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東京を再生できる都知事、求む
東京を再生できる都知事、求む
いよいよ都知事選の投票日が近づいてきた。
大都市である東京では今、不景気、就職難、
犯罪の増加、ホームレス問題など、
急務が山積している。
筆者は選挙権を持たないが、東京在住者として
有能な都知事の選出を願っている。
Tokyo Needs a Good Manager!
By CHRISTINE CUNANAN-NOMURA
I was happy to learn that Tokyo governor Yukio Aoshima would not be seeking
a second term. It's not that I don't like him, for he seems to be a sincerely
kind and unpretentious man who has certainly tried his best. However, I
don't think he has the ability to manage metropolitan Tokyo well.
In fact, few people really have the ability to manage such a large metropolis
as Tokyo, although many aspire to do so. The list of contenders for the
governorship includes several interesting personalities: two veteran
politicians, a writer and former Cabinet minister, a scholar and TV
commentator, and a former high-ranking United Nations official. I am sure
all of them are intelligent people who want to make Tokyo a better place to
live and work.
In fact, I've had the pleasure of meeting several of the candidates
before and have been suitably impressed by them. I once appeared in a
television debate show on a panel opposite Koji Kakizawa, visited Shintaro
Ishihara in his office, met Kunio Hatoyama at a diplomatic function and even
went to see a baseball game with Yoichi Masuzoe.
However I wonder which of these candidates truly has the managerial talent
to run Tokyo. Frankly speaking, Tokyo seems to be in bad shape due to the
actions of past administrations and to the effects of Japan's worst postwar
recession. I've heard that the metropolis may run a deficit due to a drop in
tax earnings and past overspending.
Tokyo must also cope with rising unemployment and crime, the increasing
number of homeless people, the heavy burdens of the pension and health
insurance systems, care of the growing elderly population and various
environmental concerns.
Tokyo obviously needs a good, no-nonsense manager who will be able to
coordinate the use of its limited resources in the best possible way. In
other words, the new governor must be able to motivate both bureaucrats
and citizens to find solutions to problems together and to get as many things
done as quickly, effectively and cheaply as possible.
Tokyo today is almost like a company that is losing business as time passes.
Without the right "company president," things will only keep getting worse.
With the right leader at the helm, howev
er, the situation can improve quickly and the "company" can have a second
life.
The U.S. car company Chrysler, for example, was headed for bankruptcy
when Lee Iacocca, a talented manager, was asked to head the company. He
planned an aggressive strategy and slashed his own high salary to $1 a
year. Both his actions and example inspired other employees, impressed
investors and helped save Chrysler.
In a similar way, the upcoming gubernatorial election offers Tokyo the
same possibility for a rebirth if citizens will only elect an able
manager. As a long-term resident of Tokyo, I am very concerned that the next
governor be the man who can best improve general living standards and help
Tokyo navigate through the 21st century. Unfortunately, I can't vote.
However, let me say this much: Managing Tokyo has little to do with being
nice, sincere, honest or likable, or with being the smartest, most successful
or most famous candidate — although, of course, all these personality traits will help. Tokyo needs a good, efficient manager!
I was happy to learn that Tokyo governor Yukio Aoshima would not be seeking
a second term. It's not that I don't like him, for he seems to be a sincerely
kind and unpretentious man who has certainly tried his best. However, I
don't think he has the ability to manage metropolitan Tokyo well.
In fact, few people really have the ability to manage such a large metropolis
as Tokyo, although many aspire to do so. The list of contenders for the
governorship includes several interesting personalities: two veteran
politicians, a writer and former Cabinet minister, a scholar and TV
commentator, and a former high-ranking United Nations official. I am sure
all of them are intelligent people who want to make Tokyo a better place to
live and work.
In fact, I've had the pleasure of meeting several of the candidates
before and have been suitably impressed by them. I once appeared in a
television debate show on a panel opposite Koji Kakizawa, visited Shintaro
Ishihara in his office, met Kunio Hatoyama at a diplomatic function and even
went to see a baseball game with Yoichi Masuzoe.
However I wonder which of these candidates truly has the managerial talent
to run Tokyo. Frankly speaking, Tokyo seems to be in bad shape due to the
actions of past administrations and to the effects of Japan's worst postwar
recession. I've heard that the metropolis may run a deficit due to a drop in
tax earnings and past overspending.
Tokyo must also cope with rising unemployment and crime, the increasing
number of homeless people, the heavy burdens of the pension and health
insurance systems, care of the growing elderly population and various
environmental concerns.
Tokyo obviously needs a good, no-nonsense manager who will be able to
coordinate the use of its limited resources in the best possible way. In
other words, the new governor must be able to motivate both bureaucrats
and citizens to find solutions to problems together and to get as many things
done as quickly, effectively and cheaply as possible.
Tokyo today is almost like a company that is losing business as time passes.
Without the right "company president," things will only keep getting worse.
With the right leader at the helm, howev
er, the situation can improve quickly and the "company" can have a second
life.
The U.S. car company Chrysler, for example, was headed for bankruptcy
when Lee Iacocca, a talented manager, was asked to head the company. He
planned an aggressive strategy and slashed his own high salary to $1 a
year. Both his actions and example inspired other employees, impressed
investors and helped save Chrysler.
In a similar way, the upcoming gubernatorial election offers Tokyo the
same possibility for a rebirth if citizens will only elect an able
manager. As a long-term resident of Tokyo, I am very concerned that the next
governor be the man who can best improve general living standards and help
Tokyo navigate through the 21st century. Unfortunately, I can't vote.
However, let me say this much: Managing Tokyo has little to do with being
nice, sincere, honest or likable, or with being the smartest, most successful
or most famous candidate — although, of course, all these personality traits will help. Tokyo needs a good, efficient manager!
Shukan ST: April 9, 1999
(C) All rights reserved
- Tokyo governor
- 東京都知事
- would not be seeking a second term
- 再出馬しない
- unpretentious
- 気取りのない
- manage
- 指揮をとる
- metropolitan Tokyo
- 首都東京
- metropolis
- 都会
- aspire to do so
- そうしたいと熱望する
- contenders
- 競争者
- governorship
- 都知事の地位
- personalities
- 人物
- former Cabinet minister
- 元閣僚
- scholar
- 学者
- high-ranking United Nations official
- 国連の高官
- candidates
- 候補者
- have been suitably impressed
- それなりに感銘を受けた
- on a panel opposite 〜
- 〜 と反対の立場の討論者として
- diplomatic function
- 外交上の会合
- managerial talent
- 管理能力
- run
- 指揮する
- Frankly speaking
- 率直に言うと
- administrations
- 行政府
- run a deficit
- 赤字を出す
- tax earnings
- 税収
- past overspending
- 過去の浪費
- cope with 〜
- 〜 に対処する
- heavy burdens
- 重い負担
- pension and health insurance systems
- 年金、健康保険制度
- elderly population
- 高齢者層
- environmental concerns
- 環境問題
- no-nonsense
- 現実的な、効率的な
- resources
- 資源
- motivate
- やる気にさせる
- bureaucrats
- 官僚
- With 〜 at the helm
- 〜 が指揮をとれば
- have a second life
- 再生する
- was headed for bankruptcy
- 倒産しかかっていた
- Lee Iacocca
- (1924-)アメリカの企業経営者。1978年、経営難に陥っていたクライスラー社の社長兼最高経営責任者に就任。抜群の指導力で同社始まって以来の業績達成にこぎつけた。1992年に引退、クライスラー社の経営委員会の長として残留している
- talented
- 有能な
- head 〜
- 〜 を率いる
- aggressive strategy
- 果敢な戦略
- slashed
- 削減した
- inspired
- 感動させた
- employees
- 従業員
- investors
- 投資家
- upcoming gubernatorial elections
- 迫っている知事選
- rebirth
- 再生
- able
- 有能な
- living standards
- 生活水準
- help 〜 navigate through 〜
- 〜 をうまく進んでいけるように 〜 を導く
- personality traits
- 性格の特徴
- efficient
- 有能な