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英文読解★時事英会話 【上級】 2017年10～12月期 課題Topic2a
News Discussion Topic2a【Advanced】 October-December, 2017

The Japan News September 27, 2017

Koike’s new party platform undulyskewed toward populist policies

  1. It was the launch of a new party / prepared barely / in time for the dissolution of the House of Representatives. Even though it was hastily formed, / it is important for the party / to properly present convincing policies.
  2. Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike created a new party / called Kibo no To (Party of Hope) / and became its leader. / She will also stay on / in the governor’s post. / It is said / Koike’s party will field a large number of candidates nationwide / in the lower house election, / for which / voting and ballot-counting are slated for Oct. 22.
  3. At a press conference, / Koike said emphatically: / “In Japan, the speed of [political] reform is too slow. / I want to give momentum [to reform] / by making my standpoint clear myself.”
  4. At least 10 Diet members will join the new party, / including Kyoko Nakayama — former leader of the Party for Japanese Kokoro — / and people who left the Democratic Party / or the Liberal Democratic Party, / in addition to Masaru Wakasa, / a lower house member who is close to Koike; / former Environment Minister Goshi Hosono and others.
  5. A local party then led by Koike / won an overwhelming victory / in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly elections in July. / With Koike, / who has strong communication skills, / to come to the fore again, / the structure of the election campaign is certain to be affected. / A sense of alarm is spreading / within the ruling parties / and the opposition DP.
  6. It is problematic / that the new party’s policy-making process is opaque, / while its populist policies are conspicuous.
  7. Koike has declared / that her party will “aim at reducing the nation’s nuclear power generation to zero.” / She is probably trying to demonstrate a point of contention/ with the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, / which promotes the restart of nuclear power reactors / whose safety has been confirmed.
  8. Yet nuclear power generation is essential / for a stable supply of electricity for the country. / Koike should present / a more realistic energy policy.
  9. She has also referred to freezing the planned hike / in the consumption tax rate to 10 percent / and even cutting the number of Diet seats. / There is an indelible impression / that she has listed policies / that can easily be accepted by voters.
  10. While showing a positive stance / regarding constitutional amendment, / Koike has also called for broad-ranged discussion, / saying, “Is it enough for the discussion / to be limited to Article 9?”
  11. Although the new party is at the stage / of finally settling the lineup of its members, / the lower house election is approaching. / The party is urged to clarify, / at the earliest possible time, / the specific issues / it will take up for constitutional amendment / and its systemic policies, / including foreign and security policies.
  12. Among the people / who are slated to run as candidates of the new party, / there are a number of first-timers / with little political experience / and people who have left other parties / in the belief / that it would be difficult for them to win / if they remained. / As long as the new party is ambiguous in its philosophy and policies, / it will be difficult for it to avoid criticism / that it is merely a “temple acting as a refuge” / for those banking on Koike’s popularity.
  13. Meanwhile, / Koike becoming the new party leader / met with a backlash from Komeito, / which cooperated with Koike’s party / during the metropolitan assembly election. / As she has come out with a confrontational stance / toward the Abe administration, / Komeito is said to even be considering / canceling its cooperation in the metropolitan assembly.
  14. Koike has referred to the possibility / of the new party’s casting ballots / for Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi in the election / to designate the prime minister, / following the lower house election. / Does she intend to patch up relations with Komeito / by doing so?
  15. Handling both a governorship and a party leadership will not be easy, though there is precedent. Koike said, “It’s necessary [for me] to be involved in national politics to burnish the management of the metropolitan government.” But she needs to give further explanation in this regard.

–Questions for Discussion –

  1. Would you give us a brief outline of this article?
  2. What is your impression of the new party called Party of Hope led by Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike?
  3. What happened between Party of Hope and the largest opposition Democratic Party?
  4. If you were a Tokyo citizen, would you have supported Ms. Koike’s decision to lead the national party?
  5. Do you think Ms. Koike listed policiesthat can easily be accepted by voters to gain popularity?
  6. Which party do you support, and why?
  7. What do you most agree or disagree with in this article?
  8. Is there anything else you would like to share with us about this topic?

【語句の注釈】unduly（副）過度に skewed（形）歪められた emphatically（副）きっぱりと fore（名）前方・目立つ場所 opaque（形）不透明な contention（名）論争 indelible（形）消去できない slated（形）予定されている bank on：～をあてにする

-参考【日本語対訳】- 読売新聞 社説 2017年09月27日

希望の党 大衆迎合的政策に偏っている

  1. 衆院解散にぎりぎり間に合わせた新党旗揚げである。急造であっても、説得力ある政策をきちんと示すことが重要だ。
  2. 東京都の小池百合子知事が、新党「希望の党」を結成し、自ら代表に就任した。知事も続投する。１０月２２日投開票の予定の衆院選に、全国規模で多数の候補者を擁立するという。
  3. 小池氏は記者会見で、「日本は改革のスピードがあまりにも遅い。私自身が立場を明確にし、勢いをつけたい」と強調した。
  4. 希望には、側近の若狭勝衆院議員、細野豪志・元環境相らに加え、日本のこころの中山恭子前代表や民進、自民両党の離党者など１０人以上の国会議員が参加する。
  5. ７月の都議選では、小池氏が代表を務めた地域政党が圧勝した。発信力の高い小池氏が再び前面に立つことで、選挙戦の構図に影響を与えるのは確実だ。与党や民進党には警戒感が広がる。
  6. 問題なのは、希望の党の政策決定過程が不透明なうえ、大衆迎合的な政策が目立つことだ。
  7. 小池氏は「原発ゼロを目指す」と明言した。安全性の確認された原発の再稼働を進める安倍政権への対立軸を示す狙いだろう。
  8. だが、電力の安定供給には原発が欠かせない。より現実的なエネルギー政策を示すべきだ。
  9. 消費税率１０％への引き上げの凍結や、議員定数の削減にも言及した。有権者に受け入れられやすい政策を並べた印象が拭えない。
  10. 憲法改正には前向きだが、「９条に絞った議論でいいのか」と幅広い論議を求めている。
  11. 希望の顔ぶれがようやく固まった段階とはいえ、衆院選は迫っている。憲法改正の個別項目や外交・安全保障を含めた体系的な政策を早期に明確にしてほしい。
  12. 新党の候補予定者には、政治経験の乏しい新人や、他党では当選が難しいと考えた離党者が多い。理念や政策が曖昧なままでは、小池人気に依存した「駆け込み寺」との批判を免れまい。
  13. 小池氏の代表就任には、都議選で選挙協力した公明党が反発している。安倍政権への対決姿勢を打ち出したことで、都議会での連携の解消も検討しているという。
  14. 衆院選後の首相指名選挙で、希望の党が公明党の山口代表に投票する可能性に小池氏が言及したのは、関係修復のつもりなのか。
  15. 知事と政党代表の両立は、前例があるものの、容易ではあるまい。小池氏は「都政に磨きをかけるには国政への関与が必要だ」と語るが、一層の説明が求められる。

【Review Questions from Topic1a】Bridge verbal divide among generations to pass on Japanese language

  1. Would you give us a brief outline of this article?
  2. In what situation do people use the Japanese phrase, “kokoro ga oreru,” meaning “to be disheartened by an obstacle one faces”?
  3. Do you often use the phrase, “Mega tenni naru,” to indicate a look of astonishment?
  4. Have you had any difficulties in understanding the meaning of certain Japanese phrases?
  5. Is there any Japanese phrase that people tend to misuse?
  6. What do you think of a language barrier among generations built by the internet?
  7. What do you most agree or disagree with in this article?
  8. Is there anything else you would like to share with us about this topic?

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Original: （＝元の英文）

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和訳（オプション）：英文の意味を確実に伝えるため、必要なら日本語訳を付けてください。

Corrected: （＝添削後の英文）

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Original: （＝元の英文）

（この上にスピーチ原稿を入力してください）

和訳（オプション）：英文の意味を確実に伝えるため、必要なら日本語訳を付けてください。

Corrected: （＝添削後の英文）

（受講生の方は上の英文原稿をこの上にコピーペーストしてください）

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