Press translations [Japan]. Editorial Series 0109, 1945-12-18.

Full Translation:

Prince KO[illegible]CE has received the order for his arrest as a suspected war crimi[illegible]al from Allied Headquarters. As we have no doubt of his being a number one war criminal, we feel that the issue of this order was rather late, but perhaps this is because General Headquarters required some time to collect enough evidence and to prepare for his arrest.

What has struck us as the strangest thing of all is that Prince KONOE still maintai[illegible]s his prominent position in the State, participating in such a vital work as the revision of the Constitution, as if he were not at all conscious of any war responsibility. That the Prince is a war criminal no less important than General TOJO, is an opinion supported not only by the Japanese but also by a large number of well informed people in other countries. The highest responsible person in the Imperial Japanese Government at the time when the China Incident occurred in July, 1937, was none other than Prince KONOE. He is also responsible for the events leading to the outbreak of that Incident, which led to a massacre of innocent Chinese by Japanese Troops. Under the pretence of carrying on a punitive expeditionary war, suddenly casting aside the Japanese Government's previous policy of non-expansion. Again it was also he who made a most extraordinary and silly declaration of "Take no notice of CHIA[illegible]G, Kai-shek" policy, thus making a reasonalbe settlement of the China Incident impossible.

His responsibility should not be limited only to the CHINA Incident, because he organized the Imperial Rule Assistance Association, the bureaucratic and totaliterian political society in order to blot out all the existing political parties, oppressed the people, and painted Japanese politics with Nazi colors. When Germany and Italy, taking advantage of the situation in western EUROPE where nations were not yet prepared for a war, established their temporary powers in EUROPE. Prince KO[illegible]OE, dazzled by their victory, made the Tripple Alliance with them. By this, he ignored the will of the people and incurred antipathy and hostility of Western EUROPE and AMERICA. In this way he paved the way to Greater East Asia War. Of course, we are not so bigoted as to deny his effort to obtain a solution to the then impending crisis between JAPAN and AMERICA by means of negotiation, but this fact does not free him from his responsibility.

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ITEM 1 (Continued)

Generally speaking, there are sume qualities inevitably required of politicians, such as sincerity, discernment, and strong sense of responsibility, each of which Prince KONOE seems to lack. He is known to be the last man to take responsibility, being impudent and shameless. The House of KONOE, since the age of his anc[illegible]ster FUJIWARA, Kamatari, has participated in the vital affairs of the Imperial Household as a bulewark of the Throne, and these bulwarks of the Throne, generally called the court-nobles do not understand the meaning of responsibility History proves this fact. Therefore, it is not strange if KONOE's political principle should be "I order, and the people obey; yet I will not bear my responsibility." Such a politician's holding of strong power is a great misery to the nation and will endanger the fortune of our race. Accordingly, we think it is most natural that he should be ordered to be arrested. We, in a private capacity, have no grudge against him, and we hope that his trial will be carried out fairly in accordance with rule and reason.

Summary

The proposed amendments by the House of Representatives to the Election Law Reform Bill must be considered as unreasonable, especially the claue concerning electoral districts. The bill has been so amended as to appl to the plural vote system, in which two candidates may be selected in all the electoral districts having less than ten candidates. The most extreme example showing the proposed amendment's absurdity may be found in the OKINAWA district, where only two candidates are expected to run for the Diet.

Of course, the House of Peers which drafted the original bill, is to blame for this absurdity. It is the House of Representatives, however, that should be held responsible for such a ridiculous amendment.

Home Minister HORIKIRI declared the other day that the newly-reformed Election Law should be applied to the forthcoming general election only after that the law would be further investigated and reformed by the newly-elected Diet. However, the proposed restricted-plural-ballot system is admittedly too unreasonable to be applied even once.

It must be borne in mind that the forthcoming general election must be held with all fairness and justice since it is the first election toward the construction of a new JAPAN. From this point of view we earnestly wish the House of Peers to adopt a just and strict attitude in discussing the bill which is scheduled to be sent on to it shortly.

The First Step towards Stabilizing MANCHURIA.

A complete agreement is reported to have been reached in Sino-Soviet negotiations concerning the advance of the KUOMINTANG Army into MANCHUR It is further reported that the air-borne troops of the KUOMINTANG are expected to enter CHANGCHUN in the near future and that the administrat of MANCHURIA will formally be shifted from the Soviets to the KUOMINTANG.

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EDITORIAL SERIES: 109 (Continued)

ITEM 2 (Continued)

At one stage, Chinese Communist troops in MANCHURIA were so powerful that we felt that all MANCHURIA might be put under their control or that MANCHURIA would become independent under the protection of the Communists. But this superiority of the Communist troops collapsed when the Chinese cracks mechanized forces, under General TU Yu-ming, successfully entered MANCHURIA.

According to a foreign dispatch, the present problem is too complicated to be considered simply as a conflict between the KUOMINTANG and the Chinese Communists. The problem is connected with the UNITED STATES and .the SOVIET UNION. Well-informed sources predicted that outside pressure would decide the fate of MANCHURIA. However, it has proved to be a mist[illegible]ae to doubt the attitude of RUSSIA since she has assured CHINA, in the Sino-Soviet Treaty, that "the SOVIET UNION will never interfere in the internal affairs of CHINA". In regard to AMERICA'S attide, there is no room left for doubt American public opinion is well represented by the recent statement of Walter LIPPMANN who said, "AMERICA has no alternative but to stop the conflict, not only in order to prevent AMERICA from becoming entangled in a civil war, but also in order to prevent CHINA from plungingherself into desperate straits."

A certain vicious power in JAPAN attempted to exploit ASIA but that ambition is now broken. Peach in ASIA has long been the ideal of the Japanese. We have never spared any effort to stabilize CHINA. Today especially, we are very anxious about the fate of many Japanese who are still in MANCHURIA, concerning whom we have failed to receive ne[illegible]s since the end of the war. The Japanese today are eager for the prompt establishment of a peaceful MANCHURIA.

Full Translation:

The History of the Pacific War has reached its most interesting point and victory has turned into defeat. This does not necessarily mean we are delighted with our nation's defeat. We are as eager to acquaint ourselves with the real facts of defeat as one is anxious to look at his wound after removing the bandage.

The voices of people who cast doubt upon the announcements of headquarte were brushed aside; nevertheless, their doubts rapidly propagated, although prior to the Chinese Incident they did not occur. Japanese Headquarters failed to announce the truth of the MIDWAY naval battle. At that time Japanese papers reported that President ROOSEVELT had stated in a fireside chat that this very engagement would signify the turning point of the Pacific War. However, only a few Japanese paid any attention to that report. When these people reminded others of that statement, they were accused of spreading doubt.

Prior to the MIDWAY engagement, the naval battle of the CORAL Sea occurred. This was broadcast by the Navy Information Bureau in a somewhat lecture-like tone. According to the Headquarter's announcement,

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EDITORIAL SERIES: 109 (Continued)

ITEM 3 (Continued)

an American battleship, which in reality did not even participate in that battle, was said to he sunk by the Japanese. Furthermore, people paid attention to the splendid success of sinking a battleship which was stated to have been sunk some time ago. The formal announcement of the results of this engagement laid the first steps to the continuan[illegible]of reporting absurd numbers of sunken enemy ships.

We may affirm the [illegible]covering up of conditions by the TOJO Cabinet one by one. The Japanese ambassador to Germany, OSHIMA, seemed to be unaware until April of this year, that Germany would lose the war. However, Japanese war leaders felt that the German Army’s reversal of last summer would influence the future of the Japanese war. Therefore, the war leaders were obliged to recognize that the attack on Pearl Harbor was a great miscalculation of Japan's Diplomacy.

In the historical record, containing twenty-two books and written by CHOYOKU, you can read the following story:

"These soldiers of the country KIN, in order to prevent another uprising by the Mongolians, started a war against them. However, the KIN army was defeated in every fight they attempted. KIN was told that they 'snatched victories out of defeats' and that the Mongolians suffered continued defeats. Once, when the Mongolians retreated a little, in order to deceive the enemy, the leaders of the KIN country drank a toast to this victory and proclaimed to their people 'such a success will satisfy the dead souls', and wept in rejoicing. However, the people of KIN, who believed in their leaders, were overwhelmend by an all-out attack by Mongolian forces and were annihilated"

During the peace the KIN country was governed by some ten rulers, but in the course of time this number was reduced. Similar to this, the Japanese Government disguised the truth and made the people believe in the sureness of victory. Yet the Japanese news of a victory was not so malignant as our example shows. Surely the soldiers at the front believe that they had won the war, but in keeping secret our real casualties, the Japanese Government ruined the proper interest of the people in war.

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