Press translations [Japan]. Economic Series 0021, 1945-11-27.

Full Translation:

In view of its important nature, the Agricultural Land System Reform proposal, which was submitted to the regular Cabinet meeting on Friday 16 November 1945 by the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry, was turned over for further study to a special meeting of Ministers directly connected with the problem. It is likely that the proposal will be approved without substantial amendment at the Cabinet meeting on 24 November. Then a bill revising the Agricultural Land Readjustment Law will be submitted to the coming extraordinary Diet session. The proposed bill provides that funds totaling 2,000,000,000 yen each year will be supplied for a period of five years by the Government at low interest to city, town and village agricultural land associations, who shell make compulsory the sale of land by absentee and resident landlords to tenant farmers. Another feature of the bill is that next year, payment in cash for land rental will replace payment in kind.

Opposition to the policy of the Agriculture Ministry by some Cabinet Ministers crystallized at Friday's meeting. The arguments of those opposed may be summarized as follows:

• 1.Farmers are prosperous and under the circumstances, reckless infusion of low interest rate capital into agricultural villages is belived to be-irrational.
• 2.The bill provides that the farmers owning more than three chobu of lend (one chobu being about 2.5 acres) will have to sell their land compulsorily, but doesn't the Agriculture Ministry think the limit should be raised?
• 3.The original purpose of the extraordinary session of the Diet was only the submission of the Election Law Revision Bill. Is it right that this legislative bill revising the Agricultural Land Readjustment Law shall be presented to the session?

In answer, the Agriculture Ministry believes the opinion expressed in Item (l) is appropriate, while it declares that the submission of the Bill to the coming extraordinary Diet session (Item 3) is quite justifiable under the present situation. It is non-committal on (Item 2).

At any rate, no opposition is raised against compulsory selling and payment in cash, which form the two key points of the bill in question, as all Ministers recognize that all this is unavoidable under the present circumstances. A final Cabinet decision without basic amendment thus is assured.

ECONOMICS SERIES: 21 (Continued)

Summary:

The TOKYO Fruit and Vegetable Distribution Control Association decided to raise the price of vegetables as of 17 November 1945 as follows:

(All prices are for 100 mom-me.)

Since October these prices have gone up steadily on the black market to about six or seven times the government fixed price. On this question TAKANO the Chief of Perishable Foods Section of the Food Department in TOKYO City, made the following statement:

"Up to the present there has been a fixed government price and a Distribution Control Law in existence but actually they have not been carried out. In the future the minister of Agriculture and Forestry will pursue a definite policy which must be agreed upon between the city of TOKYO and the TOKYO Fruit and Vegetable Distribution Control Associations. Otherwise prices will continue to rise and then the poor will be unable to buy food. But there is really no help for it, as such a situation is the natural result of the basic laws of economics."

Summary:

The Transportation Ministry with the permission of General MacARTHUR's Headquarters is planning to restore motor transportation which has been greatly reduced since the end of the war. However, because of the necessity of importing fuel and the need for the co-operation of the automobile and other related industries, the execution of this plan is doubtful.

The Ministry's plan is as follows:

• 1.Additional New Automobiles.
• a.Trucks: For transport of vital goods, and reconstruction of civilian industries and damaged districts, new trucks to be built include 12,000 in the latter half of the fiscal year and 11,500 in -2-

•   ECONOMIC SERIES: 21 (Continued) ITEM 3 (Continued) fiscal year of 1946. (TN-Japanese fiscal year from April to March)
• b.Buses: Owing to the emphasis on truck production during the war, bus transportation deteriorated, but re-opening of the "bus-routes operated in 1939 is being planned. The maximum required is 2,000 buses in the latter half of the fiscal year of 1945 and 11,000 buses during the fiscal year of 1946.
• c.Passenger Cars: Due to restrictions on the use of fuel there are now almost no passenger-cars for general use. To return to the situation of the end of 1944, 8539 new cars are needed, but at present it is impossible to import passenger cars and to increase home production. New cars will therefore not be obtainable in 1945, but in 1946, cars destroyed by air raids will be replaced by l6,406 new cars.
• 2.Replacement of worn-out cars: The decrease in production during recent years has increased the number of worn-out cars in operation and such cars will now gradually disappear from the roads. These worn-out automobiles must be repaired or replaced by new ones. Estimates of automobiles that will have to be replaced by end of the fiscal year 1946 are:

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  Trucks	Buses	Passenger-cars	Expected Replacement Period
  5,000	1,000	0	In the latter half of the 1945 fiscal year.
  8,500	4,000	5,000	In the 1946 fiscal year.
  31%	45%	36%

  (Percentages indicate total per cent of vehicles to be replaced.)
• 3.Material Requirements (metric tons):

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  Common steel	special steel	pig iron	rubber	period
  35,200	8,800	10,500	7,700	In the latter half of the 1945 fiscal year.
  30,300	34,800	40,400	28,500	In the 1946 fiscal year.

• 4.Fuel and Oil Requirements: Non-gas-operated automobiles will be kept to their present figure. New vehicles will be operated by gasoline.
• a.Gasoline Requirements (Kilolitres):

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  Quantity	Home-refined	To Be Imported	Period
  109,000	40,000	69,000	Latter half of 1945 fiscal year.
  362, 000	80,000	282,000	1946 fiscal year.

• b.Lubricating Oil Requirements (kilolitres)

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  Quantity	Period
  12,400	Latter half of 1945 fiscal year.
  39,100	1946 fiscal year.

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ECONOMICS SERIES: 21 (Continued)

Full Translation:

The building of barracks for war-victims has been delayed in the great devastated areas of TOKYO, OSAKA, and NAGOYA on account of a shortage of building materials. But they will be built gradually using the Japanese army's stocks of timber. Furthermore a Shelter Emergency Order (JYUTAKU-KINKYU-SOCKI-RSI) is to be issued shortly, by which usable houses, factories and apartments in the devastated areas which the owners refuse to rent will be opened to public use through public bodies or municipal authorities. The Welfare Ministry will also set up the means of aiding those made orphans and vagrants by the war.

Occupation Headquarters has approved the release of a considerable amount of medicine from Japanese military supplies. Furthermore, control over medicine will be removed by end of this year to facilitate its smooth distribution. Further, about seventy thousand doctors are expected to return to practise as a result of demobilization. It is therefore planned to have existing public medical organizations specialize in the treatment of tuberculosis and to have the government subsidize Red Cross and the Charity Hospitals. There is an urgent need of laborers for various mines. Although the number of those applicants including demobilized soldiers who have voluntarily come to the mines has gradually increased, nevertheless, there is still a considerable labor shortage, and as a result, six thousand miners will have to be transferred from other mines to the coal pits or workers will have to be drafted. About thirteen thousand mine laborers are expected by the end of the coming March.

Though many people have not yet given serious thought to employment, everyone is urged to take whatever job he can gat.

No law will be enacted on birth control, but it is thought desirable to extend the application of the Eugenics Law.

ITEM 5 Present Condition and Prospects of Raw and Fresh Foods, on which Distribution control is Removed - Mainichi Shimbun - 18 Nov 45.Translator: M.Maruyama.

Summary:

This article deals mainly with the present conditions of raw fish and perishable vegetable sales and prospects of their future distribution when their supply control will be abolished after 30 November.

Fish, during the last two months, has been sold at black market prices throughout the country. Government prices on fish are nominally maintained at fishing villages, but actually high black market prices prevail. A keen competition is being waged between the fish markets of different cities. Telegrams are sent to large cities from various fishing village unions, whenever large hauls are made. The TOKYO Fish Market, however, has not been able to buy enough fish, as it is restricted by consumer prices. The OSAKA Fish Market welcomes high-priced fish, because there is no such restriction. Fish caught at fishing villages near TOKYO is also finding its way to YOKOHAMA, KOBE, and other cities. Fish caught

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ECONOMIC SERIES: 21 (Continued)

at AKITA, MIT[illegible], CHCSHI, ITC and other sea coast areas near TOKYO has been sent to SAKA and other KANSAI cities in large amounts.

Recently, however, fish has been sent to TOKYO from KOKKAIDO and TOHOKU districts, but the amount is too small to meet the demand of the 3,500,000 TOKYO people. The price of tuna fish caught at MIYAKO is 200 yen in AKITA and MIT[illegible], but 160 yen in TOKYO. The price of cuttlefish is 200 yen in AKITA and 80 yen in TOKYO. TOKYO thus has lagged behind in the competition. When the control structure is removed, TOKYO will be able to get as much fish as possible. At the same time, however, buying competition will grow keener than ever among city fish markets.

Mr. HAM[illegible]TO, Chief of the collection section of the TOKYO Marine Products Control Company. Inc., said:

"Fish has failed to arrive in TOKYO in a large amount, mainly due to low buying prices, but, now that it has been decided to abolish the control, we are ready to collect a potentially large amount of fish. Prices will be higher as a matter of course and then, if the prices are too high for the people, a vigorous control should be made. This control policy is expected to be acceptable to the people, and their bad habit of buying at black market prices may more or less be corrected. After control is removed, let us give the new system one or two months to see how it works out."

Vegetables consumed in TOKYO come mostly from neighboring villages. The TOKYO Vegetable and Fruit Control Company will buy them at free prices from farmers. Mr. ISHIZUDA, chief of the general affairs department of the company, said:

"It is not believed likely that enough vegetables can be distributed, even though the control is abolished, because the absolute amount of vegetables for supply to the TOKYO people is deficient. Present prices are already three to five times the Government prices. It is not likely that the prices will go higher. Non-perishable vegetables, including lotus stalks, taro and others, however, will surely go higher than now. Tangerines may go up doubly over the official price, while the black market price may go down. Farmers are jubilant over the news of abolishing Government prices, but they will find it risky to sell their products at black market prices, because new prices will go up and down every day. It is supposed, therefore, that they may hesitate to sell their products to food-seeking people."

DISTRIBUTION "X"

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