Press translations [Japan]. Economic Series 0026, 1945-11-29.

Full Translation:

To cope with the situation treated by the ending of the war, some 60 representatives from various fibre industry organizations met at a joint conference of the government and civilians on 17 and 18 November at the office of the Fibre Control Association (SENI TOSEI-KAI). A plan to organize a democratic fibre control federation, as well as rules for regulating fibre control, were formally adopted.

The function was attended by officials of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Fibre Control Association, and representatives from several other controlling corporations and cotton, rayon and staple fibre industries.

An organizing committee, appointed at the recent meetings held on two successive days, will meet sometime next week to make all necessary preparations. It is understood that the inaugural meeting of the projected new organization will be held about 20 December.

To organize a monopolistic fibre controlling body by amalgamating all minor fibre industrial associations, tentatively called the Fibre Federation (SENI KYO KAI), was decided for the following three reasons:

• 1.The fibre industries of JAPAN obtain raw materials through imports. It is therefore necessary to have a strong unified organization, which handles control of fibre industries from production to distribution.
• 2.Rational distribution of raw materials based on unified plans is necessary.
• 3.In anticipation of future imports of raw materials, the new organization will have connections with foreign countries.

Legally, the new organization will be based on the Industrial Group Act, a draft of which is now being made by the Ministry Of Commerce end Industry. For the meantime however, the organization will transact all fibre control activities, as a representative organ of the Fibre Control Association.

ECONOMIC SERIES: 26 (Continued)

ITEM 1 (Continued)

A gist of policies which the new federation plans to enforce, as approved at the recent conference, follows:

• 1.Fibre controlling will be conducted compositely, and the controlling organs will be amalgamated into one.
• 2.For the democratization of control systems, the new control organ will be self-assertive.
• 3.For simplifying end expediting control activities, a whole sale readjustment will be enforced in all control structures.
• 4.Representatives of ultimate consumers will be sent to participate in the new arganization to express the opinions of the nation.
• 5.The new organization will consist of a general affairs committee, a composite committee, an advisory council, a business affairs bureau end auditors, all under the jurisdiction of the president. The composite committee will be divided into sub-committees such as the cotton spinning, the cotton textile, the staple-fibre, the silk and rayon textile, the wood spinning, the hemp, the knit goods, the miscellaneous goods end the distribution sub-committees. The business affairs bureau will have under its jurisdiction several departments and sections.

The articles of association of the SENI KYOKAI will be as follows:

• 1.The federation will handle all business transactions from production of raw materials to the distribution of products.
• 2.Objects of the establishment of the organization (omitted).
• 3.Business to be handled will be: a. draft of productive and distribution plans of all fibre [illegible]production end distribution of textile products, c. assignment of raw materials, d. joint purchasing of raw materials and operation necessary for the materialization of other objectives of the organ, e. guidance on labor, f. examination of textile products, g. decisions on prices or guidance in price-fixing, h. joint calculation of the accounts of the members, i. procurement of equipment for the renovation of the textile industry, j. and ell other important transactions necessary for the enforcement of the objectives of the organization.
• 4.The structure of business transaction: a. all members wil1 be divided into the following sub-committees, which will conduct their own business transactions in a self-assertive manner, b. the committees will be composed of cotton spinning, cotton textile, rayon, silk and rayon textile, wool spinning, hemp, worked-out knitted goods, fibre and distribution sub-committees. - 2 -

•   ECONOMIC SERIES: 26 (Continued) ITEM 1 (Continued)
• 5.The committee will discuss and settle all fundamental problems connected with their respective management.
• 6.The committee will be composed of committee members chosen from among the sub-committees. They will discuss and settle all problems connected with their respective management. Directors in charge of the business affairs bureau will be present at the committee meetings. The chairman of the committee will be chosen from among the committee members by election of the members. The chairman, in compliance with the resolution of the committee meeting, will supervise departments or sections which compose the business affairs bureau.
• 7.The composite committee will be composed of the chairmen of each committee and the chairman of the board of directors. It will discuss and settle all composite affairs connected with different committees. The chairman of this committee will be the president of the organization.
• 8.To transact general or business affairs or conduct liaison among various committees, the business affairs bureau will be established. This bureau will also hold under its jurisdiction deportments and sections necessary for liaison transactions.
• 9.For affairs relating to social end public matters, an advisory council will be organized, to settle all important problems of a social nature, such as planning of production and distribution, fixing of prices etc. Councillars will be chosen from among consumer representatives and the intelligentsia.

Other items of the article of association are omitted.

Full Translation:

Permission to import food has been requested of the Allied authorities by the Japanese Government. The foods to be imported include 1,550,000 tons of rice from KOREA, FORMOSA, French INDO CHINA and THAILAND, 1,246,000 tons of wheat from CANADA and AMERICA, as well as 600,000 tons of soy-beans from MANCHURIA. But the import of soy-beans from MANCHURIA seems impossible because of SOVIET RUSSIA's transfer of soy-beans factories and labor from MANCHURIA to RUSSIA.

Government authorities stated with conviction at the interview with journalists that the mere announcement concerning the allowance of foods to be imported should curtail black market activities considerably and consequently, a larger quantity of food would be consigned to the proper legal market.

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ECONOMIC SERIES: 26 (Continued)

ITEM 2 (Continued)

However, were permission granted by Allied authorities for such import, all that could be exported in return would be about 180,000,000 dolls expected to be produced in 1946 out of a total of 310,000,000 which, when exchanged for dollars, would be needed to pay for these imports. Accordingly, imports to JAPAN are now facing difficulties and complexities. Therefore, the solution for this problem depends enterely upon two factors. One is whether the Allied authorities will give JAPAN permission to purchase foods abroad on credit. The other in whether credit would be extended to JAFAN if she got the permission.

Of course, repayment for the credit depends upon the way General MacARTHUR administers JAPAN and whether he would grant her permission to participate in the world export market to the full extent of her facilities.

Extracts:

The very morning of 20 November when the governmental control over the price end distribution was removed, vegetables were put up at auction by the Vegetables and Fruits Control Company (SEIKABUTSU-TOSEI-KAISHA), a municepal receiveing agency for vegetables and fruits, located in the Central Wholesale Market.

The vegetables at the central and branch markets offered for auction amount to 75,000 kan (a kan 8.28 pounds), including garden radish, carrot, stone-leek, turnip, burdock etc; The prices ere two to five times the special executive prices of the three day period from 17 to 19 November and above the black market price in production districts. This will stop purchasing at production districts and will moderate prices by causing a gradual increase in supplies. The auction prices of the principal vegetables are as follows:

(per kan, unit - yen)

TSUKIJI KANDA, KOTO. EBARA

TOSHIMA YODOBASHI ADACHI TAMA

The Marine Products Control Company (SUISANBUTSU-TOSHI-KAISHA) temporarily adopted a bidding system.

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ECONOMIC SERIES: 26 (Continued)

ITEM 3 (Continued)

On 20 November offshore products as well as deep sea fish arrived by ship in delayed shipments of five cars of frozen fish, two cars of clams and other shellfish, and twenty metric tons of frozen fish for sale. Fifteen hundred kan of the shellfish received were transferred for sale to HACHIOJI and 900 kan to HOKUGYO. Three thousand kan were auctioned off at the TSUKIJI market in units of 100 kan at four to five times the special executive price of one yen (official price is 0. 46 yen); that is, eleven lots at the three yen level, eight lots at the four yen level, eleven lots at the five yen level, the lowest being 3.20 yen (AKASAKA), the highest 5.35 yen (KANDA) the average 4.37 yen. Clam was sold at 15.00 yen per kan, quite high as compared with the executive price of 2.30 yen (official price is 1.30 yen).

ITEM 4 The Draft of Industrial Basie Law Planned. Tokyo Mainichi. 24 Nov 1945. Translator: T. Kitagawa.

Summary:

The Commerce and Industry Ministry set up a project section in the attempt to draft a basic industrial law. The law is supposed to create a foundation to decide the industrial future of the nation. One month has elapsed since they began to work on the scheme. But at the meeting held on Monday at the official residence of the minister it was found to be impossible to get law a. general plan; it was decided not to present a bill to the Diet for the coming session. The section failed to attain its aim mainly because the sphere of the study to be coverd is too large and because of objections presented by some people that it is not yet tine to draft such a law.

The movement towards the democratization of the national economy is seen in many aspects, as in the endeavor of workers to formulate labor unions and in the attempt to eliminate business monopolies. Consumers too, want to be extricated from the ration system and are anxious to have freedom of selection. But the nation must understand what democracy means before a free and healthy industrial economic system is established. This is too big a job to be performed by the Commerce and Industry ministry alone. However, 34 councillore for the Ministry were appointed to facilitate the forming of the plan.

DISTRIBUTION: "X"

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