Press translations [Japan]. Economic Series 0248, 1946-02-02.

Summary: Mr. HANI, Goro who was liberated at the end of the war after a long imprisonment has returned to his life's wo[illegible]"A History of the Evolution of the Japanese Monopolistic Financial Capitalists." He is said to be contemplating the inclusion in this work of all the past crimes of the Japanese financial capitalists. He outlined the plan of his ambitions work as follows. "It was the Japanese semi-feudalistic Imperialism which drone the military, clique to wage the adventurous war of aggression. Japanese imperialism loomed conspicuously in 1926 when the Government enacted the Peace Maintenance Law which was strengthened in 1928, stripping the people of their freedom of speech, organization and meeting. The industrial depression which was general throughout the country at that time was at the bottom of these circumstances. The economic depression was sweeping over not only JAPAN but also the whole world. The inconsistency of capitalism as predicted in LENIN's book, "Imperialism as the Last Stage of Capitalism", had reached its peak. To tide over this economic crisis, big democratic states undertook to raise the people's living standard. BRITAIN took socialistic measures and the UNITED STATES carried out the New Deal, They were successful to a great extent in overcoming the crisis by raising the people's standard of living. In JAPAN, on the contrary, the semi-feudalistic capitalists tried to tide over the crisis by gaining overseas markets for their merchandise by means of social dumping, instead of raising wages. In 1928, universal suffrage was enforced and socialist parties and labor unions began vigorous activity. The Bourgeois class made every effort to suppress working-class activities on the grounds that high wages reduce capitalists profits and elevation of labors' living standard undermines the economic structure of the country. The temporary success of exports soon reached its limits. The Japanese Capitalists then found the way out of the new deadlock in turning themselves to munitions production. The semi-feudalistic imperialists of JAPAN contemplated the recapture of overseas markets by means of war. Thus began the Manchurian incident and the subsequent long war, the bitter results of which we are now experiencing.

"To rebuild JAPAN, it is absolutely necessary to secure for the people full freedom of speech, organization and meeting, to develop labor unions socialist and communist parties and to uproot semi-feudalistic elements. This is the only way to participate in world peace and to make JAPAN peaceful and prosperous."

ECONOMIC SERIES: 248 (Continued)

Full Translation:

Numerous agencies are studying the problem of the quantity of timber necessary for rebuilding those wooden houses damaged or burned down in war and the restoration of the pre-war standard of life, although so far there has been little actually accomplished. Detailed reports from the war-damaged areas and reports of other materials extant on hand are being prepared. As a result of their investigations it has been revealed that the total quantity of timber necessary for the completion of the reconstruction program of wooden houses may be roughly estimated at about 300 million Koku, i,e. about 83 million cubic metres of timber. However, the maximum yearly average timber production is about 60 million Koku (the average yearly production 1933-37 was about 64 million Koku). Therefore of this about 20 million Koku can be used for reconstruction, while about 30 million Koku must be [illegible]to the manufacture or repair of props in mine shafts, etc., and about 10 million Koku must be further substracted as a substitute far the supply that used to come from SAGHALIEN assigned for manufacturing pulp. According to this reckoning we must wait about ten years till we see overselves equipped to make both ends meet unless we can get help by imports from abroad.

The following are the figures set forth by the JAPAN Timber Company (NIPPON MOKUZAI KAISHA) on investigation necessary for reconstruction, classified according to use:

According to these figures the demand for dwelling houses, etc. is the greatest, reaching as much as about 286 million Koku.

The basis for the estimation is as follows: 1) Dwellings: 276,150,000 Koku Total 3,000,000 dwellings are to be erected, based on the estimates by the Interior Office, including -2,100,000 homes for war-sufferers, 600,000 for the evacuees, and 300,000 for those who had been already before the war complaining of shortage of houses. Average floor space of a dwelling is 26.3 tsubo based on figures prepared in 1936/37, and the average amount of timber per tsubo is 3,5 Koku. The total floor space of the dwelling houses in the program is 78.9 million tsubo and involves 276,15 million koku of lumber. 2) Factories: 4,428,000 (SIC) Koku The figure is based on the estimate that the plants extent in 1945 were about 180,000, 120,000 of which being war-damaged, the remaining 60,000, comprise 100,000 houses, half of which are utilized for commercial use. Thus it is presumed that 50,000 are to be re-constructed. The average floor space per house is 33.6 tsubo according to the Structure Control, the amount of timber assigned is 3,2 Koku, totalling 1,680,000 tsubo

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ECONOMIC SERIES: 248 (Continued)

Full Translation:

The election of the City, Town and Village Agrarian Committee, which the revised Agrarian Adjustment Law prescribes, was scheduled to be held in the middle of March. However, it has been decided to postpone the period until 5 April in order to avoid having the election conflict with the general election of members of parliament which is to be held on 31 March. The period of registering electors for the committee is also postponed until 20 March. Accordingly, the election of the Prefectural Agrarian Committee, which is to be carried out by mutual voting by chiefs of the City, Town and Village Agrarian Committee, will also be delayed a little.

Question: "Then, what will become of the Communication Employees Union (TEISHIN JUGYOIN KUMIAI), those political, activities are most likely to be restricted either by ordinances or by existing rules?"

Mr. SUFHIRO: "I think such a restriction is likely to he effectuated by the ordinances relative to the operation of the Labor Union Law. In this connection, with the revision of the Labor Dispute Arbitration Law which is now under way, the right to strike of such labor unions whose members are engaged in traffic and communication and whose strikes vitally affect civilian livelihood will be restricted at any rate. But I think, the Government, while imposing such restrictions on their right to strike, should introduce same system to protect their position as in the case of the present Metropolitan Deliberating Council, (TOKYOGIKAI) consisting of delegates of the employees and officials, and members of the Metropolitan assembly, in which labor delegates are given a good chance to speak of their present situation and to claim better treatment so as to bring about a satisfactory solution to their disputes. In the case of employees engaged in public utilities like metropolitan traffic workers, whose right to strike is restricted by the Labor Dispute Arbitration Law. I think, such an institition as the Deliberating Council may well be introduced by the management to the advantage of employees."

Mr. HINAZUKA; (Committee member of the TOKYO Metropolitan Employees Association): "At a meeting of the Metropolitan Deliberating Council, we urged that our wage increases and other improvements of treatment should not be carried out at the expense of the people of TOKYO in general, but by certain other means such as stopping payment of interest on metropolitan bonds and raising more revenue from the property tax, wartime profit tax, individual property increment tax and income tax, and by setting up a highly progressive tax rate thereupon. Along with this, we also insisted that certain members of the Metropolitan Assembly representing the people of TOKYO should be replaced by more popular ones including Mr. TOKUDA of the Communists, Mr. SUZUKI of the Social Democrats Mr. [illegible]SANUMA delegate of the Metropolitan Assembly, Mr. SUEHIRO authority on the Labor union Law and Mr. SHIMAKAMI, delegate of the TOKYO Traffic Association, because most of the present members of the Metropolitan Assembly, were in close cooperation with militaristic politics during the war, and cannot properly represent the people."

Mr. SUEHIRO: "I also think, such a shake-up in the membership of the Metopolitan Assembly is quite necessary, for the reason that Mr. HINAZUKA has just pointed out. Anyhow, I think it is quite natural that labor disputes in the public utilities if they cannot

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ECONOMIC SERIES: 248 (Continued)

ITEM 4 (Continued)

be settled between the labor union and the management, should be solved by impartial public opinion through the Labor Committee. For this purpose, I think the Government must make a law, imposing an obligation on either the radio or newspapers to consult public opinion in this respect thereby bringing about a fair working solution to the disputes. (To be continued)

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