時事問題でひとりごと英語

自民党の裏金事件に関して、英語スピーキング練習を兼ねたひとりごと。

Why is the political fundraising party ticket of the Liberal Democratic Party faction a problem in Japan?

In Japan, corporate donations to individual politicians are prohibited by law; however, the system is watered down by two loopholes: donations to party chapters and purchases of party tickets.

企業献金: corporate donations
骨抜きにする: water … down (水で薄めることから)
政党支部: party chapters

What is the purpose of corporate donations?

The primary purposes of corporate donations are to support political parties and to respond to solicitations from political parties or lawmakers. The next most common reasons are to build relationships with lawmakers and to adhere to industry and local practices. Many companies say there's no particular benefit to donating money, yet some still do so to support individual lawmakers.

政党や議員側の依頼: solicitations from … lawmakers
業界・地域の慣行: adhere to industry and local practices

What do companies think about corporate donations?

Regarding corporate donations, numerous firms admit to permitting donations to political party branches yet advocate for stricter regulations, including an outright ban on such donations. While a few companies prefer to uphold the current policies or relax restrictions, the majority seem inclined towards adopting more stringent regulations.

規制を強めるべきだと主張する: advocate for stricter regulations (argue ばかり浮かんでしまうがこれも使える。insist on でもOK)

全面禁止: an outright ban on … (a complete prohibition / a total ban でもOK)
規制を緩和する: {relax / lessen} the restrictions
the majority は単複どちらでも呼応できる (most ばかり浮かぶがこれも使える)。

seem inclined toward … は「～というふうに考える傾向にある」ということだが、appear to be considering というよりも、ある考えに傾いていることが言える。incline toward A's view (～の意見に傾く)という表現もある。

more stringent は stricter でも良いが、こればかり浮かぶので違う表現にした。