英字新聞

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Dec. 15, 2012)
Parties must be honest about risks of 'zero-nuclear' future
原発政策　「稼働ゼロ」の副作用も語れ（12月14日付・読売社説）

Formulating a nuclear energy policy is a vitally important task, one that would not only help ensure a stable power supply, but also protect the environment, and affect the nation's economy, diplomacy and national security--the whole spectrum of matters related to steering the ship of state.
　原子力政策は、電力の安定供給はもとより、経済や環境保全、外交・安全保障など、国家運営の全般にかかわる重要な課題である。

Many parties in the current House of Representatives campaign, held in the aftermath of the nuclear disaster at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, have adopted "zero nuclear" pledges. These parties, however, have neglected to explain the wide-ranging risks of eliminating nuclear power.
　東京電力福島第一原子力発電所の事故を受け、多くの政党が衆院選の公約に「原発ゼロ」を掲げている。だが、さまざまな副作用についての説明が足りない。

We urge voters not to be swayed by slogans only aimed at winning the election, but to determine calmly which parties and candidates would pursue a realistic nuclear power policy.
　有権者は選挙目当てのスローガンに惑わされず、現実的な原発政策を掲げる政党や候補者を、冷静に見極めてもらいたい。

Parties including Nippon Mirai no To (Tomorrow Party of Japan) and the Japanese Communist Party have taken the position of never allowing any of the nation's nuclear reactors to resume operating.
　日本未来の党や共産党などは原発の再稼働を一切認めないとしている。

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Fuel cost up 3 tril. yen a year

Their assertion that this country could "do without nuclear power" on the grounds that there were no blackouts this summer is far off the mark.
今年の夏に停電が起きなかったことから、「原発なしでも電気は足りている」などと主張するが、的外れな指摘である。

The truth is that the nation walked a shaky tightrope in terms of the power supply this summer. With all reactors but two idle, power outages were only narrowly averted by mobilizing all thermal power stations available, including some outdated ones. The result was an increase of 3 trillion yen for the year's fuel costs for power generation, causing one power utility after another to announce rate hikes.
　原発が２基しか稼働していないため、古い火力発電所を総動員して停電を回避する綱渡りの状態だった。燃料費は年３兆円も増え、電気料金値上げの動きも相次いでいる。

Anyone who ignores the adverse impacts of power shortages deserves to be called irresponsible.
電力不足の悪影響から目をそらすのは無責任だ。

Parties including the Liberal Democratic Party, the Democratic Party of Japan and Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party), on the other hand, have acknowledged the need to restart the nation's nuclear power plants to ensure a stable supply of electricity, as long as the reactors can be confirmed safe. We see these positions as valid and reasonable.
　自民党や民主党、日本維新の会などは、電力安定供給のために安全を確認できた原発の再稼働を容認した。妥当な判断である。

However, it is problematic that many party platforms promise to walk away from nuclear power inside a certain time frame, such as the DPJ's pledge to "reduce the number of operating nuclear power plants to zero by the end of the 2030s."
　問題は民主党の「２０３０年代に原発稼働ゼロ」など、期限付きの脱原発公約が多いことだ。

Replacing nuclear power with solar and other renewable sources of energy while boosting energy efficiency would cost the nation more than 100 trillion yen, according to one government projection. This would have to be funded either by higher electricity rates or more taxes. How can the hollowing-out of the nation's industrial sector be stopped in the face of increased production costs, and bankruptcies of small and midsized businesses caused by this policy?
　原発に代わり、太陽光など再生可能エネルギーや省エネを拡大するコストは、政府の試算で１００兆円を超える。電気料金引き上げや税金で賄うしかあるまい。生産費上昇による産業空洞化や中小企業倒産をどう防ぐというのか。

The simplistic argument that introducing renewable energy sources would stimulate the economy is hardly convincing.
　再生エネを導入すれば経済成長にもつながるという、安易な主張は説得力に欠ける。

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Reveal 'inconvenient truths'

We commend the LDP for not setting a zero-nuclear goal, as the party is apparently aware of its position as a responsible party aiming to win back the reins of government. However, the LDP's 10-year time frame for "determining the optimum makeup of power generation sources" is much too slow.
　自民党が「原発ゼロ」を掲げていないのは、政権奪還を目指す責任政党として評価できる。ただ、「最適な電源構成を１０年以内に決める」という方針は遅すぎる。

The municipalities that host nuclear power facilities of course deserve consideration. Aomori Prefecture, the site of a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant, is particularly anxious about the possibility of being forced into becoming a final resting place for nuclear waste.
　原発の立地自治体への配慮も不可欠だ。特に使用済み核燃料の再処理工場がある青森県は、核廃棄物の最終処分を押しつけられるのではないかと心配している。

The political parties contesting the election must revise their positions to support the continued, but safe, use of nuclear power. They should also quickly devise a plan to keep the nuclear fuel recycling program going, and determine how radioactive waste should be finally disposed of.
　原発の安全を確保したうえで活用を続ける方針を、明確にする必要がある。核燃料サイクルや放射性廃棄物の最終処分の方策を、早く示すことも求められよう。

If Japan recklessly adopted a zero-nuclear goal, it would soon cease to be a partner of the United States in its nuclear nonproliferation strategy. This would cause a fissure in the Japan-U.S. alliance, possibly to the detriment of our national interests.
　日本が「原発ゼロ」に走れば、米国の核不拡散戦略のパートナーではなくなる。日米同盟にヒビが入り、国益を損ないかねない。

Every political party needs to have the honesty and candor to tell voters "inconvenient truths" about a possible zero-nuclear Japan.
　各党は「原発ゼロ」の“不都合な真実”も率直に語るべきだ。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 14, 2012)
（2012年12月14日01時31分 読売新聞）