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2013年10月21日
竹富町の教科書 違法状態の解消迫る是正要求
The Yomiuri Shimbun October 20, 2013
Govt must enforce rules on adoption of textbooks without any exceptions
竹富町の教科書 違法状態の解消迫る是正要求（10月19日付・読売社説）
The government acted properly to resolve the illegal adoption of a textbook in Okinawa Prefecture.
違法状態を解消するためには、当然の措置と言えよう。
Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister Hakubun Shimomura instructed the Okinawa Prefectural Board of Education to issue a demand for corrective action against the town board of education of Taketomi in the prefecture as the board has been using an independently adopted textbook in violation of textbook adoption rules.
下村文部科学相が、沖縄県の竹富町教育委員会に対して是正要求を行うよう県教委に指示した。竹富町教委が教科書採択のルールを守らずに、独自採択した教科書を使用し続けているためだ。
Issuing a demand for corrective action is the strongest action the government can take under the Local Government Law. The action has been taken only twice before, and this is the first time it has been taken in the field of educational administration. Taketomi’s education board must take the situation seriously.
是正要求の指示は地方自治法上で最も強い措置である。発動は過去に２例しかなく、教育行政では初めてだ。竹富町教委は重く受け止めねばならない。
The regional council on textbook adoption of the Yaeyama district, comprising Ishigaki, Taketomi and Yonaguni, selected a civics textbook published by Ikuhosha Publishing Inc. as the textbook for middle schools in the district in the summer of 2011, but the Taketomi board alone adopted a different textbook.
今回の問題は、八重山地区（石垣市、竹富町、与那国町）が２０１１年夏、中学校の公民教科書に育鵬社の教科書を選んだにもかかわらず、竹富町教委だけが別の教科書を採択したことが発端だ。
The Ikuhosha textbook, written by former members of the Japan Society for History Textbook Reform, carries detailed descriptions of territories. One reason the Yaeyama regional textbook adoption council selected this textbook is that the district is close to the border with China, with tension between Japan and China rising.
「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は、領土に関する記述が詳しい。中国との緊張が高まる中、国境に近い八重山地区が育鵬社版を選んだ理由の一つだ。
On the other hand, some people in the prefecture complain the Ikuhosha textbook provides too much space to such things as the national flag, the national anthem and traditional Japanese culture. This may be behind the Taketomi board’s refusal to adopt the Ikuhosha textbook.
一方で、国旗・国歌や日本の伝統文化にもページを割いている育鵬社版に対しては、沖縄県内で反発がある。竹富町教委が採択を拒んだ背景には、こうした事情があるのだろう。
The law on free distribution of textbooks for compulsory education schools, which stipulates textbooks are paid for at national government expense, obliges adoption of the same textbook for a district comprising several municipalities.
国費による教科書の無償配布を定めた教科書無償措置法は、複数の市町村からなる広域地区では、同じ教科書の採択を義務づけている。
This is based on such considerations as that it is easier for teachers to jointly study teaching materials if they teach with the same textbook.
教師が教材の共同研究をしやすい点などを考慮している。
The Taketomi board’s independent adoption of the textbook obviously violates the free distribution law.
竹富町教委の独自採択が、無償措置法に反するのは明らかだ。
Wrong response
The confusion over the issue has been prolonged because of the wrong response to the problem by the Democratic Party of Japan-led government. Although then education minister Masaharu Nakagawa took the position that the independent adoption of a textbook violated the law, he tolerated the action if the town government purchased copies of the textbook at its own expense for distribution to students.
混乱を長引かせたのは、民主党政権の誤った対応である。当時の中川文科相は「独自採択は法律に抵触する」という立場をとりながら、竹富町が自前で教科書を購入し、生徒に配ることについては、容認する姿勢を示した。
As a result, the town government purchased copies of a different textbook with donations from residents and started to distribute them to students in April last year. After the change of government, Hiroyuki Yoshiie, then parliamentary secretary of the education ministry, visited Taketomi in March this year and instructed the education board to reverse its decision to adopt a different textbook. However, the board refused.
その結果、竹富町では町民らの寄付で別の教科書を購入し、昨年４月以降、生徒に配布してきた。政権交代後の今年３月に、当時の義家弘介文科政務官が竹富町を訪れ、決定を見直すよう指導したが、聞き入れられなかった。
It is extremely problematic that the town has been illegally conducting lessons for compulsory education without accepting the free distribution of the officially adopted textbook.
無償配布を受けず、違法状態のまま、義務教育の授業を行っているのは極めて問題である。
Also, it should not be overlooked that the prefectural board of education failed to instruct the Taketomi board to reverse its decision, although it was in a position to do so. To end the confusion, the prefectural board should fulfill its primary responsibility—ensuring that the Taketomi board observes the law.
竹富町教委を指導すべき立場にある沖縄県教委が、十分な働きかけをしてこなかったことも見過ごせない。混乱の収束に向け、県教委は、竹富町教委に法令を順守させるという本来の役割を果たさなければなるまい。
The education ministry should also thoroughly implement textbook adoption rules to prevent a recurrence of the Taketomi situation.
竹富町のような事態が再び起きないよう、文科省も改めて採択ルールの徹底を図るべきだ。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 19, 2013)
（2013年10月19日01時36分 読売新聞）
Govt must enforce rules on adoption of textbooks without any exceptions
竹富町の教科書 違法状態の解消迫る是正要求（10月19日付・読売社説）
The government acted properly to resolve the illegal adoption of a textbook in Okinawa Prefecture.
違法状態を解消するためには、当然の措置と言えよう。
Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister Hakubun Shimomura instructed the Okinawa Prefectural Board of Education to issue a demand for corrective action against the town board of education of Taketomi in the prefecture as the board has been using an independently adopted textbook in violation of textbook adoption rules.
下村文部科学相が、沖縄県の竹富町教育委員会に対して是正要求を行うよう県教委に指示した。竹富町教委が教科書採択のルールを守らずに、独自採択した教科書を使用し続けているためだ。
Issuing a demand for corrective action is the strongest action the government can take under the Local Government Law. The action has been taken only twice before, and this is the first time it has been taken in the field of educational administration. Taketomi’s education board must take the situation seriously.
是正要求の指示は地方自治法上で最も強い措置である。発動は過去に２例しかなく、教育行政では初めてだ。竹富町教委は重く受け止めねばならない。
The regional council on textbook adoption of the Yaeyama district, comprising Ishigaki, Taketomi and Yonaguni, selected a civics textbook published by Ikuhosha Publishing Inc. as the textbook for middle schools in the district in the summer of 2011, but the Taketomi board alone adopted a different textbook.
今回の問題は、八重山地区（石垣市、竹富町、与那国町）が２０１１年夏、中学校の公民教科書に育鵬社の教科書を選んだにもかかわらず、竹富町教委だけが別の教科書を採択したことが発端だ。
The Ikuhosha textbook, written by former members of the Japan Society for History Textbook Reform, carries detailed descriptions of territories. One reason the Yaeyama regional textbook adoption council selected this textbook is that the district is close to the border with China, with tension between Japan and China rising.
「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は、領土に関する記述が詳しい。中国との緊張が高まる中、国境に近い八重山地区が育鵬社版を選んだ理由の一つだ。
On the other hand, some people in the prefecture complain the Ikuhosha textbook provides too much space to such things as the national flag, the national anthem and traditional Japanese culture. This may be behind the Taketomi board’s refusal to adopt the Ikuhosha textbook.
一方で、国旗・国歌や日本の伝統文化にもページを割いている育鵬社版に対しては、沖縄県内で反発がある。竹富町教委が採択を拒んだ背景には、こうした事情があるのだろう。
The law on free distribution of textbooks for compulsory education schools, which stipulates textbooks are paid for at national government expense, obliges adoption of the same textbook for a district comprising several municipalities.
国費による教科書の無償配布を定めた教科書無償措置法は、複数の市町村からなる広域地区では、同じ教科書の採択を義務づけている。
This is based on such considerations as that it is easier for teachers to jointly study teaching materials if they teach with the same textbook.
教師が教材の共同研究をしやすい点などを考慮している。
The Taketomi board’s independent adoption of the textbook obviously violates the free distribution law.
竹富町教委の独自採択が、無償措置法に反するのは明らかだ。
Wrong response
The confusion over the issue has been prolonged because of the wrong response to the problem by the Democratic Party of Japan-led government. Although then education minister Masaharu Nakagawa took the position that the independent adoption of a textbook violated the law, he tolerated the action if the town government purchased copies of the textbook at its own expense for distribution to students.
混乱を長引かせたのは、民主党政権の誤った対応である。当時の中川文科相は「独自採択は法律に抵触する」という立場をとりながら、竹富町が自前で教科書を購入し、生徒に配ることについては、容認する姿勢を示した。
As a result, the town government purchased copies of a different textbook with donations from residents and started to distribute them to students in April last year. After the change of government, Hiroyuki Yoshiie, then parliamentary secretary of the education ministry, visited Taketomi in March this year and instructed the education board to reverse its decision to adopt a different textbook. However, the board refused.
その結果、竹富町では町民らの寄付で別の教科書を購入し、昨年４月以降、生徒に配布してきた。政権交代後の今年３月に、当時の義家弘介文科政務官が竹富町を訪れ、決定を見直すよう指導したが、聞き入れられなかった。
It is extremely problematic that the town has been illegally conducting lessons for compulsory education without accepting the free distribution of the officially adopted textbook.
無償配布を受けず、違法状態のまま、義務教育の授業を行っているのは極めて問題である。
Also, it should not be overlooked that the prefectural board of education failed to instruct the Taketomi board to reverse its decision, although it was in a position to do so. To end the confusion, the prefectural board should fulfill its primary responsibility—ensuring that the Taketomi board observes the law.
竹富町教委を指導すべき立場にある沖縄県教委が、十分な働きかけをしてこなかったことも見過ごせない。混乱の収束に向け、県教委は、竹富町教委に法令を順守させるという本来の役割を果たさなければなるまい。
The education ministry should also thoroughly implement textbook adoption rules to prevent a recurrence of the Taketomi situation.
竹富町のような事態が再び起きないよう、文科省も改めて採択ルールの徹底を図るべきだ。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 19, 2013)
（2013年10月19日01時36分 読売新聞）
2013年10月20日
伊豆大島災害 なぜ避難を促さなかったのか
The Yomiuri Shimbun October 19, 2013
Why was no evacuation order issued in Izu Oshima downpours?
伊豆大島災害 なぜ避難を促さなかったのか（10月18日付・読売社説）
Were there no means of preventing a major calamity from occurring?
大惨事を防ぐ手だてはなかったのか。
Because of the extremely heavy rain that accompanied Typhoon No. 26, several communities on Tokyo’s Izu Oshima island were hit by debris flows. The disaster claimed the lives of 22 people and left many missing. The Metropolitan Police Department and other organizations concerned must do their utmost to locate and rescue the missing.
台風２６号に伴う豪雨で伊豆大島の集落が土石流に襲われた。死者２２人、行方不明者も多数に上っている。警視庁などは不明者の救出に全力を挙げてほしい。
On Tuesday evening, when the typhoon—reported to be the strongest in the last 10 years—was moving north toward the Japanese archipelago, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued heavy rain and mudslide alerts to the Oshima town government on Izu Oshima island.
１０年に１度とされる強い台風が日本の南海上を北上中の１５日夕、気象庁は大雨警報と土砂災害警戒情報を東京都大島町に出した。
The alerts, which call for caution regarding mudslides, are considered key information for municipalities involved to use for reference in issuing evacuation advisories or orders, but the Oshima Island municipal authorities issued neither.
土砂災害警戒情報は市町村が避難勧告や避難指示を発令する際の参考情報と位置付けられるが、町は発令しなかった。
The town mayor explained the lack of action was because an evacuation advisory could “lead to an increased number of people exposed to the threat of strong rain at night.”
「夜間で大雨の中、被害者を増やす恐れがあった」というのが町長の説明だ。
The rainfall on the island increased sharply shortly after midnight Tuesday. Precipitation in the three hours before dawn on Wednesday reached the second-highest levels in the recorded history of domestic weather. The mudslides occurred around the same time.
雨量は１６日午前０時過ぎから急増した。未明の３時間雨量は国内統計史上２番目の数値を観測し、その頃、土石流が発生した。
Any attempt to evacuate residents in the midst of the violent storm would certainly have been difficult. However, was it impossible for municipal authorities to warn people to get out of danger the previous day when the meteorological agency issued the alerts?
確かに、暴風雨の中での避難は難しかったろう。だが、警戒情報が出た前日のうちに避難を呼びかけることはできなかったのか。
Given that typhoon’s paths are predictable to some extent, there can be lead time to evacuate, unlike such events as tsunami or tornadoes. The town authorities should have taken adequate precautions by recognizing the danger earlier.
進路予想がある程度正確な台風の場合、津波や竜巻などに比べて事前の避難には時間的余裕があるだろう。町は危険を察知し、適切な対応を取るべきだった。
Beware of localized disaster
It is possible that the town’s decision-making process was hindered by the fact that both the mayor and deputy mayor of the town were away from the island on a business trip when the typhoon hit.
町長と副町長が出張で不在だったことが、町の意思決定に影響を及ぼした可能性もある。
On Izu Oshima island, there have been many debris flows, including those in the 1958 Kanogawa Typhoon, in which 18 people were killed or injured and 104 houses were destroyed or damaged. It is highly regrettable the lessons of the past calamities failed to be used effectively in the latest disaster to hit the island.
伊豆大島では、１９５８年の狩野川台風で１０４棟が全半壊し、１８人が死傷するなど、度々、土石流が発生している。過去の教訓が生かされなかったのは残念だ。
The meteorological agency, for its part, came short of issuing a special warning recently introduced for the purpose of calling for vigilance against the highest level of danger due to rainfall. That was because the rainfall on the island did not meet the requirements for issuing the warning that requires threshold-level precipitation across an extensive area, or an area encompassing most of a prefecture.
気象庁は今回、最大級の危険に対して警戒を呼びかけるために導入した特別警報を発しなかった。府県のほぼ全域など、広い範囲で危険が迫っているという基準を満たさなかったからだ。
Based on this criteria, there can be many cases in which a disaster on a remote island may be excluded from the special warnings. Studies must be done to review the standards of how a similar level of warning could be issued against localized dangers.
この基準では、離島の災害は特別警報の対象から外れるケースが多くなる。局所的な危険に対し、同レベルの注意喚起ができるよう基準の見直しを検討すべきだ。
Under the law for the prevention of sediment-related, each prefectural government is supposed to designate danger areas as caution zones. When the designation is made, city, town and village governments concerned are obliged to create and make public hazard maps.
土砂災害防止法上、都道府県は危険地域を警戒区域などに指定することになっている。指定されると、市町村は避難場所などを明示したハザードマップを作成・公表する責任を負う。
The Tokyo metropolitan government, however, has yet to embark on procedures to apply the disaster-prone area designation to islands under its jurisdiction, while the town government of Oshima has failed to make any hazard map covering mudslides.
しかし、都は島嶼(とうしょ)部での指定に着手しておらず、大島町は土砂災害を想定したハザードマップを作成していなかった。
Designation of caution zones has been delayed nationwide, for reasons including opposition from local residents who worry that such a designation would reduce the value of their homes. Every municipality must redouble their efforts to secure residents’ understanding of the need for the designation.
警戒区域などの指定は全国的にも遅れている。「指定されると不動産価値が下がる」といった住民の反対などが背景にある。各自治体は住民の理解を得るよう努めなければならない。
The calamity on Izu Oshima island should be taken as a warning by everyone living in the nation, which is highly susceptible to disasters.
伊豆大島の惨事は、災害列島に暮らす国民への警鐘でもある。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 18, 2013)
（2013年10月18日01時32分 読売新聞）
Why was no evacuation order issued in Izu Oshima downpours?
伊豆大島災害 なぜ避難を促さなかったのか（10月18日付・読売社説）
Were there no means of preventing a major calamity from occurring?
大惨事を防ぐ手だてはなかったのか。
Because of the extremely heavy rain that accompanied Typhoon No. 26, several communities on Tokyo’s Izu Oshima island were hit by debris flows. The disaster claimed the lives of 22 people and left many missing. The Metropolitan Police Department and other organizations concerned must do their utmost to locate and rescue the missing.
台風２６号に伴う豪雨で伊豆大島の集落が土石流に襲われた。死者２２人、行方不明者も多数に上っている。警視庁などは不明者の救出に全力を挙げてほしい。
On Tuesday evening, when the typhoon—reported to be the strongest in the last 10 years—was moving north toward the Japanese archipelago, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued heavy rain and mudslide alerts to the Oshima town government on Izu Oshima island.
１０年に１度とされる強い台風が日本の南海上を北上中の１５日夕、気象庁は大雨警報と土砂災害警戒情報を東京都大島町に出した。
The alerts, which call for caution regarding mudslides, are considered key information for municipalities involved to use for reference in issuing evacuation advisories or orders, but the Oshima Island municipal authorities issued neither.
土砂災害警戒情報は市町村が避難勧告や避難指示を発令する際の参考情報と位置付けられるが、町は発令しなかった。
The town mayor explained the lack of action was because an evacuation advisory could “lead to an increased number of people exposed to the threat of strong rain at night.”
「夜間で大雨の中、被害者を増やす恐れがあった」というのが町長の説明だ。
The rainfall on the island increased sharply shortly after midnight Tuesday. Precipitation in the three hours before dawn on Wednesday reached the second-highest levels in the recorded history of domestic weather. The mudslides occurred around the same time.
雨量は１６日午前０時過ぎから急増した。未明の３時間雨量は国内統計史上２番目の数値を観測し、その頃、土石流が発生した。
Any attempt to evacuate residents in the midst of the violent storm would certainly have been difficult. However, was it impossible for municipal authorities to warn people to get out of danger the previous day when the meteorological agency issued the alerts?
確かに、暴風雨の中での避難は難しかったろう。だが、警戒情報が出た前日のうちに避難を呼びかけることはできなかったのか。
Given that typhoon’s paths are predictable to some extent, there can be lead time to evacuate, unlike such events as tsunami or tornadoes. The town authorities should have taken adequate precautions by recognizing the danger earlier.
進路予想がある程度正確な台風の場合、津波や竜巻などに比べて事前の避難には時間的余裕があるだろう。町は危険を察知し、適切な対応を取るべきだった。
Beware of localized disaster
It is possible that the town’s decision-making process was hindered by the fact that both the mayor and deputy mayor of the town were away from the island on a business trip when the typhoon hit.
町長と副町長が出張で不在だったことが、町の意思決定に影響を及ぼした可能性もある。
On Izu Oshima island, there have been many debris flows, including those in the 1958 Kanogawa Typhoon, in which 18 people were killed or injured and 104 houses were destroyed or damaged. It is highly regrettable the lessons of the past calamities failed to be used effectively in the latest disaster to hit the island.
伊豆大島では、１９５８年の狩野川台風で１０４棟が全半壊し、１８人が死傷するなど、度々、土石流が発生している。過去の教訓が生かされなかったのは残念だ。
The meteorological agency, for its part, came short of issuing a special warning recently introduced for the purpose of calling for vigilance against the highest level of danger due to rainfall. That was because the rainfall on the island did not meet the requirements for issuing the warning that requires threshold-level precipitation across an extensive area, or an area encompassing most of a prefecture.
気象庁は今回、最大級の危険に対して警戒を呼びかけるために導入した特別警報を発しなかった。府県のほぼ全域など、広い範囲で危険が迫っているという基準を満たさなかったからだ。
Based on this criteria, there can be many cases in which a disaster on a remote island may be excluded from the special warnings. Studies must be done to review the standards of how a similar level of warning could be issued against localized dangers.
この基準では、離島の災害は特別警報の対象から外れるケースが多くなる。局所的な危険に対し、同レベルの注意喚起ができるよう基準の見直しを検討すべきだ。
Under the law for the prevention of sediment-related, each prefectural government is supposed to designate danger areas as caution zones. When the designation is made, city, town and village governments concerned are obliged to create and make public hazard maps.
土砂災害防止法上、都道府県は危険地域を警戒区域などに指定することになっている。指定されると、市町村は避難場所などを明示したハザードマップを作成・公表する責任を負う。
The Tokyo metropolitan government, however, has yet to embark on procedures to apply the disaster-prone area designation to islands under its jurisdiction, while the town government of Oshima has failed to make any hazard map covering mudslides.
しかし、都は島嶼(とうしょ)部での指定に着手しておらず、大島町は土砂災害を想定したハザードマップを作成していなかった。
Designation of caution zones has been delayed nationwide, for reasons including opposition from local residents who worry that such a designation would reduce the value of their homes. Every municipality must redouble their efforts to secure residents’ understanding of the need for the designation.
警戒区域などの指定は全国的にも遅れている。「指定されると不動産価値が下がる」といった住民の反対などが背景にある。各自治体は住民の理解を得るよう努めなければならない。
The calamity on Izu Oshima island should be taken as a warning by everyone living in the nation, which is highly susceptible to disasters.
伊豆大島の惨事は、災害列島に暮らす国民への警鐘でもある。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 18, 2013)
（2013年10月18日01時32分 読売新聞）
2013年10月19日
新聞週間 真実を伝える役割これからも
The Yomiuri Shimbun October 17, 2013
Newspapers’ mission to tell the truth becoming ever more important
新聞週間 真実を伝える役割これからも（10月16日付・読売社説）
The duty of newspapers is to spread the truth, a task essential for honoring the people’s right to know. Sincerely taking this obligation to heart once again, we wish to continue our efforts to write articles that offer analyses from various viewpoints regarding daily events and affairs.
国民の「知る権利」に応え、真実を伝える。新聞の使命を改めてかみしめ、世の中の出来事に様々な角度から分析を加えた記事を、これからも数多く届けたい。
Newspaper Week started Tuesday. This year’s slogan for the week is “Itsuno-himo Shinjitsu-ni Mukiau Kiji-ga Aru” (Every day, there are news stories that pursue the facts). This catchphrase was written by a 17-year-old high school girl.
新聞週間が始まった。今年の代表標語は「いつの日も 真実に 向き合う記事がある」だ。１７歳の女子高校生の作品である。
Some reports by newspapers and other news organizations about the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011 drew criticism for their stance on the disaster. Critics said the media did not provide a full picture of the unprecedented calamity. Two years and seven months after the catastrophe, the media is still the subject of argument regarding how they should gather and report the news.
２０１１年の東日本大震災後、新聞などの報道には、未曽有の大災害の全貌を伝え切れていないといった批判があった。２年７か月が経過した現在も、報道の在り方は問われ続けている。
A particularly important task facing the media is to think about how to report the current situation in Fukushima Prefecture, where a nuclear disaster struck in the wake of the quake-triggered tsunami. A large number of residents have been forced to evacuate for extended periods. Some evacuees have complained that giving interviews to the media has done little to improve the situation.
特に、原発事故の影響で、住民の避難生活が長期化している福島の現状をどう伝えるかは、大きな課題である。避難住民の中には「取材に応じても状況は変わらない」などの声がある。
Residents in disaster-hit areas face grave uncertainties about the future of their lives. With this in mind, the media must report news in a manner that would help rehabilitate these areas. This duty could be fulfilled, for example, through articles that provide food for thought about how to make steady progress in decontaminating disaster-affected areas and paying compensation to stricken people for their difficulties, a task that would help them get their lives back on the road to reconstruction.
被災地では、先行きの見えない不安が重くのしかかっている。除染や被害賠償を着実に進めながら、被災者の生活をどう再建していくのか。復興につながる報道が今こそ、必要とされている。
Still the most trusted source
According to a Yomiuri Shimbun survey taken in late September, 86 percent of respondents said newspaper reports can be trusted, an increase of six percentage points from a similar poll conducted a year earlier. The figure was comparable to a level recorded before the great earthquake.
読売新聞が先月末に実施した世論調査では、「新聞の報道を信頼できる」と答えた人は８６％だった。昨年より６ポイント上昇し、東日本大震災前の水準に戻った。
We feel the recovery of trust in newspapers indicates that the public granted the press renewed credit for its efforts to provide readers with accurate information based on news-gathering activities. Undoubtedly, browsing through Internet websites can afford anyone easy access to a huge amount of information. However, a considerable chunk of information available online is open to dispute over its credibility.
新聞の信頼性が回復したのは、取材に裏打ちされた正確な情報提供が再評価されたからではないか。インターネットを検索すれば、多くの情報にアクセスできる時代になったが、真偽が定かでないものも少なくない。
The latest Yomiuri survey included a multiple-response questionnaire regarding which medium respondents felt to be trustworthy in July’s House of Councillors election, for which the legal ban on Net-based campaigning was lifted. Only 2 percent of respondents cited such social media as Twitter and Facebook.
世論調査では、ネットを利用した選挙運動が解禁された７月の参院選で、「信頼できると思ったメディア」を複数回答で尋ねた。「ツイッターやフェイスブックなどのソーシャルメディア」と回答した人は２％にとどまった。
This compared with 59 percent for newspapers. The figure indicated the degree to which voters trust newspapers when it comes to election reporting.
これに対し、新聞は５９％に上った。選挙報道で有権者が新聞に寄せる信頼がうかがえる。
A sizable 89 percent of those surveyed said newspapers would be needed in the future, too. We believe this figure shows readers greatly count on newspapers as a means of credible news reporting.
「新聞は今後も必要だ」と答えた人は８９％に達している。読者の期待の大きさを感じる。
The newspaper industry has insisted the consumption tax rate for newspapers be set at a lower level than that to be imposed on other goods and services when the current 5 percent rate is increased. In some respects, newspapers can be regarded as public property.
新聞業界は、消費税率を低く抑える軽減税率を新聞に適用するよう求めている。新聞には公共財としての側面があるからだ。
Earlier, the Japan Newspapers Publishers and Editors Association asked a panel of experts to advance opinions about the issue. The committee put together a report that said, “Whether a reduced tax rate is applied [to newspapers] is a matter related to Japanese culture and the future of democratic government.”
日本新聞協会が諮問した有識者の研究会は、「軽減税率が適用されるかどうかは、日本の文化や民主政治の将来に関わる問題だ」とする意見書をまとめた。
Newspapers are tasked with uncovering the truth behind possible irregularities committed by the national and local governments while also pressing them to rectify any problems that emerge.
新聞は、国政や地方行政の不正を追及し、問題点の改善を迫る役割を担っている。
We are determined to live up to this obligation by improving the quality of our daily news gathering and reporting.
日々の報道を充実させ、責任を果たしていきたい。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 16, 2013)
（2013年10月16日01時32分 読売新聞）
Newspapers’ mission to tell the truth becoming ever more important
新聞週間 真実を伝える役割これからも（10月16日付・読売社説）
The duty of newspapers is to spread the truth, a task essential for honoring the people’s right to know. Sincerely taking this obligation to heart once again, we wish to continue our efforts to write articles that offer analyses from various viewpoints regarding daily events and affairs.
国民の「知る権利」に応え、真実を伝える。新聞の使命を改めてかみしめ、世の中の出来事に様々な角度から分析を加えた記事を、これからも数多く届けたい。
Newspaper Week started Tuesday. This year’s slogan for the week is “Itsuno-himo Shinjitsu-ni Mukiau Kiji-ga Aru” (Every day, there are news stories that pursue the facts). This catchphrase was written by a 17-year-old high school girl.
新聞週間が始まった。今年の代表標語は「いつの日も 真実に 向き合う記事がある」だ。１７歳の女子高校生の作品である。
Some reports by newspapers and other news organizations about the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011 drew criticism for their stance on the disaster. Critics said the media did not provide a full picture of the unprecedented calamity. Two years and seven months after the catastrophe, the media is still the subject of argument regarding how they should gather and report the news.
２０１１年の東日本大震災後、新聞などの報道には、未曽有の大災害の全貌を伝え切れていないといった批判があった。２年７か月が経過した現在も、報道の在り方は問われ続けている。
A particularly important task facing the media is to think about how to report the current situation in Fukushima Prefecture, where a nuclear disaster struck in the wake of the quake-triggered tsunami. A large number of residents have been forced to evacuate for extended periods. Some evacuees have complained that giving interviews to the media has done little to improve the situation.
特に、原発事故の影響で、住民の避難生活が長期化している福島の現状をどう伝えるかは、大きな課題である。避難住民の中には「取材に応じても状況は変わらない」などの声がある。
Residents in disaster-hit areas face grave uncertainties about the future of their lives. With this in mind, the media must report news in a manner that would help rehabilitate these areas. This duty could be fulfilled, for example, through articles that provide food for thought about how to make steady progress in decontaminating disaster-affected areas and paying compensation to stricken people for their difficulties, a task that would help them get their lives back on the road to reconstruction.
被災地では、先行きの見えない不安が重くのしかかっている。除染や被害賠償を着実に進めながら、被災者の生活をどう再建していくのか。復興につながる報道が今こそ、必要とされている。
Still the most trusted source
According to a Yomiuri Shimbun survey taken in late September, 86 percent of respondents said newspaper reports can be trusted, an increase of six percentage points from a similar poll conducted a year earlier. The figure was comparable to a level recorded before the great earthquake.
読売新聞が先月末に実施した世論調査では、「新聞の報道を信頼できる」と答えた人は８６％だった。昨年より６ポイント上昇し、東日本大震災前の水準に戻った。
We feel the recovery of trust in newspapers indicates that the public granted the press renewed credit for its efforts to provide readers with accurate information based on news-gathering activities. Undoubtedly, browsing through Internet websites can afford anyone easy access to a huge amount of information. However, a considerable chunk of information available online is open to dispute over its credibility.
新聞の信頼性が回復したのは、取材に裏打ちされた正確な情報提供が再評価されたからではないか。インターネットを検索すれば、多くの情報にアクセスできる時代になったが、真偽が定かでないものも少なくない。
The latest Yomiuri survey included a multiple-response questionnaire regarding which medium respondents felt to be trustworthy in July’s House of Councillors election, for which the legal ban on Net-based campaigning was lifted. Only 2 percent of respondents cited such social media as Twitter and Facebook.
世論調査では、ネットを利用した選挙運動が解禁された７月の参院選で、「信頼できると思ったメディア」を複数回答で尋ねた。「ツイッターやフェイスブックなどのソーシャルメディア」と回答した人は２％にとどまった。
This compared with 59 percent for newspapers. The figure indicated the degree to which voters trust newspapers when it comes to election reporting.
これに対し、新聞は５９％に上った。選挙報道で有権者が新聞に寄せる信頼がうかがえる。
A sizable 89 percent of those surveyed said newspapers would be needed in the future, too. We believe this figure shows readers greatly count on newspapers as a means of credible news reporting.
「新聞は今後も必要だ」と答えた人は８９％に達している。読者の期待の大きさを感じる。
The newspaper industry has insisted the consumption tax rate for newspapers be set at a lower level than that to be imposed on other goods and services when the current 5 percent rate is increased. In some respects, newspapers can be regarded as public property.
新聞業界は、消費税率を低く抑える軽減税率を新聞に適用するよう求めている。新聞には公共財としての側面があるからだ。
Earlier, the Japan Newspapers Publishers and Editors Association asked a panel of experts to advance opinions about the issue. The committee put together a report that said, “Whether a reduced tax rate is applied [to newspapers] is a matter related to Japanese culture and the future of democratic government.”
日本新聞協会が諮問した有識者の研究会は、「軽減税率が適用されるかどうかは、日本の文化や民主政治の将来に関わる問題だ」とする意見書をまとめた。
Newspapers are tasked with uncovering the truth behind possible irregularities committed by the national and local governments while also pressing them to rectify any problems that emerge.
新聞は、国政や地方行政の不正を追及し、問題点の改善を迫る役割を担っている。
We are determined to live up to this obligation by improving the quality of our daily news gathering and reporting.
日々の報道を充実させ、責任を果たしていきたい。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 16, 2013)
（2013年10月16日01時32分 読売新聞）
2013年10月17日
空き家問題 放置せず撤去・再活用したい
The Yomiuri Shimbun October 16, 2013
More must be done to turn abandoned houses into places to come home to
空き家問題 放置せず撤去・再活用したい（10月14日付・読売社説）
The central and local governments need to cooperate in working out how unoccupied or abandoned houses can be effectively used or removed.
放置された空き家の再活用や撤去をいかに進めるか。国と自治体が連携し、実効性ある対策を打ち出さねばならない。
The Liberal Democratic Party plans to submit to the extraordinary Diet session a bill concerning special measures for unoccupied, abandoned houses. As it is feared the number of these houses will increase in line with the nation’s graying population and low birthrate, the central government needs to take action to address the problem.
自民党は、臨時国会に空き家対策の特別措置法案を提出する方針だ。少子・高齢化とともに、空き家が増えることが懸念されており、政府が対策に乗り出すことは必要だろう。
According to an Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry survey, there are about 7.6 million unoccupied houses in Japan, accounting for 13 percent of the total number.
総務省の調査によると、全国の空き家は約７６０万戸に上り、住宅全体の１３％を占める。
These unoccupied and often dilapidated houses adversely impact their surrounding environments, and have generated problems not only in depopulating provincial areas but also in densely populated urban areas.
老朽化で周囲の環境に悪影響を及ぼす空き家の存在は、過疎化が進む地方だけでなく、都心の住宅密集地でも問題化している。
There have been cases in which houses are at risk of collapse or their exterior walls are in danger of toppling, or suspicious people frequently enter and leave such buildings, worsening public safety in the vicinity. A community must not be left to fend for itself if it feels ill at ease concerning local disaster management and crime prevention.
倒壊や外壁の落下が懸念されたり、不審者の出入りで治安を悪化させたりする例もある。防災や防犯面で地域に不安を与える状態は野放しにできない。
Dealing with unoccupied, abandoned houses has so far been mostly left to local governments. Some municipalities have established their own ordinances to urge owners of unoccupied houses to manage them properly or have them removed. However, some observers have pointed out that measures taken by prefectural or city, town and village governments alone will only have a limited effect.
空き家対策はこれまで、ほぼ自治体に任されてきた。一部の自治体は独自に条例を作り、管理や撤去を促しているが、県や市町村の対応だけでは限界があるという声も出ていた。
To improve this situation, the LDP plans to authorize governments of cities, towns and villages to enter the premises of unoccupied houses, and enable them to order owners of houses that endanger neighboring areas to repair or remove them.
こうした事態を改善するために自民党案では、市町村に空き家の敷地内に立ち入る権限を与え、特に危険な家の所有者には修繕や撤去を命令できるようにする。
Nevertheless, it will cost a considerable amount of money to tear down and remove buildings. The central government should refer to a public subsidy system adopted by some local governments.
とはいえ、撤去には相当の費用がかかる。一部自治体の補助制度なども参考にしたい。
Give rural areas a boost
It also has been pointed out that when an unoccupied house is torn down, thus emptying the lot, the tax burden on the land owner becomes heavier because they are no longer eligible for a reduced fixed asset tax, which is applied to a housing site.
空き家を壊して更地にすると、住宅用地に適用される固定資産税の軽減措置などが受けられなくなり、税負担が重くなる問題も指摘されている。
The LDP proposal likely will include a reduction in the fixed asset tax for building owners who tear down and remove these structures at their own initiative. It is hoped this would encourage owners of such buildings to take needed actions voluntarily.
自民党案には、所有者が自ら進んで建物を撤去した場合、固定資産税を軽減する措置が盛り込まれる方向だ。所有者の自発的な対応を促す効果が期待できよう。
In addition to the provision of the special law, it will become important for the government to make efforts to reuse unoccupied houses or plots of land made vacant in favorable locations.
特措法の整備に加え、立地条件に恵まれた空き家や跡地を再活用する取り組みも重要になる。
It would be a good idea to expand such projects as renovating unoccupied houses into rented houses or rented stores in urban areas, and leasing them at reasonable rates to low-income earners or people who want to start up a business.
都市部では、空き家を賃貸住宅や店舗に改装し、低所得者や開業希望者に安く貸し出す事業などを拡充するのも一案だ。
We hope that in underpopulated areas, a helping hand can be given to projects designed to reinvigorate the local economy by, for instance, helping people who want to move from urban areas to provincial areas find unoccupied houses.
過疎地では、地方への移住を希望する人たちに空き家を提供し、地域を活性化する事業に役立てるための工夫も凝らしてほしい。
An increasing number of local governments have created an online “vacant house bank,” through which the public can find information concerning empty houses in their areas and apply to rent them. The central government could do worse than to consider the possibility of expanding this into a nationwide service modeled on the examples already in operation.
空き家の情報をネット上で公開し、借り手を公募する「空き家バンク」制度を作る自治体も増えている。先行事例を参考に全国規模への拡大を検討してはどうか。
Some real estate agents and security agencies have started proxy services for managing vacant houses. Both the public and private sectors need to think long and hard about how to turn plans for these abandoned buildings into action.
不動産会社や警備会社が空き家を管理する代行ビジネスを始める例も出てきた。様々な空き家対策を実現するため、官民でさらに知恵を絞る必要がある。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 14, 2013)
（2013年10月14日01時53分 読売新聞）
More must be done to turn abandoned houses into places to come home to
空き家問題 放置せず撤去・再活用したい（10月14日付・読売社説）
The central and local governments need to cooperate in working out how unoccupied or abandoned houses can be effectively used or removed.
放置された空き家の再活用や撤去をいかに進めるか。国と自治体が連携し、実効性ある対策を打ち出さねばならない。
The Liberal Democratic Party plans to submit to the extraordinary Diet session a bill concerning special measures for unoccupied, abandoned houses. As it is feared the number of these houses will increase in line with the nation’s graying population and low birthrate, the central government needs to take action to address the problem.
自民党は、臨時国会に空き家対策の特別措置法案を提出する方針だ。少子・高齢化とともに、空き家が増えることが懸念されており、政府が対策に乗り出すことは必要だろう。
According to an Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry survey, there are about 7.6 million unoccupied houses in Japan, accounting for 13 percent of the total number.
総務省の調査によると、全国の空き家は約７６０万戸に上り、住宅全体の１３％を占める。
These unoccupied and often dilapidated houses adversely impact their surrounding environments, and have generated problems not only in depopulating provincial areas but also in densely populated urban areas.
老朽化で周囲の環境に悪影響を及ぼす空き家の存在は、過疎化が進む地方だけでなく、都心の住宅密集地でも問題化している。
There have been cases in which houses are at risk of collapse or their exterior walls are in danger of toppling, or suspicious people frequently enter and leave such buildings, worsening public safety in the vicinity. A community must not be left to fend for itself if it feels ill at ease concerning local disaster management and crime prevention.
倒壊や外壁の落下が懸念されたり、不審者の出入りで治安を悪化させたりする例もある。防災や防犯面で地域に不安を与える状態は野放しにできない。
Dealing with unoccupied, abandoned houses has so far been mostly left to local governments. Some municipalities have established their own ordinances to urge owners of unoccupied houses to manage them properly or have them removed. However, some observers have pointed out that measures taken by prefectural or city, town and village governments alone will only have a limited effect.
空き家対策はこれまで、ほぼ自治体に任されてきた。一部の自治体は独自に条例を作り、管理や撤去を促しているが、県や市町村の対応だけでは限界があるという声も出ていた。
To improve this situation, the LDP plans to authorize governments of cities, towns and villages to enter the premises of unoccupied houses, and enable them to order owners of houses that endanger neighboring areas to repair or remove them.
こうした事態を改善するために自民党案では、市町村に空き家の敷地内に立ち入る権限を与え、特に危険な家の所有者には修繕や撤去を命令できるようにする。
Nevertheless, it will cost a considerable amount of money to tear down and remove buildings. The central government should refer to a public subsidy system adopted by some local governments.
とはいえ、撤去には相当の費用がかかる。一部自治体の補助制度なども参考にしたい。
Give rural areas a boost
It also has been pointed out that when an unoccupied house is torn down, thus emptying the lot, the tax burden on the land owner becomes heavier because they are no longer eligible for a reduced fixed asset tax, which is applied to a housing site.
空き家を壊して更地にすると、住宅用地に適用される固定資産税の軽減措置などが受けられなくなり、税負担が重くなる問題も指摘されている。
The LDP proposal likely will include a reduction in the fixed asset tax for building owners who tear down and remove these structures at their own initiative. It is hoped this would encourage owners of such buildings to take needed actions voluntarily.
自民党案には、所有者が自ら進んで建物を撤去した場合、固定資産税を軽減する措置が盛り込まれる方向だ。所有者の自発的な対応を促す効果が期待できよう。
In addition to the provision of the special law, it will become important for the government to make efforts to reuse unoccupied houses or plots of land made vacant in favorable locations.
特措法の整備に加え、立地条件に恵まれた空き家や跡地を再活用する取り組みも重要になる。
It would be a good idea to expand such projects as renovating unoccupied houses into rented houses or rented stores in urban areas, and leasing them at reasonable rates to low-income earners or people who want to start up a business.
都市部では、空き家を賃貸住宅や店舗に改装し、低所得者や開業希望者に安く貸し出す事業などを拡充するのも一案だ。
We hope that in underpopulated areas, a helping hand can be given to projects designed to reinvigorate the local economy by, for instance, helping people who want to move from urban areas to provincial areas find unoccupied houses.
過疎地では、地方への移住を希望する人たちに空き家を提供し、地域を活性化する事業に役立てるための工夫も凝らしてほしい。
An increasing number of local governments have created an online “vacant house bank,” through which the public can find information concerning empty houses in their areas and apply to rent them. The central government could do worse than to consider the possibility of expanding this into a nationwide service modeled on the examples already in operation.
空き家の情報をネット上で公開し、借り手を公募する「空き家バンク」制度を作る自治体も増えている。先行事例を参考に全国規模への拡大を検討してはどうか。
Some real estate agents and security agencies have started proxy services for managing vacant houses. Both the public and private sectors need to think long and hard about how to turn plans for these abandoned buildings into action.
不動産会社や警備会社が空き家を管理する代行ビジネスを始める例も出てきた。様々な空き家対策を実現するため、官民でさらに知恵を絞る必要がある。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 14, 2013)
（2013年10月14日01時53分 読売新聞）
2013年10月16日
香山リカのココロの万華鏡:時代のアンテナ ／東京
October 13, 2013(Mainichi Japan)
Kaleidoscope of the Heart: Psychiatry patients as the antennas of their time
香山リカのココロの万華鏡:時代のアンテナ ／東京
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe formally announced raising the consumption tax rate from 5 percent to 8 percent in April next year at a press conference on Oct. 1.
１０月１日に安倍晋三首相が記者会見で、消費税率を今の５％から８％に引き上げることを正式に発表した。
The following day I was responsible for outpatients. As I had expected, this topic was brought up several times in the consultation room. "I couldn't sleep last night," said one patient. "I'm flustered with anxiety," said another.
翌日の２日は外来担当日。予想通り、診察室でこの話題を取り上げて「昨夜は眠れなかった」「不安でドキドキします」と語る人が何人かいた。
I suspect some people may be dubious, "Becoming immediately anxious and losing sleep when the tax rise is not until April next year is surely an overreaction."
「引き上げは来年４月とまだ先なのに『昨日の今日』で早くも不眠や不安を訴えるなんて大げさな」と、いぶかしむ人もいそうだ。
But through the ages psychiatry patients have been regarded as antennas of their time, being very sensitive to social problems.
だが、昔から「精神科の患者さんは時代のアンテナ」などとも言われており、社会問題にとても敏感に反応しやすい。
There are those that become depressed or frightened just by seeing incidents or conflicts overseas that in reality have no direct effect on their lives, some people even develop illnesses. These people empathize with those suffering in distant countries, regardless if it has any effect on themselves, and feel the hardship and fear as if experiencing it firsthand.
中には、実際に自分の生活に直接関係のない海外の事件や紛争などを見るだけで恐怖や落ち込みを感じ、症状が悪化する人もいる。その人たちは自分にも影響が及ぶかどうかというよりも、遠い国で苦しんでいる人の気持ちを想像し、あたかも自分が経験したかのようにつらさや怖さを感じているのだ。
When I see people that empathize with events in faraway places, being instantly responsive to the news and worrying more than the average person, I always wonder if they are the ones with healthier minds.
このようにニュースにいち早く反応して、やや過剰に心配したり遠い国の出来事に心を痛めたりしている人たちを見ると、いつも思うことがある。それは「この人たちの心のほうがずっと健全なのでは」ということだ。
In today's society there is an abundance of incidents occurring both in Japan and abroad. Everything is uncertain and there is no one that can guarantee peace and prosperity in the next decade. The lives of people in disadvantaged positions especially have become harder over time. If someone sees incidents such as widespread disasters or terrorist acts and says, "It has nothing to do with me," or dismisses whatever is reported in the news, in reality isn't this a much less natural attitude? Perhaps these people turn off their reaction switch and become programmed for indifference.
今の社会、国内でも海外でもあまりにいろいろなことが起きる。何もかもが不安定で、１０年後の平和や繁栄を確約できる人など誰もいない。特に、弱い立場にいる人たちの生活はますます厳しいものになりつつある。そういう中で、どんな話題が報じられても「まあ大丈夫じゃないの」と気にしないとか、世界各地での痛ましい災害やテロなどを見ても「私には関係ない」と無視するというほうが、本当はかなり不自然な態度なのではないか。もしかすると、そういう人たちは何かを感じ取る心のスイッチを切ってしまっているから、そんなふうに無頓着を装えるだけなのかもしれない。
But as a psychiatrist I can't just say, "Your reaction is normal," to patients who find it more difficult to sleep after hearing news of a consumption tax increase.
とはいえ、精神科医としては「消費税引き上げと聞いて、ますます眠れなくなりました」と訴える人に、「それが正常な神経です」と何も手当てしないわけにはいかない。
The best I can do is to give the symptom a name such as insomnia and write out a prescription. But I'm always left with mixed feelings. Are they the ones who are "sick," or is it me? After all, I seem to turn off my reaction switch. "Consumption tax increases? Yet another contaminated water leak? Never mind about that for now," I think, pretend that everything is fine and get a good night's sleep.
「そうですか。じゃ、睡眠を促すクスリを処方しますね」と言って「不眠症」などと病名をつけ、処方箋を書くしかないのだが、いつも複雑な気持ちになる。本当に「病気」なのはどちらなのか。
もしかしたら、「消費税アップ？ また汚染水漏れ？ いや、考えない、考えない」と心のスイッチを切ってしまい、何事もなかったかのように安眠している私のほうなのではないだろうか。
(By Rika Kayama, psychiatrist)
毎日新聞 2013年10月08日 地方版
Kaleidoscope of the Heart: Psychiatry patients as the antennas of their time
香山リカのココロの万華鏡:時代のアンテナ ／東京
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe formally announced raising the consumption tax rate from 5 percent to 8 percent in April next year at a press conference on Oct. 1.
１０月１日に安倍晋三首相が記者会見で、消費税率を今の５％から８％に引き上げることを正式に発表した。
The following day I was responsible for outpatients. As I had expected, this topic was brought up several times in the consultation room. "I couldn't sleep last night," said one patient. "I'm flustered with anxiety," said another.
翌日の２日は外来担当日。予想通り、診察室でこの話題を取り上げて「昨夜は眠れなかった」「不安でドキドキします」と語る人が何人かいた。
I suspect some people may be dubious, "Becoming immediately anxious and losing sleep when the tax rise is not until April next year is surely an overreaction."
「引き上げは来年４月とまだ先なのに『昨日の今日』で早くも不眠や不安を訴えるなんて大げさな」と、いぶかしむ人もいそうだ。
But through the ages psychiatry patients have been regarded as antennas of their time, being very sensitive to social problems.
だが、昔から「精神科の患者さんは時代のアンテナ」などとも言われており、社会問題にとても敏感に反応しやすい。
There are those that become depressed or frightened just by seeing incidents or conflicts overseas that in reality have no direct effect on their lives, some people even develop illnesses. These people empathize with those suffering in distant countries, regardless if it has any effect on themselves, and feel the hardship and fear as if experiencing it firsthand.
中には、実際に自分の生活に直接関係のない海外の事件や紛争などを見るだけで恐怖や落ち込みを感じ、症状が悪化する人もいる。その人たちは自分にも影響が及ぶかどうかというよりも、遠い国で苦しんでいる人の気持ちを想像し、あたかも自分が経験したかのようにつらさや怖さを感じているのだ。
When I see people that empathize with events in faraway places, being instantly responsive to the news and worrying more than the average person, I always wonder if they are the ones with healthier minds.
このようにニュースにいち早く反応して、やや過剰に心配したり遠い国の出来事に心を痛めたりしている人たちを見ると、いつも思うことがある。それは「この人たちの心のほうがずっと健全なのでは」ということだ。
In today's society there is an abundance of incidents occurring both in Japan and abroad. Everything is uncertain and there is no one that can guarantee peace and prosperity in the next decade. The lives of people in disadvantaged positions especially have become harder over time. If someone sees incidents such as widespread disasters or terrorist acts and says, "It has nothing to do with me," or dismisses whatever is reported in the news, in reality isn't this a much less natural attitude? Perhaps these people turn off their reaction switch and become programmed for indifference.
今の社会、国内でも海外でもあまりにいろいろなことが起きる。何もかもが不安定で、１０年後の平和や繁栄を確約できる人など誰もいない。特に、弱い立場にいる人たちの生活はますます厳しいものになりつつある。そういう中で、どんな話題が報じられても「まあ大丈夫じゃないの」と気にしないとか、世界各地での痛ましい災害やテロなどを見ても「私には関係ない」と無視するというほうが、本当はかなり不自然な態度なのではないか。もしかすると、そういう人たちは何かを感じ取る心のスイッチを切ってしまっているから、そんなふうに無頓着を装えるだけなのかもしれない。
But as a psychiatrist I can't just say, "Your reaction is normal," to patients who find it more difficult to sleep after hearing news of a consumption tax increase.
とはいえ、精神科医としては「消費税引き上げと聞いて、ますます眠れなくなりました」と訴える人に、「それが正常な神経です」と何も手当てしないわけにはいかない。
The best I can do is to give the symptom a name such as insomnia and write out a prescription. But I'm always left with mixed feelings. Are they the ones who are "sick," or is it me? After all, I seem to turn off my reaction switch. "Consumption tax increases? Yet another contaminated water leak? Never mind about that for now," I think, pretend that everything is fine and get a good night's sleep.
「そうですか。じゃ、睡眠を促すクスリを処方しますね」と言って「不眠症」などと病名をつけ、処方箋を書くしかないのだが、いつも複雑な気持ちになる。本当に「病気」なのはどちらなのか。
もしかしたら、「消費税アップ？ また汚染水漏れ？ いや、考えない、考えない」と心のスイッチを切ってしまい、何事もなかったかのように安眠している私のほうなのではないだろうか。
(By Rika Kayama, psychiatrist)
毎日新聞 2013年10月08日 地方版
2013年10月15日
受刑者の選挙権 「制限は違憲」には疑問が多い
The Yomiuri Shimbun October 14, 2013
Is denying prison inmates the right to vote really unconstitutional?
受刑者の選挙権 「制限は違憲」には疑問が多い（10月13日付・読売社説）
Will the public agree to recognize the right of prisoners, who committed crimes and are serving time, to vote in a public election?
罪を犯し、服役している受刑者に選挙権を認めることに、国民の合意は得られるのだろうか。
The Osaka High Court recently judged that Article 11 of the Public Offices Election Law, which restricts the right to vote for prisoners across the board, violates the Constitution, which guarantees equal voting rights for every adult. The ruling was finalized, but we cannot completely agree with the result.
受刑者の選挙権を一律に制限した公職選挙法１１条の規定について、大阪高裁が、平等な選挙権を保障した憲法に違反するとの判断を示し、判決はそのまま確定した。何とも釈然としない結末である。
According to the intent and purpose of the Constitution, restrictions on suffrage cannot be permitted without unavoidable reasons except for people who violated the election law, the high court said.
高裁判決は、「憲法の趣旨からすれば、選挙違反以外の者に対しては、やむを得ない事由がない限り、選挙権を制限することは許されない」と指摘している。
“Just being a prisoner does not necessarily mean a person grossly lacks a law-abiding spirit,” the court said in its ruling. “It is not certain that there are unavoidable reasons” for stripping inmates of their voting rights.
「単に受刑者というだけで、著しく順法精神に欠けるとは言えない」とも言及し、受刑者の選挙権を奪うことについて、「やむを得ない事由があるとは言えない」と結論付けた。
Of course, the right to vote is an important right held by citizens of Japan.
無論、選挙権は国民が有する大切な権利である。
However, restrictions on inmates’ voting rights tend to be considered a legal repercussion resulting from a criminal punishment because Japan has adopted a penalty system that confines inmates in prisons and deprives them of their freedom to protect society.
一方で、社会防衛上、受刑者を服役させ、自由を奪う自由刑を採用している日本では、選挙権の制限は、刑罰の法的効果の一つとして捉える傾向が強い。
Even the high court recognized that the concept on which its latest ruling is based has not yet become a prevailing theory among legal scholars.
今回の判決も、「違憲」との考え方が学説上の通説になっていないことを認めている。
The Supreme Court judged in 2005 that restrictions the election law places on suffrage for Japanese living overseas are unconstitutional. In March this year, the Tokyo District Court ruled that a provision restricting voting rights for mentally handicapped and other adults under guardianship is unconstitutional.
公選法を巡っては、最高裁が２００５年、海外に住む日本人の選挙権の制限を違憲と判断した。今年３月には、東京地裁が、知的障害者ら成年被後見人の選挙権を制限する規定を違憲とした。
Questionable judgment
The high court’s latest ruling adheres to the Supreme Court ruling in 2005. However, we think it is unreasonable to consider voting rights of prisoners serving a punishment under the same framework as voting rights of Japanese expats.
大阪高裁は、０５年最高裁判決の考え方を踏襲したが、刑罰を科された受刑者の選挙権を、在外邦人と同じ枠組みで判断するのは、無理があると言えよう。
Meanwhile, the high court said it was unclear whether the election law’s provision was unconstitutional when the law was implemented in 1950.
そもそも、大阪高裁判決は、公選法の規定について、１９５０年の施行当時には「違憲であることが明白だったとは言えない」との見解を示した。
However, the ruling did not clarify what has made the provision apparently unconstitutional now. We can only say that the ruling lacks persuasiveness.
だが、その規定がどのような事情で明白に違憲となったのか、判決は示していない。説得力を欠くと言わざるを得ない。
The high court dismissed the plaintiff’s appeal and consequently the state won the case, so the state could not appeal to a higher court. But we think this raises more questions.
今回、訴訟自体は国の勝訴だったため、国側が上告できなかったことにも疑問が残る。
The plaintiff lost the case because the high court said his demand for a legal status that enables him to vote is unlawful because he has finished serving his sentence. If his demand is unlawful, we wonder if the court really needed to make a constitutional judgment at all.
原告の男性は服役を終えており、「投票できる地位を求める訴えは不適法」というのが、原告敗訴の理由だ。訴えが不適法であるなら、憲法判断にまで踏み込む必要があったのだろうか。
Consequently, the court’s ruling will have wings. The plaintiff’s side intends to accept the ruling but demand the election law be revised. The government should handle this matter very carefully.
結果として、違憲判断が独り歩きする。原告側は判決を受けて公選法改正を求める方針だが、政府は慎重に対応すべきだ。
We believe that important judgments on the Constitution should in principle be left to the Supreme Court because its rulings have binding power as judicial precedents.
本来、重要な憲法判断は、判決が判例として拘束力を持つ最高裁に委ねるのが筋である。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 13, 2013)
（2013年10月13日01時34分 読売新聞）
Is denying prison inmates the right to vote really unconstitutional?
受刑者の選挙権 「制限は違憲」には疑問が多い（10月13日付・読売社説）
Will the public agree to recognize the right of prisoners, who committed crimes and are serving time, to vote in a public election?
罪を犯し、服役している受刑者に選挙権を認めることに、国民の合意は得られるのだろうか。
The Osaka High Court recently judged that Article 11 of the Public Offices Election Law, which restricts the right to vote for prisoners across the board, violates the Constitution, which guarantees equal voting rights for every adult. The ruling was finalized, but we cannot completely agree with the result.
受刑者の選挙権を一律に制限した公職選挙法１１条の規定について、大阪高裁が、平等な選挙権を保障した憲法に違反するとの判断を示し、判決はそのまま確定した。何とも釈然としない結末である。
According to the intent and purpose of the Constitution, restrictions on suffrage cannot be permitted without unavoidable reasons except for people who violated the election law, the high court said.
高裁判決は、「憲法の趣旨からすれば、選挙違反以外の者に対しては、やむを得ない事由がない限り、選挙権を制限することは許されない」と指摘している。
“Just being a prisoner does not necessarily mean a person grossly lacks a law-abiding spirit,” the court said in its ruling. “It is not certain that there are unavoidable reasons” for stripping inmates of their voting rights.
「単に受刑者というだけで、著しく順法精神に欠けるとは言えない」とも言及し、受刑者の選挙権を奪うことについて、「やむを得ない事由があるとは言えない」と結論付けた。
Of course, the right to vote is an important right held by citizens of Japan.
無論、選挙権は国民が有する大切な権利である。
However, restrictions on inmates’ voting rights tend to be considered a legal repercussion resulting from a criminal punishment because Japan has adopted a penalty system that confines inmates in prisons and deprives them of their freedom to protect society.
一方で、社会防衛上、受刑者を服役させ、自由を奪う自由刑を採用している日本では、選挙権の制限は、刑罰の法的効果の一つとして捉える傾向が強い。
Even the high court recognized that the concept on which its latest ruling is based has not yet become a prevailing theory among legal scholars.
今回の判決も、「違憲」との考え方が学説上の通説になっていないことを認めている。
The Supreme Court judged in 2005 that restrictions the election law places on suffrage for Japanese living overseas are unconstitutional. In March this year, the Tokyo District Court ruled that a provision restricting voting rights for mentally handicapped and other adults under guardianship is unconstitutional.
公選法を巡っては、最高裁が２００５年、海外に住む日本人の選挙権の制限を違憲と判断した。今年３月には、東京地裁が、知的障害者ら成年被後見人の選挙権を制限する規定を違憲とした。
Questionable judgment
The high court’s latest ruling adheres to the Supreme Court ruling in 2005. However, we think it is unreasonable to consider voting rights of prisoners serving a punishment under the same framework as voting rights of Japanese expats.
大阪高裁は、０５年最高裁判決の考え方を踏襲したが、刑罰を科された受刑者の選挙権を、在外邦人と同じ枠組みで判断するのは、無理があると言えよう。
Meanwhile, the high court said it was unclear whether the election law’s provision was unconstitutional when the law was implemented in 1950.
そもそも、大阪高裁判決は、公選法の規定について、１９５０年の施行当時には「違憲であることが明白だったとは言えない」との見解を示した。
However, the ruling did not clarify what has made the provision apparently unconstitutional now. We can only say that the ruling lacks persuasiveness.
だが、その規定がどのような事情で明白に違憲となったのか、判決は示していない。説得力を欠くと言わざるを得ない。
The high court dismissed the plaintiff’s appeal and consequently the state won the case, so the state could not appeal to a higher court. But we think this raises more questions.
今回、訴訟自体は国の勝訴だったため、国側が上告できなかったことにも疑問が残る。
The plaintiff lost the case because the high court said his demand for a legal status that enables him to vote is unlawful because he has finished serving his sentence. If his demand is unlawful, we wonder if the court really needed to make a constitutional judgment at all.
原告の男性は服役を終えており、「投票できる地位を求める訴えは不適法」というのが、原告敗訴の理由だ。訴えが不適法であるなら、憲法判断にまで踏み込む必要があったのだろうか。
Consequently, the court’s ruling will have wings. The plaintiff’s side intends to accept the ruling but demand the election law be revised. The government should handle this matter very carefully.
結果として、違憲判断が独り歩きする。原告側は判決を受けて公選法改正を求める方針だが、政府は慎重に対応すべきだ。
We believe that important judgments on the Constitution should in principle be left to the Supreme Court because its rulings have binding power as judicial precedents.
本来、重要な憲法判断は、判決が判例として拘束力を持つ最高裁に委ねるのが筋である。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 13, 2013)
（2013年10月13日01時34分 読売新聞）
2013年10月14日
ストーカー殺人 見過ごせない警察の連携不足
The Yomiuri Shimbun October 13, 2013
Lack of police cooperation partly to blame for stalking-murder case
ストーカー殺人 見過ごせない警察の連携不足（10月12日付・読売社説）
Another outrageous stalking-murder has occurred.
またも悲惨なストーカー殺人が起きた。
Why wasn’t such a terrible incident prevented? Police must thoroughly investigate their handling of the case.
最悪の事態を防げなかったのか。警察は徹底検証せねばならない。
A third-year female student at a private high school in Mitaka, Tokyo, was stabbed to death Tuesday and a 21-year-old Kyoto man she had previously dated was arrested later in the day.
東京都三鷹市で私立高校３年の女子生徒が８日に刺殺され、京都市在住の元交際相手の男が逮捕された。
The girl had refused to see him any longer. She had rejected his mobile phone calls and e-mails since June. But after the man appeared in the vicinity of her home early this month, her homeroom teacher called Suginami Police Station of the Metropolitan Police Department, which is near her school, to request countermeasures on Oct. 4.
女子生徒は、かつて付き合っていた男との交際を拒んでいた。６月からは電話やメールの着信も拒否していた。だが、今月に入り、自宅付近に男が姿を見せたため、担任教諭が４日、高校に近い警視庁杉並署に対処法を相談した。
The problem was that the station failed to adequately listen. Its response was simply to recommend that the teacher contact the Mitaka Police Station, which has jurisdiction over the area where the girl lived. The girl and her parents visited the Mitaka station four days later—and she was killed later the same day.
問題なのは、被害内容を詳しく聞き取らなかった杉並署の対応だ。女子生徒宅を管轄する三鷹署への相談を勧めただけだった。女子生徒は４日後、三鷹署に相談したが、その日に殺害された。
Suginami Police Station displayed a lack of concern for a case that happened outside its jurisdiction. If it had communicated with Mitaka Police Station immediately, the outcome could have been different.
杉並署は、管轄外で起きた事案への当事者意識を持てなかったのではないか。即座に三鷹署に連絡していたら、展開は違っていた可能性もある。
A question also arises as to whether the Mitaka station responded adequately. Just one police officer handled the case for half a day from when the girl visited until the time of her murder.
三鷹署の対応も十分だったのだろうか。女子生徒の相談を受けてから、事件発生までの半日間、担当者が１人で対処した。
If the station had carefully arranged safety measures such as patrolling around her home, vigilant to the fact that stalker cases tend to involve abrupt turns and twists, perhaps the murder could have been prevented.
ストーカー事件は急展開しやすいという危機感を持ち、女子生徒宅の周辺をパトロールするなど、手厚い態勢を取っていれば、事件を防ぐ余地もあっただろう。
Lessons not learned
In a stalker case two years ago in Nagasaki Prefecture, two family members of the stalking victim were killed even after help was sought from the Chiba, Nagasaki and Mie prefectural police, all of whom failed to share information on the case.
２年前に長崎県で起きたストーカー事件では、千葉、長崎、三重の３県警が情報を共有せず、相談をたらい回しにした結果、被害女性の家族２人が殺害された。
Based on that bitter experience, in which a response was delayed due to the involvement of police from different jurisdictions, the National Police Agency directed police stations nationwide to take quick action and thorough measures to protect stalking victims who seek help.
複数の県警が絡んで対処が遅れた苦い経験から、警察庁は、迅速な対応や被害者保護の徹底を全国の警察に指示した。
A revision to the Anti-Stalker Law was enforced on Oct. 3, enabling police and public safety commissions from outside a victim’s area of residence to issue warnings and stay-away orders to a suspected stalker.
ストーカー規制法も、被害者の居住地以外の警察や公安委員会でも警告・禁止命令を出せるように改正され、今月３日に施行されたばかりだった。
But the measures devised from lessons learned from the Nagasaki incident failed to meet their purpose this time. On the contrary, even two police stations that were both in Tokyo failed to communicate with each other this time.
しかし、長崎の事件を教訓にしたこうした対策の趣旨は生かされなかった。それどころか、今回は都内の警察署同士でさえ速やかに連携できなかった。
The MPD must profoundly consider the magnitude of the consequences.
招いた結果の重大性を警視庁は深刻に受け止めねばならない。
The number of stalking victims has soared. Nearly 20,000 stalking cases were confirmed by police last year alone. Dealing with stalkers is an increasingly important police duty.
ストーカー被害は増加傾向にある。警察が昨年１年間に把握しただけでも２万件近くに上る。警察の職務の中で、ストーカー対策は重要性を増している。
Most of the offenders are said to stop stalking and other acts following police intervention.
大半の加害者は警察の介入でつきまといなどをやめるという。
What is the best way to contact offenders and protect victims? We suggest nationwide police organizations comprehensively study past cases to devise stalking countermeasures.
いかにして加害者に接触し、被害者を保護するか。全国の警察が事例を持ち寄り、対処方法を練り上げてもらいたい。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 12, 2013)
（2013年10月12日01時39分 読売新聞）
Lack of police cooperation partly to blame for stalking-murder case
ストーカー殺人 見過ごせない警察の連携不足（10月12日付・読売社説）
Another outrageous stalking-murder has occurred.
またも悲惨なストーカー殺人が起きた。
Why wasn’t such a terrible incident prevented? Police must thoroughly investigate their handling of the case.
最悪の事態を防げなかったのか。警察は徹底検証せねばならない。
A third-year female student at a private high school in Mitaka, Tokyo, was stabbed to death Tuesday and a 21-year-old Kyoto man she had previously dated was arrested later in the day.
東京都三鷹市で私立高校３年の女子生徒が８日に刺殺され、京都市在住の元交際相手の男が逮捕された。
The girl had refused to see him any longer. She had rejected his mobile phone calls and e-mails since June. But after the man appeared in the vicinity of her home early this month, her homeroom teacher called Suginami Police Station of the Metropolitan Police Department, which is near her school, to request countermeasures on Oct. 4.
女子生徒は、かつて付き合っていた男との交際を拒んでいた。６月からは電話やメールの着信も拒否していた。だが、今月に入り、自宅付近に男が姿を見せたため、担任教諭が４日、高校に近い警視庁杉並署に対処法を相談した。
The problem was that the station failed to adequately listen. Its response was simply to recommend that the teacher contact the Mitaka Police Station, which has jurisdiction over the area where the girl lived. The girl and her parents visited the Mitaka station four days later—and she was killed later the same day.
問題なのは、被害内容を詳しく聞き取らなかった杉並署の対応だ。女子生徒宅を管轄する三鷹署への相談を勧めただけだった。女子生徒は４日後、三鷹署に相談したが、その日に殺害された。
Suginami Police Station displayed a lack of concern for a case that happened outside its jurisdiction. If it had communicated with Mitaka Police Station immediately, the outcome could have been different.
杉並署は、管轄外で起きた事案への当事者意識を持てなかったのではないか。即座に三鷹署に連絡していたら、展開は違っていた可能性もある。
A question also arises as to whether the Mitaka station responded adequately. Just one police officer handled the case for half a day from when the girl visited until the time of her murder.
三鷹署の対応も十分だったのだろうか。女子生徒の相談を受けてから、事件発生までの半日間、担当者が１人で対処した。
If the station had carefully arranged safety measures such as patrolling around her home, vigilant to the fact that stalker cases tend to involve abrupt turns and twists, perhaps the murder could have been prevented.
ストーカー事件は急展開しやすいという危機感を持ち、女子生徒宅の周辺をパトロールするなど、手厚い態勢を取っていれば、事件を防ぐ余地もあっただろう。
Lessons not learned
In a stalker case two years ago in Nagasaki Prefecture, two family members of the stalking victim were killed even after help was sought from the Chiba, Nagasaki and Mie prefectural police, all of whom failed to share information on the case.
２年前に長崎県で起きたストーカー事件では、千葉、長崎、三重の３県警が情報を共有せず、相談をたらい回しにした結果、被害女性の家族２人が殺害された。
Based on that bitter experience, in which a response was delayed due to the involvement of police from different jurisdictions, the National Police Agency directed police stations nationwide to take quick action and thorough measures to protect stalking victims who seek help.
複数の県警が絡んで対処が遅れた苦い経験から、警察庁は、迅速な対応や被害者保護の徹底を全国の警察に指示した。
A revision to the Anti-Stalker Law was enforced on Oct. 3, enabling police and public safety commissions from outside a victim’s area of residence to issue warnings and stay-away orders to a suspected stalker.
ストーカー規制法も、被害者の居住地以外の警察や公安委員会でも警告・禁止命令を出せるように改正され、今月３日に施行されたばかりだった。
But the measures devised from lessons learned from the Nagasaki incident failed to meet their purpose this time. On the contrary, even two police stations that were both in Tokyo failed to communicate with each other this time.
しかし、長崎の事件を教訓にしたこうした対策の趣旨は生かされなかった。それどころか、今回は都内の警察署同士でさえ速やかに連携できなかった。
The MPD must profoundly consider the magnitude of the consequences.
招いた結果の重大性を警視庁は深刻に受け止めねばならない。
The number of stalking victims has soared. Nearly 20,000 stalking cases were confirmed by police last year alone. Dealing with stalkers is an increasingly important police duty.
ストーカー被害は増加傾向にある。警察が昨年１年間に把握しただけでも２万件近くに上る。警察の職務の中で、ストーカー対策は重要性を増している。
Most of the offenders are said to stop stalking and other acts following police intervention.
大半の加害者は警察の介入でつきまといなどをやめるという。
What is the best way to contact offenders and protect victims? We suggest nationwide police organizations comprehensively study past cases to devise stalking countermeasures.
いかにして加害者に接触し、被害者を保護するか。全国の警察が事例を持ち寄り、対処方法を練り上げてもらいたい。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 12, 2013)
（2013年10月12日01時39分 読売新聞）
2013年10月13日
水俣条約採択 「脱水銀」へ日本の教訓生かせ
The Yomiuri Shimbun October 12, 2013
U.N. Minamata convention must lead to world free of mercury poisoning
水俣条約採択 「脱水銀」へ日本の教訓生かせ（10月11日付・読売社説）
By learning important and serious lessons from Minamata disease, considered a historic example of a tragedy caused by environmental pollution, efforts must be made to effectively stem mercury contamination from spreading worldwide.
公害の原点である水俣病を教訓に、世界的な水銀汚染の広がりを食い止めねばならない。
The Minamata Convention on Mercury of the United Nations was adopted Thursday in an international council in Kumamoto, with delegates from about 140 countries and territories participating. The name Minamata was used for the landmark treaty at the initiative of the Japanese government.
「水銀に関する水俣条約」が、約１４０の国・地域が参加した熊本市での国際会議で採択された。日本政府の提案で、条約名に「水俣」が用いられた。
The U.N. Environment Program, which sponsored the conference, aims to have the pact take effect from 2016. The treaty bans in principle the manufacturing, export and import of products containing mercury, starting from 2020.
会議を主催した国連環境計画は２０１６年の発効を目指す。
水銀含有製品の製造や輸出入を２０年以降、原則として禁止する。
When a coal-fired thermal power plant is newly built that emits mercury in the process of combustion for power generation, the plant operator will be obliged under the treaty to introduce the best possible technology available to curb mercury emissions into the environment. The pact also includes such regulations as banning development of new mercury mines.
燃焼時に水銀を排出する石炭火力発電所を新設する際には、排出抑制装置を導入する。新規の水銀鉱山の開発を禁じる――。条約はこうした内容を盛り込んだ。
This is definitely a major step forward for the realization of a “world free of mercury.”
「脱水銀」へ大きな一歩だ。
Mercury has been used broadly in the production of goods familiar in our daily lives, such as batteries, thermometers and fluorescent lamps.
水銀は、電池や体温計、蛍光灯など身近な製品に使われてきた。
Japanese manufacturers have addressed the task of regulating the use of mercury ahead of many other countries, but there has been little progress on curbing the use of mercury in emerging and developing countries.
日本のメーカーは、いち早く水銀の使用規制に取り組んだが、新興国・途上国では進んでいない。
When discharged into the atmosphere, sea and rivers, mercury accumulates in living creatures’ bodies. Those who eat large quantities of mercury-contaminated fish and shellfish are in danger of developing poisoning symptoms like those of Minamata disease.
水銀が大気中や海、河川に排出されると、生物内に蓄積される。汚染された魚介類などを人間が大量に食べると、水俣病のような中毒症状を引き起こす。
China the largest emitter
The quantity of mercury being emitted into the atmosphere due to industrial activities and other causes is estimated at about 2,000 tons a year worldwide.
産業活動などで大気中へ排出される水銀は、年約２０００トンに上る。
It is a matter of urgency to cut back on mercury emissions to prevent health hazards that are a menace across national borders.
国境を超えた健康被害を防ぐには、排出削減が急務である。
Topping the list of mercury emissions by industry are small-scale gold mines, many of which are in developing countries. They consume mercury in the process of extracting gold from ores.
最も大量に排出しているのは、途上国に多い小規模の金採掘現場だ。鉱石から金を取り出すために水銀が使われている。
Mercury is indispensable for people who earn their living through gold-mining operations. In light of this, the international treaty falls short of prohibiting the use of mercury for mining purposes, calling instead for efforts to reduce its use.
金採掘で生計を立てる人々にとって、水銀は欠かせない。条約でも、採掘での使用については、禁止でなく、削減にとどまった。
How can support be given to developing nations that can hardly afford to fund projects for environmental conservation? This problem must be addressed if the Minamata convention is to be made truly effective and viable.
環境対策にまで手が回らない途上国をどう支援していくのか。条約を実効性あるものにするには、避けて通れない課題である。
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has expressed the Japanese government’s intention to earmark a total of $2 billion (about \200 billion) in aid to developing nations’ environmental measures projects in three years from 2014.
安倍首相は、途上国の環境対策費として、１４年からの３年間で２０億ドル（約２０００億円）の支援を表明した。
It is of great significance that Japan, aiming to prevent a recurrence of the tragedy of the widespread damage from Minamata disease that resulted from delays in responding to the problem, is now contributing to preventing mercury contamination around the world.
対応の遅れが被害拡大を招いた水俣病の悲劇を繰り返さないため、日本が世界の水銀汚染防止に貢献する意義は大きい。
Countermeasures against thermal power generation using coal containing mercury are also a key issue. In particular, China, which is the world’s largest discharger of mercury, must proactively tackle the challenge of phasing out mercury emissions.
水銀を含む石炭による火力発電の対策も重要だ。特に、世界一の水銀排出国の中国には、積極的な取り組みが求められる。
An outbreak of Minamata disease has been confirmed in watershed regions of some river systems in China. China appears poised to ratify the convention, seemingly with the aim of obtaining technological support from industrially advanced countries to reduce mercury emissions.
中国では河川流域で水俣病の発生も確認されている。今回、中国が条約を批准する見通しなのは、先進国から排出削減の技術支援を得る狙いもあるのだろう。
In the wake of the treaty’s adoption, Japan must take measures to respond to the fact that mercury has been recycled domestically from used products, mainly those produced abroad, for export to other Asian countries and elsewhere.
条約採択により、日本も対応を迫られる。国内では使用済みの海外製品などから水銀がリサイクルされ、アジア諸国などに輸出されている。
When the pact takes effect, however, it will be required to store the mercury domestically.
だが、条約発効後は国内保管が必要となる。
Taking this into account, building a system to safely manage spent mercury is certain to become a pressing task.
安全な管理体制の構築が欠かせない。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 11, 2013)
（2013年10月11日01時38分 読売新聞）
U.N. Minamata convention must lead to world free of mercury poisoning
水俣条約採択 「脱水銀」へ日本の教訓生かせ（10月11日付・読売社説）
By learning important and serious lessons from Minamata disease, considered a historic example of a tragedy caused by environmental pollution, efforts must be made to effectively stem mercury contamination from spreading worldwide.
公害の原点である水俣病を教訓に、世界的な水銀汚染の広がりを食い止めねばならない。
The Minamata Convention on Mercury of the United Nations was adopted Thursday in an international council in Kumamoto, with delegates from about 140 countries and territories participating. The name Minamata was used for the landmark treaty at the initiative of the Japanese government.
「水銀に関する水俣条約」が、約１４０の国・地域が参加した熊本市での国際会議で採択された。日本政府の提案で、条約名に「水俣」が用いられた。
The U.N. Environment Program, which sponsored the conference, aims to have the pact take effect from 2016. The treaty bans in principle the manufacturing, export and import of products containing mercury, starting from 2020.
会議を主催した国連環境計画は２０１６年の発効を目指す。
水銀含有製品の製造や輸出入を２０年以降、原則として禁止する。
When a coal-fired thermal power plant is newly built that emits mercury in the process of combustion for power generation, the plant operator will be obliged under the treaty to introduce the best possible technology available to curb mercury emissions into the environment. The pact also includes such regulations as banning development of new mercury mines.
燃焼時に水銀を排出する石炭火力発電所を新設する際には、排出抑制装置を導入する。新規の水銀鉱山の開発を禁じる――。条約はこうした内容を盛り込んだ。
This is definitely a major step forward for the realization of a “world free of mercury.”
「脱水銀」へ大きな一歩だ。
Mercury has been used broadly in the production of goods familiar in our daily lives, such as batteries, thermometers and fluorescent lamps.
水銀は、電池や体温計、蛍光灯など身近な製品に使われてきた。
Japanese manufacturers have addressed the task of regulating the use of mercury ahead of many other countries, but there has been little progress on curbing the use of mercury in emerging and developing countries.
日本のメーカーは、いち早く水銀の使用規制に取り組んだが、新興国・途上国では進んでいない。
When discharged into the atmosphere, sea and rivers, mercury accumulates in living creatures’ bodies. Those who eat large quantities of mercury-contaminated fish and shellfish are in danger of developing poisoning symptoms like those of Minamata disease.
水銀が大気中や海、河川に排出されると、生物内に蓄積される。汚染された魚介類などを人間が大量に食べると、水俣病のような中毒症状を引き起こす。
China the largest emitter
The quantity of mercury being emitted into the atmosphere due to industrial activities and other causes is estimated at about 2,000 tons a year worldwide.
産業活動などで大気中へ排出される水銀は、年約２０００トンに上る。
It is a matter of urgency to cut back on mercury emissions to prevent health hazards that are a menace across national borders.
国境を超えた健康被害を防ぐには、排出削減が急務である。
Topping the list of mercury emissions by industry are small-scale gold mines, many of which are in developing countries. They consume mercury in the process of extracting gold from ores.
最も大量に排出しているのは、途上国に多い小規模の金採掘現場だ。鉱石から金を取り出すために水銀が使われている。
Mercury is indispensable for people who earn their living through gold-mining operations. In light of this, the international treaty falls short of prohibiting the use of mercury for mining purposes, calling instead for efforts to reduce its use.
金採掘で生計を立てる人々にとって、水銀は欠かせない。条約でも、採掘での使用については、禁止でなく、削減にとどまった。
How can support be given to developing nations that can hardly afford to fund projects for environmental conservation? This problem must be addressed if the Minamata convention is to be made truly effective and viable.
環境対策にまで手が回らない途上国をどう支援していくのか。条約を実効性あるものにするには、避けて通れない課題である。
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has expressed the Japanese government’s intention to earmark a total of $2 billion (about \200 billion) in aid to developing nations’ environmental measures projects in three years from 2014.
安倍首相は、途上国の環境対策費として、１４年からの３年間で２０億ドル（約２０００億円）の支援を表明した。
It is of great significance that Japan, aiming to prevent a recurrence of the tragedy of the widespread damage from Minamata disease that resulted from delays in responding to the problem, is now contributing to preventing mercury contamination around the world.
対応の遅れが被害拡大を招いた水俣病の悲劇を繰り返さないため、日本が世界の水銀汚染防止に貢献する意義は大きい。
Countermeasures against thermal power generation using coal containing mercury are also a key issue. In particular, China, which is the world’s largest discharger of mercury, must proactively tackle the challenge of phasing out mercury emissions.
水銀を含む石炭による火力発電の対策も重要だ。特に、世界一の水銀排出国の中国には、積極的な取り組みが求められる。
An outbreak of Minamata disease has been confirmed in watershed regions of some river systems in China. China appears poised to ratify the convention, seemingly with the aim of obtaining technological support from industrially advanced countries to reduce mercury emissions.
中国では河川流域で水俣病の発生も確認されている。今回、中国が条約を批准する見通しなのは、先進国から排出削減の技術支援を得る狙いもあるのだろう。
In the wake of the treaty’s adoption, Japan must take measures to respond to the fact that mercury has been recycled domestically from used products, mainly those produced abroad, for export to other Asian countries and elsewhere.
条約採択により、日本も対応を迫られる。国内では使用済みの海外製品などから水銀がリサイクルされ、アジア諸国などに輸出されている。
When the pact takes effect, however, it will be required to store the mercury domestically.
だが、条約発効後は国内保管が必要となる。
Taking this into account, building a system to safely manage spent mercury is certain to become a pressing task.
安全な管理体制の構築が欠かせない。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 11, 2013)
（2013年10月11日01時38分 読売新聞）
2013年10月12日
オイルケアなのにまったくべたつかない「クロ デ オリビエ」 その秘密は？
フランス、プロヴァンス地方の女性たちはお肌が美しいので世界的に有名なんです。
それには秘密（わけ）がありました。
プロヴァンス地方原産のオリーブなんです。
プロヴァンス地方は大気の乾燥が強い気候なので、お肌を乾燥から守るために女性たちは特産のオリーブからつくられるオリーブ油を顔に塗ったのでしょう。
これが大当たりでした。
時は流れ、その伝統は母親たちから娘たちへ何世代にも渡り長い間受け継がれました。
で、世界一とも称される美肌を有するフランス美女たちが誕生したという話しなんです。
この魔法のオリーブ油なんですが、日本では「クロ デ オリビエ 」という商品名で新発売されました。
でも、これはつい最近のことなのです。
この新作発表会には日本各地から美女たちが集合しています。
これは更なる美肌を追求したい女性たちの飽くなき願いなんです。
試作品を試されたある女性なんですが、これ、本当にオリーブ油なのっていうようなコメントを残されています。まったくべたつかないんです。
お風呂上りにお肌が濡れた状態でも直ぐに使用出来るので、忙しい主婦やOLなどには、とてもありがたい逸品なのです。
毎朝しっとりふっくらした美肌を堪能できます。
レビューブログからの情報です
文字入力が一切ないので助かります アップスの住宅検索アプリ｢へやくる！｣
これは又大変な進化ではないでしょうか。
アップス！情報サイト でみつけた住宅検索アプリ｢へやくる！｣のことなんです。
App Store から無料でダウンロードして、直ぐに利用開始が出来ます。
｢へやくる！｣は従来の住宅検索サイトとは一線を隔しています。
シンプルな管理画面トップの左列に検索条件一覧があります。
この検索条件なんですが、文字をひとつも打ち込まないで、すぐにサイトに飛べるような工夫がなされています。
私のようなキーボード操作が苦手な６０過ぎの高齢者にとっては、嬉しいサービスではないでしょうか。
例えばお部屋でテレビを見ながら、ソファーに寝転がってリラックスして住宅を探すことが出来ます。
もう一つの大きな特徴は豊富な間取り掲載です。
間取りマニアには見逃すことの出来ない逸品となること請け合いなんです。
わたしはアンドロイドの８インチパッドを愛用していますが、楽しく住宅検索が出来ています。
文字入力がないってのは楽ですね＾＾。
レビューブログからの情報です