shimokawasachiko 目次
07 Agree or Disagree; Should foreign people be allowed to participate in referendums in their residential council area?
外国人は居住地での住民投票参加を許されるべきか。
POINTS: Invasion / Citizenship / Literal and cultural Comprehension / Exclusivity / Basic Human Rights
観点：侵略 / 市民権 / 言語的文化的理解 / 疎外 / 基本的人権
外国人住民投票の背景
地方自治体において、代表の市議会だけが可決権を持つのではなく、そこに居住する住民の声を反映させるための投票。今や、地方自治体によっては、外国人が占める割合も増えてきており、市民権は持たないが長期にわたり日本に居住する外国人も数多く存在する。外国人にも住民投票権を与えるか否かは、非常に大きな社会問題である。
賛成派：外国人にも住民投票権を与えるべきだ（239 語）
AGREE or DISAGREE: Should foreign people participate in referendums?
POINTS: Citizenship / Exclusivity / Basic Human Rights
Introduction
Foreign residents should have a right to referendums, although they might need to meet some requirements, like how long they have lived in the local council area before a referendum.
外国人居住者は、住民投票前にどのくらいその自治区に住んでいたかなどの条件を満たす必要はあるかもしれませんが、住民投票の権利は与えられるべきです。
Discussion 1
Technically speaking, referendums are totally different from suffrage. Some people argue that allowing foreign residents to participate in referendums might lead them to have the right to vote for national elections. But it would not happen because the current law prohibits even permanent residents from voting or becoming candidates for election. It’s also hard to imagine that the National Diet would amend that part of the law.
厳密にいうと、住民投票と選挙権は全く違うものです。外国人居住者に住民投票権を与える事は、国政への選挙権を与える事に繫がるかもしれないと、いう人達もいますが、起こりえないことです。なぜなら、現行の法律では、外国人永住者にさえ選挙権も被選挙権も認めていません。また国会が法律のこの部分を改定するというのも想像し難いものです。
Discussion 2
Foreign residents are also a member of the community. All residents should participate in the process of passing resolutions in their residential area rather than leaving them to their councillors alone. For instance, whether a nuclear waste disposal site should be built or not in the local council area would be anyone’s concern and interest, including foreign residents.
外国人居住者もコミュニティの一員です。全ての居住者は、市議会議員だけに任せておくのではなく、その自治体における決議案の可決プロセスに参加するべきです。例えば、核のゴミ処理場を地域に設立するか否かは、外国人居住者を含むすべての住人の懸念であり関心事です。
Discussion 3
Besides, many foreign people living in Japan have provided the necessary workforce, particularly in the agricultural fields and nursing homes. These positions cannot be filled only with Japanese people. How come we could make such fellows feel excluded from a society they are part of.
その上、日本在住の多くの外国人は、必要な労働力を提供してくれています。特に、農業や老人介護施設における労働力は我々日本人だけでは補充しきれません。どうして、そのような仲間たちが社会から疎外されていると感じるような事ができますか？
Conclusion
In short, the opponents’ main concern is out of focus and exclusion of foreign residents from referendums may mean depriving them of a part of the fundamental human rights. Foreign residents should therefore be able to participate in referendums.
要するに、外国人居住者に住民投票権を与えることを反対する人たちの主な懸念は的外れであり、住民投票権を与えないことは基本的人権の一部を剥奪することになりかねません。よって、外国人居住者は住民投票に参加し得るべきです。
賛成派：本文全文（音源つき）
Foreign residents should have a right to referendums, although they might need to meet some requirements, like how long they have lived in the local council area before a referendum.
Technically speaking, referendums are totally different from suffrage. Some people argue that allowing foreign residents to participate in referendums might lead them to have the right to vote for national elections. But it would not happen because the current law prohibits even permanent residents from voting or becoming candidates for election. It’s also hard to imagine that the National Diet would amend the part of the law.
All residents should participate in the process of passing resolutions in their residential area rather than leaving them to their councillors alone. For instance, whether a nuclear waste disposal site should be built or not in the local council area would be anyone’s concern and interest, including foreign residents. Foreign residents are also a member of the community.
Besides, many foreign people living in Japan have provided the necessary workforce, particularly in the agricultural fields and nursing homes. These positions cannot be filled only with Japanese people. How come we could make such fellows feel excluded from a society they are part of.
In short, the opponents’ main concern is out of focus and exclusion of foreign residents from referendums may mean depriving them of a part of the fundamental human rights. Foreign residents should therefore be able to participate in referendums.
反対派： 外国人に住民投票権を与えるべきでない (241語)
AGREE or DISAGREE; Should foreign residents participate in referendums?
POINTS: Invasion / Literal and cultural Comprehension / Citizenship
Introduction
It would be irresponsible and excessive behaviour to give foreign residents a right to referendums, whilst exchanging our opinions with foreign residents in the same residential area would help form a well-bonded community.
同じ居住区に住む外国人と意見を交換しあうのは結束の強いコミュニティを形作るのに有効な一方で、外国人居住者に住民投票権を与えるのは無責任で行き過ぎた行為だろう。
Discussion 1
Once a local government has given the foreign residents a right to referendums, the area may attract more foreign immigrants. It looks to support the declining populations in country towns without deep thought. However, it may turn the towns lawfully controlled by the residents originally from different countries.
一旦ある地方自治体が外国人居住者に住民投票権を与えれば、より多くの外国人移住者がその自治区にやってくるだろう。深く考えなければ、田舎町における人口減少をサポートし得るように見えますが、元々他の国から やって来た人によって法的に支配される町になってしまう可能性もあります。
Discussion 2
Improving Japanese reading comprehension is also challenging for foreigners. People with excellent Japanese skills may have difficulty understanding some written Japanese. Some foreigners living in Japan may not need to learn Japanese. Besides, Japan is full of strange written English descriptions or expressions, which could be found even in official documents. Given these facts, it would be suspicious whether foreign residents fully understand what they vote for.
また、日本語読解力を伸ばすことは外国人にとって難しく、語能力のある人でさえ日本語を読んで理解するのに苦労することもあるでしょう。日本に住む外国人には、日本語を学ぶ必要のない人もいます。その上、日本は奇妙な英語で書かれた描写や表現であふれかえっています。公式の書類にさえあるほどです。こういった事実を考慮すると、外国人居住者が何に投票するのか完全に理解しているかは疑わしいでしょう。
Discussion 3
Most foreign people temporarily reside in Japan for their work and are likely to leave the country when their contracts end. In the first place, do such temporary or permanent residents, who could go home, want to express themselves on the matters for which referendums will be taking place?
ほとんどの外国人は仕事のため一時的に日本に住んでおり、契約が終了すれば日本を去る可能性があります。そもそも、そのような自国に帰るかもしれない一時的な居住者や永住権保持者は、住民投票が行われるような事案に対し自身の意見を述べたいのでしょうか？
Conclusion
Overall, I don’t think foreign residents need to participate in referendums as residents. They could eventually apply for Japanese citizenship after a certain period of living in Japan if they wish. Then they can vote not only for referendums but also for national elections.
総じて、外国人居住者が住民投票に参加する必要があるとは思いません。やがては彼らが望めば、ある一定期間日本に居した後、日本の市民権を申請することが出来、住民投票だけでなく、国政選挙に投票することも出来るようになるのですから。
反対派：本文全文（音源つき）
It would be irresponsible and excessive behaviour to give foreign residents a right to referendums, although exchanging our opinions with foreign residents in the same residential area would help form a well-bonded community.
Once a local government has given the foreign residents a right to referendums, the area may attract more foreign immigrants. It looks to support the declining populations in country towns without deep thought. However, it may turn the towns lawfully controlled by the residents originally from different countries.
Improving Japanese reading comprehension is also challenging for foreigners. People with excellent Japanese skills may have difficulty understanding some written Japanese. Some foreigners living in Japan may not need to learn Japanese. Besides, Japan is full of strange written English descriptions or expressions, which could be found even in official documents. Given these facts, it would be suspicious whether foreign residents fully understand what they vote for.
Most foreign people temporarily reside in Japan for their work and are likely to leave the country when their contracts end. In the first place, do such temporary or permanent residents, who could go home, want to express themselves on the matters for which referendums will be taking place?
Overall, I don’t think foreign residents need to participate in referendums as residents. They could eventually apply for Japanese citizenship after a certain period of living in Japan if they wish. Then they can vote not only for referendums but also for national elections.
まとめ
外国に住んでいる日本人は条件を満たしていれば、大使館・領事館で日本の国政選挙に投票する事が出来ます。その在住の外国の永住権を保持し日本を何年も離れていても、です。これを在外選挙といいます。日本は、他の国の市民権と日本の市民権の両方 (dual citizenship) を持つことを許可していませんから、どちらかを選択しなければなりません。ですから、日本に帰ってくる意思がなく、でも日本の市民権を失いたくないという人もいるのではないでしょうか？そういう人が、日本の国政選挙に参加でき、直接関係のある在住の国の選挙には参加できない（ 他国でもその国の市民権なしに、国政に参加できる国はほぼありません）。日本に在住の外国人でも、こういったケースはありえます。
何を基準に、選挙権や住民投票権を認めるのが良いのか、自分なりに想像し考えてみて下さい。
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