英字新聞

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Jan. 5, 2011)
Policy changes needed to break economic deadlock
日本経済再生　閉塞感の打破へ政策を転換せよ（1月4日付・読売社説）

The Japanese economy's recovery has slowed to a stall.
　日本経済は景気回復の歩みが鈍り、「踊り場」でもたついている。

Amid ongoing deflation, the working population has started to decline, and the impact on production and consumption is very worrying.
　デフレが続く中で、働く世代の人口減少が始まり、生産や消費への悪影響が懸念される。

Will Japan, which was once an economic giant second only to the United States, follow a path of decline without doing anything?
　米国に次ぐ経済大国だった日本は、このまま衰退の道をたどるのか。

Many people must now feel they will be unable to lead a stable postretirement life in light of the possible collapse of social security and the nation's finances.
社会保障や財政が破綻して、老後の暮らしが立ちゆかなくなるのではないか。そんな不安を抱く人も少なくないはずだ。

To break through the growing sense of stagnation, the government needs to drastically change its economic policies.
　強まる閉塞感を打破するため、今こそ経済政策の抜本的な見直しが必要である。

The Japanese economy has overcome the global recession and somehow turned around since spring 2009. 　世界同時不況を切り抜け、日本の景気は２００９年春から好転した。

However, this was made possible by the temporary tailwinds of major economic stimulus measures and short-lived expansion of foreign demand pushed by the growth of other Asian countries.
The unreliable nature of the economy in terms of maintaining sustainable growth is quite clear if one looks back at the economic standstill since autumn of last year.
だが、大規模な景気対策やアジアの成長による外需拡大などが一時的な追い風になっただけで、自律的な成長力の頼りなさは、昨秋からの景気の足踏みを見れば明らかである。

Automobile sales sharply declined due to the termination of eco-car subsidies in September. The scaling down of the eco-point system for household appliances in December put a brake on sales of flat-screen TVs and other appliances.
　９月のエコカー補助金打ち切りで自動車の販売は急減し、１２月の家電エコポイント縮小を機に、薄型テレビなどの売れ行きにもブレーキがかかった。

Furthermore, growth in exports is almost flat because of the yen's appreciation and the slowdown of overseas economies.
円高に加え海外経済の減速の影響で、頼みの輸出も伸びが鈍っている。

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Govt policy no help
　◆政策も外需も息切れ◆

The employment situation is also severe. The unemployment rate remains at a high level in the 5 percent range. Many young people, freezing in the midst of the so-called job-hunting ice age, have been struggling in their "shukatsu" job-hunting activity.
　雇用も厳しい。失業率は５％台に高止まりしたままで、「就職氷河期」の寒風に吹かれた大勢の若者が“就活”で苦戦している。

Yet the government and the Bank of Japan maintain their forecast that overseas economies such as those in other parts of Asia will steadily pick up and the Japanese economy will also recover on a possible increase in exports.
　それでも、政府や日銀は、アジアなど海外経済が順調に盛り返し、輸出増加をテコに景気が回復していくと見込んでいる。

Many people will neither feel satisfied with nor see any relief in such an optimistic scenario that depends on other countries. Repeated policy mistakes by the Democratic Party of Japan-led government since the party took the helm of government in September 2009 could prevent the Japanese economy from recovering.
　そんな海外頼みの回復シナリオを描かれても、とても安心はできない。一昨年の政権交代からの度重なる政策ミスが、日本経済の復調を妨げかねないためだ。

One such recent policy mistake by the DPJ-led government is its decision not to officially participate in talks for the Trans-Pacific Partnership strategic economic partnership agreement.
　最近の失政のひとつは、環太平洋経済連携協定（ＴＰＰ）への正式参加を見送ったことである。

The TPP is designed for participating countries from the Asia-Pacific area to mutually abolish tariffs and liberalize trade and investment. Nine countries including Australia, Singapore and the United States are now negotiating a final agreement.
　ＴＰＰは、アジア・太平洋の各国が互いに関税を撤廃し、貿易や投資を自由化するもので、アメリカやオーストラリア、シンガポールなど９か国が交渉している。

Japan has fallen behind its Asian rivals, including South Korea, in economic partnership agreements. If Japan does not participate in the TPP, it will be excluded from the framework of free trade and investment.
　日本は個別の自由貿易協定（ＦＴＡ）で出遅れ、さらにＴＰＰも不参加となれば、自由な貿易や投資の枠組みから締め出される。

This would be a fatal blow to the nation, which is a trade-oriented country. Even so, Prime Minister Naoto Kan easily put off a decision to join the framework for some later occasion.
　通商国家の日本にとって致命的な痛手となるのに、菅首相はあっさり決断を先送りした。