Press translations [Japan]. Economic Series 0016, 1945-11-25.
Date25 November, 1945
translation numbereconomic-0087
call numberDS801 .S81
Persistent Identifier
ECONOMIC SERIES: 16
ITEM 1 Conference on Food Crisis - Nippon Sangyo-Keizai - 15 Nov 45. Translator: T Okamura.
Full Translation:
A large scale national movement with the joint participation of the government and
people to meet the impending food crisis,
was formally decided upon at a conference held 14 November.
The meeting which, started at noon was held at the residence of the Premier, was
attended by the remier himself, as well as
many other leading government officials and members of civic organizations.
After an address by Premier SHIDEHARA, Mr. OKADA, Tadahiko was appointed chairman,
and at his suggestion, Agriculture and
Forestry Minister MATSUMURA. gave a detailed explanation of the present food situation.
After that, opinions were exchanged
freely until 1600 hours. It was during this discussion that the plan for a large national
movement suggested. Policies and
plans were suggested at the meeting.
The highlights of the premier's address are as follows:
"Our most urgent task is the solution of the food problem. A remedy for which is
necessary not only for maintaining the
stability of national life, but also as the first step toward the reconstruction of
a new JAPAN.
There are many obstacles to be overcome. Conditions are difficult, but we must not
give up. We are well aware of how
inadequate the present staple food ration is. It is very possible that we may be confronted
with a sever food crisis two or
three months after the winter is over."
"The government proposes to take all possible measures toward the alleviation of
conditions. If any new unfavorable situations
develop the government further intends to share its difficulties with the public by
publicizing the facts. Some measures have
already been put into operation. Those not yet begun will materialize as soon as circumstances
permit."
Baron SRIDEHARA asked for the nation's total cooperation, especially for that of
the peasants. At the same time he urged
people to beer up under the hardships and not to have illusions about a bright future.
He asked farmers to offer staple foods
for sale on a fraternal basis.
"When the nation works in close cooperation, and in mutual understanding, we are
sure to surmount any obstacle." he said.
ECONOMIC SERIES: 16 (Continued)
ITEM 1 (Continued)
The Premier warned the people against black market dealings and hoarding saying,
"Some people" are absorbed in hoarding and
dealing with the black market for their own benefit, while at the same time the majority
of the people are on the verge of
starvation. Such action is morally intolerable. We do not want to promulgate strict
regulations providing Severe punishment
for such actions, but for the good of the nation we may have to resort to such measures."
The Premier in concluding his address said, "In this connection, we wish to launch
a nation-wide movement to overcome the food
crisis. I solicit your opinions pertaining to concrete policies for this movement.
When they are accepted I wish you to strain
every effort toward the realization of the project."
Representing the government at the meeting were, Finance Minister SHIBUSAWA, Justice
Minister IWATA, Agriculture and Forestry
Minister MATSUMURA, Commerce and Industry Minister OGASAWARA, Minister-without-Portfolio
KOBAYASHI, Chief Cabinet Secretary
TSUGITA, Vice-Chief - secretary of the cabinet MIYOSHI, and the Parliammentary Vice
Ministers.
Others present included Mr. SA[illegible]URAUCHI, Sachio; Vice-Admiral GODO, Takuo; Mr. UCHIDA, Shinya and
Mr. SENGOKU, Kotaru; all former ministers; Dr. KAGAWA, Toyohiko; Messrs. KATAYAMA,
Tetsu; SUGIYAMA, Motojiro; TAKADA, Kohei;
TOGO, Minoru; TAKHASHI, Shukei; and TAYABE, Shichiroku; representing political parties;
Messrs. SHIWADA, Toshio: and KATSUDA,
Eikichi, representing the parlianment; Messrs. HIROSE, Hisatada, (TOKYO-TO); [illegible]KAI, Kosi, (OSAKA);
and SATO, Masatoshi, (NAGOYA); representing municipalities; and Mr. FUJIY[illegible]A, Aiichiro,
representing industrial organizations.
Editors of all influential newspapers in TOKYO, and TOKYO managers of the newspapers
in central and western JAPAN and
HOX[illegible]AITO were present.
Others present were Messrs. YOSHIDA, Shigeru; T. KATSUKASA, Nobusuke; and IMAIZUMI,
Nobuyuki; representing religious groups;
Messrs. KODAIRA, Gouichi; YOSHIDA, Tadashi; and MINAKAWA Kiyoshi, representing agricultural
organizations; Dr. Hiroshi KASU
and viscount Nagakage OKABE, representing the intelligentsia.
ITEM 2 Method Adopted For Smooth Distribution of Leather Goods - Nihon - Sangyo-Keizai - 15 Nov 45. Translator: T. Mitsuhashi.
Summary:
The Leather Control Organization has decided to distribute leather goods such as
belts and packings, for industrial use, in
the following manner:
- 1.The Leather Control Organization, as well as its branch-offices, will take charge of distributing leather goods in place of the dissolved Industrial Leather Goods Control Company of JAPAN. (NIHON-KOGYO-HIKKU-SEIHIN-TOSBI-KAISRA).
- 2.Preferential distribution of belts and leather for packing will be made to manufactures of vital consumer goods.
- 3.The system whereby waste leather must be submitted in order to obtain new stocks of leather will not be applied in exceptional cases such as in the recovery or establishment of factories.
- 2 -
ECONOMIC SERIES: 16 (Continued)
ITEM 3 Land Problem Investigation Commission Appointed - Nippon Sangyo Keizai Shimbun - 15 Nov 45 Translator: S. Kinoshite.
Summary:
To cope with the land problem resulting from great changes in the farming situation
since the end of war, the National
Agricultural Society organized on 14 November, the Land Problem Investigation Commission,
the first meeting of which will be
held on 22 November at the Society's headquarters, in KOISHIKAWA-KU.
The Commision inquiring into problems conserning small holdings, the development
of uncultivated lands, the release of
nationalized lands, partnership, rights of commoners, land rentals, farm legislation
and other pertinent matters.
The Commission headed by Mr. KODAIRA, Kenichi was appointed on the l4th, and includes
sectional chiefs of the Society.
ITEM 4 Discovery of 37 Balloons. Confiscated Goods to Be Delivered to Civilians - Nippon Sangyo - 15 Nov 45. Translator: Y. Kurata.
Full Translation:
Major-general, J. O. GREENER, of the NEW YORK Division now stationed at NIIGATA Area,
issued on 13 November the following
detailed statement concerning the disposition of goods which were recently confiscated
from the Japanese Forces in the same
area:
"Since our arrival we have confiscated a great amount of food, clothing and medicine,
all of which has already been turned
over to the Home Ministery for distribution among the people. Further, the UNITED
STATES 5250th Scientific Technical Force has
discovered and destroyed 37 balloons, from which usable clothing, cranes and transformers
usable in fishing boats were
salvaged."
Goods which were delivered to the Home Ministery by the Division as of 11 November
are as follows:
- 1.Foods:
Barley 87,100 pounds Soy beans 164,300 " Corn 33,000 " Flour 355,100 " Italian millet 125,750 " Oats 335,000 " Rice 213,000" Fish 318,000 " Starch 1,274,000 " Wheat 371,000 " Bean paste 252,000 " Tea 146,940 " - 2.Clothing:
- 3 -
Blankets 67,000 Boots 153,000 pairs Coats and overcoats 154,750 Undershirts 184,000 Gloves 106,700 pairs Shirts 273,225
-
ECONOMIC SERIES: l6 (Continued)
ITEM 4 (Continued)
Shoes 370,250 pairs Stockings 36,460 pairs Trousers 249,385
ITEM 5 Commerce and Industry Ministry bureaucrats asked to reflect upon their grave misdeeds - Yomiuri - 16 Nov 45. Translator: T. Kitagawa.
Summary:
Japanese industry and foreign trade suffered a serious set-back when JAPAN waged
her suicidal Greater East ASIA War.
After the Manchurian Incident, while we were suffering from frequent political assassinations
and domestic unrest, the
powerful Industrial Association was born. This group controlled JAPAN'S rice and fertilizer,
as well as her manufactured
goods. Even foreign trade, finance, and insurance fell into the Association's sphere
of influence. The beginning of the
Association can he traced to 1925, when Marxism was being seriously studied by young
Japanese.
Men like KITTA, Ikki advocate ultra-nationalistics movements. RUSSIA, he said, should
give SIBERIA to JAPAN, and HONKONG
should become a Japanese base. His group wanted a strong army and navy.
Though he was sentenced to death shortly after the February 26 incident, KITTA left
a fertile ground for blind
nationalism.
Japanese officers swayed by a desire for vengeance against ENGLAND and the UNITED
STATES, and urged on by German leaders,
formed the German-Japanese Defense Alliance in November, 1937.
Totalitarianism and economic control was put into practice in MANCHURIA from where
they gradually spread to JAPAN herself.
Foreign trade was severely denounced. Nazism completely swayed JAPAN. Under a. terrorism
guided by the Nazis, JAPAN finally
waged war against the UNITED STATES.
During the war the most outsanding economic polices were the Official Price Policy
and the Bureaucratic Control Policy. All
the countries at war controlled prices, but JAPAN is probably the only country that
controlled the prices of all articles,
including, even toys. Complicated price control contributed to lower the quality of
commodities, decrease the output and to
bring endless confusion. It is ironic that the Japanese armed forces themselves were
not governed by official prices. The army
and the navy manipulated prices in their competition to get more material and labor.
Because the expansion of the war was greater than originally planned, and civil government
expenditures as well as war
expenditures rose to unprecedented sums the financial system collapsed. The war demanded
more material than Japan could
supply. The plan to control prices proved to be an utter failure and resulted in an
extreme scarcity of material and an
inflation of currency.
The laws of economics are always supreme over artificial laws or judicial power.
Abolition of price control should be effected
at once to check the tendency to lower the quality of goods, to increase production
and to save Government funds.
- 4 -
ECONOMIC SERIES: 16 (Continued)
ITEM 6 Revision and abolition of War Laws; Finance Ministry Prepares bills to be submitted to the coming session - Nippon Sangyo Keizai Shimbun - l6 Nov 45. Translator: S. Kinoshita.
Extract:
The Finance Ministry is said to be preparing bills for the revision and abolition
of war laws which will be submitted to the
89th Diet session.
According to the announcement, the Ministry intends to revise war laws which must
remain effective in the post war period, and
to abolish laws which have become unnecessary.
The laws that will probably be revised are as follows.
- 1.Peoples Savings Association Law.
- 2.Provisional Currency Law.
- 3.Salt Monopoly Law.
Laws that will probably be abolished are as follows.
- 1.War time Financial Depository Law.
- 2.Foreign Capital Depository Law.
- 3.Enemy's Property Control Law.
- 4.Wartime Life and Accident Insurance Law.
- 5.Wartime Special Damage Insurance Law.
Laws relative to financial organizations such as the bank of KOREA and the Bank of
FORMOSA, which have been closed by Supreme
Headquarters, will remain effective for the time being. Instead of the Enemy's Property
Control Law, which is to be abolished,
a new Allied Nation's Property Preservation Law (provisional name) will be enacted.
Bills for revising or abolishing laws relative to wartime capital regulations and
special account of extraordinary military
expenditures will not be submitted to the coming Diet session.
ITEM 7 "Reparation should be the same as in the case of Germany, and must be severe as well as impartial." disclosed by M. Pauley - Nippon Sangyo Keizai (Asahi Shimbun Mainich Shimbun. Yomiuri Hochi Shimbun) 16 Nov 45 Translator: Y. Kurata.
Summary:
Mr. PAUNEY, of the UNITED STATES Reparation Commission, issued the following statement
on 15 November 1945 at the press
meeting held in the Broadcasting Hall.
A Summary of his statement is as follows: "Since I arrived in JAPAN, I have made
every effort to bring my mission to a
successful conclusion in close co-operation with the UNITED STATES Reparation Committees
and General MacARTHUR, to whom I am
tremendously obliged for his efforts in offering us a great deal of information and
facts. I think the policies and projects
concerning the reparations, will be established.
- 5 -
ECONOMIC SERIES: 16 (Continued)
ITEM 7 (Continued)
by General MacARTHUR."
The policies so far established by the UNITED STATES Government are as follows:-
- 1.Reparations should be levied in the same manner as those of GERMANY; that is to say, everything except what is needed to maintain a minimum of Japanese economy will be taken away.
- 2.By the above-mentioned minimum, I mean that the standard of living of the Japanese people should not be allowed to exceed that of other countries which were invaded by JAPAN.
- 3.Machines and tools which have been thus far used in the munitions industries should, of course, be taken away or destroyed. If these machines are of use to the countries which have a right to them they should be handed over to those countries. The view of the policies I have mentioned above, the reparation policies must be severe, but at the same time must be impartial. Needless to say, we can never forget PEARL HARBOR.
While the reparations themselves are being decided the following two items should
be taken care of: first the expenses of the
Allied Occupation Forces, and, second, the ordinary export value which is necessary
as payment for those imports which are
deemed necessary for JAPAN by the Allied Headquarters in order to maintain the standard
of living of the people.
Through these reparation policies, the Japanese shall be made conscious of the fact
that in the long run, peace and democracy
will lead them to an easy life, they will wipe out militarism, and at the same time
make the Japanese aware of their
obligation to the nations which they invaded in the past.
The UNITED STATES wishes to receive Japanese assets overseas as its share of the
reparations. Thereby the UNITED STATES will
not only recompensate itself, but also will spur the dissolution of the ZAIBATSU,
whom it recognizes as responsible to some
extent for this war.
All Allied Powers' intentions are focussed on the principle of depriving Japanese
Industries of the ability to make war and at
the same time annihilating militarism. I believe that the SOVIET UNION is also quite
interested in this matter.
Gold, silver and other precious metals which have been discovered thus far, should
be used to meet the expenses of the
Occupation Forces, in payment for necessary imports, and towards reparation, with
the exception of that portion to be returned
to other countries.
ITEM 8 A_survey of the pressing coal situation - Nippon Sangyo Keizai - 16 Nov 45. Translator: R. Acki.
Extract:
Since the end of the war coal production in JAPAN has declined very rapidly. The
September and October figures were only 19
per cent and 12 per cent respectively of those of corresponding periods in 1943. As
a result the Government has limited the
November distribution of coal to only eight kinds of industries or consumers. If this
condition continues most industrial
works in JAPAN will close, and therfore,
- 6 -
ECONOMIC SERIES: 16 (Continued)
ITEM 8 (Continued)
through diminished supply, inflation will be further accelerated.
The Department of Commerce and Industry published an important survey of the coal
supply the gist of which is as follows:
The Average monthly production of coal in this country was 4,600,000 metric tons
in 1943 and 4,100,000 metric tons in 1944.
This decline in production has continued and the three months' average for April to
June of this year ranged somewhere between
3,500,000 tons and 3,700,000 tons. The monthly trend since July is as follows:
| July | 2,700,000 metric tons |
| August | 1,700,000 " tons |
| September | 900,000 " tons |
| October | 543,000 " tons |
The cause for such rapid decline has been attributed to three factors:
- a.Unrest among the Korean and Chinese miners.
- b.Desertion of native miners because of the food shortages.
- c.The effect of the floods.
Decline in coal production inevitably affected coal stocks. The stocks of coal in
JAPAN as of the end of October 1945 were
reported as follows:
| KYUSHU coal | 1,000,000 metric tons |
| HOKKAIDO coal | 780,000 " tons |
| UB coal | 200,000 " tons |
| JOBAN coal | 80,000 " tons |
| Military stock | 300,000 to 400,000 tons |
As has already been reported, the coal distribution plan for November has been fixed
at 976,000 tons, or only 54 per cent of
original plan for distribution. The ration has been limited to eight types of consumers
and all others, including many vita1
industries and consumers such as hospitals and public bath houses are excluded.
Rationing of coal to the railways has been curtailed from 550,000 tons in October
to 475,000 tons in November. It is said that
the railways have an average of only four days' supply, yet they are planning increased
transportation activities. Such
conditions necessarily affect coal distribution to other industries; such as, iron
smelting. The iron works were apportioned
73,000 tons for November but due to heavy demands made by the railways they are now
facing the vital problem of whether or not
they should let their coke furnaces cool.
Without the rehabilitation of the coal mines there can be no re-habilitation of the
nation's economic life. In order to solve,
this
- 7 -
ECONOMIC SERIES: 16 (Continued)
ITEM 8 (Continued)
vital question now the survey maintains, the question of the repatriation of the
Korean and Chinese miners, and the food
problem in coal mines must be solved first.
DISTRIBUTION "X"
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