英字新聞

The Yomiuri Shimbun September 6, 2013
Top court prioritizes protection of children born out of wedlock
婚外子相続差別　家族観の変化に沿う違憲判断（9月5日付・読売社説）

The latest decision by the Supreme Court is a historic judgement of unconstitutionality that took changes in Japanese family values into consideration.
　日本人の家族観の変化を踏まえた歴史的な違憲判断である。

The top court’s Grand Bench reached the decision Wednesday, finding that a provision in the Civil Code stipulating that the inheritance share for a child born to unmarried parents shall be one half of that of a child born in wedlock violates the Constitution, which guarantees “equality under law.”
　結婚していない男女間に生まれた非嫡出子（婚外子）の遺産相続分を、結婚した夫婦の子の２分の１とした民法の規定について、最高裁大法廷は「法の下の平等」を保障した憲法に違反するとの決定を出した。

The decision said that reasonable grounds to make such a distinction have been lost.
　「区別する合理的な根拠は失われた」との理由からだ。

In 1995 the Supreme Court judged the same Civil Code provision to be constitutional. We think the top court reversed the decision because it seriously considered changes in circumstances surrounding children born out-side of marriage.
　最高裁は１９９５年、民法のこの規定を「合憲」と判断した。今回、正反対の結論になったのは、婚外子を巡る状況の移り変わりを重視した結果と言えよう。

According to the decision, the Supreme Court listed conditions to be taken into consideration, including national traditions, social circumstances and public sentiment, in deciding the nation’s inheritance system. On that basis, the Grand Bench said these conditions change with the times, so the rationality of the system should be constantly reviewed.
　決定は、相続制度を定める際に考慮すべき要件として、国の伝統、社会事情、国民感情を挙げた。そのうえで、これらの要件は「時代と共に変遷するため、合理性について不断に検討されなければならない」との見解を示した。

What the Supreme Court said is quite natural if we consider the point that the Civil Code is a law closely connected to the daily lives of the people.
　民法が国民生活に密接に関わる法律であることを考えれば、当然の指摘である。

In recent years, the number of children born out of wedlock has been increasing. The term “shinguru maza” (single mother) has taken root in society. So-called de facto marriages are not uncommon now and the social view to perceive children born out of wedlock as different has probably withered considerably.
　近年、婚外子の出生が増えている。シングルマザーという言葉も定着した。事実婚も珍しくなくなった。婚外子を特別視する風潮は薄れているだろう。

In residence certificate and family register notations describing relationships to the head of the household or parents, the distinction of a child born out of wedlock has already been abolished.
　住民票や戸籍の続き柄の表記では、出生による区別が既に廃止されている。

In major Western countries such as the United States and Europe, the abolition of inequalities in inheri-tance has progressed considerably. Japan is the only major advanced nation that still has discriminatory regulation.
　欧米では相続格差の撤廃が進み、主要先進国で格差が残っているのは日本だけになっている。

The Supreme Court’s unconstitutionality judgment was made in line with the current international legal climate.
　違憲判断は、こうした流れの延長線上に位置づけられよう。

Equality for all children

The distinguishing point of the latest decision is that it strongly reflects the belief that protection of the rights of children born out of wedlock should be considered a top priority.
　今回の決定で特徴的なのは、婚外子の権利保護を最優先に考えるべきだという姿勢を色濃くにじませている点だ。

A Cabinet Office opinion poll taken last year revealed that 61 percent of Japanese think children born out of wedlock should not be treated disadvantageously under the law.
　内閣府の昨年の世論調査でも、婚外子に対し、法律上、不利益な扱いをしてはならないと考える人は６１％に上っている。

The Supreme Court said in the judgment that children born out of wedlock should not be at a disadvantage as a result of their parents not being married, a situation the children had no control over. We think many people will accept the decision without dis-comfort.
　「父母が婚姻関係になかったという、子にとっては自ら選択・修正する余地のない事柄を理由として、その子に不利益を及ぼすことは許されない」。最高裁のこの判断を、多くの国民は違和感なく受け止めるのではないか。

The provision of inheritance inequalities was made during the Meiji period and passed down to the current Civil Code, which was revised after World War II. The underlying reason was the traditional view attaching great importance to statutory marriages.
　婚外子の相続格差の規定は明治時代に設けられ、戦後の民法に受け継がれた。法律婚の重視という伝統的な結婚観が根底にある。

It is undeniable that the provision to set the share in inheritance of children born out of wedlock at one half of that of children born in wedlock has consequently helped to create a discriminatory environment for children born out of wedlock.
　相続分を半分にするという規定が、結果として婚外子の差別を助長してきた面は否めない。

Given the Supreme Court’s decision, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said, “It’s a matter of course to make legal arrangements.” The government plans to submit a bill to revise the Civil Code to an extraordinary Diet session at the earliest.
　最高裁の決定を受け、菅官房長官は「立法的手当ては当然だ」と語った。早ければ臨時国会に民法改正案を提出する方針だ。

We urge that the law should be swiftly revised.
　速やかな改正を求めたい。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 5, 2013)
（2013年9月5日01時32分 読売新聞）