Press translations [Japan]. Editorial Series 0024, 1945-11-24.
Date24 November, 1945
translation numbereditorial-0113
call numberDS801 .S82
Persistent Identifier
EDITORIAL SERIES: 24
ITEM 1 National Movement - Tokyo Shimbun - 17 Nov 45. Translator: M. Kato
Full Translation:
A conference discussing measures for a [illegible]national movement to survive the present fond crisis was
held, but we were quite disappointed in receiving the impression from the Premier's
speech and the make-up of the conference,
that this is a hopeless movement. The reason for this is that among members were included
those responsible for the war and
those responsible for cheating the farmers. These people without apologies for their
past conduct, asked for co-operation in
supplying rice to the country. This will be flatly refused by the farmers.
The Premier seemed to be ignorant of the insistence of the general public of the
government's necessity for making amends to
the farmers, which should be, as they declare, the basis of this national movement.
It seems that national movements have
hitherto been started as last resorts on occasions when the government has been confronted
with insurmountable difficulties
which it bad to overcome. This is evidently a misconception.
It is true that national movements aiming only, at propaganda or enlightenment of
the people may be effective to some degree
by virtue of the government's power, but, when the movement is for some practical
purpose, such as supplying rice to the
country by the farmers, the government will display but little ag[illegible]resiveness. If there is no
concrete plan by the government, nothing will result from such efforts.
The government's power in a national movement is limited to the extent that it can
only make known the movement to the
people.
ITEM 2 The Finance Ministry's Draft for the establishement of the Price Section should be rectified - Yomiuri Kochi Shimbun - 17 Nov 45. Translator:
Full Translation:
A price section is to be established in the Finance Ministry. In production, as well
as in consumption, the price problem has
never been more important then today. Occordingly, it is important that the price
section be set up as an organization to
specialize in the current price question.
In this connection, however, scrupulous attention must be paid to the following two
points: one is, that the government
intends to put government officials in charge of the price problem, and another is,
that the price section is to belong to the
Finance Ministry. The price problem is very important, and difficult even to the most
skillful and shrewd merchants. As
government officials have proved incapable of handling the price question, it is absurd
to leave it to the officials.
EDITORIAL SERIES: 24 (Continued)
ITEM 2 (Continued)
The Finance Ministry should have control over currency and finance. The present price
problem is in substance nothing but a
production problem. Therefore, this problem should not be handled by the Finance Ministry.
Even[illegible]in
the field of finance and currency the function of the present Finance Ministry has
been so weakened as to be almost
nonexistent. If the Finance Ministry has charge of this matter, it will repeat unwise
policies such as, pressing the people to
buy national bonds and. compulsory savings. The subsequent result will be: paralysis
of the productive operations, the
stagnation of currency and the over-issuance of bank notes.
The price problem, therefore, should, be handled by an organization composed of producers,
for example, the Agricultural
Associations. That is the most effective way to increase production, to stamp out
inflation and to restore the national
strength.
The Finance Ministry is expected to take charge of the inevitable wage increase problem
under the new price system in order to
insure the consumers' livelihood. The authorities concerned are contemplating traditional
tricks of the trade such as plotting
to seat a non-official person in as chief of the section. However, if authorities
were to expect high efficiency by
introducing private citizens into the organization, then all the seats of the coming
price section should be occupied by
capable private citizens with the exception of the chief of the price section who
should be a government official.
ITEM 3 Fundamental Problem on Food - Tokyo Shimbun - 17 Nov 45. Translator: K. [illegible]obunaga.
Full Translation:
The food problem is the main problem in the reconstruction of the new JAPAN. We cannot
even discuss to-morrow's JAPAN unless
the food, problem is settled. The food problem has now developed into both an economic
and political problem.
The problem of food importation as a means of solving the food crisis for the present
is a problem of ships. Consequently it
has a close relationship with the conversion of industry within the nation.
The system of compulsory sale of rice to the government surprisingly received strong
public pressure during the war. This
problem should be resurveyed. Wheat sales in the near future include the problem of
fertilizer.
The food problem must be settled rapidly. Food, importation will be a problem every
year until the nation becomes
self-supporting and self-sufficient. Therefore a reclamation plan is now being established.
This reclamation plan is an agricultural problem, and also a problem of unemployment
relief. Behind the reclamation plan lies
the fundamental problem of the agricultural land system which agricultural people
are now facing.
Judging from the various kinds of plans and materials on food which General MacARTHUR's
Headquarters demanded from the
government, it is evident that the demand is to democratize rural communities that
still have traces of the feudal system. We
repeat that the importance of the food problem is not alone a problem of breaking
the coming food crisis, for we cannot expect
a settlement of the food problem from such a short-sighted policy.
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EDITORIAL SERIES: 24 (Continued)
ITEM 3 (Continued)
We will take the reelamation plan as an example. If we were to use hoes end spades
we would find it impossible to reclaim
1,500,000 chobu in less than five years. We must not overlook American science which
converted jungle regions, where human
feet had never trod, into great airfields in a few weeks. We concluded, that traffic
in large-type airplanes was impossible
but AMERICA was able to do it. Moreover, we must not overlook the fact that they are
cultivating vegetables by using various
kinds of chemicals on coral-reefs where there is no soil.
It is necessary for us to make a thorough study of the reclamation plan, depending
upon our agricultural science and
chemistry. We are apt to be short-sighted as to our problems. With such an attitude,
can fundamental settlement of food
problems be expected? Never.
We must remember that the food problem of our country is very important both economically
and politically, yet it is a problem
which must be settled completely.
ITEM 4 Give us Work - Tokyo Shimbun - 17 Nov 45. Translator: K. Isao.
Full Translation:
The following letter was received by the Tokyo Shimbun:
With the termination of the war, my two brothers and I were thrown out of work. In
March of this year, cur house was burned
down and our parents were killed, in air-raids. During the war, we were hailed, as
"Industrial warriors" or "h[illegible]m[illegible]r-heroes", names designed to make us work day and night. But what became
of us when the war ended? We were given a bonus of only 200 yen end fired. We have
looked for work but can find none. Has our
fate been sealed?
We care nothing for the new political parties. All we ask is work. In the [illegible]I district we see
throws of v[illegible]nts and profiteers. Is that the new JAPAN? Are these men the "industrial warriors"
of
the past?
High ranking bureaucrats are laying great, long-range plans, but we doubt that we
shall live long enough to see them
realized.
We must become black market operators or starve. Don't the authorities see what is
going on?
DISTRIBUTION "X"
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