英字新聞

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Mar. 28, 2013)
Diet should respond quickly to warnings from judiciary
衆院選違憲判決　国会は司法の警告に即応せよ（3月27日付・読売社説）

　◆「無効」判断は無責任ではないか◆

Never before has the legislature been so harshly criticized for its negligence by the judiciary.
　立法府が、司法からこれほどまで怠慢を指摘されたのは、かつてなかったことだ。

Rulings have been handed down in 15 of 16 lawsuits heard at high courts and high court branches across Japan over vote-value disparities in the December House of Representatives election.
　昨年１２月の衆院選を巡り、全国の高裁・支部で審理された１６件の「１票の格差」訴訟のうち、１５件で判決が言い渡された。

In 13 of the cases, the courts found results in related single-seat constituencies in the Dec. 16 lower house election to be unconstitutional. In the two remaining cases, the election results were found to be in an "unconstitutional state."
There was not a single case in which the election results were ruled constitutional.
　１３件は「違憲」と断じた。残る２件も「違憲状態」と指摘し、合憲判断は一つもなかった。

The rulings were handed down as a result of examinations by about 50 high court judges. The Diet must seriously take the rulings to heart and quickly take concrete measures to correct vote-value disparities.
　約５０人もの高裁判事が審理した結果である。国会は判決を重く受け止め、早期に具体的な是正措置を講じなければならない。

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Rectification taking too long
　◆進まない格差の是正◆

Do vote-value disparities in last year's lower house election--with votes in one constituency worth up to 2.43 times as much as those in another--violate the Constitution, which guarantees people's equality under the law?
　最大２・４３倍だった１票の格差が、法の下での平等を保障した憲法に違反するか。

If so, is the time period in which the Diet left the disparities unaddressed permissible? These were points of contention in the lawsuits.
違反であれば、国会が格差を放置した期間は許容できる範囲内か。いずれの訴訟もこの２点が主な争点だ。

The rulings that found the election results to be unconstitutional judged that vote-value disparities violate the Constitution and that a reasonable time period to correct the disparities had elapsed.
　「違憲」判決は、格差が憲法違反である上、格差是正の合理的期間も過ぎたと判断した。

The rulings that found the election results to be in an unconstitutional state consider the vote-value disparities to violate the Constitution but view the time period in which the disparities were left unaddressed as permissible.
「違憲状態」判決は、憲法違反だが、格差の放置は許される期間内だとの見解である。

In March 2011, the Supreme Court ruled that the 2009 lower house election, in which the maximum vote-value disparity was 2.30-to-1, was in an unconstitutional state. The disparity widened further in the lower house election last year.
　最大格差が２・３０倍だった２００９年の衆院選について、最高裁は１１年３月、「違憲状態」とする判決を出した。昨年末の衆院選時には、それよりも格差が拡大していた。

Therefore, it was only to be expected that a series of tough judgments would be handed down by the high courts.
　高裁の一連の厳しい判断は、予想できたと言えよう。

But how large can a vote-value disparity grow and still be considered constitutional? The rulings handed down so far are not necessarily clear on this point.
　ただ、１票の格差は、何倍までならば合憲なのか、各高裁の判決からは必ずしも判然としない。

Another problem is that the Hiroshima High Court and the high court's Okayama branch declared results in certain single-seat constituencies in the December lower house election were invalid.
　さらに、問題なのは、広島高裁と広島高裁岡山支部が、選挙の無効まで宣告したことである。

Other courts have applied the legal principle of "circumstantial ruling" and found election results themselves to be valid in consideration of the confusion that might be created if they were ruled invalid.
　裁判所はこれまで「事情判決」の法理を適用し、選挙そのものは有効としてきた。無効とした場合の混乱を考慮してのことだ。

But the Hiroshima High Court did not apply this circumstantial ruling principle, saying, "The Supreme Court's right to determine the constitutionality of laws has been disregarded."
　これに対し、広島高裁は「最高裁の違憲審査権が軽視されている」として、事情判決を適用しなかった。

The high court also expressed a view that September of last year, 1-1/2 years after the top court's ruling, should have been the deadline for rectifying vote-value disparities.
「最高裁判決から１年半が経過した昨年９月」を、格差是正の期限とする見解も示した。

However, no concrete basis for this standard was given.
　だが、この線引きの具体的根拠は示されていない。

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Undue judicial interference
　◆「将来効」判決は疑問◆

The Hiroshima High Court also ruled that the election results in the Hiroshima constituencies will be rendered invalid after Nov. 26 this year.
　無効の効力は、今年１１月２６日を経過して発生するとも判示した。

The decision took into account the fact that the Council on House of Representatives Electoral Districts has been working on revamping these districts since Nov. 26 last year.
衆院の「選挙区画定審議会」が、昨年１１月２６日から改定作業を始めたことを重視したのだという。

It is not clear if a one-year grace period is necessary before the ruling takes effect.
　一定期間を経た後に効力が生じるという「将来効」の考え方だが、１年という区切りの必然性は明確でない。

Staying the effect of the ruling can be taken as an intrusion by the judiciary into territory where discretionary power is granted to the legislature.
立法府の裁量権に司法が踏み込んだとも言える。

The Okayama branch of the Hiroshima High Court immediately invalidated the result for an Okayama Prefecture constituency as the principle of equality in the value of each vote, it said, took precedence over concerns for political confusion. We find such a ruling unacceptably reckless.
　岡山支部は、選挙を「即時無効」と判断した。「政治的混乱より投票価値の平等」を重視したというが、あまりに乱暴過ぎる。

The existing Public Offices Election Law has no detailed stipulations about revoting, should an election be deemed invalid.
　現行の公職選挙法には、選挙無効が確定した場合の詳細なやり直し規定がない。

For example, no clear legal procedures for revoting are mentioned, including whether new elections should be held only in constituencies where lawmakers lost their seats, or if instead the lower house should be dissolved for a general election.
例えば、失職した議員の選挙区のみ再選挙をするのか、解散・総選挙になるのか、法的手続きは整理されていない。

Should the rulings nullifying the election results stick, Japan's politics would be thrown into utter confusion.
　無効判決が確定すれば、政治は混乱するばかりだ。

All rulings related to vote disparities are expected to be taken to the Supreme Court. It is hoped that the top court will make a realistic decision.
　すべての訴訟は上告される見通しだ。最高裁には現実的な判断を示してもらいたい。