社説:改造内閣発足 中韓と関係構築を急げ

September 04, 2014(Mainichi Japan)
Editorial: Reshuffled Abe Cabinet should improve Japan's ties with neighbors
社説:改造内閣発足　中韓と関係構築を急げ

The reshuffled second Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and new leadership for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) were launched on Sept. 3. While retaining most key Cabinet ministers, Abe appointed former Justice Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki, his predecessor as LDP president, as party secretary-general.
　第２次安倍改造内閣と自民党の新体制が発足した。安倍晋三首相は主要閣僚をおおむね留任させる一方で、党の要である幹事長に前総裁の谷垣禎一前法相を起用した。

While Abe named five women as members of his Cabinet, equal to the previous record and seen as a move to garner public attention, the overall line-up shows that the prime minister places priority on policy continuation. The time has come for the Abe Cabinet to review the way it has run the government in a high-handed manner since the LDP-led ruling coalition regained a majority in the House of Councillors, and to solve problems arising from its policies. In particular, it is an urgent task for the Abe government to improve Japan's strained relations with its neighbors and take countermeasures against the population decline.
　女性閣僚を過去最多に並ぶ５人起用してメリハリをつけたが、総じて政策の継続を意識した布陣と言える。衆参ねじれ状態を解消して以来強引さも目立つ政権運営のありかたを見直し、政策面で生じたひずみを修正すべき時だ。とりわけ近隣諸国との関係の再構築や、人口減少への対応に力を注がねばならない。

　◇本気問われる女性登用

Twelve of the Cabinet ministers were replaced in Abe's first Cabinet reshuffle since he came to power again in late 2012. Among the newly established posts for which particular attention was focused on personnel selection, former LDP Secretary-General Shigeru Ishiba was named to take up the post of minister in charge of vitalizing local economies, while Akinori Eto was appointed as minister in charge of security legislation to open the way for Japan to exercise the right to collective self-defense.
　初の改造人事で閣僚１２人が交代した。人選が注目された新設ポストでは地方の人口減少対策を受け持つ地方創生担当相に石破茂前幹事長、集団的自衛権行使を可能とする法整備にあたる安全保障法制担当相に江渡聡徳衆院議員を起用した。

Many key Cabinet ministers stayed on, such as the chief Cabinet secretary, finance minister, foreign minister and the minister in charge of economic revitalization. Therefore, it is apparent that the latest reshuffle was aimed primarily at ending the double-headed party leadership by Abe and Ishiba, who clashed head-on with each other in the LDP's presidential election two years ago.
　官房長官、財務、外務、経済再生ら主要とされる閣僚の多くは留任した。それだけに総裁就任以来の石破氏との双頭体制にピリオドを打つことが人事の主眼だったと言える。

Ishiba has been widely viewed as the most hopeful candidate to succeed Abe as LDP leader, and there is a possibility that these two will battle in the next LDP presidential election in autumn next year. Abe decided to replace the secretary-general after an LDP-backed candidate lost the Shiga gubernatorial election earlier this year and to appoint former LDP President Tanigaki to the post in an apparent bid to achieve intraparty reconciliation. Expectations will be placed on a sense of balance from Tanigaki, who is known as moderate toward China and places emphasis on rehabilitating debt-ridden state finances.
　２年前の総裁選で首相と競った石破氏は「ポスト安倍」の最右翼と目され、来秋の総裁選で再度戦う可能性もある。滋賀県知事選の与党敗北などを受けて交代に踏み切るとともに総裁経験者として初めて谷垣氏を幹事長に起用するなど挙党態勢と党内融和に配慮した形だ。対中穏健派で財政再建論者としても知られる谷垣氏のバランス感覚に期待したい。

However, questions have been raised over the process of Ishiba declining Abe's request that he take up the post of minister in charge of security legislation because of his differences over security policy with the prime minister and assuming another Cabinet position. Ishiba, who has insisted that a basic law on national security be enacted at an early date to allow Japan to broadly exercise the right to collective self-defense, is reportedly at odds with the prime minister who is hesitant to enact such legislation. If he is to remain at odds with the prime minister over basic policy, Ishiba should not have joined the Cabinet and instead chosen to have debate on the issue in the next party leadership race.
　だが、石破氏が首相からの安保法制担当相への就任要請を安保政策をめぐる見解の相違を理由に拒み、結局は別のポストで入閣した経過には疑問を抱かざるを得ない。石破氏は集団的自衛権行使を幅広く認める「国家安全保障基本法」の早期制定が持論で、慎重派の首相と違いがあるとされる。基本政策をめぐり相いれないのであれば閣外に身を置き、総裁選で論争を挑むのが筋だ。

Critics have pointed out that Abe appointed Ishiba as minister in charge of vitalizing local economies because the prime minister feared that an intraparty conflict could intensify if Ishiba were removed from his Cabinet and Ishiba compromised with the prime minister for fear that he would otherwise be isolated within the governing party. If so, that would mean both Abe and Ishiba made light of the newly created post of minister for vitalizing local economies. Under the circumstances, it is highly doubtful if lively intraparty policy debate will be held.
　政権から石破氏を排除すれば対立が激化しかねないと懸念した首相と、孤立をおそれた石破氏が妥協した結果の地方創生担当相就任とすれば、せっかくの新設ポストが泣く。次期総裁選を控え、このところ低調な党内の政策論争が活発化するかどうかもこれでは危ぶまれよう。

Abe's proactive appointments of women with disregard for seniority and a balance between intraparty factions should be appreciated. Abe named Yuko Obuchi, former minister in charge of measures for the declining birth rate, as economy, trade and industry minister and upper house member Haruko Arimura as minister in charge of promoting women's active participation. However, questions remain as to whether some of the newly appointed Cabinet ministers empathize with old-fashioned family values. The Abe administration's attitude toward promoting women's participation in society as part of its growth strategy as well as its efforts to ensure true gender equality is being tested.
　小渕優子元少子化担当相を経済産業相、有村治子参院議員を新設の女性活躍担当相に起用するなど女性を積極登用し、派閥均衡、順送り色を薄めたことを評価したい。だが、入閣した議員の一部には復古的な家族観に同調する傾向もありはしないか。成長戦略としてだけでなく、男女共同参画の精神を共有して女性の社会進出を本気で進めていく姿勢があるかが問われる。

The new Cabinet is required to assess problems arising from policy measures being implemented by the LDP-led administration. Since the LDP scored a landslide victory in the upper house election in 2013, the Abe government has taken advantage of its majority in both chambers to run the government in a high-handed manner, such as changing the interpretation of the war-renouncing Constitution through a Cabinet decision to open the way for Japan to exercise the right to collective self-defense. It also appears as if Japan's energy policy has returned to the pre-Fukushima nuclear disaster policy.
　改造内閣発足にあたり求められるのは生じ始めたひずみの検証である。参院選で自民党が圧勝して以来、特定秘密保護法の成立、閣議決定による解釈改憲など国会の「１強」状態を背に強引な政権運営が目立つ。エネルギー政策もまるで福島第１原発事故以前に回帰するかのようだ。
   
Work to enact legislation aimed at allowing Japan to exercise the right to collective self-defense will be postponed until next year's regular Diet session to show consideration to the LDP's coalition partner New Komeito. One cannot help but wonder why the Abe government hastily reinterpreted the Constitution despite a perception gap between the prime minister and Ishiba. The ability of Eto, who serves as a Cabinet member for the first time, still remains to be seen. Whether legislation needs to be enacted to allow Japan to exercise the right to collective self-defense will be called into question again.
　集団的自衛権行使を実際に可能とする法整備は公明党への配慮などから来年の通常国会に先送りになった。幹事長だった石破氏と見解の違いを抱えながら、いったい何のために解釈改憲を急いだのか。初入閣の江渡氏の力量も未知数だ。法整備の必要性が改めて問われよう。

　◇人口減少に本格対応を

The most sticking diplomatic issue is improving Japan's ties with China and South Korea that have been chilled over territorial issues and historical perceptions. The prime minister has kept China in check as the core of his diplomatic and national security policy. Still, it is abnormal that Japan has been unable to hold summit meetings individually with China and South Korea since Abe took power.
　外交で積み残された最大の懸案は領有権や歴史認識問題をめぐり冷え込んだままの中国、韓国両国との関係改善である。首相の外交・安全保障政策は対中けん制を基軸としてきた。とはいえ政権発足以来、中韓両国と個別の首脳会談すら行われないという状態は異常である。

The prime minister also attaches importance to Japan's relations with Russia and India in addition to strengthening the Japan-U.S. security arrangement. Furthermore, North Korea's re-investigation into the safety and whereabouts of missing Japanese abduction victims will enter a crucial phase. However, the government cannot effectively conduct its diplomatic policies as long as Japan's relations with its two neighbors remain strained.
　首相は日米安保体制の強化に加えロシア、インドとの関係を重視し、いわゆる「地球儀を俯瞰（ふかん）する外交」の展開にも取り組む。北朝鮮による拉致被害者らの安否再調査報告も重要な局面を迎える。近隣２国との関係が不正常なままで外交力は発揮できない。

Both Japan and its neighbors should launch efforts to resume dialogue and rebuild their mutual relations such as by holding Japan-China and Japan-South Korea summit talks on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum's summit conference in Beijing in November.
１１月に北京で開催されるアジア太平洋経済協力会議（ＡＰＥＣ）首脳会議における日中、日韓首脳会談実現など、双方が対話再開と関係再構築の努力を尽くす時だ。

Regarding economic and domestic policy, the growth strategy, which the government describe as the "third arrow" in "Abenomics," the economic policy mix promoted by the Abe administration, is coming to a deadlock. It is understandable that the prime minister is beginning to express enthusiasm about rectifying the population decline and the excessive concentration of the population and industry in Tokyo, even with disregard for the LDP's efforts to win votes in next year's nationwide local elections. To achieve this goal, it is an urgent task to create a system in which local governments and businesses can use their ingenuity and creativity to vitalize local economies.
　経済、内政もアベノミクス路線で「３本目の矢」とされた成長戦略が行き詰まりつつある。首相が人口減少や東京一極集中の是正に意欲を示し始めたのは統一地方選対策の要素を差し引いても理解できる。地方の創意を生かせる体制作りが急務だ。

On the other hand, it is extremely difficult for the government to achieve its goal of maintaining Japan's population at over 100 million for at least the next 50 years. The government continues to be required to create a social security system that can respond to the ultra-aging population and declining birthrate despite the critical fiscal situation. Japan is scheduled to raise the consumption tax again to 10 percent in October next year. After launching his reshuffled Cabinet, Prime Minister Abe told a news conference that he will decide by the end of this year whether to go ahead with the consumption tax hike as scheduled. The government should quickly consider introducing lower tax rates for daily necessities such as foodstuffs to help lessen the financial burden on taxpayers.
　一方で「５０年後も人口１億人維持」という政府目標のハードルは極めて高い現実もわきまえねばならない。財政が危機的な状況で人口減少・超高齢化社会に対応できるような社会保障制度の構築を迫られる事情は変わらない。来年１０月に消費税率を１０％へ引き上げる政治日程が控える。首相は改造後の記者会見で年内に最終判断する考えを示した。軽減税率導入などの手だてを急ぐべきだ。

There is speculation among both ruling and opposition parties that the prime minister is exploring the possibility of dissolving the House of Representatives to call a general election at an early date. However, now is not the time for the prime minister to seek voter response to his policies. The reshuffled Cabinet should pursue steady policy achievements. Opposition parties also should be fully prepared to hold thorough and in-depth policy debate in the upcoming extraordinary Diet session.
　与野党の一部には首相が早期の衆院解散をうかがっているのではないか、との観測もあるようだ。だが、民意を問う大義名分がある状況とは言えまい。改造内閣は着実な成果を追求すべきだ。野党もまた、秋の臨時国会での徹底論戦に足る体制を整えねばならない。

毎日新聞　2014年09月04日　02時30分