英字新聞

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Aug. 29, 2012)
Failure to address election system reform deplorable
与野党の対立　衆院選改革の放置にあきれる（8月28日付・読売社説）

The current ordinary Diet session closes in less than two weeks and many legislative issues are still pending. Both the ruling and opposition camps must work tirelessly to reach accords on them until the last minute.
　通常国会は会期末まで２週間足らずとなった。なお、数多くの懸案が残っている。与野党は、最後まで合意への努力を続けるべきだ。

The biggest concern is that the Diet has yet to realize the House of Representatives' electoral system reform, although the Supreme Court has ruled the current disparity in the weight of votes between the most- and least- represented constituencies is "in a state of unconstitutionality."
　最大の懸念は、「違憲状態」と司法が判断した衆院選挙制度の改革が実現しないことである。

The Democratic Party of Japan voted on a DPJ-sponsored election system reform bill in a special lower house committee on Monday in the absence of opposition parties. The DPJ is poised to pass the bill in a plenary session of the lower house on Tuesday.
　民主党は、衆院特別委員会で自らが提出した法案を全野党欠席のまま単独で採決し、可決した。２８日に衆院を通過させる構えだ。

The opposition bloc, as a matter of course, has opposed the DPJ's actions.
　無論、野党は反発している。

Given that the DPJ will be unable to obtain approval from the opposition that controls the House of Councillors, it is certain the bill will be scrapped when it fails in the upper house. This will leave the state of unconstitutionality unresolved.
参院で多数を占める野党の協力を見込めず、法案の廃案は確実だ。違憲状態を放置するに等しい。

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DPJ out to put off election

Having the bill hastily approved by the committee is presumably motivated by a desire to shift the blame for failing to achieve electoral reform to the opposition.
　それでも民主党が突っ走ったのは、改革が実現しない責任を野党に押しつけたいからだろう。

DPJ Acting Secretary General Shinji Tarutoko has lambasted the opposition parties for "taking a stand even against rectifying the gap in the weight of votes."
　実際、樽床伸二幹事長代行は、審議を拒否した野党を「『１票の格差』是正さえやりたくない態度だ」と批判している。

The DPJ, however, has persistently spurned the idea of cutting five single-seat electoral districts before other election system issues. This is the only option the DPJ and the major opposition parties, the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito, agreed to on the election reform issue. The DPJ should be held responsible for stalling this reform.
　だが、民主党は、民自公３党が唯一折り合える格差是正の小選挙区「０増５減」の先行実施を拒み、制度改革を停滞させてきた。

In light of the irresponsibility of the DPJ, the party is not qualified to criticize the opposition. The DPJ has employed the tactic of delaying the legislation in a bid to postpone the lower house dissolution and a general election.
無責任な民主党に野党を批判する資格はない。結局、衆院解散・総選挙の先送り戦術ではないのか。

The DPJ-sponsored bill entails not only a five single-seat constituency cut, but also the reduction of 40 proportional representation seats. It also includes the partial adoption of a seat allocation formula in proportional representation contests favorable to small and midsize parties, which Komeito has demanded.
　そもそも民主党の法案は、「０増５減」や比例選定数の４０削減、公明党が主張した比例代表連用制の部分導入を盛り込んでいる。

Electoral system reform based on such a hodgepodge of arguments backed by different parties is unintelligible to the public. Introduction of a seat allocation formula designed to give disproportionately preferential treatment to small and midsize parties may be a constitutional violation, according to some analysts.
　各党の言い分をつなぎ合わせた制度は、極めて分かりにくい。中小政党を過剰に優遇する連用制には憲法上の疑義も指摘される。

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Opposition equally at fault

The LDP is set to submit a censure motion in the upper house against Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda as early as Wednesday.
　一方、自民党は２９日にも、野田首相問責決議案を参院に提出する方針だ。

The censure motion will likely pass the upper house by an opposition majority. If the opposition boycotts all Diet deliberations after that, the current session could end with many issues unaddressed.
決議案は野党の賛成多数で可決される見通しで、野党がその後、審議を一切拒否すれば、国会は多くの案件を積み残したまま事実上閉幕することになる。

Citing reasons to censure the prime minister, LDP President Sadakazu Tanigaki claims Noda's ability to tackle the problems facing the country "has reached its limit."
　自民党の谷垣総裁は首相問責の理由として「日本の課題に対応する能力が限界に来ている」と言う。

However, the opposition is just as responsible for the turmoil in the nation's politics.
ただ、国政の混迷を招いた責任については野党も同罪だろう。

A case in point is a government plan for a bill to issue deficit-covering government bonds.
　例えば、赤字国債発行を可能とする特例公債法案だ。

Should the bill fail to pass, it would become impossible, at some point, to implement the state budget. The opposition parties have continued to assert they will not cooperate unless the DPJ commits to an exact date for the dissolution of the lower house.
成立しないと、いずれ予算執行は不可能となる。野党は衆院解散と引き換えでなければ協力しないという。

Deputy Prime Minister Katsuya Okada has said, "There is a possibility of a power change [in the next general election] and the opposition should stop these maneuvers."
　岡田副総理は、「与野党が代わることもある。こんなやり方はいいかげんにやめた方がいい」と指摘した。

While Okada is right, the DPJ should remember that, when it sat in opposition, it also used budget-related bills, including one to issue deficit-covering bonds, as bargaining chips.
その通りだが、民主党こそ野党時代に特例公債法案など予算関連法案を駆け引きの材料としたことを忘れてはならない。

If the censure motion is passed by the LDP, Komeito and other opposition parties, the relationship of trust between the DPJ and the two major opposition parties would almost certainly collapse.
　自公両党などによって問責決議案が可決されれば、これまで構築してきた民自公路線は崩壊する。

A censure motion, which has no binding power, must never be exploited in a power struggle.
法的効力のない問責決議を政争に使うべきではない。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Aug. 28, 2012)
（2012年8月28日01時45分 読売新聞）