今日は近い未来の “世界における日本のあるべき姿” について “英語で” 考えたいと思います。 英語で考えるにはかなり難しいトピックだと思いますが、現在の日本の若 い人にとっては最も大事な問題だと思うので、がんばってついてきてください。　私の学校・スミス英会話岡本校の生徒さんは大半が若いので、このトピックを使ってこれからのレッスンで一緒に英語で考えていこうと思っています。
今の日本の若い人は、もっと政治に関心を持って自分の将来のことをしっかり考えるべきだと私は思いますが、８月末の “タイム（英語の雑誌）” に掲載された記事の中に、「たくさん の若い人が日本の将来を良くする活動をし始めていて、それはとても良いことだ」というのがありました。

タイムの記事によると、2050年までに日本の人口は25％減り、9.5千万人になる可能性が高いというのです。　そしてその人口のうち60歳以上の人は50％以上となる見込みらしいのです。　そうなると高齢の人たちを支える若い人たちの数は減少し大変な状況になります。　今の若い人たちは日本の将来のために、政治政策がどんな風に変わらなければならないと思っているのでしょうか。　それと同時に今まで日本の経済成長を支えてきた輸出企業はどうなると考えているのでしょうか。　英会話力は、これからも必要不可欠なものなのでしょうか。
いままで話してきた内容をこれから英語で討論しようと思います。　がんばって私の英語を読んで答えてみてください。

Japan is the world’s most rapidly aging society. By the year 2050, unless the current trend changes, the population will drop by 25% to just 95 million and over 50% of the population will be comprised of people over the age of 60. This means that the number of young people in Japan paying taxes to support the aging society and all government programs will be more heavily burdened than any other group of young people in the world.

Questions for discussion:

1)Do you think that the Japanese government should implement policies to try to promote young people to marry and have more children? If so why? If not why not?

2)How much do you think the taxes will have to be increased to cover the added cost to support older people and which taxes should be increased? (If you have other more creative ideas of how this added cost can be covered, please list and explain your ideas.)

3)How soon do you think China will overcome Japan to become the world’s second largest economy?

4)Do you think that China’s replacing the US as the most important trading partner for Japan will result in a reduction in the need to study and improve English communication skills?  If not why not?

5)In the future, do you think that Japan will be able to maintain an advantage over China to supply cutting-edge technological products to the world?

6)Do you think that the current system for teaching English in Japan is keeping up with the required level of English ability needed for Japan’s companies to remain competitive with China? If so, please explain why you think so. If not, please explain what must be changed.

Best regards, Al Bartle

コメントを宜しくお願いします。

送付先

〒６５８－０００３　神戸市東灘区本山北町３－７－１７ ２F

スミス英会話岡本校講師 アル・バートル 宛

Eメール：smithsokamoto@yahoo.co.jp

アル・バートル　（スミス英会話岡本校）

Comments:

I received the following comments to question 1 from two students.  Both were written in excellent English and were very very well thought out.  The last one  included Japanese.  Please read these.  I am proud of these students.

Student’s comments to Question 1:

Student 1:

Yes, I think that the Japanese government should implement policies to try to promote young people marry and have more children. In Japan, I think that there are three problems to overcome.

First of all, on marriage, companies should do away with the custom which is about a tacit rule that a woman has to quit the job when she gets married to the man who works in the same company. It is said the number of the companies which follow this custom is decreasing, but this phenomenon still does exist. For workers, workplace is the place to meet people to whom they may get married in the future. If intra-office marriage is banned, the opportunity about marriage will definitely reduce.

Secondly, companies should improve the system such as maternity leave, paternity leave and child-care leave. And the government should improve the system like nursery and nursery allowance. Actually, many companies have these systems, but situation that it’s difficult to use does exist.

Lastly, the system on medical treatment should enrich. Now the number of obstetricians is reducing and the number of the hospitals where we can have a baby safely is reducing, too. It is said that the cause of these problems is related to a suit. Since obstetricians don’t want to be sued, they don’t treat risky childbirth. Doctors who want to be obstetricians are fewer. This is a vicious spiral. Unless the government takes steps to deal with the situation, this situation will not change.

I think that there are many women who want to get married and have babies in Japan. If the above problems resolve, the situation will change more drastically than now.

Student 2:

日本の政府は、若者が結婚や子供を持つことを促進するための政策を整えるべきだ。中国やインドなど人口が多い国は急速に発展している。今の日本の状況が続くと社会経済やますます増える老年人口を支えることはできない。

結婚や出生率を増やすためには、結婚や子育てによって女性が家庭に縛られるという風習を変えなければいけない。結婚しても仕事を続けられるように、子育て後・または子育てしながら仕事ができるような環境作りが必要だ。女性だけでなく男性の産休や育児休暇、税金の補助・援助、保育所、児童館などの充実など。制度を整えるだけでなく、世間の子育てに関する寛容な認識、子供をみんなで育てようという意識が必要だと思う。新たな政策が子育てに関心が高まっている今が社会全体が社会の在り方を考え直すよい機会だ。

Student 2′s English

I think Japanese government should implement policies to try to promote young people to marry and have more children. Countries such as China and India, which have large populations are developing rapidly. If the present Japanese situation continues, not only can’t we grow but also will not be able to support the Japanese economy, industry and society.

To promote marriage and having more children, we have to change the situation in which women are bound by housework and child care. We should make a society where women can continue their work after marriage and after or during child care they can return to work. Maternity leave, child-care leave for both of men and women , exemption from tax,  improved nursery schools and or many things are needed. This is not only a systematic problem. It requires everyone to have and share generous ideas about how all society members can have and raise more children. Now the new policy (proposed by the DPJ) attracts attention, so we will get good chance to reconsider the ideal society.