中國網站品牌欄目（頻道）
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Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and his wife.The humble prime minister turns out to be Japan’s “poorest” premier. |
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Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said in his party’s August presidential election speech that after he lost his parliamentary seat in the mid-90s, he could have used the $100-plus monthly grant to families with children brought in by the ruling Democratic Party of Japan to help buy his two sons new pants and shoes. A report released Friday on assets owned by members of Japan’s cabinet shows he wasn’t kidding. The humble prime minister, who famously likened himself to a lowly bottom feeder fish called the “dojo,” or loach—as opposed to the glitzy goldfish of his rivals and successors—turns out to be Japan’s “poorest” premier since the government started disclosing assets of cabinet members and their families in 1984, with just ￥17.7 million in assets between him and his wife. Mr. Noda’s biggest asset is his ￥10 million house in his hometown Funabashi in Chiba prefecture, located in the outskirts of Tokyo. The average price of a house in the neighborhood, according to Nomura Real Estate Urban Net is ￥20 million. The nation’s leader has a ￥33.8 million mortgage on his house. In the column marked “Automobiles, including sailboats, airplanes, racing horses,” Mr. Noda does have a few entries, but they’re not exactly jet-set: A 1999 Nissan Cedric, a 1999 Honda Integra, and a slightly newer, 2000 Toyota Hiace minivan. Otherwise, Mr. Noda reported ￥2 million in the bank, his wife, ￥600,000. Neither he nor his family owned any stocks. The noble title of “pauper premier” was previously held by Mr. Noda’s predecessor Naoto Kan, who cited ￥22.4 million in assets, which included land he inherited from his father. Mr. Noda, whose father was the youngest of six siblings and his mother the last of eleven, has no inheritance of note. Cabinet members are required to disclose family financial assets first when they take office, and later when they leave. The report covers real estate, long-term deposits and securities, savings in Japan Post, loans and credit. Check and regular savings accounts are off-limits, but they also have to reveal family ownership of cars, artworks and country club memberships, without specifying their value. While rules have changed over the years, cabinet ministers began disclosing their assets in 1984 to “gain the public’s trust,” said a cabinet office official. Mr. Noda’s Cabinet, without mega-rich ministers like former premier and original blue-blood Yukio Hatoyama (his grandfather was a three-term premier) bringing up the average asset, is likely to be one of the most modest cabinets of all: Three of 18 ministers and their families owning no property at all. The only minister to report over ￥100 million was National Public Safety Minister Kenji Yamaoka, and the cabinet’s assets averaged at around ￥50 million. (Read by Emily Cheng. Emily Cheng is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) (Agencies)
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日本首相野田佳彥今年八月在其政黨的首相競選演說中提到，在上世紀90年代中期失去議員席位后，他本來能用每月100多美元的兒童津貼給兩個兒子買新褲子和新鞋。這項補貼制度由執(zhí)政的日本民主黨提出。 而據上周五公布的日本內閣成員財產申報報告，他不是在開玩笑。 這位謙遜的日本首相野田佳彥日前公開家庭財產，成為自1984年內閣成員家庭財產申報制度實施以來的“最窮首相”。野田佳彥和妻子的財產共計只有1770萬日元（約合23萬美元）。和前任及競爭對手等閃耀的“金魚”相比，野田佳彥自喻為生活在底層的食底泥魚“泥鰍”，并因此著稱。 野田佳彥最大的一筆資產是位于家鄉(xiāng)千葉縣船橋市的價值一千萬日元的房產，此處位于東京郊區(qū)。根據野村城市房產網，附近的住宅均價為兩千萬日元。野田佳彥還身負3380萬日元房貸。 在“機動車，包括帆船、飛機、賽馬”這一項資產登記中，野田佳彥也有幾項財產，但都不算豪華：一輛1999年的尼桑賽德里克、一輛1999年的本田特格拉、還有一輛略新的2000年的豐田海獅七人車。此外，野田佳彥和妻子在銀行還分別有200萬日元、和60萬日元存款。他和家庭成員都不持有股票。 野田佳彥的前任菅直人享有“乞丐首相”的美譽。菅直人申報的財產為2240萬日元，其中包括從父親那里繼承的土地。野田沒有太多遺產可以繼承，他的父親在六兄妹中年齡最小，他的母親也在11個兄妹中年齡最小。 在日本，內閣成員在就職及離任時均須申報家庭財產。其中包括不動產、定期存款和有價證券、日本郵政公社中的儲蓄、貸款及借出款項。內閣成員無需申報支票和活期帳戶，但應申報家庭擁有的汽車、藝術品、鄉(xiāng)村俱樂部會員資格，但不必說明價值。一位日本內閣府辦公室的官員表示，盡管近年來申報制度有所變化，但內閣官員從1984年開始申報財產，以“贏得公眾的信任”。 野田佳彥的內閣中沒有前首相鳩山由紀夫這樣的富豪名門（鳩山的父親也曾出任三任首相）來抬高平均資產，因此很可能成為最窮的一屆內閣：18位內閣中甚至有三位家庭財產為零。唯一一位申報財產高于一億日元的是國家公安委員長山岡賢次。內閣成員平均資產為大約五千萬日元。 相關閱讀 個人財產申報 personal asset declaration （中國日報網英語點津 Julie 編輯：馮明惠） |
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Vocabulary: bottom feeder: 食底泥動物，食底泥魚 loach: 泥鰍 pauper: one who is extremely poor（叫花子，乞丐） of note: 值得注意的，重要的，非凡的 regular savings accounts: 活期存款 blue-blood: royal or aristocratic descent（貴族血統） |
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