英字新聞

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Gaffe-prone lawmakers need greater awareness of their responsibilities
丸山議員の失言　国政を担う自覚はあるのか

There has recently been a succession of inappropriate remarks made by Diet members from both the ruling and opposition parties and by Cabinet members. This could heighten distrust in politics. They should be aware that they are in a position of heavy responsibility, and also feel a sense of alertness.
　与野党の国会議員や閣僚の不適切な発言が相次いでいる。政治不信を助長する恐れがある。重い職責を担う自覚と緊張感を持つべきだ。

The remarks in question include one made by Kazuya Maruyama, a House of Councillors member from the Liberal Democratic Party. At a session of the upper house Commission on the Constitution, he said: “In the United States, a black man is president [of the country] now. He is in a bloodline of black people who were slaves.” The remark could be taken as an expression of racial discrimination. Besides, the father of President Barack Obama was a Kenyan and not a descendant of slaves.
　参院憲法審査会で自民党の丸山和也氏が「今、米国は黒人が大統領になっている。黒人の血を引く。これは奴隷ですよ」と語った。人種差別と受けとられかねない。オバマ大統領の父はケニア人で、奴隷の子孫でもない。

The day after making that remark, Maruyama attempted to justify himself by saying, “I said that with the intention of praising the fact that the current United States came into being through self-transformation.” However, this cannot possibly be understood.
　翌日、「自己変革があって、今の米国が生まれたことをたたえるつもりで話した」と釈明したが、到底、理解されまい。

Maruyama also said, “If Japan becomes the 51st state of the United States, no controversy could erupt over its right of collective self-defense, and the abduction problem would not have arisen, either.” This is just preposterous and a remark that raises questions about his qualifications as a legislator.
　丸山氏は「日本が米国の５１番目の州になれば、集団的自衛権は問題にならないし、拉致問題も起こらなかった」とも述べた。荒唐無稽であり、国会議員としての資質を疑われても仕方ない発言だ。

The opposition Democratic Party of Japan cannot treat the recent inappropriate remarks as having nothing to do with itself.
　民主党も人ごとではない。

Masaharu Nakagawa, a House of Representatives member from the DPJ, said at a meeting of party lower house members, “Let’s fight to ensure Prime Minister [Shinzo] Abe develops a sleep disorder.”
　中川正春衆院議員は代議士会で「安倍首相の睡眠障害を勝ち取ろう」と訴えた。

Nakagawa made the remark when he referred to Akira Amari, former minister in charge of economic revitalization, who has been diagnosed with a sleep disorder. Nakagawa’s remark lacked consideration for people who suffer from such a condition.
睡眠障害と診断された甘利明・前経済再生相を引き合いにした発言だが、同じ病気に悩む人への配慮が欠けている。

The prime minister has expressed a sense of displeasure with the remark, saying it is “a question of human rights.”
　安倍首相は「人権問題だ」などと不快感を示した。

Focus on serious issues

There are a number of themes to be discussed in the Diet now, including the revitalization of the Japanese economy and the situation in northeast Asia. We hope each lawmaker will come to tackle Diet deliberations more seriously and deepen constructive discussions.
　日本経済の再生、北東アジア情勢など、国会で論じるべきテーマは多い。各議員は、審議にもっと真剣に取り組み、建設的な議論を深めてもらいたい。

Needless to say, Cabinet members must speak and act with even greater caution.
　無論、閣僚には、より慎重な言動が求められる。

During a lecture in which she referred to the nuclear accident that occurred at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, Environment Minister Tamayo Marukawa said the government’s decontamination goal of reducing radiation levels to an annual dose of one millisievert or less had “no scientific grounds.”
　丸川環境相は講演で、福島第一原発事故に関し、放射線量を「年間１ミリ・シーベルト以下」にする国の除染目標について「何の科学的根拠もない」と発言した。

Later, she offered an apology, saying, “I said that [with the aim of] stating that a full explanation has not been given about why [the target] was set at one millisievert.” In the end, Marukawa retracted her original remark.
　その後、「なぜ１ミリに決めたのか、十分に説明し切れていないと（いう趣旨で）言った」と陳謝して、最終的に発言を撤回した。

In response to requests from communities affected by the accident to thoroughly decontaminate their areas, the administration led by the then ruling DPJ announced it would pursue the goal of curtailing radiation levels to one millisievert or less. By international standards, evacuees from a nuclear accident-affected area can return to their community if radiation levels stand at 20 millisieverts or lower.
　民主党政権は、徹底除染を求める地元の要望を受け、１ミリ・シーベルトの目標を掲げた。国際的には、２０ミリ・シーベルト以下なら帰還可能とされる。

It has been pointed out that the high decontamination goal is hindering efforts to ensure that evacuees from communities struck by the disaster can return home, and to rehabilitate the affected areas.
高い目標が住民帰還や復興の障害になっているとの指摘がある。

Although Marukawa’s remark seems to make sense in some respects, there is no denying her statement was unguarded and worded immaturely.
　丸川氏の発言には、もっともな面もあるが、舌足らずで、不用意だったことは否めない。

Kensei Mizote, chairman of the LDP caucus of upper house members, referred to former lower house member Kensuke Miyazaki, who was discovered to have been seeing another woman just before his wife gave birth. “Some people may feel envious [of Miyazaki],” Mizote said. Though Mizote may have said this as a joke, his remark was thoughtless.
　自民党の溝手顕正参院議員会長は、妻の出産直前に別の女性と交際していた宮崎謙介前衆院議員について、「うらやましい人もいるんじゃないの」と語った。軽口にしても不見識である。

The LDP is being viewed sternly, for reasons such as the scandal involving Miyazaki, who had proposed establishing a system by which Diet members would be allowed to take childcare leave.
　国会議員の育児休業の制度化を唱えていた宮崎氏の不祥事などで、自民党への視線は厳しい。

Does all this demonstrate that the LDP may be filled with conceit at a time when the party is the sole dominant force in political circles? Now is the time for the LDP to pull itself together.
「１強」状況の中、慢心が生じていないか。タガを締め直すべきだ。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Feb. 21, 2016)