the culprits, regardless of where the investigation leads.

"No one will be untouchable," Remonde told reporters, calling Monday's killings "unconscionable."

Officials were still trying to determine the exact number of people intercepted by about 100 gunmen and taken to a remote mountainous area, said Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno.

"We're hopeful that some people escaped, and we're hoping to find them alive," he said.

Police said the convoy of about 40 people was going to register Mangudadatu, vice mayor of Buluan township, to run for provincial governor when they were stopped.

Soldiers and police later found 24 bodies, including those of Mangudadatu's wife, Genalyn, and his two sisters, sprawled on the ground or shot in their vehicles about five kilometers from where they were ambushed, police spokesman Leonardo Espina said.

Mangudadatu said Tuesday that four witnesses had told him the caravan was stopped by gunmen loyal to Andal Ampatuan Jr., a town mayor belonging to a powerful clan and his family's fierce political rival.

He refused to name the witnesses or offer other details.

"It was really planned because they had already dug a huge hole (for the bodies)," Mangudadatu said.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said at least 10 local reporters were part of the convoy. Espina said they identified the remains of at least one journalist. Joy Sonza, head of a small private TV station, UNTV, said investigators told him they found the bodies of his correspondent and cameraman. A driver and an assistant cameraman were still missing, Sonza said.

If confirmed, it would be the "largest single massacre of journalists ever," according to Paris-based Reporters Without Borders.

The army and police were searching for as many as 16 other people who were missing, military spokesman Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner said, adding that troops were looking for more bodies in areas that appeared to have been recently dug up.

A backhoe was apparently used to bury the bodies, said army commander Lt. Col. Rolando Nerona.

Puno vowed there would be no sacred cows in the investigation. "Within day or two, we should be starting to call people or making arests. We have some information already about specific names but we can't disclose them," he said.

National police chief Jesus Verzosa relieved Maguindanao's provincial police chief and three other officers of their duties and confined them to camp while being investigated. One of the police officers was reported to have been seen in the company of the gunmen and pro-government militiamen who stopped the convoy, police said.

The Ampatuans were unreachable for comment.

The region, among the nation's poorest and awash with weapons, has been intermittently ruled by the Ampatuan family since 2001. It is allied with Arroyo.

Arroyo's political adviser Gabriel Claudio said he was meeting with Zaldy Ampatuan, governor of the Automous Region in Muslim Mindanao, when the killings occurred Monday to try to mediate in the long-running rivalrly between the the Ampatuans and the Mangudadatus.

"I really thought that at the time that the affinity, the relations between the two families, will be affirmed," he said.

He said the most important thing was to ensure there was no more violence.

"There has to be swift and decisive justice," Claudio said.

Philippine elections are particularly violent in the south because of the presence of armed groups, including Muslim rebels fighting for self-rule in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation, and political warlords who maintain private armies.

The last elections in 2007 were considered peaceful, even though about 130 people were killed.

The decades-long Muslim insurgency has killed about 120,000 people since the 1970s. But a presidential adviser, Jesus Dureza, said Monday's massacre was "unequaled in recent history."

Julkipli Wadi, a professor of Islamic studies at the University of the Philippines, said he doubted the national government's resolve in trimming the powers of political dynasties like the Ampatuans because they deliver votes during elections.

"Because of the absence of viable political institutions, powerful men are taking over," he said. "Big political forces and personalities in the national government are sustaining the warlords, especially during election time, because they rely on big families for their votes."

エネルギー課税 暫定税率廃止分をどう補う

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Nov. 25, 2009)
エネルギー課税　暫定税率廃止分をどう補う（11月25日付・読売社説）
Energy tax needed to cover revenue shortfalls

Revision of the tax system for the next fiscal year is now focused on an environmental tax--an envisaged tax sought by the Environment Ministry to tackle global warming.
　来年度税制改正で、環境省が要望する地球温暖化対策税（環境税）の扱いが焦点になってきた。

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama plans to scrap provisional higher gasoline tax rates and other auto-related taxes in April, as stipulated in the Democratic Party of Japan's campaign manifesto. The measure stands to cost the central and local governments about 2.5 trillion yen in revenue.
　鳩山首相は政権公約通り、ガソリン税などに上乗せされている暫定税率を来年４月に廃止する方針だが、これにより国と地方は２・５兆円もの税収を失ってしまう。

To address this problem, it has been proposed that the government transform the current gasoline tax and the light oil delivery tax with provisionally higher tax rates into a new environmental tax, from which about 2 trillion yen of tax revenues could be generated.
　そこで、暫定税率分を含めたガソリン税と軽油引取税を衣替えする形で、２兆円規模の環境税を創設する案が出てきた。

Given the dire fiscal situation, we believe the government should withdraw the decision to abolish the provisional higher tax rates. But if the government does go along with the plan, it will need to take steps to make up for the expected revenue shortfalls, introducing some form of new tax on energy.
　厳しい財政事情を考えれば、暫定税率廃止は撤回すべきだが、廃止するとすれば、同時にエネルギーに対する何らかの新税を導入して、歳入に穴をあけない工夫が必要であろう。

The new tax proposed by the Environment Ministry is designed to impose a small tax on a broad range of fossil fuels, such as oil and natural gas. As for gasoline and light oil, the ministry plans to impose additional taxes on the stages of retail sale and shipment.
　環境省が求める環境税は、石油や天然ガスなどの化石燃料に広く薄く課税し、ガソリンと軽油については、小売りや出荷の段階でさらに税率を上乗せするものだ。

Apart from the tax rates, the envisaged tax has the same structure as that for the petroleum and coal tax, the gasoline tax and the light oil delivery tax.
　税率以外の基本的な仕組みは、今の石油石炭税とガソリン税、軽油引取税と同じである。

===

Minimal end result

Once the provisional higher tax rates are abolished, gasoline prices will drop 25 yen per liter from the current price. But the Environment Ministry projects that the envisaged tax will raise the gasoline price by 20 yen per liter, with the end result of making the price of gasoline only 5 yen lower per liter than the current price.
　暫定税率の廃止でガソリンは１リットルにつき、現在より２５円安くなるが、環境省案では環境税の導入で２０円値上げされ、差し引き５円の値下げとなる。

With the exception of those in the United States, taxes in other major countries are markedly higher on gasoline compared with other fuels. In this regard, people may find it easy to accept the proposed plan.
　米国を除く主要国では、ガソリンに対する税率は他の燃料よりかなり高く、その点では環境省案は国民にとって受け入れやすいものであろう。

However, the ministry's plan has its own problem--it sets tax rates for natural gas and coal at more than double the current rates.
　ただし、環境省案の問題は、都市ガスや石炭などへの税率を今の倍以上にしていることだ。

Even accounting for lower gasoline prices, the average household is projected to shoulder about 1,100 yen more in energy costs each year.
　ガソリン価格の値下げを加味しても、一般家庭は年間１１００円程度の負担増となる。

The changes are expected to have an even greater impact on the steel and electric power industries. Given this, the government needs to be careful when it comes to imposing higher taxes on gas and coal.
　鉄鋼や電力業界にとっては、経営に対する影響はさらに大きい。ガス、石炭などへの課税強化は慎重であるべきだ。

===

Timing important

Some within the government are calling for a two-tier approach, initially abolishing the provisional higher tax rates in April and introducing a new energy tax about six months later.
　政府には、来年４月は暫定税率の廃止だけにとどめ、新たなエネルギー課税の導入は半年程度遅らせてはどうか、との声もある。

This apparently is meant to begin with tax cuts times to suit the House of Councillors election scheduled for next summer. However, if the introduction of these measures is staggered, gasoline prices will significantly fluctuate each time.
　来年夏の参院選を控え、減税を先行させたいとの思惑からだが、時期をずらせばガソリン価格はそのつど大きく変動する。

In that case, confusion similar to that experienced in spring last year when the provisional higher tax rates were temporarily suspended will reemerge. We should avoid such a situation.
　これでは暫定税率が一時失効した昨年春の混乱が再び起きるだけだ。こうした事態は避けなければならない。

The Environment Ministry intends to have the revenues from the environmental tax allocated from the general fund mainly for environmental measures. The government will decide where specifically to spend expected tax revenues through discussion among government bodies.
　環境省は、環境税の税収は一般財源としつつ、重点的に環境対策に振り向けたい意向だ。具体的な使い道は今後、政府部内で協議して決めることになる。

We urge the government's Tax Commission to deepen discussions on what form the environmental tax system should take.
　政府税制調査会は、望ましい環境税制の在り方について、議論を深めてほしい。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 25, 2009)
（2009年11月25日00時47分 読売新聞）

◆永住外国人地方参政権

(Mainichi Japan) November 24, 2009
Opinion split over giving permanent foreign residents local voting rights
◆永住外国人地方参政権

　結党時に「定住外国人の地方参政権などを早期に実現する」と掲げており、この方針は今後とも引き続き維持していく－－民主党政策集ＩＮＤＥＸ２００９

　◇「国民」概念進む多様化
　◇在日韓国人の一部、すでに選挙権行使

In the House of Representatives election on Aug. 30 this year, a 21-year-old South Korean man in Japan born to a Japanese mother and South Korean father exercised his right to vote for the first time.
　在日韓国人の父と日本人の母を持つ東京都内在住の男性（２１）は８月３０日の衆院選で初めての選挙権を行使した。

A revision to the Nationality Law in 1984 permitted children born from 1985 onwards to hold dual nationality up until the age of 22 if one of their parents was Japanese. Still, the existence of people such as the 21-year-old, who has both dual nationality and the right to vote, is not widely known in Japan.
１９８４年の国籍法改正に伴い、翌８５年以降に出生し、片親が日本人なら２２歳までは二重国籍が認められるようになった。男性も「選挙権を持つ在日韓国人」だが、こうした人の存在はあまり知られていない。

Next year, the 21-year-old, who must choose between the two nationalities, plans to follow the path of his brother, who is two years his elder, and select Japanese citizenship.
(日本語翻訳なし　スラチャイ）

"I didn't know my Korean name until my third year of elementary school, and I can't speak Korean even now. I was teased about my Korean name in the past, and I have lots of Korean friends living in Japan, but my awareness as a Korean is, frankly speaking, low," he says.
　「小学校３年生まで自分の韓国名も知らず、今も韓国語を話せない。韓国名をからかわれたこともあるし、在日韓国人の友人は多いが、韓国人という意識は正直、低い」。来年、２歳上の兄と同じく日本国籍を選択するつもりだ。

In the Lower House election, the 21-year-old voted for the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), which has pushed for local-election voting rights for long-term foreign residents. He attended several meetings with South Koreans in Japan, and though he was unsympathetic with their call to be given suffrage in exchange for their obligation to pay taxes, he voted for the DPJ as he wanted his friends to be given the right to vote.
　衆院選では民主党に投票した。在日韓国人の集会に数回参加し、「納税の義務の代わりに参政権を」という主張には共感しなかったが、「友人たちに参政権を持ってほしい」という思いが決め手になった。

"The opponents (of voting rights for foreigners) say that Koreans living in Japan will cast anti-Japanese votes, but I don't think so. If they are given voting rights, then voting from the perspective of being a South Korean in Japan will cease. They will vote while thinking about how they can improve their lives," the 21-year-old said.
　「反対派は在日韓国人が反日的な投票行動を取るというが、そうは思わない。実現すれば、在日韓国人という意味をこめて投票することはなくなる。自分の生活を良くすることを考え投票する」と、男性は話した。

There are about 910,000 foreigners in Japan who hold permanent residence, comprising some 420,000 special permanent residents from the former colonized Korean Peninsula and Taiwan, and 490,000 who have met special requirements such as residing in Japan for 10 years or more. It is estimated that there are 470,000 Koreans with permanent residence, more than half of the total.
　永住外国人は旧植民地の朝鮮半島、台湾出身者らが対象の特別永住者約４２万人と在日１０年以上などの条件を満たす一般永住者約４９万人の計約９１万人。在日韓国・朝鮮人は全体で約４７万人で過半数を占める。

A proposal made by the DPJ's federation of legislators in May last year suggested introducing voting rights only for residents from countries with which Japan has diplomatic relations, thereby excluding North Koreans. If the proposal materializes, then most of the foreign voters will be South Koreans, Chinese and Brazilians, who make up a large percentage of the foreign permanent residents in Japan.
　昨年５月に民主党の議連がまとめた提言では、対象を国交のある国の国籍保有者とし、在日朝鮮人は除外した。提言通り実現すれば、対象は永住者の多い韓国人、中国人、ブラジル人が大半を占めることになる。

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, DPJ Secretary-General Ichiro Ozawa and other party officials have pushed to give permanent foreign residents local voting rights, from both a historical perspective and the perspective of "fraternal" politics that the DPJ has promoted. Ozawa has called for the early submission of a bill to change the law, but the government's priorities remain unclear. The move was incorporated in the party's list of policies and its election promises, but was left out of its election manifesto.
　民主党では鳩山由紀夫首相、小沢一郎幹事長らが「友愛」政治や歴史的観点から推進論を説く。小沢氏は早期の法案提出を政府に呼び掛けているが、政府側の優先順位は明確ではない。公約も政策集には明記されているが、マニフェストへの盛り込みは見送られた。

Tomomi Inada, a Liberal Democratic Party legislator who opposes giving foreign permanent residents voting rights, argues, "If local assembly members and heads supported by foreigners appear, then it will influence local Diet members. It will constrain Japan's national interests." This line of thinking is also deeply rooted in the DPJ.
　反対派の論客、自民党の稲田朋美衆院議員は「外国人から支援された首長や地方議員が誕生すれば、地元の国会議員も影響を受ける。日本の国益の制約になる」と訴える。こうした考えは、民主党内にも根強くある。

Fears have been raised that if suffrage is granted in areas such as Osaka's Ikuno Ward, where foreigners account for 24 percent of the population, then it will lead to friction between supporters and opponents. This gives rise to the argument, "Japanese nationals should decide on the future of Japan -- permanent foreign residents can gain suffrage by obtaining Japanese citizenship."
　人口の２４％を外国人が占める大阪市生野区などで参政権付与を認めれば、それに反対する人たちとの摩擦が生ずる恐れもある。「日本の行方は日本国民が決めるべきで、永住外国人が日本国籍を取得して参政権を得ればよい」との主張に結びつく。

At the same time, Katsuhiko Okazaki, a graduate professor at Aichi Gakuin University, who supports voting rights for foreign permanent residents, points out, "There are South Koreans living in Japan who obtain Japanese citizenship to get all the rights, but there is still resistance to losing their South Korean nationality. If dual citizenship were granted, the problem would be solved all at once."
　一方、推進派の岡崎勝彦・愛知学院大学大学院教授（外国人法）は「在日の人はすべての権利を得ようと日本国籍を取得する人もいるが、韓国籍を失うことへの抵抗はなおある。二重国籍を認めれば一気に解決する」と提案する。

Okazaki says that the principles of lineage and exclusivism are deeply rooted in Japan, but the fact that there are already cases of dual citizenship, as is the case with South Koreans in Japan who have voting rights, shows that the concept of what constitutes a national has diversified. He adds that there have been changes in the sense of belonging that is associated with nationality.
　岡崎氏は、日本は「血統主義」「排他主義」が根強くあるが、「選挙権を持つ在日韓国人」のような二重国籍状態がすでに現存するため、「国民という概念の多様化が進んでいる」と話し、国籍に対する帰属意識も変わりつつあることを指摘した。

Next year marks 100 years since Japan's annexation of the Korean Peninsula. It is certain the issue of suffrage for foreigners will emerge as a major point of discussion.
　来年は日韓併合から１００年の節目。外国人参政権問題が大きな論点になるのは間違いない。【田所柳子】

外国人選挙権―まちづくりを共に担う

--The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 23(IHT/Asahi: November 24,2009)
EDITORIAL: Foreigners' suffrage.
外国人選挙権―まちづくりを共に担う

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and Democratic Party of Japan Secretary-General Ichiro Ozawa both support giving permanent foreign residents the right to vote in elections that choose local government chiefs and assembly members. The bill is due to be submitted to the ordinary Diet session next year.
　自治体の首長や議員を選ぶ際に永住外国人が投票できるようにする。この外国人地方選挙権の導入に、鳩山首相や小沢・民主党幹事長が前向きな姿勢を示し、来年の通常国会にも法案が出される見通しだ。

Since 1998, the DPJ, New Komeito and other parties had submitted similar bills. However, due to deep-rooted opposition, Diet debate over this issue has made little progress. Meanwhile, local communities are becoming increasingly multicultural.
　９８年以降、民主党や公明党が法案を出してきたが、根強い反対論があって議論は進まなかった。この間に地域の国際化は急速に進んでいる。

The Hatoyama government advocates the creation of a "society where multiple cultures coexist." Then surely it is time to move forward to realize such a society.
鳩山政権は「多文化共生社会」をめざすという。実現へ踏み出すときではないか。

The number of non-Japanese with permanent residency in the nation has increased by 50 percent in the past decade to 910,000. Among them, 420,000 are ethnic Koreans with special permanent residence status due to their historical background.
　日本に永住する外国人はこの１０年で５割増えて９１万人になった。このうち歴史的経緯がある特別永住者の在日韓国・朝鮮人は４２万人だ。

The figure has increased because a growing number of foreigners have obtained ordinary permanent residence status. Many decided to live in Japan in and after the 1980s for such reasons as business and marriage. They are from various countries, including China, Brazil and the Philippines.
年々増えているのは８０年代以降に来日し、仕事や結婚を通じて根を下ろし、一般永住資格を得た人たちだ。出身国も中国、ブラジル、フィリピンと様々だ。

Those permanent residents have put down roots as good neighbors in their communities. It is appropriate that they should be given the right to participate in local elections and share the responsibility for improving their communities.
　地域社会に根付き、良き隣人として暮らす外国人に、よりよいまちづくりのための責任を分かち合ってもらう。そのために地方選挙への参加を認めるのは妥当な考え方だろう。

The nation needs human resources from abroad to maintain vitality in society. Granting the right to vote in local elections to permanent foreign residents will help to create an environment comfortable for foreigners to live in. It will also strengthen local autonomy in line with the trend for decentralization.
　日本の活力を維持するためにも、海外の人材が必要な時代である。外国人地方選挙権を実現することで、外国人が住みやすい環境づくりにつなげたい。分権時代の地方自治を活性化させることもできる。

Some opponents insist that foreign residents should acquire Japanese nationality if they want to vote. But it is only natural for them to wish to maintain connections with their native countries while having affectionate ties with the communities they currently live in. The answer is not to exclude those people but to create a society that honors diverse lifestyles.
　「選挙権が欲しければ国籍をとればいい」との考え方がある。だが、母国へのつながりを保ちつつ、いま住むまちに愛着を持つことは自然だ。そうした外国人を排除するのではなく、多様な生き方を尊重する社会にしたい。

More than 200 local governments have come up with ordinances that enable foreign residents to vote in local referendums on issues like municipal mergers. In 1995, the Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution does not forbid new legislation to grant voting rights in local elections to non-Japanese residents with close interests in their communities.
　合併などを問うための住民投票条例の中で、外国籍住民の投票権を認めた自治体はすでに２００を超えている。地方選挙権についても最高裁は９５年、立法措置をとることを憲法は禁じていないとの判断を示している。

More than 40 countries, such as European nations and South Korea, have given suffrage to foreign residents who meet certain requirements and conditions.
　世界を見ても、一定の要件を満たした外国人に参政権を付与する国は、欧州諸国や韓国など４０あまりに上る。

In recent years, opponents have increasingly expressed concerns that a large number of foreigners could use their voting rights for purposes that might put national security at risk.
　近年、声高になってきた反対論の中には「外国人が大挙して選挙権を使い、日本の安全を脅かすような事態にならないか」といった意見がある。

We cannot accept such inflammatory arguments that seek to agitate, cause anxiety and stir up exclusive intolerance.
　人々の不安をあおり、排外的な空気を助長する主張には首をかしげる。

It is far more dangerous to isolate and exclude foreign residents as "those who might cause harm."
外国籍住民を「害を与えうる存在」とみなして孤立させ、疎外する方が危うい。

We should include them into the community to create a stable society.
むしろ、地域に迎え入れることで社会の安定を図るべきだ。

The DPJ is considering a bill that would limit voting rights to people from countries that have diplomatic relations with Japan.
　民主党は選挙権を日本と国交のある国籍の人に限る法案を検討しているという。

The ruling party is apparently trying to allay anti-North Korean sentiment by excluding ethnic Koreans registered under Joseon (old undivided Korea) nationality, instead of South Korea.
反北朝鮮感情に配慮し、外国人登録上の「朝鮮」籍者排除のためだ。

However, all people with Joseon nationality do not necessarily support North Korea.
　しかし、朝鮮籍の人が必ずしも北朝鮮を支持しているわけではない。
良き隣人として共に地域社会に参画する制度を作るときに、別の政治的理由で一部の人を除外していいか。議論が必要だろう。

We are now trying to create an inclusive system to allow foreign residents to participate as good neighbors in local communities.
Is it really appropriate to exclude a certain group of people based on different political concerns? Further debate is necessary.

集落を守る―補助金よりも助っ人で

--The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 23(IHT/Asahi: November 24,2009)
EDITORIAL: Preserving rural areas.
集落を守る―補助金よりも助っ人で

The mountainous Irokawa district in Nachi-Katsuura, Wakayama Prefecture, is in the southeastern part of the Kii Peninsula. It is made up of nine secluded settlements that depend mainly on farming and forestry activities.
　紀伊半島南東部の山間地、和歌山県那智勝浦町の色川地域。農林業を中心に九つの集落がひっそりと点在する。

Nearly 40 percent of the 430 or so residents used to be city dwellers. Kazuo Hara, who heads a regional development committee comprising the heads of the settlements, moved from Hyogo Prefecture at age 26. That was 28 years ago.
　約４３０人の住民のうち４割近くは都会からこの地に移り住んだ「Ｉターン組」である。集落の区長たちでつくる色川地域振興推進委員会の会長を務める原和男さんも、２８年前、２６歳の時に兵庫県から移り住んだ。

In 2007, the committee started an education program to train young people outside Nachi-Katsuura to become farmers. Last year, the panel started compiling a written record on life in the region. The committee members are learning the ins and outs from local residents of farm work and how to create traditional food dishes. They are also collecting information about local events and customs over the years. The information is being compiled into a booklet.
　その委員会が町外の若者を集め、一昨年から「百姓養成塾」を、さらに昨年からは「むらの教科書づくり」を始めた。地元の人から野良仕事や伝統食づくりを学び、伝統行事や昔の暮らしを聞き取って冊子にまとめている。

Migration to Irokawa started more than three decades ago after the local community accepted five families that wanted to try their hands at organic farming. Initially, most of the new residents were would-be farmers sharing the same ideals.
Over time, however, different types, like retirees wanting to spend their twilight years in the country and families with young children, have moved to the Irokawa district. The influx of newcomers has helped preserve this area's traditional way of life. But the future of the community is under threat due to the rapid aging of society and the dwindling birthrates.
　Ｉターンの始まりは３０年以上前、有機農業をめざす５家族を受け入れたことだった。当初は同じ道を志す人が多かったが、しだいに田舎暮らしを求める年金暮らしや子育て世代が増えた。そうして何とか集落を守ってきたところに、少子高齢化の波が押し寄せた。

The average age of the original Irokawa residents is 69, and that of newcomers is 40. The settlements will eventually disappear unless young people plant roots there. A sense of crisis prompted Irokawa to try to attract more young people to the area.
　住民の平均年齢は、もとからの住民が６９歳、Ｉターン組も４０歳。このまま若い担い手がいなくなれば集落は消えてしまう。新たな危機感から、若者の呼び込みに動いた。

"We need young people willing to live here as committed members of the community, instead of simple support from the outside," says Hara. He regards one program adopted by another town in the prefecture as ideal for luring young people. Koya, located at the northern tip of the Kii Peninsula, has introduced a program to hire outsiders to help promote regional development.
「外から支援するのではなく、住民と同じ目線で暮らす若者がほしい」と原さんは語る。
　そんな原さんが「理想的」とみている制度がある。同じ紀伊半島の北端にある和歌山県高野町が導入した「むらづくり支援員」だ。

In May, the town government solicited applications for three positions, offering a monthly wage of 150,000 yen for 100 flexible working hours a month under a three-year contract. The town received 162 applications--many more than it expected.
　報酬は月１５万円、月１００時間のフレックスタイム制で契約は３年。今年５月、こんな条件で支援員３人を公募すると、全国から予想を超える１６２人の応募があった。

Five new recruits in their 20s up to 40s have moved from Tokyo, Kagoshima and elsewhere to live in settlements in Koya. They are trying to find ways to tackle various challenges, for example, by creating a system to support old people and developing new local specialties.
採用された２０～４０代の男女５人は、東京や鹿児島などから担当する集落に移り住んだ。高齢者を支える仕組みや新しい特産品づくりなど集落ごとの課題をさぐっている。

The program is the brainchild of Kanji Takahashi, Koya's deputy mayor. "We hope they will find solutions to these challenges and continue living in the settlements after their three years are up," Takahashi says.
　発案した高橋寛治・副町長は「そうした課題の解決策を見いだし、３年後は自分も定住できるようになってもらいたい」と語る。

According to a survey by the central government, about 2,600 of the roughly 62,000 settlements in cities, towns and villages nationwide are in danger of disappearing.
　政府が調査したところ、全国の市町村の下にある約６万２千の集落のうち、消滅する可能性のある集落は約２６００もあるという。

On the other hand, there are many city dwellers who want to leave the hurlyburly of city life if they can. These are people who want to raise their children close to nature and seek a spiritually rich life--even at the expense of having less money to live on. Others simply want to spend their retirement years in a rural, laid-back environment.
　一方で、機会があれば、あくせくした都会から離れたいと考えている人は少なくない。自然の中で子育てをしたい。給料が減っても心豊かな生活がほしい。定年後は田舎でゆったり……。

Local communities and governments need to figure out how to attract such urbanites to their areas. Outsiders who are willing to support local development are more important for the survival of local communities than state subsidies. The wisdom and stimulus provided by outsiders can generate energy to move communities from within. Thus, outsiders could be entrusted with the role of planners for regional development.
　そんな都会の人たちを引きつけるには、そこで暮らす人や地元の自治体がまず知恵をしぼることであり、地域を守るには補助金よりも助っ人ということではないか。外からの知恵や刺激を受けることで、地域を内部から動かすエネルギーを生み出す。地域づくりのプランナーの役割を託してもいい。

Efforts similar to those described above are being made in many parts of the nation. The administration of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, which has pledged to promote decentralization, should pay more attention to these developments.
　紹介したような試みは各地にある。「地域主権」を掲げる鳩山政権はこんなところにも目を向けるべきだろう。

News from Washington Post

Washington Post 社より今朝届いた速報

サウスカロライナ州知事の不倫の記事
どの国もあまり変わりませんね。
日本でも総理大臣がこれで辞任したことがありましたね。

News Alert
01:56 PM EST Monday, November 23, 2009

S.C. governor faces 37 ethics charges he broke state laws

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has been under scrutiny since he vanished
for five days over the summer, reappearing to tearfully admit to an
extramarital affair with a woman he later called his "soul mate."

For more information, visit washingtonpost.com -
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http://link.email.washingtonpost.com/r/ZTVJ68/5BMNE/KRTP16/7K7EOI/5MVT2/9A/t

国際機関援助 「倍加」を表明して削減とは

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Nov. 24, 2009)
Robbing Peter to pay Paul
国際機関援助　「倍加」を表明して削減とは（11月24日付・読売社説）

Though Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has promised the international community that Japan will boost its assistance to developing countries, the government has cut its support for international organizations that play key roles in aid projects. This is contradictory and unacceptable.
　途上国支援を強化すると国際公約しながら、鳩山首相が、支援で中核的役割を担う国際機関への援助を削減するのは、筋が通らない。

The amount of Japan's contributions to international organizations has been decreasing every year since the administration of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi moved to reduce official development assistance as part of its structural reform program that recognized no "sacred cows." The contributions have fallen by more than 40 percent from the peak year of fiscal 2001.
　国際機関向けの拠出金は、小泉政権が「聖域なき構造改革」の一環として政府開発援助（ＯＤＡ）の削減に踏み切って以来、年々減っている。ピーク時の２００１年度と比べて、４割以上も減少した。

Against this background, Hatoyama, in a speech at the U.N. General Assembly in September, vowed to double Japan's efforts to assist developing countries, in close cooperation with international organizations, raising expectations among those organizations for an increase in the amount of Japan's contributions to them.
　そうした中、鳩山首相は９月の国連演説で、国際機関と連携しながら途上国支援への努力を「倍加したい」と表明した。国際機関側に日本の拠出増に対する期待感が広がった。

But the actual amount of contributions, measured in terms of budget requests for fiscal 2010, already has fallen below that of fiscal 2009. In addition, some of the contributions have become a target of the budget scrutiny aimed at cutting wasteful spending in ministries' fiscal 2010 budget requests that is being conducted by the Government Revitalization Unit.
　ところが、実際の拠出額は、すでに来年度概算要求ベースで今年度を下回っている。さらに一部の拠出金は、行政刷新会議の事業仕分けの対象に挙げられた。

===

Groups play role Japan can't

International organizations targeted in the government's panel's budget screening include the U.N. Development Program, the U.N. Human Settlements Program (UN-HABITAT) and the U.N. Volunteers--hardworking organizations that dispatch staff to Afghanistan and other countries.
　国連開発計画（ＵＮＤＰ）、国連人間居住計画（ＨＡＢＩＴＡＴ）、国連ボランティア計画（ＵＮＶ）などだ。いずれもアフガニスタンなどに職員を派遣し、実際に汗を流している組織である。

The government has pledged up to 5 billion dollars (about 450 billion yen) in aid to Afghanistan for nonmilitary purposes over a five-year period beginning this year. The aid is intended to provide vocational training for former Taliban soldiers and promote agricultural development and other worthy goals.
　政府は先に、アフガニスタンの民生支援のため５年間で最大５０億ドル（約４５００億円）を拠出することを表明した。旧タリバン兵士の職業訓練や農業開発などだ。

But it will not be easy for Japanese people to work in Afghanistan under the aid programs unless the security situation there improves. Japan's aid programs, therefore, will probably be carried out in the form of providing funds to the UNDP and other international organizations and having them dispatch their staff and volunteers to Afghanistan.
　だが、現地の治安状況が改善せず、日本人が現地で活動することは容易ではない。このため、日本の支援の実態は、ＵＮＤＰなどに資金を渡し、各機関のスタッフや派遣ボランティアに活動してもらう形となる。

The government likely intends to secure a budget for funds to have international bodies carry out Japan's aid programs, separately from its contributions. Considering the current situation, in which Japan has no choice but to rely on international bodies to execute its aid programs, it does not make sense to slash contributions to international organizations, which are mainly used to defray their operating costs.
　そうした活動経費は、通常の拠出金とは別に予算を確保するつもりかもしれない。しかし、国際機関に頼らざるを得ない現状を思えば、主に国際機関の運営費に充てられる拠出金を大幅に切り詰めることが、適切とは思えない。

===

Nation's reputation at stake

Japan has seen its reputation as a major contributor to international organizations dwindle. Some observers have linked the reduction in the amount of Japan's contributions to the dearth of Japanese executive staff in international organizations and their absence on such organizations' boards.
　日本は、各国際機関で上位拠出国の地位を喪失しつつある。各機関への幹部職員の送り込みが進まなかったり、執行理事会メンバーから日本が外れたりするのは、これまでの拠出金削減が影響しているとの指摘もある。

The budgets for international organizations, meanwhile, have ballooned. It is important for this country, as a contributor, to urge the organizations to keep a ceiling on their swelling budgets. Japan also should increase its efforts to increase the number of Japanese staff in international bodies.
　国際機関自体の予算は膨張傾向にある。拠出国として抑制を促すことは大切だ。国際機関における日本人職員の増員に向けた努力もいっそう強化すべきだ。

It goes without saying that Japan must pursue these two goals as well as contribute funds to international organizations. But we fear that cutting such contributions willy-nilly could lower Japan's profile in the international community.
　そうした資金拠出以外の取り組みを前提としてもなお、安易な削減は、国際社会における日本の発言力低下を招く恐れがある。

We do not want to see a situation in which the government attaches so much importance to budget screening to cut wasteful spending that Japan's diplomacy ends up being harmed.
　事業仕分けで予算カットに汲々(きゅうきゅう)とするあまり、日本の外交にマイナスの影響を与えるような結果になっては困る。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 24, 2009)
（2009年11月24日01時08分 読売新聞）v

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