英字新聞

--The Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 1
EDITORIAL: Koike must keep promise, push policies that help Tokyo citizens
（社説）小池新都知事　都民本位の改革実行を

Former Defense Minister Yuriko Koike was elected Tokyo’s new governor on July 31, becoming the first female chief of the capital’s government. We hope Koike will capitalize on her trademark ability to send out effective messages in her role as the public face of Japan’s capital.
　東京都の新しい知事に、小池百合子氏が選ばれた。初の女性都知事の誕生だ。日本の首都の顔として、持ち前の発信力を生かしてほしい。

Koike won a landslide victory in the gubernatorial election despite failing to receive the endorsement of her Liberal Democratic Party, which fielded another candidate. The ruling party’s decision, based primarily on its partisan interests, probably provoked a backlash among voters in Tokyo.
　自民党の意向に逆らった末の勝利である。都民の胸中には、党による「組織の論理」に対する反発が色濃くあったはずだ。

The process in which opposition parties led by the Democratic Party chose a unified candidate also confused many voters.
野党の統一候補選びにも分かりにくさがあった。

During her campaign, Koike pledged to put priority on the interests of individual citizens. She should be true to her words and push through reforms to shift the focus of Tokyo’s policymaking from the interests of specific organizations to those of the entire population of the capital.
　小池氏は、都民一人ひとりが主役だと唱えた訴えどおり、特定の組織に目を向ける旧来の政治から、都民全体を考える都政への変革を進めてほしい。

Koike needs to provide leadership to resolve a wide range of tough policy challenges, from the rapidly aging population to disaster preparedness for a huge earthquake that many experts warn could occur directly under Tokyo.
　急速に進む高齢化への対応や首都直下地震への備えなど、小池氏がリーダーシップを発揮すべき課題は山積している。

In particular, she must immediately review the financing plan for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, focusing on the capital’s contribution. The total cost for the event, initially estimated at 700 billion yen ($6.8 billion), is now expected to balloon to 2 trillion yen or even 3 trillion yen. The challenge for Koike is to figure out ways to reduce the cost and decide on an appropriate burden for Tokyo.
　すぐに待ち受けるのは東京五輪・パラリンピックの整備費の分担見直しだ。当初７千億円と言われた全体経費は２兆とも３兆とも言われている。これをいかに削り、都負担の適正ラインをどこに引くか。

Both the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and the LDP members of the metropolitan assembly are calling for an increase in the capital’s share of the cost burden, emphasizing Tokyo’s responsibility due to its bid to host the event.
　組織委も都議会自民党も「招致した東京の責任」を唱え、都の負担増を求めている。

Discussing the issue, Koike criticized the Tokyo government’s opaque policymaking process as a “black box” and called for greater transparency. The issue of financing the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics will test her commitment to addressing the issue.
小池氏は「都政がブラックボックスになっている」と決定過程の透明化を訴えた。その真価が問われることになる。

In an Asahi Shimbun survey of voters in Tokyo, “education and child-care support” was cited by the largest number of respondents as the policy area that they wanted the new governor to prioritize.
　朝日新聞の調査では、新知事に力を入れてほしい政策のトップは「教育・子育て」だった。

Tokyo’s child-care support for its citizens has national implications. Many young people who moved from rural areas to Tokyo are giving up having children because of an unfavorable environment for rearing children. This problem is accelerating Japan’s demographic decline.
　「子育て」問題は東京の課題にとどまらない。首都圏に集まった地方の若者が、子育て環境の悪さなどから、子どもを産むのをあきらめる構造が日本の人口減に拍車をかけている。

During her campaign, Koike proposed various ideas to solve the problem of the estimated 8,500 children on waiting lists for day-care centers. Her ideas included the use of land owned by the metropolitan government and higher pay for child-care workers. Koike needs to make steady efforts to deal with this challenge.
　約８５００人にのぼる待機児童の解消に向け、都有地の活用や保育士の待遇改善など様々なアイデアが選挙戦で語られた。着実に対策を進めてほしい。

On the other hand, Koike talked little about education.
　一方、小池氏が「教育」について語ることはほぼなかった。

She once argued that tragic incidents involving children, such as murders of family members, were a result of Japan’s “self-deprecating education” in the postwar period.
　かつて、家族間での殺人事件などが起きるのは「自虐的な戦後教育の結果」だと語ったこともある。

The Japan Society for History Textbook Reform, an organization devoted to helping the nation “overcome masochistic historical views,” backed Koike in the election, saying she was the only major candidate who supported its activities.
自虐史観の克服を掲げる「新しい歴史教科書をつくる会」は、主な候補のうち小池氏だけが活動を支えてくれた、と今回支持を表明していた。

The law on regional educational administration was revised in 2014 to enhance the power of local government chiefs over education policy decisions. Instead of using her power as the governor to promote education based on specific values, Koike should serve as a champion of “diversity,” which she pledged to promote, in education.
　２０１４年の地方教育行政法の改正で、首長の権限が強められた。特定の価値観ではなく、自らが公約とした「多様性」を認める教育をめざすべきだ。

In announcing her candidacy, Koike emphasized she was ready to confront the LDP in the metropolitan assembly. We welcome her stance if that means true competition for better, citizen-focused policies through serious debate at the assembly.
　立候補の際、小池氏は都議会自民党との対決を強調した。議場での真剣な議論を通じ、都民本位の政治を競うなら歓迎だ。

But we have had enough of the petty political fights over parochial interests.
　しかし、またコップの中の争いになるなら、ごめんこうむりたい。

After the resignation of two Tokyo governors--Naoki Inose and Yoichi Masuzoe--amid scandals, there is no room for further stagnation in the capital’s efforts to tackle its key policy challenges.
猪瀬直樹氏、舛添要一氏と２代続いた失脚で、これ以上都政を停滞させる余裕はない。