経団連政策評価 企業の政治参加を促す契機に

そもそもクリーンな政治献金なんてのはありえない。
（スラチャイ）

The Yomiuri Shimbun November 7, 2013
Keidanren’s resumption of ratings for political parties a welcome move
経団連政策評価　企業の政治参加を促す契機に（11月6日付・読売社説）

The Japan Business Federation (Keidanren) has resumed assessing political parties’ policies for the first time in four years. But will the assessments serve as a tool for translating policies into action through close cooperation between business circles and political parties?
Keidanren aims to examine the degree to which its earlier policy proposals have been carried out while also exploring what remains to be done.
　経済界が政党と緊密に連携し、政策実現を図る手段となるだろうか。
　経団連が政党に対する「政策評価」を、４年ぶりに再開した。経団連の政策提言がどの程度実現し、何が課題として残っているかを検証する狙いである。

In 2004, Keidanren started an annual assessment of key policies advanced by the Liberal Democratic Party and the Democratic Party of Japan, hoping to exercise greater influence on economic policy. Keidanren intended its policy assessment as a yardstick to be used by business corporations and industrial associations in making decisions about donations to political parties.
　経団連は、経済政策への影響力を強めるために、２００４年から毎年、自民、民主両党の政策評価を実施した。企業や業界団体が政治献金を行う際の「目安」と位置付けていた。

In 2010 and after, however, Keidanren did not carry out a policy assessment, following the inauguration of the DPJ-led government, which insisted on abolishing corporate donations to political parties—a move that made its 2009 assessment the last one. The DPJ administration advanced a series of policies that seemed to play down the importance of economic management, including a so-called “from-concrete-to-humans policy” that entailed large cuts in funding for public works projects. Another policy of that nature was a call to eventually end the country’s reliance on nuclear power. All this prompted the corporate sector to greatly reduce its political donations.
　だが、企業献金廃止を唱える民主党政権が誕生し、政策評価を０９年で打ち切った。「コンクリートから人へ」「脱原発」など経済を軽視した政策が続き、企業側は献金額を大幅に減じてきた。

We find it reasonable that Keidanren has resumed its policy assessment with the hope of seeing the business community’s opinions reflected in Abenomics, the policies pursued by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to revitalize the nation’s economy. Keidanren apparently wants to narrow the distance between the prime minister and itself, after relations were initially strained due to a difference in opinion over his administration’s monetary easing policy.
　経団連が政策評価を再開し、経済再生を目指す安倍政権の「アベノミクス」に、経済界の考えを反映させようとするのは理解できる。当初、金融緩和策をめぐって関係がぎくしゃくした安倍首相への接近を図りたいのだろう。

Good grades for ruling parties

Keidanren’s latest policy assessment has rated the ruling parties’ economic policies as generally satisfactory. “[The ruling parties] are actively promoting the policies advocated by Keidanren, and we think highly [of their efforts],” its assessment report said.
　今回の政策評価は、与党の経済政策に対する総合評価として「経団連が主張する政策を積極的に推進しており、高く評価する」と合格点をつけた。

In assessing the ruling coalition’s growth strategy, Keidanren said Abenomics has produced such achievements as a high economic growth rate. The federation also cited some additional steps to complement these accomplishments, including reducing the effective corporate tax rate—the ratio of corporations’ national and local tax payments to their taxable incomes—and implementing bold deregulatory measures.
　個別テーマのうち、成長戦略については、アベノミクス効果による高い成長率などを実績と評価した。そのうえで、法人税実効税率の引き下げや大胆な規制緩和を、今後の課題に挙げた。

Another focus of Keidanren’s policy assessment was energy policy. The business organization said nuclear reactors whose safety has been confirmed should be reactivated at an early date. Keidanren also insisted on drawing up a road map for securing a stable and inexpensive supply of energy.
　エネルギー政策では、安全性が確認された原発の早期再稼働や、安価で安定的なエネルギー確保に向けた工程表の策定を求めた。

These measures are essential for advancing economic growth. The Abe administration must expedite efforts to carry out such policies.
　これらは経済成長の促進に欠かせない施策である。安倍政権は実現を急がねばならない。

It is disappointing that Keidanren has stopped using a five-level grading method. Previously, it graded policies in each category on a scale of A to E. This change has made it difficult to determine just how favorably—or unfavorably—Keidanren evaluated individual policies.
　残念なのは、政策分野ごとにＡ～Ｅの５段階で評価する「通信簿方式」をやめたことだ。評価の水準がわかりにくくなった。

The latest policy assessment did not cover opposition parties, either. We believe Keidanren should reconsider this approach, given that the policies of the ruling parties and those of the opposition parties cannot be compared under that formula.
　野党に対する評価も行っていない。与党と野党を比較できない点は見直すべきではないか。

Keidanren did not treat its latest assessment as a criterion that might be used by corporations and industrial associations to determine how much they would give in political donations. Nonetheless, many companies and other organizations will refer to the latest policy assessment when it comes to considering which party they will donate to and how much should be offered.
　経団連は再開した政策評価を、献金の「目安」と位置付けなかった。とはいえ、企業や団体の多くは、政策評価を参考にして献金先や金額を検討するだろう。

In advancing a set of policy proposals in January, Keidanren said “political donations are important as a form of contribution to society” by corporations. It is still significant that the corporate sector, a major constituent of society, should become involved in politics through clean donations given to political parties according to the rules.
　経団連は今年１月の政策提言で「政治献金は、企業の社会貢献の一環として重要」との見解を示した。社会の主要な構成員の一つである企業が、ルールを守ったクリーンな献金を通じ、政治に参加する意義は依然として大きい。

We hope Keidanren will strive to improve the quality of its policy assessment, thus making it easier for business corporations and others to use it as a basis for judging how much to offer in political donations, and to whom.
　経団連は、企業献金の判断材料として活用しやすいよう、政策評価の充実に努めてもらいたい。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 6, 2013)
（2013年11月6日01時32分  読売新聞）