ダンス営業規制 実態に即した法改正が必要だ

The Yomiuri Shimbun 6:55 pm, April 28, 2014
Law regulating dance clubs should be revised to reflect current reality
ダンス営業規制　実態に即した法改正が必要だ

Regulating dance classes under the Law Regulating Adult Entertainment Businesses can be considered off the mark. The law should be revised to reflect reality.
　風俗営業法でダンス教室まで規制するのは、的外れと言われても仕方あるまい。実態に即した法改正が必要である。

The Osaka District Court has acquitted the former operator of a dance club accused of running the establishment without permission in violation of the law, based on its judgment that “it cannot be said the operator allowed customers to engage in the kind of hedonistic dancing regulated by the Law Regulating Adult Entertainment Businesses.”
　若者らがダンスを楽しむ「クラブ」を無許可営業したとして、風営法違反に問われた元経営者に、大阪地裁が無罪を言い渡した。「風営法が規制する享楽的なダンスをさせたとは言えない」との判断からだ。

However, the court also rejected the claim by the defense counsel that “the law infringes on the freedom of business activity and is therefore unconstitutional,” concluding that “regulation is needed for the public benefit and is thus constitutional.”
　一方、弁護側の「風営法は営業の自由を侵害しており、憲法違反だ」という主張に対して、判決は「規制は公共の利益のために必要で、合憲」と結論づけた。

We believe it is appropriate to acknowledge the rationality of controlling the excesses of sex entertainment businesses, while also clarifying the facts in individual cases involving dance clubs and other operations.
　性風俗の乱れを取り締まる合理性は認めながら、クラブなどの個別の状況に応じて事実認定したのは、適切と言えよう。

Some of the law’s stipulations are outdated because it regards all businesses related to dance as “adult entertainment” and regulates them in the same way.
　風営法の規定で時代にそぐわないのは、ダンスに関するあらゆる営業を「風俗営業」と位置づけ、一律に規制している点だ。

Regulation of dance businesses was included when the law was enacted in 1948, just after the end of World War II. At that time, dance halls were considered hotbeds of prostitution.
　風営法にダンスの営業規制が盛り込まれたのは、戦後間もない１９４８年の制定時に遡る。当時、ダンスホールが売春の温床となっていたことが背景にある。

Currently, the operation of dance businesses, including dance halls and classes that do not serve food or drinks, in principle requires permission from a public safety commission. Such businesses are prohibited from opening establishments close to residential areas, schools, hospitals and some other locations. Also, their business hours must end at midnight in principle, and they are off limits to people younger than 18.
　客に飲食を提供しないダンスホールやダンス教室を含め、営業には、原則として公安委員会の許可が必要だ。住宅地や学校、病院などの近くでは開業できない。営業時間は原則午前０時までで、１８歳未満の立ち入りは禁止される。

Popularity of dancing rising

More people are enjoying dancing as a fitness or artistic activity, and ballroom dance is popular mainly among the elderly. Considering these circumstances, it may be advisable to scrap the regulation of dance halls and dance classes.
　ダンスをスポーツや芸術活動として楽しむ人が増えている。高齢者を中心に社交ダンスも流行している。こうした現状を考えれば、ダンスホールやダンス教室への規制は撤廃すべきではないか。

But dance clubs should remain subject to some regulation. They usually play reverberating music very loudly, triggering many complaints from neighbors because of the noise and vibrations. Furthermore, drug trade and violence are sometimes associated with dance clubs.
　その一方、クラブに対しては、一定の規制を残すべきだろう。大音響で音楽を流すため、騒音や振動の苦情が多い。薬物売買や暴力事件なども発生している。

A suprapartisan group of about 60 Diet members, called the league of lawmakers promoting dance culture, is trying to submit a bill to revise the law during the current Diet session.
　超党派の国会議員約６０人で作る「ダンス文化推進議員連盟」は、風営法改正案を今国会に提出することを目指している。

Among their proposals, the one most likely to be adopted is to abolish the regulation of dance halls and classes but continue to regulate the location of dance clubs, while allowing them to extend their business hours if they get permission.
　ダンスホール、ダンス教室の規制は撤廃し、クラブについては、立地規制を維持しつつ、許可を受ければ営業時間を延長できるとする案が有力とされている。

A considerable number of dance clubs are deliberately operating without official permission because they would have a hard time attracting customers if they closed early. The bill under study by the lawmakers perhaps merits consideration, as it presents realistic controls.
　営業の終了時間が早いと客が集まらないとして、あえて無許可営業を続けているクラブは少なくない。改正案は、現実的な対策として検討に値するのではないか。

At a subcommittee meeting of the government’s Council for Regulatory Reform, some members called for using dance clubs to attract tourists in the run-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
　政府の規制改革会議の部会では、２０２０年の東京五輪を前に、クラブを観光資源として活用すべきだといった意見も出た。

What matters most is to create an environment for people to enjoy dancing in a wholesome manner.
　重要なのは、ダンスを健全に楽しむための環境作りである。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, April 28, 2014)

認知症事故判決 介護する側の苦労も考慮した

The Yomiuri Shimbun 7:13 pm, April 27, 2014
Court considers hardship of caring for senile in lawsuit over rail death
認知症事故判決　介護する側の苦労も考慮した

Last week’s ruling by the Nagoya High Court posed a weighty question: How can we establish a system that will enable people to live at home after developing senile dementia?
　認知症になっても自宅で暮らせる体制をどう築くか。重い課題を突きつける判決である。

The case, which was sent to the court on appeal, involves a suit filed by the Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai) seeking compensation from the bereaved family of a man with senile dementia who died after being struck by a train—an accident the railway company claims caused damage because it delayed the train schedule. The high court ordered the man’s wife, who was caring for her husband at home, to pay compensation.
　認知症の男性が列車にはねられて死亡し、ＪＲ東海が遺族に遅延損害の賠償を求めた訴訟の控訴審で、名古屋高裁は、介護していた妻に賠償を命じる判決を言い渡した。

There have been a considerable number of cases in which elderly people with dementia have wandered away from their home and become involved in train accidents. The issue is something people providing nursing care for family members can relate to.
　認知症の高齢者が徘徊はいかいし、鉄道事故に遭うケースは少なくない。介護する家族にとって、人ごとではない問題だ。

The accident occurred when the man wandered out and entered the train tracks after his wife had briefly dozed off.
　この事故では、妻がまどろんでいるわずかの間に、男性は外出し、線路内に立ち入った。

In the first trial at the Nagoya District Court, the presiding judge said that the danger of the man being involved in an accident, if he went out, was predictable and that “the wife was at fault for neglecting her duty to constantly watch over him.”
　１審の名古屋地裁は、男性が外出すれば事故が起きる危険性を予見できたとした上で、「妻には、夫から目を離さずに見守るのを怠った過失がある」と認定した。

The high court, on the other hand, ruled that such an accident had not been predictable. The court also rejected the claim that she was at fault for neglect, which constitutes illegal behavior, by taking into account the fact that the wife was trying hard to nurse him. But it still acknowledged her responsibility of paying compensation as the person obliged to supervise her husband since he could not be legally held accountable.
　これに対し、名古屋高裁は「事故は予見できなかった」と判断した。妻らが介護に努めていた点も考慮し、不法行為による過失を否定した。ただ、責任能力のない夫を介護する妻には、監督義務者としての賠償責任を認めた。

24-hour watch impossible

It is virtually impossible for family members to watch sufferers of senile dementia they care for around the clock. If family members are made to shoulder excessive burdens, more and more people will have second thoughts about caring for such patients at home.
　介護する家族が四六時中、認知症の高齢者から目を離さずにいることはできまい。家族に過重な責任を負わせれば、自宅での介護に二の足を踏む人が増えよう。

The fact that the high court halved the amount of compensation the family has to pay in this case indicates it took into consideration the hardship of nursing care givers.
　高裁が賠償額を１審に比べ半減させたのは、介護する側の苦労にも目配りした結果と言える。

Furthermore, the high court pointed out a blunder on the part of JR Tokai, saying, “It can be presumed that the accident could have been prevented” if the railway company had locked an opening in a fence, from which the man is believed to have entered the tracks.
　高裁は、ＪＲ東海に対しても、男性が線路に立ち入ったとみられるフェンスに施錠していれば、「事故を防げたと推認できる」と落ち度を指摘した。

The court also said, “It is the social responsibility of public transportation entities to improve safety” by paying consideration to people unable to understand the danger of accidents. We hope all railway companies will take this point seriously.
　事故の危険を理解できない人がいるのを考慮し、「公共交通機関として安全の向上に努めるのは社会的責務」とも述べた。鉄道各社は重く受け止めてもらいたい。

At a time when the number of senile dementia patients has surged in recent years to 4.6 million, and there are long waiting lists to enter special nursing homes for the elderly, it is difficult to care for senile dementia sufferers at nursing facilities alone.
　認知症高齢者は急増し、４６０万人に上る。特別養護老人ホームの入居待機者も多く、施設だけで介護するのは困難だ。

In 2012, about 9,500 went missing because of senile dementia, of which 359 people were later found dead. It is essential to expand and improve the system for supporting nursing care at home in addition to coming up with measures to prevent accidents involving elderly people who wander away.
　認知症が原因で行方不明になった人は２０１２年に約９５００人に上り、３５９人は発見時に死亡していた。在宅介護を支援する体制の拡充と、徘徊による事故を防ぐ手立てを考えねばならない。

The government, for its part, should establish around-the-clock visiting nursing care services as well as medical institutions that would dispatch a doctor to the home of a patient whose symptoms have worsened.
　政府は、２４時間型の訪問介護サービスや症状の悪化時に往診する医療機関の整備を急ぐべきだ。

It is indispensable to involve community members in countermeasures. The city of Omuta, Fukuoka Prefecture, which sends e-mail alerts to citizens whenever a senile dementia sufferer goes missing, can be a good example for other local governments.
　地域ぐるみの対策も欠かせない。認知症の高齢者が行方不明になると、市民に一斉メールで知らせる福岡県大牟田市の取り組みは、他の自治体の参考になる。

It will also be necessary to study the advisability of establishing an insurance system that would compensate railway companies for accidents involving senile persons.
　事故が起きた場合、鉄道会社に損害金が支払われる保険制度の創設も検討課題になるだろう。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, April 27, 2014)

（社説）防衛省の隠蔽 良心はどこへいった

April 26, 2014
EDITORIAL: Bullying cover-up casts doubts on the Defense Ministry’s moral integrity
（社説）防衛省の隠蔽　良心はどこへいった

A cover-up scandal concerning the 2004 suicide of a Maritime Self-Defense Force seaman has brought to the fore the Defense Ministry’s willingness to go to any length to keep embarrassing facts in the dark.
　都合の悪い文書は組織をあげて隠す。それを内部告発する者は徹底攻撃する。そんな防衛省の姿が浮かび上がった。

The ministry appears determined to sweep any inconvenient documents under the carpet through organization-wide efforts and relentlessly attack any whistle-blowers.
　海上自衛隊の男性隊員の自殺をめぐり、先輩のいじめを示す証拠を同省が隠蔽（いんぺい）していたと、東京高裁が認定した。

On April 23, the Tokyo High Court acknowledged the deliberate concealment of internal documents that showed the seaman of the MSDF destroyer Tachikaze was bullied by a senior officer.
The existence of the documents came to light only after a lieutenant commander exposed the cover-up by submitting a statement to the high court, saying the MSDF was hiding the documents.
　そんな証拠があることは、裁判を担った海自の３等海佐が暴露し明らかになった。

If the lieutenant commander had not acted, the organization’s failure to stop the bullying would have never become known to the public.
それがなかったら、いじめを放置した組織の責任は闇に葬られていた。

Despite being an organization whose mission is to protect the lives of people, the ministry made every effort to obscure the truth in order to protect itself, without reflecting on the seriousness of the loss of a life.
　人命を守るべき組織でありながら、命が失われた重みを顧みずにひたすら自らの防衛に腐心したのである。

The ministry clearly needs to do some soul-searching. It should carry out an immediate and exhaustive investigation into the case to find out who ordered the concealment of the documents and who knew the facts, and then publish the findings.
　猛省するほかあるまい。誰が隠蔽を指示し、その事実を誰が知っていたのか。早急に徹底調査し、公表すべきだ。

The concealed documents were the results of a survey covering all 190 crew members of the Tachikaze to see whether bullying was a factor in the seaman’s suicide. They also included records of comments made by crew members who knew what happened and were interviewed as part of the ministry’s in-house inquiry.
　隠されたのは、男性が所属した護衛艦の乗組員たちにいじめの有無を聞いたアンケートや、事情にくわしい乗組員に聞き取ったメモだ。

The victim’s family filed a freedom-of-information request for the survey results, but the MSDF denied their existence.
　遺族は情報公開法に基づいて開示を請求したが、海自は存在しないとして応じなかった。

There is no way to have specific information held by an organization disclosed if the organization claims there is no such information.
　情報をもつ側が「ない」と突っぱねれば、情報公開は成り立たない。

The controversial state secrets protection law will come into force by the end of this year amid serious concerns about the disclosure situation in this country.
そんな実態がある中で年内に特定秘密保護法が施行される。

The law will make it even more likely that information inconvenient to the government will remain undisclosed to the public. This prospect is really distressing.
当局に不都合な情報はいっそう闇にとどまるだろう。暗然たる気持ちになる。

The only ray of hope in the whole depressing episode is the conscientious act of the lieutenant commander who prevented the scandal from being hushed up.
　救いといえば、３佐の良心が、それを許さなかったことだ。

Revealing the existence of the evidence before the court of appeal was a courageous deed that jeopardized his position within the organization.
控訴審で証拠の存在を明らかにしたことは、組織人としての立場を賭した、勇気ある行いだった。

The government, however, criticized his remarks as untrustworthy during hearings of the high court.
　しかし、控訴審で国側はその発言を「信用できない」と批判した。

There must be a considerable number of people within the MSDF who were actually privy to the cover-up. But no one but the lieutenant commander came forward to tell the truth.
実際には、少なからぬ関係者が隠蔽を知っていたはずだが、その３佐以外、誰も真実を語ろうとしなかった。

The Defense Ministry even considered punishing the officer. That’s simply an outrageous response to his honorable act.
　同省は３佐の懲戒処分も検討したという。言語道断の対応というほかない。

It is not the whistle-blower, but the people who tried to conceal the information who should be punished.
処分が必要なのは告発者ではなく、情報隠しをした側である。

The ministry should promise not to treat the lieutenant commander unfairly.
告発した３佐を不当に扱うことはしないと約束すべきだ。

Ten years have already passed since the seaman committed suicide. If the survey had been disclosed earlier, the trial would not have taken so long, and the lessons from the incident might have been used for the efforts to root out bullying within the SDF.
　男性の自殺からすでに１０年がたっている。アンケートが早く明らかになっていれば、裁判は長引かなかったし、その教訓は自衛隊内のいじめ防止などに生かせたかもしれない。

There is a winner and a loser for every trial. When the government is the defendant, however, it should not focus simply on winning the case.
　ふつうの裁判に勝敗はつきものだが、国が当事者の場合、勝てばいいというものではないはずだ。

The government, which exists to serve the public interest, is responsible for offering all evidence that can help clarify the truth during the trial.
真実に近づく証拠を裁判で示すことが、公益の側に立つ政府の責任ではないか。

For any public entity, the cause of social justice should be of more value than its own organization. The Defense Ministry needs to take this obvious principle to heart.
　どんな公的組織であれ、その組織自体よりも大切に守るべき社会の正義というものがある。防衛省はその当たり前の原則を肝に銘じるべきだ。

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 26

配偶者控除 女性活用につながる見直しか

The Yomiuri Shimbun 11:00 pm, April 24, 2014
Will reviewing spousal tax deduction help boost role of women in society?
配偶者控除　女性活用につながる見直しか

The government’s Tax Commission has started discussing a review of the tax deduction system for spouses, which is aimed at reducing the burden of income and resident taxes on taxpayers with spouses.
　所得税などの負担を軽減する「配偶者控除」の見直し論議が、政府税制調査会で始まった。

To help expand the role of women in society at a time when the working generation is shrinking due to the ongoing trend of a low birthrate and a rapidly aging population, a comprehensive range of reforms in many areas is required. Changes to the tax system alone will not be sufficient.
　少子高齢化で「働く世代」が減少する中、女性の社会進出を後押しするため、税制だけでなく、総合的な対策が問われている。

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has made helping women to play a more important role in society a key element of his economic growth strategy. “We should review the tax system, which restricts women’s employment,” said Abe, who has instructed relevant government bodies to reexamine the deduction system. We think this is a fair response to the changing times.
　見直しは、女性活用を成長戦略に掲げる安倍首相が「女性の就労を抑制する税制を見直すべきだ」と指示したのがきっかけだ。時代の要請とも言えるだろう。

Under the current spousal tax deduction system, the main household income earner can deduct ¥380,000 from their annual taxable income if their spouse is a full-time homemaker, or works part-time and earns ¥1.03 million or less per year.
　所得税の配偶者控除とは、専業主婦やパートで働く配偶者の年収が１０３万円以下の場合、世帯主の課税所得を一律で３８万円減らす制度である。

Many companies reduce their spousal allowance and other allowances paid to employees at the ¥1.03 million threshold. Consequently, housewives working part-time tend to arrange their working hours to ensure they do not earn more than ¥1.03 million.
　１０３万円を境に配偶者手当などを減らす企業も多い。パートで働く主婦は１０３万円を超えないよう仕事を調整しがちになる。

If a wife earns more than ¥1.03 million but less than ¥1.41 million, her husband can still claim a special spousal deduction. However, it is a fact that the “¥1.03 million wall” limits women's desire to work.
　収入が１０３万円を超えても１４１万円未満までなら、控除を受けられる特別措置も設けられているが、「１０３万円の壁」が女性の働く意欲を損ねている側面があるのは確かだ。

The spousal tax deduction was introduced in 1961. Its objective was to provide tax relief to typical households at the time, in which the husband went to work while the wife stayed at home to devote herself to housekeeping and raising children.
　配偶者控除は１９６１年に導入された。夫が外で働き、妻が家庭で育児や家事に専念するという、当時の一般的な家族を税制面から支援する狙いがあった。

Today, however, more households have broken away from the traditional model, with both spouses in employment. There have also been major social shifts regarding the handling of household chores.
　しかし、今では、共働き世帯が専業主婦の世帯数を上回る。仕事や家事の分担に対する意識も大きく変化している。

A long road ahead

It would be wrong, however, to simply assume that the revision of the spousal tax deduction system alone would be sufficient in allowing more women to find employment. There are a myriad of reasons why many women who want to work are unable to do so. Many full-time housewives are so tied up with child-rearing and caring for elderly parents that they find it very difficult to join the labor force.
　ただ、配偶者控除を見直しただけで女性がより働くようになると短絡的に考えることはできない。働きたくても働けない理由は様々だ。子育てや介護で就労しにくい専業主婦も少なくなかろう。

In addition to the spousal tax deduction, the government must also consider how to resolve the other obstacles obstructing women from working. Pressing issues include eliminating long waiting lists for day care centers, expanding the nursing care insurance system and rectifying the customary practice of working long hours.
　政府は待機児童の解消や介護保険拡充、長時間労働の慣行是正といった課題の解決策も併せて検討しなければならない。

Some estimates suggest that abolishing the exemption would result in a tax increase of about ¥70,000 for a household with an annual income of ¥5 million. The government will also need to consider relief measures to ensure the additional burden on household budgets after the system review does not increase significantly.
　控除を廃止すれば、年収５００万円の家庭で７万円程度の増税になるとの試算がある。家計の負担が大幅に増えないよう、負担緩和措置の検討も必要になる。

If the consumption tax rate is raised to 10 percent in October 2015 as scheduled, the burden on family budgets will balloon even further. The government is considering cutting the corporate tax rate, but the move could fuel criticism that businesses are receiving preferential treatment while households are being slapped with higher taxes.
　消費税率が予定通り２０１５年１０月に１０％へ引き上げられると、家計負担はさらに膨らむ。政府は法人税率引き下げを検討中だが、「企業優遇」「家庭増税」という批判が高まりかねない。

In campaign booklets containing the Liberal Democratic Party’s policies for the House of Representatives election in 2012 and last summer’s House of Councillors election, the ruling party declared it would retain the spousal tax deduction system. Many LDP members are reluctant to review the system, or are outright opposed to such discussions. One of the most vocal opponents is Finance Minister Taro Aso, who said, “We mustn’t do anything thoughtless.”
　自民党は、１２年の衆院選と昨夏の参院選の政策集で配偶者控除の維持を掲げていた。党内では制度見直しに異論も少なくない。麻生財務相は、「うかつなことはできない」と慎重論を唱えている。

How can more employment opportunities be created for women? We hope the government and ruling parties will deepen discussions on this issue from a wide range of viewpoints.
　女性の就労機会をどう拡大するか。政府・与党は幅広い観点から議論を深めてもらいたい。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, April 24, 2014)

閣議の議事録―何のための公開なのか

April 23, 2014
EDITORIAL: Abe misses the point in disclosing minutes of Cabinet meetings
閣議の議事録―何のための公開なのか

For the first time since Japan adopted the Cabinet system in 1885, the government on April 22 disclosed to the public the minutes of a Cabinet meeting and a following ministerial meeting, both held on April 1.
“This is a historic first step,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gloated over the disclosure. New Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi called it an “epoch-making” attempt.
　これが、安倍首相が胸を張る「歴史的な一歩」か。これが、公明党の山口那津男代表が言う「画期的」な試みなのか。
　１８８５（明治１８）年に内閣制度が発足して以来初めて、閣議と閣僚懇談会の議事録が公開された。

We welcome the information disclosure itself. However, the manner in which this was done was hardly satisfactory, and we definitely do not share the enthusiasm of Abe and Yamaguchi.
そのこと自体は歓迎したいが、公開のあり方は到底満足できるものではない。

At the April 1 meeting, the Cabinet effectively lifted the nation’s self-imposed ban on weapons exports and replaced it with the new “three principles of defense equipment transfer.” The decision represented a major turning point in Japan’s post-World War II pacifist policy that was grounded in the spirit of the Constitution.
　公開された４月１日の閣議では、「武器輸出三原則」に変わる「防衛装備移転三原則」が決定された。憲法の理念に基づく、戦後日本の平和主義のひとつの重要な転換点である。

According to the minutes, however, the minsters in charge merely “expressed their resolve” to apply the new principles appropriately, while Abe was quoted as saying, “I think it is most important to explain the purpose of the new principles in a way the people can understand, and make efforts to gain their understanding.”
　ところが議事録によると、閣議では関係閣僚が、新原則の適切な運用に関して「決意表明」するにとどまっている。安倍首相も「新たな原則の趣旨を分かりやすく説明し、国民的理解を促進することが非常に重要であると考えております」。

This meeting ended in only 12 minutes, and the entire transcript is written on four pages of A4-size paper. Is this the reality of a Cabinet meeting, which serves as the supreme government session for making final policy decisions? The sheer absence of substance is almost incredible.
　所要時間１２分。Ａ４判で実質４枚。内閣の最高かつ最終的な意思決定の場である閣議の現実がこれなのか。にわかには信じがたい空疎さである。

Granted, it has often been said that Cabinet meetings are extremely formalized and that in-depth discussions rarely take place even at the more casual ministerial meetings that follow.
　かねて閣議は極めて形式的で、閣僚懇談会でも突っ込んだ議論はほとんどされないと言われてはきた。

But if the disclosed minutes are an indication of how little the Cabinet ministers have to say about policies, then the fundamental question that arises is, “Where are the nation’s policy decisions really made?”
しかし本当にこの程度のやりとりしか行われていないとすると、この国の意思決定はいったいどこで行われているのか。
根本的な疑問が頭をもたげてくる。

What makes the situation even more frustrating is that we have no means of verifying whether the disclosed minutes accurately reflect what was really discussed during the Cabinet meeting.
ただ問題はそれ以前に、本当にこの程度の発言しか出ていないのか、検証のしようがないことだ。

The disclosure is based on the Cabinet’s decision, and it is not a legal requirement.
　公開は法律で義務づけられたものではなく、閣議決定に基づいている。

In fact, the “minutes” are actually nothing more than notes taken by the deputy chief Cabinet secretary and other officials present at the meeting. As such, we have no idea exactly what standards are being followed in the compilation of the minutes.
公開されるのは議事録といっても陪席した官房副長官らが発言要旨を記録したメモであり、どのような基準に基づきまとめられているのかわからない。

The prime minister has said, “From the standpoint of information disclosure, it is desirable to swiftly make public the information under the current laws.” But Abe is missing the whole point.
首相は「現行法の下で速やかに公表した方が情報公開の観点で望ましい」としているが、何か勘違いしていないか。

The compilation and disclosure of minutes is not a “public service.” Article 1 of the law on management of public records and archives defines public records as “intellectual resources to be shared by the people in supporting the basis of sound democracy.” The purpose of this law is to keep records of who made the decisions and why, so that they can be examined by future generations.
　議事録の作成と公開は「サービス」ではない。公文書管理法第１条は、公文書を「健全な民主主義の根幹を支える国民共有の知的資源」と位置づける。誰が、なぜそのような意思決定をしたのか、過程を記録し後世の検証に堪えられるようにする。

So long as the government neglects its responsibility to history, there is no point whatsoever in disclosing information that cannot be verified, no matter how swiftly the government makes it public.
　その歴史に対する責任を等閑視し、検証不能なものをどんなに速やかに公開したところで、何の意味もない。

The public records management law needs to be revised so that not only Cabinet meetings and ministerial meetings but also all other meetings that affect vital policy decisions, such as meetings of the Japanese version of the U.S. National Security Council, will be required to keep their minutes. The minutes should be disclosed to the public in principle after a certain number of years.
　公文書管理法を改正し、閣議や閣僚懇のほか国家安全保障会議（日本版ＮＳＣ）など重要な意思決定に関わる会議も議事録作成を義務づける。一定の年月が経てば原則公開する。

Only when such changes have been made can the prime minister rightfully say that a “historic first step” has been taken.
　そこに踏み込んで初めて、「歴史的な一歩」が刻まれる。

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 23

船舶差し押さえ 日中共同声明の精神が揺らぐ

The Yomiuri Shimbun 7:03 pm, April 22, 2014
Chinese seizure of Japanese vessel undermines spirit of 1972 statement
船舶差し押さえ　日中共同声明の精神が揺らぐ

The seizure of a Japanese ship is an unprecedented exercise of Chinese public authority against a private Japanese firm. The action will lead to a further deterioration in Japan-China relations, while the Xi administration has been stepping up pressure on Japan over history issues.
　日本企業に対する前例のない公権力行使だ。歴史問題で対日圧力を強める習近平政権の下、日中関係がさらに悪化しかねない事態である。

The Shanghai Maritime Court announced Saturday it had impounded a large vessel owned by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, which was berthed at a Zhejiang Province port, in connection with a lawsuit over a ship leasing contract dating back to 1936.
　中国の裁判所、上海海事法院は１９日、１９３６年の船舶賃貸借を巡る訴訟に絡み、商船三井所有の大型船舶を浙江省の港で差し押さえたと発表した。

The Chinese judiciary is under the control of the Communist Party, so it is possible that the seizure reflects the will of the Chinese President Xi Jinping’s administration.
　中国の司法は、共産党の指導下にあり、習政権の意思を反映したものと言えよう。

The lawsuit was filed in 1988 by two grandchildren of the founder of a Chinese shipping company, and calls for the payment of fees for two freighters leased to a predecessor of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and additional compensation for the ships, which eventually sank.
　訴訟は、中国海運会社の関係者が８０年代に起こした。商船三井の前身となる企業に貨物船２隻を貸した際の賃貸料や、沈没した船の賠償金の支払いを求めてきた。

A ruling on the case became final in December 2010, when an appellate court upheld a 2007 decision, ordering Mitsui to pay more than ¥2.9 billion.
　２０１０年末、商船三井に２９億円余の賠償金支払いを命じる判決が確定した。

The Chinese court impounded the ship, leased by Mitsui to a Chinese steelmaking company, arguing that Mitsui failed to comply with the order to settle unpaid bills and pay compensation.
　商船三井が賠償に応じないとして、裁判所は、中国の鉄鋼会社に貸し出されていた船舶の差し押さえという措置を取った。

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the seizure had no connection with the issue of war reparations.
　中国外務省は「戦争賠償問題とは無関係」と説明している。

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga denounced the Chinese action as “extremely regrettable” and said the seizure “would undermine the spirit at the heart of the 1972 Japan-China joint statement that established the normalization of bilateral relations.”
　これに対し、菅官房長官は「極めて遺憾だ。１９７２年の日中共同声明に示された国交正常化の精神を根底から揺るがしかねない」と述べた。賛同できる見解だ。

We are inclined to agree.

Claims renounced

In the 1972 joint statement, China agreed to renounce demands for war reparations from Japan. The Chinese side essentially put a lid on demands by Chinese citizens for war reparations.
　共同声明で中国政府は、戦争賠償請求の放棄を表明している。中国側は、基本的には民間からの賠償請求を封じ込めてきた。

Over the years, Japan has provided more than ¥3 trillion in loans to promote and sustain Chinese economic development, and Japan continues provision of grant assistance to poorer regions of China today. Japanese companies have made substantial contributions to the country through investment in and technological cooperation with China as well.
　日本政府は、総額３兆円余の円借款を供与し、中国の経済発展を支えた。貧困地域などへの無償資金協力はなお続いている。企業も現在に至るまで投資や技術協力で多大な貢献をしている。

The Chinese government has not made sufficient efforts to spread awareness of these Japanese contributions in the country.
　こうした経緯を中国政府は、国内に十分説明していない。

The Xi administration has been ratcheting up its anti-Japan propaganda campaign over historical perceptions since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe paid a visit to Yasukuni Shrine in December.
　習政権は、安倍首相の靖国神社参拝を機に、歴史認識問題での反日宣伝を一段と強めている。

What prompted Chinese authorities to seize a Japanese ship more than three years after the court’s decision was finalized? Given its timing, it is possible to see the move as a ploy by Beijing to pressure Japan ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to Tokyo.
　判決確定から３年以上たって、なぜ、差し押さえという手段をとったのか。オバマ米大統領の訪日直前というタイミングをとらえた対日圧力と見ることもできる。

Suga expressed concern over the Chinese action, saying that it “could intimidate Japanese firms” planning to expand business in China.
　菅長官は、中国でのビジネス展開を考える日本企業にとって「萎縮効果」を生みかねないと指摘し、憂慮の意を示した。

Amid declining Japanese investments in China, any increase in the perceived risk of Chinese investment will likely come as a blow not only to Japan, but also to China, whose economic growth has been slowing.
　日本の対中投資が落ち込む中、中国リスクの増大は日本だけでなく、経済成長が減速している中国自身にとっても痛手のはずだ。

A succession of lawsuits filed by Chinese who claimed they or members of their families were forced to work at Japanese factories during the war have called for Japanese firms to pay compensation. In light of this most recent move, many fear further seizures of the assets of Japanese firms.
　戦時中に強制連行されたとする中国人元労働者らが、日本企業に損害賠償を求める動きが相次いでいる。今後、日本企業の資産差し押さえが拡大する恐れもある。

The Xi administration must reaffirm mutual benefit as the heart of Japan-China relations.
　習政権は、互恵という日中関係の原点を再確認すべきである。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, April 22, 2014)

外国人労働者 活用策を幅広く議論する時だ

The Yomiuri Shimbun 6:45 pm, April 21, 2014
In-depth discussions needed over hiring of more foreign workers
外国人労働者　活用策を幅広く議論する時だ

With the shrinking of this country’s workforce as a result of the rapid graying of society and the chronically low birthrate, Japan now faces the major challenge of meeting the nation’s manpower needs to ensure its society remains vigorous.
　少子高齢化で、働く世代の人口は減り続けている。社会の活力を維持するため、労働力の確保は大きな課題である。

Under the circumstances, the government has begun studying the effective use of foreign workers in such sectors as construction and nursing care services. The first issue to be taken up is significantly increasing the number of foreign workers in the construction industry.
　政府は建設、介護などの分野で外国人労働者の活用策の検討を始めた。
第１弾は、建設業での外国人の受け入れ拡充だ。

With the sharp rise in demand for construction related to facilities for the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo, the industry is expected to face acute manpower shortages.
　建設業界は、２０２０年東京五輪・パラリンピックに向けて施設の建築需要が急増し、大幅な人手不足が予想される。

Regarding the plan for accepting technical trainees from developing countries—the Industrial Trainee and Technical Internship Program—the government plans to extend the period of stay for trainees in this country to up to six years, from the current three years, if they work in the construction industry. The planned extension will be temporary, effective from fiscal 2015 until the opening of the Tokyo Olympics. The step appears to be a last-ditch, stopgap measure to cope with the extreme shortage of construction workers.
　政府は開発途上国から受け入れる外国人技能実習制度について、在留できる期間を３年から最長６年に延長する方針を決めた。１５年度から五輪開催までの時限措置とする。労働力不足の急場をしのぐ苦肉の策と言えよう。

In regard to the government-backed foreign trainee program, a slew of instances involving violations of the Labor Standards Law have been reported, including nonpayment of wages. The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry must bolster surveillance procedures to crack down on wrongful labor practices.
　技能実習制度を巡っては、賃金不払いなど労働基準法違反の事例が相次いでいる問題がある。厚生労働省は、不正の監視を強化しなければならない。

Labor shortages are also serious in the nursing care service sector. Due to the graying of society, the number of nursing care workers across the country should be increased by 1 million by 2025, according to a government estimate.
　介護分野の人手不足も深刻だ。急速な高齢化に伴い、政府推計では、２５年までに介護職員を１００万人増やす必要があるという。

However, the foreign nursing care workers accepted by this country have been strictly limited to people from such countries as Indonesia who come to Japan with the aim of acquiring qualifications as certified welfare workers under economic partnership agreements between Japan and these countries. The number of people who passed certification examinations totaled about 240 since the start of the program in fiscal 2008, far short of making up for the labor shortage.
　経済連携協定（ＥＰＡ）に基づき、外国人の介護労働は、インドネシアなどから介護福祉士の資格取得を目指して来日する場合に限られている。これまでの試験合格者は約２４０人に過ぎず、人手不足の解消にはほど遠い。

Boost working conditions

Without opening the door wider for foreigners with vocational skills, the future rise in demand for labor can never be met. The government should study the feasibility of adopting a new vocational certification examination system.
　一定の技能を持つ外国人に門戸を広げなければ、今後の需要はまかなえない。新たな技能検定試験なども検討してもらいたい。

It is also essential for the government to help foreigners who wish to work here as nursing care workers to improve their Japanese-language capabilities, as communication in Japanese is indispensable in the field.
　介護に不可欠なコミュニケーション能力を高めるため、政府は介護職員を志す外国人への日本語学習支援にも力を入れるべきだ。

One major factor behind the labor shortages in the construction and nursing care sectors may be because young Japanese who find employment in these businesses tend to quit their jobs very soon. This is mainly because wages in these sectors are lower than in other industries, making young workers worried about making long-term plans for the future.
　建設や介護分野の人手不足の背景には、就職した若者が定着しない問題も指摘できる。賃金が他の産業に比べて低く、将来の生活設計を描きづらい事情がある。

As long as companies remain dependent on cheap labor from overseas, wage levels of these firms are bound to remain static, and as a result they will continue to be unable to secure sufficient workers. It is vitally important for them to improve working conditions for Japanese workers, such as by introducing a regular wage raise system and a framework conducive to enhancing their vocational careers.
　安上がりな外国人労働者に頼ろうとする限り、賃金水準は向上せず、人手も確保できない。昇給制度など待遇改善やキャリア形成の仕組みを整えることが大切だ。

The government has hammered out a policy of encouraging women and the elderly to find employment. In sectors where there is still a labor shortage despite this policy, the government must come up with steps to make better use of labor from abroad.
　政府は女性や高齢者の就労促進を打ち出している。それでも不足する分野の労働力として外国人を活用する方策を考えるべきだ。

If foreign workers can be employed to do housework, the ratio of women joining the nation’s workforce will increase.
　家事支援に外国人を受け入れれば、女性の就業率をアップさせる効果も期待できよう。

There are now about 700,000 foreign workers in the country. Considering the possibility of cultural friction between foreign workers and Japanese and the impact on the nation’s public security, foreign workers should not be brought into the country in a haphazard manner.
　現在、外国人労働者は約７０万人に上るが、文化的な摩擦や治安への影響を考えると、無秩序に増やすことはできまい。

How should foreign workers be brought into this country and how should they be utilized? The time is ripe for the government and private sector to discuss these matters extensively.
　外国人労働者をどう受け入れ、どう活用するか。官民で幅広く議論する時期に来ている。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, April 21, 2014)

（社説）日中関係 この機運を生かしたい

April 21, 2014
EDITORIAL: Don’t miss the window of opportunity opening for Japan-China thaw
（社説）日中関係　この機運を生かしたい

There have been some tentative signs of a thaw in the frosty relationship between Japan and China.
　凍りついていた日中関係に、やっと改善に向けた兆しが出てきた。
Japan and China are at loggerheads over a slew of thorny issues both in the past and at present. That’s exactly why it is so important for the two countries to repair their ties so that they can have a normal diplomatic dialogue.
両国間には過去と現在にまたがる多くの難問が横たわるが、だからこそ、ふつうに対話できる関係を作り直したい。

Some notable exchanges have taken place recently between the two countries.
　このところ注目すべき交流が続いている。

It has been revealed that Hu Deping, a Chinese pro-Japan advocate with close ties to President Xi Jinping, secretly met with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo earlier this month.
　習近平（シーチンピン）国家主席と近い関係にある胡徳平氏が来日し、今月上旬、安倍首相と面会していたことが明らかになった。

Yohei Kono, the former Lower House speaker, met with Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang on April 15 in Beijing. During the meeting, Wang criticized Abe but nevertheless said, “We hope the Japanese business community will make efforts to overcome the difficulties (in the bilateral relationship) and contribute to improving the relationship.”
　元衆院議長の河野洋平氏が北京で会談した汪洋（ワンヤン）副首相は、安倍首相を批判する一方、「日本の経済界が困難克服のため努力し、関係改善に貢献することを望んでいる」と発言した。

In addition, Tokyo Governor Yoichi Masuzoe will visit Beijing from April 24 to 26. It is the first time in as many as 18 years that the chief of the Tokyo metropolitan government has been formally invited to visit Beijing, which has a friendship city agreement with the Japanese capital. China’s Foreign Ministry has issued a statement welcoming Masuzoe’s visit.
　今月２４日からは舛添要一・東京都知事が友好都市関係にある北京を訪れる。北京市からの招待は実に１８年ぶりだ。中国外務省も歓迎の談話を出した。

The two countries, which are such close neighbors, should not remain estranged as they are now. If both sides are seeking to figure out a way to mend ties, that’s good news.
　隣国同士、このまま疎遠でいいはずがない。なんとか改善の道はないか。そんな意思が双方に働いているとすれば、好ましい進展だ。

Some efforts were also made to improve the situation last year.
　昨年も事態打開への努力はあった。

Even after China made a provocative move to suddenly establish an air defense identification zone in areas over the East China Sea including the disputed Senkaku Islands, diplomats from Tokyo and Beijing continued their exchanges to turn around bilateral ties.
１１月に中国国防省が東シナ海域で突然、防空識別圏を敷く挑発行動に出た後も、外交当局者間の往来は続いた。

But Abe’s visit to Yasukuni Shrine the following month caused bilateral exchanges to come to a halt.
だが、安倍首相による年末の靖国神社参拝で交流は途絶えた。

The Xi administration, which has been ratcheting up criticism of Japan over history-related issues, is unwilling to make an overt move to seek reconciliation with Tokyo unless Abe makes a concession.
　歴史問題で非難を強めてきた習政権は、安倍首相が譲歩しない限り、公然と和解に動くような体裁はとりたくない。

Beijing has probably decided to limit its efforts to patch up the ties to economic and private-sector exchanges while taking a wait-and-see approach toward Abe.
まずは経済と民間の交流に力を入れ、安倍氏の出方は慎重に見極めよう、ということなのだろう。

But issues concerning views about history are not the only obstacles to improvement of the bilateral relations.
　ただ、日中の間にある障害は歴史認識だけではない。

For many years, China has been dangerously expanding its military capacity in its efforts to enhance its influence in surrounding areas. China’s aggressive military buildup and increasingly assertive behavior have created tension in neighboring areas including Japan.
むしろ中国が危うい軍拡を長年続け、周辺域での影響力拡大を図っていることが、日本を含む近隣に緊張をもたらしている。

Dialogue between the defense officials of both countries is necessary for preventing unnecessary clashes.
　無用な衝突を防ぐためにも、防衛当局間の対話が必要だ。

The establishment of a system to ensure safety in actions in the sky and the sea taken by the two countries in states of alert would help improve the security environment in the region.
空や海での警戒行動をめぐる安全確保のメカニズムをつくれば、地域の安保環境に役立つ。

On the economic front, Japan and China have a strong complementary relationship. China still needs Japanese technologies, while Japan needs China’s market and labor.
　一方、経済面では日中は相互補完関係が強い。今も中国は日本の技術を求め、日本は中国の市場と労働力を必要とする。

Tokyo and Beijing should start talks to enhance their bilateral economic relations including efforts to accelerate the negotiations for a three-way free trade agreement among Japan, China and South Korea.
　日中韓で構想されている自由貿易協定交渉の加速を含め、経済関係強化をめざした議論を政府間で進めるべきだ。

Concerns about China’s rapidly growing military power are widely shared by Pacific Rim countries.
　軍事大国化する中国への懸念は、今や環太平洋諸国が共有している。

But many countries in the region, including the United States, have been maintaining relations with China based on active bilateral talks on various issues instead of cutting off dialogue between the leaders.
それでも、米国はじめ各国は首脳同士の対話を絶やすような選択はせず、むしろ活発に主張をぶつけ合う関係を維持している。

Japan and China once agreed to promote mutually beneficial strategic relations between them. That means both sides should try to find a way to promote coexistence and co-prosperity even if there are serious disputes and disagreements.
　対立を抱えていても、共存共栄を図る。それがかつて日中で合意した「戦略的互恵関係」の意味するところではないか。

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 20

高齢人口２５％ 独り暮らし対策は待ったなし

The Yomiuri Shimbun 7:13 pm, April 18, 2014
Measures urgently needed to cope with, reduce number of elderly living alone
高齢人口２５％　独り暮らし対策は待ったなし

As the people born during the postwar baby boom have begun entering the later stages of their lives, one out of every four people in Japan is now aged 65 or older.
　団塊の世代が高齢期を迎え、日本の総人口の４人に１人が６５歳以上になった。

Working out measures to address the challenges posed by the nation’s rapid aging—a situation without parallel in the rest of the world—is an unmistakably urgent matter.
世界に類を見ないスピードで進む高齢化への対策が急務である。

The Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry released population estimates as of Oct. 1, 2013, in which people aged 65 and over comprised more than 25 percent of the population for the first time. Nearly 31.9 million had celebrated their 65th birthday.
　総務省が２０１３年１０月１日時点の人口推計を公表した。６５歳以上の人口が初めて全体の２５％を超え、３１９０万人に達した。

Japan’s population has contracted for a third straight year, and the working-age population—people aged from 15 to 64—has fallen below 80 million for the first time in 32 years.
　総人口は３年連続で減少し、１５～６４歳の生産年齢人口は３２年ぶりに８０００万人を下回った。

The aging of society brings with it ballooning social security costs, including expenditures for medical and nursing care. As a result, the burden of maintaining the social security system has grown even heavier on a working generation that is shrinking in an alarming fashion.
　高齢化に伴い、医療や介護などの社会保障費は膨張している。減少する「働く世代」には、社会保障制度を維持するための負担が重くのしかかる。

Japan’s social security system, as it exists today, is hardly sustainable and threatens to undermine Japan’s social and economic vigor. The situation is grave indeed.
　このままでは、制度を持続できず、経済・社会の活力も損なわれる。深刻な事態である。

In 2025, as the baby-boom generation passes the age of 75, the number of people needing medical and nursing care will undoubtedly rise even higher.
　団塊の世代が７５歳以上となる２５年には、医療や介護を必要とする人がさらに増えるだろう。

But as the number of older people continues to swell, there are limits to the number of elderly that can be cared for at facilities for the aged and hospitals. Expenditures covered by the nursing care and health insurance systems are likely to increase, leading to a further rise in benefit payments.
　増加する高齢者を施設や病院で受け入れることには限界がある。介護・医療保険から支払われる費用が高くなりがちで、給付費の一層の膨張を招く。

The situation calls for arrangements for integrated nursing care and medical services to be provided in the home, allowing the elderly to live at home for as long as reasonably practical. The government must also back construction of new housing to accommodate older people, including those with lower incomes.
　可能な限り自宅で暮らせるよう、訪問介護や在宅診療を一体的に提供する体制作りが必要だ。低所得でも入居できる高齢者向け住宅の整備も求められよう。

Build mutual aid framework

It is important that Japan also define a strategy for addressing the increasing numbers of older people living alone. According to projections by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, the number of such elderly people, which stood at 4.98 million in 2010, will rise to 7.62 million in 2035, an increase of about 50 percent.
　独り暮らしの高齢者対策も待ったなしだ。国立社会保障・人口問題研究所の推計では、１０年の４９８万人が３５年には１・５倍の７６２万人にまで増える。

Older people who receive no help from family are likely to face great difficulty living on their own if and when they encounter even minor physical or mental issues. Symptoms of dementia and other disorders also tend to be overlooked. Building neighborhood frameworks of mutual support to take the place of absent families is indispensable in coping with this situation.
　家族の手助けがない高齢者は、心身が少し不調でも自立生活が困難になる。認知症などの症状も見過ごされやすい。家族に代わり、地域で支え合う互助の仕組みを育てることが欠かせない。

Many noteworthy programs to keep an eye on elderly residents and provide them with places to interact with other people have been launched by nonprofit organizations and volunteers. We should encourage the further spread of such works.
　各地でＮＰＯやボランティアによる見守り活動や、交流サロンといった高齢者の居場所作りが始まっている。こうした取り組みを広げていきたい。

The role played by local governments is crucial as well. One program by the government of Minato Ward, Tokyo, makes door-to-door visits to the homes of single elderly residents to offer appropriate administrative services, in an effort to better understand their living conditions. This program could be a useful model for other local governments.
　自治体の役割も重要だ。戸別訪問で独り暮らし高齢者の生活状況を把握し、適切なサービスにつなぐ東京都港区の取り組みなどは、他の自治体の参考となる。

We hope to see older people who are in good health and spirits take on volunteer and other activities for the benefit of their communities. Such contributions will add meaning to their lives, and at the same time reduce the likelihood that they will need nursing care services, thereby helping rein in social welfare expenditures for the nation as a whole.
　元気な高齢者にはボランティアなどとして地域で活躍してもらいたい。それが自身の生きがいや介護予防になり、社会保障費の抑制につながるだろう。

There is a close link between the number of older people living alone and the increasing number of unmarried people. Many people within the growing ranks of low-wage nonregular employees are giving up on getting married.
　独り暮らし高齢者の増加は、未婚率の上昇と密接な関係にある。低賃金の非正規労働者の増加で、結婚をあきらめる人が多い。

This is why employment patterns are an important part of preventing further growth in the number of older people living alone—working conditions for nonregular workers should be improved and companies must be urged to expedite promotion of such workers to regular-employee status.
　将来の独り暮らし高齢者を増やさないためにも、非正規労働者の処遇改善や正社員への転換を促進しなければならない。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, April 18, 2014)

電力経営悪化 エネルギー政策全体の課題だ

福島原発事故処理が完全に終わるという目処はいまだにたっていません。
いったいこれから先どれだけのお金がかかるのでしょうか。
最終的には全部国民が負担させられるのではないでしょうか。
原発で得られる電力が安価であるというのは神話となっていますが、読売はこの神話をいまだに信じています。
新聞で世論に訴えるのは自由ですが、物事の本質を突き詰めて論議して欲しいものです。
（スラチャイ）

The Yomiuri Shimbun 7:05 pm, April 17, 2014
Utilities’ deteriorating financial state a key issue for entire energy policy
電力経営悪化　エネルギー政策全体の課題だ

The financial circumstances of electricity utilities continue to deteriorate, chiefly due to delays in restarting their nuclear power plants.
　原子力発電所の再稼働の遅れなどで、電力会社の経営悪化に歯止めがかからない。

There are also growing concerns over the adverse impact of electricity rate hikes on general households and the industrial sector.
　電気料金の値上げによる家計や産業界への悪影響が、ますます懸念されよう。

Chubu Electric Power Co. is planning an average increase of 3.8 percent from May. The company had initially sought a 5 percent hike but lowered its request after being asked by the government to take measures such as cutting down fuel costs.
　中部電力の家庭向け電気料金が５月から、平均３・８％値上げされることになった。約５％の申請に対し、政府は燃料費の節約などを求め、値上げ幅を圧縮した。

Chubu Electric Power is the seventh utility firm to make a “drastic” hike in its electricity rates, which requires government approval. Tokyo Electric Power Co. and Kansai Electric Power Co. have done the same.
　原発事故後、国の認可を要する「本格値上げ」は、東京電力や関西電力などに続いて７社目だ。

Following the outbreak of the crisis at TEPCO’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, all nuclear power plants have been suspended, causing utility companies’ fuel costs to soar after they switched to thermal power plants. As a result, the utilities have been under strain financially.
　東電福島第一原発の事故を受けた全原発の停止によって、火力発電用の燃料費が増大したことが、各社の財務を圧迫している。

Of the nation’s 10 utilities, six companies, including Chubu Electric, are expected to post a recurring loss for the business year ending in March. Five out of the six electricity providers are projected to post a recurring loss for a third straight year, a financial situation that may prompt banks to cut off their loans.
　電力１０社のうち中部電を含む６社は、今年３月期決算で経常利益が赤字になる見通しだ。このうち５社は、銀行に融資を打ち切られる可能性のある「３期連続赤字」が見込まれる。

It was necessary to a certain extent for the government to have approved the power companies’ rate hike requests while calling on them to make thorough efforts to streamline themselves.
　政府が合理化の徹底を求めた上で、各社に値上げを認めたのも、やむを得ない面はあろう。

But it is quite serious that the utility companies are about to enter a second round of rate increases.
　ただし、値上げが「２巡目」に入りつつあるのは深刻である。

Government reluctant

Hokkaido Electric Power Co., which implemented a 7 percent to 8 percent increase in the utility rate last September, announced its plan in February to implement yet another hike. The company said it has been unable to restart its nuclear power plant as it had hoped, leaving it unable to improve its business performance.
　昨年９月に７％台の値上げを実施した北海道電力は今年２月、再値上げの検討を表明した。想定通りに原発を再稼働できず、業績改善が望めないためという。

Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Toshimitsu Motegi has in effect put a hold on Hokkaido Electric’s rate hike, saying, “It’s important [for the company] to make efforts to avoid a rate hike.”
　茂木経済産業相は「値上げ回避の努力が重要だ」などと述べ、事実上待ったをかけている。

The government’s reluctance to approve the rate hikes while delaying the restart of nuclear power plants only serves to further aggravate power companies’ financial situation.
再稼働が遅れている中で値上げに難色を示すだけでは、電力会社の経営は苦しくなるばかりである。

To avoid becoming insolvent with cumulative deficit, Hokkaido Electric has reportedly been studying the possibility of receiving financial support from the Development Bank of Japan. We recognize the value of the utility’s efforts to avoid a rate hike, but they are merely last-ditch measures.
　累積赤字による債務超過を防ぐため、北海道電は日本政策投資銀行から資本支援を受ける方向で検討しているという。値上げを避ける努力は評価できるが、あくまで「窮余の一策」と言える。

The financial state of other utility companies, besides Hokkaido Electric, is also deteriorating. Shortage of funds will leave utility companies unable to make necessary repairs of their power transmission lines and transformer stations, or to inject sufficient money into the renewal of these facilities, adversely affecting power supply. Such a situation must be avoided at all costs.
　北海道電以外の電力各社も財務内容が悪化している。資金不足で送電線や変電所などの補修や更新投資が十分に行えず、電力供給に支障が出る事態は、何としても避けねばならない。

With these factors in mind, it is essential for power companies to be allowed to restart nuclear power plants that have been confirmed to be safe, so their costs for generating electricity can be reduced.
　やはり、安全性の確認できた原発を再稼働し、発電コストを低下させることが欠かせまい。

The most important points are for the Nuclear Regulation Authority to accelerate its safety inspections of nuclear power plants and for the government to extend solid support to the power plants that pass those inspections, so restarting operations can proceed smoothly.
　重要なのは、原子力規制委員会が原発の安全審査を加速させるとともに、審査をパスした原発の再稼働が円滑に進むよう、政府がしっかり後押しすることだ。

It is also necessary for the central government to make an all-out effort to explain the situation, to win the support of local governments that host nuclear power plants.
立地自治体の理解を得るため、説明に全力を挙げる必要がある。

Japan’s economic reconstruction depends on a stable supply of cheap electricity. The time has come for both the public and private sectors to seriously reflect on power companies’ deteriorating financial circumstances, and the challenges posed for the overall energy policy of this country.
　安価な電力の安定供給は、日本経済再生に不可欠だ。電力会社の経営悪化を、エネルギー政策全体の課題と捉え、官民が対応策を真剣に考える時に来ている。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, April 17, 2014)

（社説）安倍政権の絆 ガラパゴス化が心配だ

April 16, 2014
EDITORIAL: Abe administration's disturbing signs of 'Galapagos' syndrome
（社説）安倍政権の絆　ガラパゴス化が心配だ

In his recent address to newly hired government employees, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe exhorted them to broaden their horizons, saying, “In this age of globalization, Galapagos officials who only know about Japan are worthless.”
　「グローバルな時代にあって、『日本のことしか知らない』ガラパゴス人間では、話になりません」。春４月。安倍首相は新人官僚にこう訓示した。

That’s well said. But coming from the mouth of this leader, the words sound somewhat hollow. A number of irresponsible remarks recently made by some administration officials and close Abe aides have triggered concerns about the government’s field of vision. We cannot help but wonder if the vision is limited to an area far narrower than Japan: to things that are only convenient to the administration.
　けだし名言、ただし説得力を欠く。最近の安倍政権とその周辺では、日本どころか自分に都合のいいことしか見ていないのではないかと驚かされる、無責任な言動が続いているからだ。

For instance, Hakubun Shimomura, the minister of education, culture, sports, science and technology, said in a Diet session on March 26 that the so-called Murayama statement was not officially endorsed by a Cabinet decision. The statement was released in 1995 by Tomiichi Murayama, the prime minister at the time, expressing remorse and apologizing for Japan's wartime actions. Shimomura later corrected his comment, saying he had committed “a mistake of fact.”
　下村文部科学相は、「村山談話は閣議決定されていない」という国会答弁を、「事実誤認だった」と訂正した。

It is startling that the education minister, a man known as a passionate advocate of teaching “correct history,” was so wrong about such a basic fact. The statement was indeed officially approved by a Cabinet decision.
「正しい歴史教育」に熱心な文科相が、これほど基本的な事実を誤認していたことにただ、驚く。

When he was asked about the government’s definition of the right to collective self-defense during a Diet session on March 20, Ichiro Komatsu, director-general of the Cabinet Legislation Bureau, adamantly refused to respond, saying he didn’t want to give a wrong answer. “It would be very bad if I answer the question carelessly and am then criticized for correcting my statement later,” he said.
　内閣法制局長官は、国会で集団的自衛権の定義について質問され、「うかつに答弁し、『後で訂正するのはけしからん』となるのは非常に良くない」と、頑として答弁を拒んだ。

Seiichi Eto, a special adviser to Abe, indignantly reacted to a U.S. statement expressing disappointment at Abe’s visit to Yasukuni Shrine last December with a post on a video-sharing site in which he said, “We are disappointed at the United States for saying it was disappointed.”
　首相の靖国神社参拝に対し「米国が『失望』と言ったことに我々の方が失望だ」とした首相補佐官。

Yoshitaka Sakurada, a senior vice minister at the education ministry, attended a rally where people were calling for a revision of the 1993 statement issued by then Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono apologizing to the women who were forced to provide sex to wartime Japanese troops. At the meeting, Sakurada supported the call for revising the statement, saying: “I am a person who abhors the fabrication of facts. My feelings and thoughts are the same as yours.”
「河野官房長官談話の見直しを求める国民大集会」に出席し「私は事実を捏造（ねつぞう）することが大嫌いな人間だ。皆さんと心は同じ、考え方も同じ」と賛意を示した文科副大臣。

Similar remarks were also made by a top executive of Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK).
　似た趣旨の発言は、ＮＨＫ首脳からも漏れこぼれている。

Abe and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga have downplayed the implications of the various utterances by saying they were only “personal opinions.” But that doesn’t dilute the fallout from these controversial remarks.
　首相や菅官房長官はしばしば「個人的見解」などと片づけているが、当然、それで済むはずがない。

The various comments by people close to Abe have alarmed the international community and fueled suspicions that these “personal opinions” actually reflect the prime minister’s true views and feelings. The situation is clearly damaging Japan’s national interests, the importance of which Abe likes to stress.
「個人的見解」の方がむしろ首相の本音ではないかという疑念や警戒感が世界に広まり、首相が大事にしている「国益」が確実に損なわれている。

Abe himself is responsible for the situation since his visit to war-related Yasukuni Shrine triggered the controversial comments expressing “personal opinions.” Abe went “in a private capacity,” even though many people around him urged him not to go.
　そもそも「個人的見解」がだだ漏れるようになったきっかけは昨年１２月、首相が周囲の反対を押し切り、それこそ「私人の立場」で靖国神社を参拝したことだ。

Abe’s renewed passion for pursuing a political agenda for the nation’s “departure from the postwar regime” has inspired his aides to join his crusade. As a result, it seems that they have lost their ability to make sensible judgments, causing the entire administration to lose its balance.
再び火が付いた「戦後レジームからの脱却」への首相の情熱に周囲が引き込まれ、責任感や判断力が低下し、政権全体のバランスが崩れ始めているのではないだろうか。

What is especially disturbing is that the individuals who have made these questionable remarks don’t seem to have an inkling of what made their remarks so controversial.
　深刻なのは、当人たちが、発言の何が問題視されているのかを根本的に理解していないことだ。

This is clear from a comment written by a secretary to Eto, a special adviser to Abe, in Eto’s blog. “Although Eto made the statement with pride for himself and his country, he has retracted it to avoid causing trouble to the Abe administration, which is pursuing such important causes as making an amendment to the Constitution.”
「自身と自国のプライドを持って発言したことだが、これから憲法改正等大義を目指す安倍政権のご迷惑になってはならぬと撤回した」。補佐官のブログに秘書が書いている。

These officials have not offered any explanation about why and how their remarks were problematic. Nor have they taken responsibility for the controversies they provoked. Nor has the administration tried to hold them responsible for their questionable comments. This indulgent atmosphere appears to be breeding self-righteousness among administration officials and enhancing purely collusive relations among people around Abe.
　何がどう問題だったのか。説明せず。責任を取らず。取らせず。そのような生ぬるい空気の中で「自分は悪くない」がすくすくと育ちゆき、首相を取り巻く面々の絆だけがいびつな形で強まっているのではないか。

We are deeply concerned about growing signs of the Galapagos syndrome coming from the Abe administration.
　安倍政権のガラパゴス化。
　心配だ。

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 10

竹富町の教科書 法改正の趣旨踏まえた対応に

The Yomiuri Shimbun 8:47 pm, April 15, 2014
Local boards of education must act in conformity with revision of law
竹富町の教科書　法改正の趣旨踏まえた対応に

The town board of education in Taketomi, Okinawa Prefecture, which has deviated from rules regarding the selection of textbooks for use in public schools and continues to use a textbook of its own choice, recently announced that it will not comply with a demand for corrective action from the education ministry.
　ルールを逸脱し、独自採択した教科書を使用し続けている沖縄県の竹富町教育委員会が、文部科学省の是正要求に応じない方針を表明した。

The law on the free provision of school textbooks stipulates that a joint textbook adoption district—comprising more than one municipality—must adopt the same textbook throughout.
　教科書無償措置法は、複数の自治体で構成する共同採択地区では、同一の教科書を採択するよう定めている。

The Taketomi Board of Education’s adoption of a textbook of its own choice clearly violates the law. It was only to be expected that the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology ministry would issue a demand for corrective action, based on the Local Government Law.
　竹富町教委だけが独自に異なる教科書を採択したのは、明らかに違法行為である。文科省が地方自治法に基づき、是正要求を発動したのは当然のことだった。

The town board of education’s refusal to obey the corrective order shows a lack of willingness to comply with the law that is notable for an institution responsible for the administration of education. Such a position can hardly be tolerated.
　是正要求に従おうとしない竹富町教委の姿勢は、教育行政を担う機関として、順法精神に欠け、許されるものではない。

If a board of education has a problem with a demand from the ministry for corrective action, it can file a formal objection and seek a review by a committee dedicated to settling national-local disputes, a third-party organization affiliated with the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry. It is hard to understand why the Taketomi board has not sought recourse via this process.
　是正要求に不服がある場合、第三者機関である国地方係争処理委員会に審査を申し立てることができる。竹富町教委がこの手続きをとらないことも理解に苦しむ。

In 2011, the textbook selection council of the Yaeyama district, comprising the city of Ishigaki and the towns of Taketomi and Yonaguni, selected a civic studies textbook published by Ikuhosha Publishing Inc. for use in middle schools. The problem started when the Taketomi Board of Education decided alone to adopt a textbook published by Tokyo Shoseki Co.
　石垣市、竹富町、与那国町による八重山地区の採択地区協議会は２０１１年、中学校の公民教科書に育鵬社の教科書を選んだ。これに対し、竹富町教委が東京書籍版を採択したのが問題の発端だ。

Little coverage of territories

The textbook published by Ikuhosha contains a full description of territorial issues, including the government’s perspective on Takeshima island and the Senkaku Islands.
　育鵬社版は、竹島や尖閣諸島についての政府見解を書き込むなど、領土に関する説明が充実している。

The text published by Tokyo Shoseki, on the other hand, contains little description regarding territorial issues, while covering issues concerning U.S. military bases in Okinawa Prefecture in detail.
東京書籍版は、領土の記述が少ない一方で、沖縄の在日米軍基地問題に詳しく触れている。

Objections within the prefecture to the Ikuhosha textbook, the authors of which include former members of the Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform, may also have influenced the Taketomi Board of Education’s textbook choice.
　「新しい歴史教科書をつくる会」の元メンバーらが執筆する育鵬社版に対し、沖縄県内で反発があることも、竹富町教委の独自採択に影響しているのだろう。

The board is seeking independence from Yaeyama district’s textbook selection council, and is working toward securing autonomy to select textbooks for use in the town from the next fiscal year onward. This course of action is also questionable.
　竹富町教委は八重山地区の協議会からの離脱を要望し、来年度から使う教科書の単独採択を目指すという。これも疑問である。

A revised law on the free provision of school textbooks was enacted on April 9. The wording of the revised law to describe administrative units of joint textbook adoption districts was changed from “cities and counties” to “cities, towns and villages.” Based on this change, the Taketomi Board of Education asserts that it is now possible for it to adopt a textbook of its own choice.
　今月９日に改正教科書無償措置法が成立し、採択地区の設定単位が「市郡」から「市町村」に改められた。それを根拠に、竹富町教委は単独採択が可能になったと主張している。

Yet the purpose of the revision is to allow textbooks to be selected by educational districts that combine towns and villages more flexibly, rather than being bound to county divisions that no longer correspond to the distribution of local communities and their livelihoods due to merger of cities, town and villages in recent years.
　だが、改正の目的は、市町村合併で郡が実際の生活圏と重ならなくなったため、郡にとらわれず、町村の柔軟な組み合わせを可能にする点にある。
　
The joint textbook selection system is absolutely intended to remain in place, and the legal revision is by no means intended to fragment educational districts.
あくまで共同採択制度は維持しており、採択地区の細分化を図ったわけではない。

It is inevitable that the Taketomi Board of Education’s policy of breaking away from the educational district will be criticized as an attempt at distorting the legal revision to its own advantage.
竹富町教委の離脱方針は、法改正を逆手にとったものと批判されても仕方あるまい。

The joint textbook selection system has merits, such as the ability for smaller municipalities to cooperate with one another in the careful adoption of textbooks.
　共同採択制度には、小規模自治体が協力し合うことで、丁寧に教科書を選べる利点がある。

It is the Okinawa Prefectural Board of Education that will decide how municipalities will combine to form textbook selection districts. We hope the prefectural board will make its decision according to the spirit in which the legal revision was intended.
　採択地区の構成を決めるのは沖縄県教委だ。法改正の趣旨をしっかり踏まえ、適切な判断をしてもらいたい。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, April 15, 2014)

Ｇ２０共同声明 ウクライナ支援で協調したが

The Yomiuri Shimbun 7:15 pm, April 14, 2014
World must stay vigilant against fallout over turmoil in Ukraine
Ｇ２０共同声明　ウクライナ支援で協調したが

The world’s major economies have managed to take concerted steps in beefing up support to Ukraine, which is on the verge of a financial crisis—at least for the time being.
　財政危機に瀕ひんしたウクライナの支援強化へ、ひとまず足並みをそろえたと言えよう。

But tensions over the situation in Ukraine have increased with no clear path in sight for resolving confrontations between Russia and the United States and European nations. The world must stay vigilant against any fallout on the world economy that the turmoil in Ukraine could incite.
　だが、ウクライナ情勢は一段と緊迫化し、米欧とロシアの対立が解消する道筋は不透明である。ウクライナの混乱が世界経済に及ぼす悪影響を警戒しなければならない。

The meeting in Washington of finance ministers and central bank governors of the Group of 20 advanced nations and emerging economies closed on Saturday after issuing a joint statement.
　先進国と新興国が参加し、ワシントンで開かれた主要２０か国・地域（Ｇ２０）財務相・中央銀行総裁会議は共同声明を採択した。

It was the first international conference that Japan, the United States and European nations officially participated in together with Russia since Western nations strengthened sanctions against Moscow in an angry response to its annexation of the southern Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea.
　ロシアによるウクライナ南部クリミア編入に反発する米欧は、制裁を強化した。その後、日米欧とロシアなどがそろって公式に国際会議に臨んだのは初めてだ。

In a sign of continued tension, U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew warned of additional U.S. sanctions against Russia, which was repudiated by Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, during their bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the G-20 meeting.
　Ｇ２０に合わせた２国間会談で、追加制裁を警告したルー米財務長官に、シルアノフ露財務相が反論するなど緊張が続いている。

Despite the rift, the joint statement stated, “We are monitoring the economic situation in Ukraine, mindful of any risks to economic and financial stability.”
　それでも共同声明は「ウクライナ経済や金融安定へのいかなるリスクにも留意する」と記した。

With financial support from Russia frozen, Ukraine is weighed down by a huge sovereign debt and teeters on the verge of default.
　ロシアからの金融支援が凍結されたウクライナは巨額の政府債務を抱え、債務不履行（デフォルト）の瀬戸際にある。

If Ukraine’s bankruptcy becomes a reality, financial markets around the world will suffer a serious blow, possibly adversely affecting the global economy. Apparently, this alarm loudly resonated among all G-20 members.
　財政破綻が現実になれば、世界の金融市場が動揺し、世界経済に打撃を与えかねない。Ｇ２０は強い危機感を共有したのだろう。

IMF response

The International Monetary Fund, Japan, the United States and European nations have announced financial support totaling $27 billion (¥2.7 trillion) over the next two years, which naturally prompted the G-20 to hail the IMF’s response in its joint statement. It is necessary for the IMF to provide loans as soon as possible.
　国際通貨基金（ＩＭＦ）と日米欧などが２年間で２７０億ドル（約２・７兆円）の支援を打ち出している。共同声明がＩＭＦの対応を歓迎したのはもっともだ。早期の融資実現を目指す必要がある。

Indications were that Russia’s predicament was behind the G-20 members taking joint steps in providing support to Ukraine. Russia would incur a massive loss should credit it provided to Ukraine become unrecoverable.
　今回、ウクライナ支援で連携が成立した背景には、ロシアの苦境がうかがえる。保有するウクライナ向け債権が焦げ付くと、ロシアは巨額の損失を被るからだ。

With its economy continuing to slow down, Russia apparently had no choice but to cooperate with the support program led by the United States and European nations if it wants to put priority on ensuring its economic stability. Russia should take its responsibility for causing the turmoil to heart.
　ロシアの景気減速も続く中で、経済安定を優先し、米欧主導の支援策に協調せざるを得なかったようだ。ロシアは混乱を招いた責任を痛感すべきだろう。

Meanwhile, the joint statement said, “We welcome the prospects for global economic growth to strengthen in 2014 but remain vigilant in the face of important global risks and vulnerabilities.”
　一方、世界経済に関して、共同声明は、「今年の成長は強まる見通しだが、リスクや脆弱ぜいじゃく性がある」と言及した。

In their last meeting in February, the G-20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors agreed on a numerical target of lifting “our collective GDP [gross domestic product] by more than 2 percent above the trajectory implied by current policies over the coming five years.” At stake however is how they can meet the target. The joint statement appropriately stated the G-20 members will review their growth strategies by September.
　前回２月のＧ２０は、「世界成長率を５年間で２％以上の底上げ」という数値目標で合意したが、課題はどう実現するかである。共同声明が９月までに成長戦略を点検する方針を示したのは妥当だ。

In contrast to the U.S. economy, which is chugging along, Europe faces the rising threat of deflation. The Chinese economy is not free from worries, either.
　景気回復が続く米国経済と対照的に、欧州ではデフレ懸念が台頭し、中国経済も不安を抱える。

The Japanese economy, meanwhile, has an uncertain path ahead now that the consumption tax rate was raised this month. The nation should incorporate regulatory reforms and corporate tax reduction in a new growth strategy to contribute to the growth of the global economy.
　消費増税後の日本経済の先行きに不透明感がある。日本は新たな成長戦略に規制改革や法人税減税などを盛り込み、世界の成長に貢献することが求められよう。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, April 13, 2014)

香山リカのココロの万華鏡:人生のサイズダウン ／東京

スローライフの思想に相通じる良い論説ですね。
女性でもより大きな家、より高い収入思考の人たちは意外に多いと思いますが＾＾。
（スラチャイ）

April 13, 2014(Mainichi Japan)
Kaleidoscope of the Heart: Downsizing one's life
香山リカのココロの万華鏡:人生のサイズダウン　／東京

A number female friends around my age moved house this spring. In each case, they moved to either a smaller home or a smaller workplace.
　同世代の女性の友人の中で、この春、引っ越しをした人が何人かいる。それが全員、それまでより小さな部屋や仕事場に移ったのだ。

Common opinion is that selling a big house and moving to a one-room apartment is not something to celebrate. However, the friends who were invited to visit these smaller homes all dished out compliments. They, and I, got excited and said things like, "I want to live somewhere uncrowded like this," or "You don't need a big room; this is enough," as we admired the smaller, cute furniture.
　常識で考えれば、大きな一戸建てを売ってワンルームマンションに移るのは、喜ばしいこととは言えない。しかし、「これまでよりサイズダウンした新居」に招かれた友だちは、声をそろえて「いいわねえ」と言う。私も含め、「私もこれくらいモノのない中で暮らしたい」「大きな部屋なんて必要ないよね、これで十分」「わあ、小さなテーブル、かわいい！」と興奮状態に陥ってしまう。

I wonder how this would go for men, however. Even though more men think flexibly nowadays, some are still unhappy with moving to the suburbs or a smaller place. Talking like characters in a historical drama, they say, "We're finally letting go of the castle," or, "It's a retreat to the countryside." I feel that if only they could enjoy the freshness of their new life, things would be much simpler.
　これが男性だったらどうだろう、と考える。だいぶ考え方が柔軟な男性も増えたとはいえ、小さな部屋や郊外に移ると、いまだに「ついに城を手放して」「都落ちですよ」などと時代劇のような言葉で、環境の変化を恥じて見せる人もいる。彼らが「こんな生活も新鮮だな」と楽しめれば、ずっと生きやすくなるはずなのに、と思う。

In my consultation room as well, it is overwhelmingly men who cannot let go of values like, "Higher income is better," and, "The bigger the house, the better." These men become depressed when they can't get ahold of those things.
　診察室で見ていても「収入は多いほどよい」「家は広いほどよい」という価値観を捨てきれず、それがうまくいかないと「人生、終わりだ」とうつ病にまでなるのは、圧倒的に男性だ。

Women, on the other hand, accept the situation they are in, and sometimes even purposefully choose a job that pays less if it is fulfilling, or a home that has fewer rooms if it allows a more compact, comfortable life. It is almost always women who actively enjoy cutting down on their life, and they do not hesitate to congratulate other female friends on such choices.
　一方、女性たちは、そのときどきの状況を受け入れたり、中にはあえて「収入は少ないが、人の役に立つ仕事」や「部屋数は少ないがコンパクトに暮らせそうな家」を選んだりする人さえいる。いわゆる人生のサイズダウンを積極的に楽しめるのは、ほとんどが女性なのだ。また女性の友人どうしでも、それを選択した人に「おめでとう！」「うらやましい」と称賛の声を惜しまない。

Of course, it might be important to always maintain a spirit of self-improvement. However, effort does not always lead to success, and more importantly, if you wear yourself out through over-exertion, there is no point. I think it is acceptable to sometimes choose the easier or less-demanding way and downsize our lifestyles.
　もちろん、あくまで上昇志向を失わず、常に「今より上へ」とがんばることも大切かもしれない。とはいえ、努力が必ずしも成果に結びつくわけではないし、何よりがんばりすぎることで心身ともに疲れきってしまっては意味がない。ときには、よりラクなほうへ、より手軽なほうへ、と人生のサイズダウンをはかることだってあってよいのではないだろうか。

When I visited one of my friends who moved to a smaller home, even her fashion sense seemed "lighter," and she seemed to have become younger. Looking at her smile, I thought that maybe I, too, would put an end to the plans, goals and pressures that fill my life and live lighter.
　より小さな住まいに移った友人の家を訪れると、出迎えてくれた彼女はファッションまで軽やかになり、なんだか若返ったように見えた。いつまでもあふれるほどのモノ、計画や目標、プレッシャーなどを抱え込んで暮らす生活にはどこかで見切りをつけて、私ももっと身軽に生きていこうかな、とその笑顔を見ながら考えた春の日であった。

(By Rika Kayama, psychiatrist)
毎日新聞　2014年04月08日　地方版

エネルギー計画 「原発活用」は現実的な戦略だ

The Yomiuri Shimbun 7:28 pm, April 12, 2014
Government takes realistic stance on N-power in basic energy plan
エネルギー計画　「原発活用」は現実的な戦略だ

　◆最適な電源構成の設定を急げ◆

The basic energy plan, which serves as a guideline for the government’s energy policy and was endorsed at a Cabinet meeting on Friday, represents a leap forward in efforts to normalize that policy, which has been marred by a series of turnabouts. The government now must reestablish a regime for a stable supply of energy.
　迷走した日本のエネルギー政策を、正常化する大きな一歩である。電力の安定供給体制の立て直しが求められよう。

The plan defined nuclear energy, the key focus in drafting the program, as “an important base load electricity source” that generates electricity day and night. It also clearly stated that nuclear power plants will resume operations after their safety is confirmed.
　政府がエネルギー政策の指針となるエネルギー基本計画を閣議決定した。
　最大の焦点だった原子力発電所については、昼夜を問わずに発電する「重要なベースロード電源」と位置付けた。
安全性を確認した原発の再稼働も明記した。

The plan is appropriate for officially ending the policy line of phasing out nuclear energy that was upheld by the administrations of the Democratic Party of Japan.
　民主党政権が掲げた「脱原発路線」に、正式に決別する妥当な内容と言える。

Komeito consent was key
　◆公明党の同意がカギに◆

Following the outbreak of the crisis at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, operations of all 48 of the nation’s nuclear reactors have been suspended—a situation that is simply abnormal.
　東京電力福島第一原発の事故を受け、全原発４８基の停止という異常事態が続いている。

The government initially planned to have the basic energy plan endorsed at a Cabinet meeting early this year, but it had to wait until now because of prolonged efforts to reach a consensus between the Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner New Komeito.
　政府は当初、今年初めにもエネルギー基本計画を閣議決定する方向だったが、自民、公明両党との調整が長引いた。

Komeito, which had vowed to swiftly stop nuclear power generation during election campaigns, eventually agreed to the basic policy of utilizing nuclear power—a realistic judgment in light of the stringent power supply situation facing Japan.
　速やかな「原発ゼロ」を選挙公約に掲げた公明党も、最終的に、原発を活用する基本方針に同意した。厳しい電力事情を考えたうえでの現実的な判断だった。

Nuclear power accounted for 30 percent of the nation’s electricity generation before the nuclear crisis. Nearly 90 percent of the power once generated by nuclear plants is now being compensated for by thermal power.
　事故前に全発電量の３割だった原発を火力発電が代替し、比率は９割近くに達している。

Depending excessively on thermal power, for which fuel must be imported from abroad, is extremely risky from a security viewpoint.
　輸入燃料に頼る火力発電への過度な依存は、エネルギー安全保障の観点から極めて危うい。

The additional fuel costs incurred by the substitution of thermal power top ¥3.6 trillion a year, draining an enormous amount of national wealth from Japan into resource-rich countries.
　火力発電の追加燃料費は年３・６兆円に上り、資源国への巨額な国富流出が続く。

The electricity rates TEPCO charges households have risen by 40 percent from before the crisis, and the corresponding rates by Kansai Electricity Power Co. have increased by nearly 30 percent. As things stand now, additional rate hikes are inevitable.
家庭の電気料金は事故前より東電で４割、関西電力も３割近く上がり、このままでは追加値上げも不可避だろう。

It is worrying that there are no prospects yet of resuming the operations of nuclear power plants. The government should gear up efforts to restart nuclear power plants through such measures as persuading the local governments that host power plants to accept their resumption.
　問題は、いまだに原発再稼働への道筋が見えないことである。政府は立地自治体の説得を含め、再稼働の実現に向けた取り組みを加速させるべきだ。

Energy target doubtful
　◆再生エネ２割は疑問◆

Another focal point of the basic plan was how to estimate the spread of solar power and other renewable energy. The government stated in the plan that it would aim to raise the percentage of renewable energy in the electricity supply to more than 20 percent by the end of fiscal 2030, from about 10 percent in fiscal 2012.
　基本計画のもう一つの焦点は、太陽光など再生可能エネルギーの普及をどう見込むかだった。政府は、２０１２年度に約１割だった再生エネの比率を、３０年度に２割以上にすることを盛り込んだ。

The target was set in deference to Komeito and others, who place importance on renewable energy. Although it is necessary to expand the use of renewable energy, it is doubtful whether it was appropriate to set a numerical target only for renewable energy when the government has yet to compile an overall plan with appropriate percentage targets for all energy sources.
　再生エネを重視する公明党などの主張を受け入れたものだ。再生エネの拡充は必要だが、目指すべき最適な電源構成の全体像をまとめる前に、再生エネだけに数値目標を掲げたのは疑問である。

Raising the percentage of renewable energy to 20 percent means that renewable energy sources must be used to produce electricity equivalent to that generated by the full operation of 10 nuclear reactors, in addition to what is currently being generated by renewable energy sources.
　２割に引き上げるには、原発１０基をフル稼働して作る電力を、再生エネで新たに確保する計算になる。

To produce that amount of electricity with solar power would require a tract of land 10 times the area inside the JR Yamanote Line, which loops around central Tokyo. In the case of wind power generation, it would require about 20,000 windmills. As things stand, these options have only a faint possibility of realization.
太陽光だけなら東京の山手線内の１０倍の用地が、風力では約２万基の風車が要る。現時点では実現性に乏しい目標ではないか。

There are many hurdles to overcome, such as abrupt changes in power generation volume depending on sunshine and wind conditions. It will be impossible to find a way unless technology development is accelerated through the joint efforts of the private and public sectors.
　日照や風の状況による発電量の急変動など、克服すべき課題も多い。官民が連携して技術開発を加速しないと、活路は開けまい。

The crucial point is to promptly set a target figure for the composition of all power resources, including nuclear power generation, and present a road map for achievement of that goal.
　大切なのは、原発を含む電源構成の目標設定と、その達成への工程表を速やかに示すことだ。

If the direction of the nation’s energy policy remains uncertain, it will be difficult for companies to work out business strategies for the medium and long term. There are also fears it will hinder the Abe administration’s Abenomics economic policy.
　エネルギー政策の方向が不透明なままでは、企業が中長期の経営戦略を立てにくい。安倍政権の経済政策「アベノミクス」の足かせとなる恐れもある。

It is essential to diversify energy sources in a balanced manner among thermal generation, nuclear power and renewable energy, which all have merits and demerits in terms of economic efficiency, stability of supply and environmental impact. It is also necessary to take a multilateral approach, including the development and construction of thermal power plants with lower greenhouse gas emissions.
　経済性や供給安定性、環境負荷など、それぞれ長所と短所のある火力、原子力、再生エネにバランスよく分散させることが肝心だ。温室効果ガスの排出量を抑えた火力発電所の開発・新設など、多角的な対応も求められよう。

The basic energy plan states that dependence on nuclear power generation “will be reduced as much as possible.” But at the same time, it says “the nuclear power volume to be secured will be assessed.” This leaves room for the possibility of building a new nuclear power plant or reactor. But there is no denying that the plan stopped short of clarifying its stance.
　基本計画は原発依存度を「可能な限り低減させる」とする一方、「確保していく規模を見極める」としている。原発の新増設に含みを残しているが、踏み込み不足は否めない。

A policy to promote construction of new nuclear power plants or reactors should be clarified in the future for the purpose of maintaining nuclear technology and nurturing related human resources.
　原子力技術の維持と人材育成のためにも、原発を新増設する方針を明示すべきだろう。

The public has deep-seated concerns about the safety of nuclear power plants, partly due to the delay in ending the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. The government and TEPCO must work together closely to end the crisis as soon as possible.
　原発の安全性に対する国民の不安が根強いのは、福島第一原発の事故収束の遅れも一因だ。政府と東電が緊密に連携し、早急に収束を図ることが重要である。

Pave way for final disposal

To utilize nuclear power generation, it is essential to pave the way for resolving the issue of a final disposal site for radioactive waste. It was natural for the basic energy plan to say “the government will take the initiative in tackling the matter.” It is urgent to carry out concrete measures, such as selection of a final disposal site.
　原発を活用するうえで、放射性廃棄物の最終処分に道筋をつけることも欠かせない。「国が前面に立って取り組む」としたのは当然だ。処分地選定などで具体的な進展を図ることが急務となる。

　◆最終処分に道筋つけよ◆

Regarding the nuclear fuel cycle, the plan retains an expression that the matter “will be dealt with flexibly.” However, concern remains.
　核燃料サイクルについて「対応の柔軟性を持たせる」との表現が維持されたのは、懸念が残る。

It is laudable, on the other hand, that the Monju fast-breeder reactor has been positioned anew as a focus of international research to reduce the amount and toxicity of nuclear waste. This must be used as a tailwind for the steady promotion of the nuclear fuel cycle.
　一方、高速増殖炉「もんじゅ」が新たに、核廃棄物の減量や有害度低減などの国際的な研究拠点と位置付けられたのは評価できる。核燃サイクルの着実な推進への追い風としたい。

China has 15 nuclear reactors and plans to construct an additional 55 units. If a serious nuclear accident occurs in China, radioactive substances will fall on Japan.
　中国には１５基の原発があり、５５基の建設が計画されている。重大な原発事故が起きれば、放射性物質は日本にも飛来する。

Exporting Japanese nuclear reactors with high safety performance to emerging countries will contribute to the international community and simultaneously lead to securing Japan’s own safety.
　安全性能の高い日本の原発を新興国などに輸出することは、国際貢献になると同時に、日本の安全確保にもつながる。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, April 12, 2014)