石橋政嗣氏死去　元社会党委員長、９５歳―現実路線を推進

　旧社会党で現実路線を推し進めた同党元委員長の石橋政嗣（いしばし・まさし）氏が今月、福岡市内で死去した。９５歳だった。台湾生まれ。葬儀は既に済ませた。
　第２次大戦後、長崎県佐世保市で進駐軍の労働に従事。全駐労佐世保支部書記長、長崎県議などを経て１９５５年衆院選で旧長崎２区から初当選した。連続当選１２回。
　外交・防衛問題の論客として頭角を現し、６０年の日米安全保障条約の改定の際は、岸信介首相を徹底追及。飛鳥田一雄氏（後の委員長）らとともに旧社会党の「安保５人男」と呼ばれた。
　６６年、党の非武装中立路線の道筋を示した「石橋構想」を発表。書記長や副委員長を経て、８３年に飛鳥田氏の後継の委員長に就いた。「自衛隊は違憲だが合法」と主張するなど現実路線にかじを切り、政権を担いうる政党への決意を示した「社会党の新宣言」をまとめた。
　８６年の衆参同日選の敗北を受けて委員長を引責辞任し、土井たか子氏に引き継いだ。９０年の衆院選に出馬せず、政界を引退した。（2019/12/13-18:35）

Former Japan Socialist Party Chairman Masashi Ishibashi, who worked to lead the party to a realistic path, died in the city of Fukuoka, southwestern Japan, this month. He was 95.
   After the end of World War II, Ishibashi, who was born in Taiwan, worked for the Allied occupation forces in the city of Sasebo in the southwestern Japan prefecture of Nagasaki.
   After serving as secretary-general of the All Japan Garrison Forces Labor Union's Sasebo branch and a Nagasaki prefectural assembly member, Ishibashi was first elected to the Diet, Japan's parliament, in 1955 as a House of Representatives lawmaker from a constituency in Nagasaki. He was elected to the Lower House for 12 consecutive times.
   Over the revision of the Japan-U.S. security treaty in 1960, Ishibashi, known as being well-versed in the fields of diplomacy and defense, grilled then Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi. He was part of the JSP's "Anpo Gonin Otoko," or the squad of five men versed in issues related to the security treaty. Also among them was former JSP Chairman Ichio Asukata.
   In 1966, Ishibashi published his vision for the JSP to run on a platform of unarmed neutrality. He succeeded Asukata as party chairman in 1983 after serving as secretary-general and deputy chairman.