英字新聞

The Yomiuri Shimbun(Sep. 14, 2009)
Don't vilify bureaucrats--employ their expertise
政治主導　官僚を敵視せず使いこなせ（9月14日付・読売社説）

The Democratic Party of Japan says the transfer of the reins of government offers a good opportunity to take power out of the hands of bureaucrats and put it into lawmakers' hands. But politician-led government should be a means to an end--the formulation and implementation of better policies--not an end in itself.
　民主党は、政権交代は「官僚主導」政治を「政治主導」に転換する好機という。だが、政治主導は、より良い政策の立案と実行のための手段であり、目的ではあるまい。

Keeping this in mind, we hope the DPJ operates the new administration in a way that brings about tangible results.
　民主党は、この点を肝に銘じて新政権を運営し、具体的な成果につなげてもらいたい。

The DPJ has drawn up a framework for a politician-initiated decision-making system under which about 100 of the party's lawmakers will be placed in ministries and agencies, a national strategy bureau under the direct control of the prime minister will be set up as a "control tower," politicians will decide on and coordinate policies through committees comprising cabinet ministers tasked with working in particular policy fields, and the administrative vice ministers' meeting will be abolished.
　国会議員約１００人を政府内に配置する。首相直属の国家戦略局を司令塔とし、少人数の閣僚によるテーマ別の閣僚委員会を活用して、政治家が政策を調整、決定する。事務次官会議は廃止する。
　これが、民主党の描く政治主導の意思決定システムの骨格だ。

Using the opportunity provided by the transfer of administrative power, the DPJ aims to eliminate collusive bidding practices conducted at the initiative of government officials and wasteful spending of taxpayers' money by targeting bureaucrats' vested interests. We have no objection to that. It is important to clarify the roles of politicians and bureaucrats and then create new rules that reflect that distinction.
　政権交代を機に、官僚の既得権益に切り込み、官製談合や税金の無駄遣いを徹底して排除する狙いに、異論はない。政治家と官僚の役割分担を明確にし、新たなルールを作ることも大切だろう。

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Precedent not sacred

Now is also a good chance to end the custom of following precedent without careful consideration and reexamine past practices. One example of how this could be achieved is the DPJ's pledge to investigate a purported secret Japan-U.S. pact allowing the entry into Japan of U.S. nuclear-armed naval vessels and aircraft, which Foreign Ministry officials are said to have long regarded as untouchable.
　安易な前例踏襲をやめ、再点検する機会でもある。外務官僚がタブーとしてきた、核持ち込みに関する日米の密約問題を調査する民主党の方針は、その一例だ。

The basis of politician-led politics is that lawmakers picked by the public make decisions by themselves on important policies, thereby assuming responsibility for them. As high-priority tasks for the new cabinet will be tackled using a top-down approach, the concept behind the national strategy bureau makes sense.
　国民から選ばれた政治家が重要な政策について自ら判断し、その責任を負う。それが政治主導の本質だ。新内閣の最優先課題をトップダウンで決めるため、国家戦略局を活用する構想は悪くない。

It is true that current cabinet meetings are largely ceremonial. It is, therefore, significant that a small number of concerned ministers will discuss the nitty-gritty of policies at cabinet committees and coordinate them.
　現在の閣議が形骸(けいがい)化しているのは事実だ。少数の関係閣僚が閣僚委員会で、実質的に議論し、政策を調整することは意味がある。

On the other hand, if the DPJ asserts its determination to realize lawmaker-led politics, lawmakers must master policy details and handle the bureaucracy skillfully. Unless they make good use of bureaucrats' expertise, administrative functions will deteriorate.
　一方で、政治主導を掲げる以上、政治家には、政策を十分理解し、官僚を使いこなす能力が求められる。官僚の専門性を活用しなければ、行政機能は低下する。

In recent years, the number of people applying to become central government officials has been declining. One reasons for this is said to be increasing criticism of public servants due to repeated revelations of bureaucratic misconduct. If the government cannot secure talented human resources, administrative work will be impeded, which will have an adverse effect on the people. It will also end up harming the nation's international competitiveness.
　近年、国家公務員志望者の減少が続いた。不祥事続発に伴う官僚批判の高まりが一因という。政府に優秀な人材が集まらなければ、行政が停滞し、困るのは国民だ。将来の国際競争にも影響する。

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Relationship of trust crucial

In Britain, whose system of government the DPJ looks to as a model, there is criticism that there are too many ruling party lawmakers in the government, which is said to hamper administration.
　民主党が「お手本」とする英国でも、政府内の与党議員が多すぎて行政に支障を来している、との批判があるとされる。

The DPJ should not resort to bureaucrat-bashing to win the public's support as it did when it was an opposition party. It should refrain from opposing government personnel nominees requiring approval from both chambers of the Diet on the ground that they are former bureaucrats. Instead, it should make personnel appointments based on ability.
　民主党は、野党時代のように、人気取りのために官僚たたきに走るべきではない。官僚ＯＢであることだけを理由に国会同意人事に反対するといった対応は慎み、能力本位の人事を行うべきだ。

So politicians can make correct decisions, it is indispensable that they have a relationship of trust with bureaucrats, who provide fresh information and ideas. Rather than taking a hostile view of bureaucrats, it is important for lawmakers to make maximum use of their expertise.
　政治家が誤りなき判断をするには、生きた情報とアイデアを提供する官僚との信頼関係が欠かせない。官僚を敵視せず、その能力を最大限引き出すことが重要だ。

Bureaucrats, for their part, should not forget their primary responsibility is to stay politically neutral and serve the people.
　官僚も、政治的中立性を保ち、国民に奉仕する、という原点を忘れてはなるまい。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 14, 2009)
（2009年9月14日01時19分 読売新聞）