麻生財務相発言 子供を産める環境が大事なら

The Yomiuri Shimbun
After recent Aso remarks, measures must be offered on fertility issue
麻生財務相発言　子供を産める環境が大事なら

An important member of the Cabinet has repeatedly made inappropriate remarks during a recent week.
　重要閣僚が不適切な発言を繰り返している。

The figure in question is Finance Minister Taro Aso, who is also deputy prime minister. One of his controversial comments was made during a speech in support of a candidate for the upcoming House of Representatives election in Sapporo on Sunday.
“Though many people have a negative image of elderly persons, the problem is that [some women] do not bother to have children,” Aso said in connection with our nation’s low birthrate and aging population.
　麻生副総理兼財務相が７日、札幌市での衆院選の応援演説で、少子高齢化に関し、「高齢者が悪いというイメージを作る人はいっぱいいるが、子どもを産まないのが問題だ」と語った。

His comment was probably intended to emphasize the severity of a decrease in the percentage of those of working age, the generations who must shoulder the financial burden of supporting elderly people. The decline comes at a time of difficulty in securing the financial means to deal with a sharp rise in social security costs.
　社会保障費が増大し、その財源確保が困難になる中、高齢者を支える現役世代の比率低下の深刻さを指摘したかったのだろう。

However, there is no denying that Aso’s comment lacked consideration to the feelings of women who want to have children but find it impossible to do so for one reason or another.
だが、様々な理由で、子どもを産みたくても産めない女性に対する配慮を欠いた発言なのは否めない。

Japan’s fertility rate — the number of children an average woman will have in her lifetime — has continued to hover around 1.4, a major factor in its population decrease. However, most married couples are thought to consider an average of 2.4 children to be ideal. These figures indicate there is a gap between the nation’s actual birthrate and the average number of children married men and women want to have in life. This is related to the fact that a large number of people do not marry and have children for economic and other reasons.
　日本の出生率が１・４前後で低迷していることが、人口減少の要因だ。一方、夫婦が理想とする子どもの数は平均２・４人とされ、出生率と開きがある。経済的事情などで結婚・出産に踏み切れない人が多いことの表れと言える。

It cannot be gathered from Aso’s remark that he is paying close attention to the harsh realities surrounding these people. In fact, some members of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Cabinet have raised questions about Aso’s comment, which they say could even be regarded as “meddling in people’s lives.”
　そうした厳しい現実への目配りが、麻生氏の発言からはうかがうことができない。他の閣僚からも、「ライフスタイルにまで踏み込んだような発言はいかがか」との苦言が出ている。

On Tuesday, Aso acknowledged the inappropriateness of his remark. “It is important to create an environment in which women can have children without worry. I happened to omit an explanation [about his real intention] because of limited time, which gave people the wrong impression,” he said.
　麻生氏は９日、不適切な発言だったと認め、「安心して子どもを産める環境を作ることが大事だ。時間に追われて説明を省き、誤解を招いた」と釈明した。

If he truly thinks so, Aso should present a road map and measures aimed at creating such an environment. That is what he must do as a politician who assumes a role in the government.
　それなら、その環境を作る道筋や方策を示すのが、政権を担う政治家の役割ではないか。

‘Incompetence’ irrelevant

During a speech on Saturday, meanwhile, Aso said, “Failure to turn profits is just due to hard luck or because a business is run by an incompetent person.” He made this remark in connection with government economic policies, saying a number of corporations are making profits nowadays.
　麻生氏は６日の演説では、経済政策に関連し、多くの企業が利益を上げる状況を踏まえ、「（利益を）出してないのは、よほど運が悪いか、経営者に能力がないからだ」などと述べた。

In making that comment, Aso emphasized the accomplishments achieved through the prime minister’s “Abenomics” package, including success in raising stock prices and correcting the over-appreciation of the yen.
　安倍政権の経済政策「アベノミクス」による株高や円高是正の実績を訴える中での発言だ。

However, the fact is that the benefits of Abenomics have been limited to some quarters of business, not reaching small and medium-sized corporations as well as the regional economies. In fact, a considerable number of companies are also groaning under such adverse effects of Abenomics as a sharp rise in the prices of imported raw materials due to the weak yen.
　だが、アベノミクスの恩恵は一部にとどまっており、中小企業や地方には行き渡っていない。円安による原材料の高騰などに苦しむ企業も少なくない。

It was rather unreasonable for Aso to dismiss the failure of companies to improve their business performance as the results of bad luck or incompetence.
　業績が上がらない会社経営者を、「運が悪い」「能力がない」と切り捨てるのはやや乱暴だ。

Aso defended himself by saying, “Anyone who runs a company must make efforts to adjust their business approach to any changes in their environment.” However, we feel Aso may have been oblivious to his position as a Cabinet member responsible for striving to ensure the benefits of government economic policies widely permeate the economy.
　麻生氏は「経営者は、環境の変化に合わせた努力をするものだ」と弁明しているが、政策効果を広く浸透させる努力が求められる自らの立場を忘れていないか。

Priority policies pursued by the Abe administration include measures to fight the drop in the birthrate and correct economic disparities among people. The series of careless remarks by Aso are probably bound to adversely affect the government’s pursuit of economic and other policies.
　少子化対策や格差の是正は安倍政権の優先課題である。今回の一連の不用意な発言は、政策遂行にマイナスとなろう。

We feel the Liberal Democratic Party’s apparent lead in campaigning for the lower house race may be a factor behind the finance minister’s controversial comments. There is good reason to presume Aso’s speech and behavior point to a good measure of carelessness and arrogance resulting from his party’s standing in the race.
　発言の背景には、自民党が優位とされる衆院選の情勢もあるのではないか。麻生氏の言動には、気の緩みや慢心が潜んでいる、と見られても仕方あるまい。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 10, 2014)Speech