Abdication Issue Requires Discussion with Deference to Emperor S Intent

茅ヶ崎方式ニュース英語サロン/ニュース Online 英会話～Presented by J バイリンガル

英文読解★時事英会話【上級】 2016 年 7 ～ 9 月期第 5 回課題 Topic News Discussion Topic5 【 Advanced 】 July-Sep, 2016 The Japan News July 15, 2016 Abdication issue requires discussion with deference to Emperor’s intent

1. It has come to light / that the Emperor has the intention to relinquish the throne / during his lifetime, / in favor of the crown prince.

2. We want to take the Emperor’s intent to heart.

3. The Imperial House Law has no provision / for a reigning emperor to abdicate. / Realizing the Emperor’s abdication / will require such legal steps / as a revision to the Imperial House Law / or special legislation.

4. The Imperial Household Agency has denied media reports / that the Emperor has expressed an intention / to relinquish the throne. / This is probably because / such remarks could be viewed / as a political statement by the Emperor, / who is defined in the Constitution / as “the symbol of the State.”

5. The Emperor has a strong sense of responsibility / for his official duties. / His duties so far this year / have included a tour of the Philippines / for a memorial service for the war dead / and a visit to meet with residents of the area / hit by the series of earthquakes in Kumamoto Prefecture.

6. Meanwhile, during a news conference last December, / the Emperor acknowledged / that he had made some mistakes in ceremonial procedures / and referred to his age / as he turned 82 that month.

7. The Emperor’s reference to abdication / could possibly come / after his deliberate thoughts about the gravity of his duties / as the symbol of the state and his age.

8. It is essential to maintain discussions / on the matter in deference to the feelings of the Emperor. / Doing so would contribute to obtaining the understanding of the people, / who are concerned about the health of the Emperor / in light of his advanced age.

9. There had been many cases since ancient times / in which a reigning emperor abdicated, / but the previous Imperial House Law enacted in the Meiji era (1868-1912) / did not allow for abdication. / There was a reexamination on this point / when the current Imperial House Law was enacted after World War II, / but no such revision was made.

Future of Imperial family

10. If abdication were made possible, / it is feared that the possibility could not be ruled out / that a forced abdication against an emperor’s free will might occur / for political or other reasons. / Even when abdication is said to be an emperor’s wish, / it may be hard to confirm his real intention. / Such problems exist / regarding the relinquishment of the throne.

11. The issue concerns the bedrock of the Imperial family system. / The government said / it has set up a special task force / to study the matter behind closed doors. / But it is required for the government / to hear opinions more widely / through such forums as an expert panel.

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12. To begin with, / it is necessary to assess / to what extent / the Emperor’s workload from official duties could be reduced.

13. The Imperial House Law allows for installation of a regent / who substitutes for the emperor in performing official duties, / but this is limited to such cases / as the emperor becoming seriously ill. / Isn’t there an option to ease this requirement, / thereby making it possible for the crown prince as the regent to perform official duties / while the Emperor does not abdicate?

14. To enable the Emperor’s abdication, / it will become necessary to study the status of a retired emperor. / If the crown prince succeeds the throne, / Prince Akishino, the second son of the Emperor, / will then be first in line to the Chrysanthemum throne. / In that case, there would be no crown prince / [because a crown prince must be the son of the reigning emperor].

15. When considering the future of the Imperial family, / it is unavoidable to hold discussions on a female emperor or female-line emperor. / Those discussions have been suspended / since the birth of Prince Akishino’s son Prince Hisahito.

– Questions for Reading Comprehension and Discussion – 1. Do you think the Emperor has the intention to abdicate during his lifetime? 2. Is it realistic to take legal steps so that the Emperor could relinquish the throne? 3. It is unavoidable to hold discussions on the revision of the Imperial House Law?

【単語と語句】 abdication （名）退位 1. relinquish（動）放棄する throne （名）皇位・王位 3. abdicate （動）退位する 8. in deference to ：～を尊重して 9. reigning （形）君臨している 11. bedrock （名）根幹 13. regent（名）摂政

- 参考【日本語対訳】 - 読売新聞社説 2016年07月15日天皇「生前退位」ご意向忖度して広範な議論を ◆国際協調で市場の安定に努めよ◆

1. 天皇陛下が、皇太子さまに皇位を譲る「生前退位」の意向を持たれていることが分かった。

2. 陛下のご意思を重く受け止めたい。

3. 皇室典範に生前退位の規定はない。退位を可能にするには、典範の改正や特別立法などの法的措置が必要となる。

4. 宮内庁は、陛下が退位の意向を示されたことを否定している。象徴天皇である陛下が生前退位を口にされることは、政治的発言と見なされかねないためだろう。

5. 陛下は、公務に強い責任感をお持ちだ。今年もフィリピンへの慰霊の旅や熊本地震の被災者訪問などをこなされている。

6. 一方で、陛下は昨年末の記者会見で、行事の際の手順で「間違い」があったことや８２歳という自身の年齢について言及された。

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7. 生前退位は、象徴天皇としての務めの重さと年齢について、考え抜かれた末のご意思だろう。そんたく 8. お気持ちを忖度し、議論を重ねていくことが大切である。ご高齢の陛下の健康を気遣う国民の理解も

得られよう。

9. 天皇の生前退位は、古代から数多くの事例があるが、明治時代に制定された皇室典範では認められなかった。戦後の新しい皇室典範制定の際に、見直し論が浮上したが、制度化されなかった。

10. 退位を可能とした場合、天皇の自発的意思によらない強制退位が政治的思惑などによって起きる恐れを排除できない。天皇が望んだとされるケースでも、真意を確認するのは難しい。生前退位にはこうした問題点もあるからだ。

11. 皇室制度の根幹に関わる問題である。政府は担当チームを設け、水面下で検討を進めているというが、今後は有識者会議などの場で幅広く意見を求めるべきだ。

12. まずは、陛下にかかる公務の負担をどこまで軽減できるのか、見極める必要がある。

13. 皇室典範は、天皇の公務などを代行する摂政を置くことを認めているが、天皇が重病になった時などに限られている。この要件を緩和し、陛下が退位しないまま、皇太子さまが摂政として公務にあたる選択肢はないのか。

14. 仮に生前退位を可能とする場合には、退位後の地位が検討課題となる。皇太子さまが新たな天皇に即位されると、秋篠宮さまが皇位継承順位の１位となる。その場合、皇太子は不在だ。

15. 皇室の将来を考えれば、秋篠宮さまの長男、悠仁さまの誕生で途絶えている女性天皇・女系天皇の議論も避けて通れない。