猪瀬氏と５０００万 説明と規範意識が足りない

The Yomiuri Shimbun December 17, 2013
Inose’s explanations of Tokushukai cash lack coherence, common sense
猪瀬氏と５０００万　説明と規範意識が足りない（12月17日付・読売社説）

How long will Tokyo Gov. Naoki Inose repeat his totally unconvincing explanations? Distrust in him has been growing steadily.
　到底、納得できない釈明を、いつまで繰り返すのか。東京都の猪瀬直樹知事に対する不信感は増すばかりである。

The Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly resumed intensive deliberations Monday on the issue of Inose’s acceptance of ¥50 million from the scandal-tainted medical group Tokushukai.
　猪瀬氏が医療グループ「徳洲会」側から５０００万円を受け取っていた問題で、都議会が集中審議を再開した。

The assembly was closed last week, but suspicions swirling around him have increased as he answered interpellations while the assembly was in session. Given this, the assembly’s resumption of intensive deliberations on the matter was inevitable.
　都議会は先週で閉会したが、会期中の猪瀬氏の答弁で疑惑は一層深まった。それを考えれば、当然の対応である。

At issue in Monday’s session was how the ¥50 million in cash had been kept. Inose had claimed he “kept it in a rented safe-deposit box and never touched it,” but he changed his explanations during the session, saying the cash was transferred in May from the box in Tokyo’s Minato Ward to a rental safe-deposit box in Machida, western Tokyo, near his home.
　この日の審議で問題とされたのが、５０００万円の保管状況だ。猪瀬氏は「貸金庫に入れて一切、手を触れなかった」と主張してきたが、実は５月に最初の貸金庫から自宅近くの別の貸金庫に現金を移していた、と説明を翻した。

Inose explained that he had transferred the cash in a bid “to return the money promptly.” But his explanations are unconvincing. Why didn’t he say this from the very beginning?
　猪瀬氏は「すぐに返せる状態にしようと思った」と弁明したものの、説得力を欠く。なぜ最初から、そう説明しなかったのか。

He had consistently asserted that the money was “borrowed for personal use.” He stressed that he told only his wife about the money “because it was for personal use.”
　猪瀬氏は「個人的な借入金だった」という主張を変えていない。５０００万円受領に関し、「個人の借り入れなので妻以外には伝えなかった」とも強調してきた。

On the other hand, he changed his earlier explanations that he went straight home after receiving the cash from House of Representatives member Takeshi Tokuda at a lower house members office building. It has since been revealed, however, that in fact he briefly visited his office before going home.
　一方で、徳田毅衆院議員から議員会館で現金を受け取った後、そのまま自宅に戻ったとの答弁は変遷している。実際には、自分の事務所に立ち寄ってから帰宅していたことが明らかになった。

Did he keep his secretaries at the office in the dark about the receipt of the ¥50 million?
　事務所では、秘書らに５０００万円受領の事実を一切、伏せていたのだろうか。

Governance affected

It was also disclosed that when Inose’s special secretary returned the cash to the Tokushukai group in September, he used a metropolitan government-owned vehicle. The use of such a car obviously runs counter to Inose’s stance of stressing the importance for differentiating between private and public matters.
　猪瀬氏の特別秘書が９月に徳洲会側に現金を返却した際、公用車を使っていたことも判明した。公私の区別を強調する姿勢と公用車の使用は、明らかに矛盾する。

Inose’s campaign office for last year’s Tokyo gubernatorial election is suspected to have included inadequate records in its report on expenses for campaigning. In answer to a question by an assemblyman, Inose said the matter “should be referred to the secretary.” This answer will not convince voters.
　都知事選で猪瀬陣営が作成した選挙運動費用収支報告書に、不適切な記載があった疑いもある。「秘書に聞いてほしい」という答弁では、有権者は納得しまい。

Delays in implementing metropolitan government policies due to this matter are a cause of concern.
　都政の停滞が懸念される。

Inose had mentioned that the president of the organizing committee for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and Paralympics would be “decided by the end of this year.” But because he has been busy answering questions on his money scandal in the assembly, his meeting on the matter with Olympics minister Hakubun Shimomura has yet to happen.
　２０２０年東京五輪・パラリンピックの運営主体となる大会組織委員会の理事長人事について、猪瀬氏は「年内に決める」と明言していた。だが、議会対応に追われ、下村五輪相との協議はいまだに実現していないという。

The governor’s assessment of the metropolitan budget for the new fiscal year is scheduled for early next year. Despite this, Inose could not set aside time to hear explanations on budget plans from key metropolitan government officials.
　年明けには、都の新年度予算案に対する知事の査定が控える。それにもかかわらず、都幹部から予算案に関する説明を受ける時間さえ、なかなか割けていない。

Assembly members from all groups, with the exception of those belonging to the Liberal Democratic Party—the largest group in the assembly—have called for Inose to resign.
　都議会では、最大会派の自民党以外の各会派の議員から、辞職を促す声が上がっている。

If Inose insists on staying at the helm of the metropolitan government, he must fulfill his responsibility to explicitly explain the issue of the ¥50 million.
　猪瀬氏が引き続き都政のかじ取りを担うと言うのなら、５０００万円問題の説明責任をきちんと果たすことが先決である。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 17, 2013)
（2013年12月17日01時35分  読売新聞）