英字新聞

The Yomiuri Shimbun December 9, 2013
Spouse’s rights must be respected despite change on inheritance rights
婚外子格差撤廃　配偶者の権利も尊重したい（12月8日付・読売社説）

The Diet has approved a bill to revise the Civil Code that will delete an article that discriminates against the inheritance rights of children born to unmarried parents.
　婚姻届を出していない男女の間に生まれた非嫡出子（婚外子）の相続格差をなくす改正民法が成立した。

For now, we can only praise the Diet’s swift action following a ruling by the Supreme Court’s Grand Bench that said the article “runs counter to the Constitution, which guarantees equality under the law.”
　「法の下の平等を保障した憲法に違反する」という最高裁大法廷の判断を受け、国会が速やかに対応したことを、まずは評価したい。

The revision will delete the article limiting the inheritance an out-of-wedlock child receives to half that of a child born in wedlock. Among major advanced nations, Japan was the only country that maintained such a discriminatory regulation.
　婚外子の遺産相続分を法律上の夫婦の子（嫡出子）の２分の１とする民法の規定を削除したのが、今回の改正である。このような格差が残っていたのは、主要先進国の中では日本だけだった。

In its ruling in September, the Supreme Court stressed, “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.”
　最高裁は９月に出した家事審判の決定で、「父母が婚姻関係になかったという、自ら選択・修正する余地のない事柄を理由として、子に不利益を及ぼすことは許されない」と強調した。

The number of so-called de facto marriages and single mothers has increased, and the narrow social view of perceiving children born out of wedlock as different has declined considerably. The court’s decision is in line with changing public awareness.
　事実婚やシングルマザーが増え、婚外子を特別視する風潮も薄れてきている。国民の意識の変化に沿った判断だったと言える。

At the same time, the court’s ruling does not diminish respect for de jure marriages, in which couples follow all legal procedures.
　しかし、最高裁決定は、法律上の手続きを経た「法律婚」の尊重まで否定したわけではない。

We should bear in mind that there is no change in this way of thinking under the revised Civil Code.
改正後の民法でも、この考え方自体には変更がない点に留意したい。

During discussions on the revision, strong concerns were voiced within the Liberal Democratic Party that the family system based on legal marriage could be undermined and that adultery could be encouraged.
　改正に向けた議論で、自民党内には「法律婚に基づく家族制度が揺らぎかねない」「不倫を助長する」といった懸念が強かった。

Even if a spouse of a deceased person has no previous acquaintance with an out-of-wedlock biological child, that child is still entitled to receive the same inheritance as the spouse’s child.
　仮に故人の配偶者と婚外子の間に面識がなかった場合でも、突然現れた婚外子が配偶者の子供と同じ額を相続することになる。

If the only asset is a house, some people have said there may be an increase in cases of a spouse selling the house to pay a portion of the inheritance to an out-of-wedlock child.
　家屋以外に財産がない相続では、配偶者が家屋を売却し、婚外子に相続分を支払うケースが増えるとの見方も出ている。

Importance of family ties

We can understand to some extent the concern expressed by the LDP and other parties that the deletion of the article could undermine the rights of a spouse—who had lived with his or her spouse for many years before that spouse died, built up their family and accumulated wealth together—and those of the spouse’s child.
　故人に長年連れ添って家庭を築き、共に財産を形成してきた配偶者と、その子供の権利が損なわれるという自民党などの指摘には、うなずける面がある。

To deal with these problems and to maintain the family system founded on legal marriage, other measures must be taken, besides those concerning discriminatory inheritance between in-wedlock and out-of-wedlock children.
　こうした問題に対処し、法律婚に立脚した家族制度を維持していくためには、嫡出子・婚外子の相続格差によってではなく、別の仕組みや手段を講じるべきだ。

The government and the LDP have decided to study what form the legal system for inheritance should take, particularly in regard to spouses, in an effort to protect family bonds, and to come up with a conclusion one year from now.
　政府・自民党は「家族の絆を守るための諸施策」として、配偶者に配慮した相続法制のあり方などを検討し、１年後をめどに結論を取りまとめることを決めた。

Granting a higher share of inheritance to a spouse than under the current system is a good option.
　配偶者の相続分を現行より手厚くすることも、有力な選択肢の一つではないか。

The family will remain the foundation of society. During and after the Great East Japan Earthquake, people once again recognized the importance of the family ties.
　家族が社会の基礎を構成することは、これからも変わるまい。東日本大震災では家族の絆の大切さを国民が再認識した。

We should deepen our discussion on family ties now that the Civil Code has been revised.
　今回の民法改正を機に、改めて家族のあり方に関する議論を深めていきたい。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 8, 2013)
（2013年12月8日01時23分 読売新聞）