before long
野田首相が確約したとされる、「法案成立後、近いうちに国民に信を問う」の「近いうち」の解釈が話題になっています。英訳の担当者の方々も大変でしょうね。
そんなひとつ、時事通信の解釈が以下の記事の中にあります。確かに、in the near futureよりも、before longの方が「近いうち」がより迫ってくる感じはしますが、でもここのlongは永田町での時間感覚のlongなのでしょうね。それとも野田氏の個人的な時間
FOCUS: Japan Lawmakers' Minds Buzz with Lower House Breakup
Tokyo, Aug. 9 (Jiji Press)--Japan's political area was full of guesses and speculation Thursday after Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda indicated Wednesday he would dissolve the House of Representatives for a snap election shortly.
Noda won back support for consumption tax hike legislation, championed by him, from Sadakazu Tanigaki, president of the biggest opposition Liberal Democratic Party, in their meeting Wednesday after he said he would ask the public "before long" whether they support his government.
Tanigaki appreciated Noda's use of the phrase "before long" instead of the previous language "in the near future."
However, the existence of over 30 minutes of talks between Noda and Tanigaki joined by nobody else aroused suspicions about a secret deal between the two.
At a news conference in Nagasaki on Thursday, Noda declined to elaborate on the timing of the next Lower House election, saying that he wants what he said to be interpreted as it was.
