政党紙配布判決 公務員の中立を乱さないか

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Dec. 9, 2012)
Ruling may undermine public servants' political neutrality
政党紙配布判決　公務員の中立を乱さないか（12月8日付・読売社説）

A Supreme Court ruling Friday found a national government employee who distributes a political party leaflet, which is prohibited by law, may not be necessarily accused of a crime.
　法的に禁じられている国家公務員による政党機関紙の配布について、最高裁は、場合によっては罪に問われることはないとの判断を示した。

The ruling has caused concern the range of political activities allowed for national government employees might surreptitiously be expanded little by little.
　国家公務員の政治活動の範囲が、なし崩し的に広がらないか、懸念が拭えない判決だ。

A former assistant division chief of the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry and a former employee of the now-defunct Social Insurance Agency were accused of violating the National Civil Service Law. The two distributed the Japanese Communist Party's leaflets at condominiums and other places, during the past House of Representatives election campaign, on their days off.
　過去の衆院選で、共産党機関紙の号外を休日にマンションなどに配布したとして、元厚生労働省課長補佐と元社会保険庁職員が国家公務員法違反に問われた。

The top court found the former assistant division chief guilty but acquitted the former employee of the agency.
　最高裁は、元厚労省課長補佐を有罪、元社保庁職員については無罪とする判決を言い渡した。

The law restricts political activities of national public servants, and rules of the National Personnel Authority based on the law clearly prohibit them from distributing political party leaflets.
　国家公務員法は、職員の政治的行為を制限し、それに基づく人事院規則が、政党機関紙の配布を明確に禁じている。

We think it appropriate the top court first pointed out national government workers must fulfill their duties from politically nonjudgmental and neutral positions.
　判決がまず、国家公務員について、「政治的に公正かつ中立的立場で職務の遂行に当たることが必要」と指摘したのは当然だ。

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Part of ruling questionable

However, the rest of the judgment has come into question.
　だが、その先の最高裁の判断には疑問符が付く。

In the trial, the court attached weight to the positions of the two defendants. It said that the former assistant division chief was guilty because he was in a management post and could have affected services by other government employees by conducting political activities.
　今回の裁判で、最高裁が重視したのは、２人の地位だ。有罪となった元厚労省課長補佐は、管理職的地位にあり、政治活動をすれば、他の職員の業務にも影響を及ぼし得る、との見解を示した。

Meanwhile, the former agency employee could not have affected other workers by conducting political activities because he worked at a reception counter and in nonmanagement positions, according to the court.
　一方、窓口相談などを担当していた元社保庁職員は管理職でなく、政治活動が職務に影響することはない、と判断した。

However, we think this is merely a one-dimensional view. There must be some workers who exert powerful influence on colleagues regardless of their posts. For instance, leaders of labor unions at public offices are very influential but do not hold management positions.
　この見方は、一面的ではないか。地位にかかわらず、職場に強い影響力を持つ職員はいるだろう。例えば、官公庁の労働組合の幹部は管理職ではない。

The court said political activities by public servants shall be deemed illegal if they substantially influence the politically neutral administration of government after their positions and responsibilities are taken into consideration in a comprehensive manner. But we think this guideline is vague.
　どんな場合に政治活動が違法となるかについて、最高裁は、公務員の地位や権限を総合判断し、「行政の中立的運営に実質的に影響を及ぼす場合」との見解を示した。この線引きもあいまいだ。

In 1974, the Supreme Court ruled the prohibition of political activities by national government employees regardless of their positions would not constitute a violation of the Constitution. We cannot understand why the latest ruling doesn't conform to this judicial precedent.
　最高裁は１９７４年、国家公務員の政治活動について、「地位や職種に関係なく政治的行為を禁じることは憲法に違反しない」と判断した。この判例との整合性でも理解しにくい面がある。

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Tight restrictions needed

We are afraid the latest ruling might spread an interpretation that national government workers may engage in political activities as long as they do not hold management positions. Cases of government employees helping a ruling party distribute political leaflets could also be expected.
　今回の判決により、管理職に就いていなければ、政治活動が許されるという解釈が広がる恐れもある。政権政党に、国の機関の職員がビラまきなどで協力するような事態も考えられる。

We are also concerned with the ruling's possible influences on places of education. Schoolteachers' political activities are also restricted in ways similar to national civil servants. The ruling might reproduce a case similar to the violations of the Political Funds Control Law by the Hokkaido Teachers Union, which came under criticism for its cozy relationship with the Democratic Party of Japan.
　教育現場への影響も心配だ。教員は国家公務員並みに政治活動が制限されている。民主党との癒着が批判された北海道教職員組合の政治資金規正法違反事件のようなケースが起こりかねない。

In conclusion, we believe political activities by public servants should be tightly restricted.
　やはり、公務員の政治活動は、厳格に規制されるべきだ。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 8, 2012)
（2012年12月8日01時24分  読売新聞）