Press translations [Japan]. Editorial Series 0370, 1946-02-06.

Full Translation:

President TRUMAN's New Year's message to Congress on 21 January points out the course of the foreign policy of the UNITED STATES as a responsible leading power in the world, and gives a plan to restore the defeated nations in 1946, the year of post-war management after the greatest battle on record in world history.

We should not overlook the great significance of this message. President TRUMAN stated that the keynote of the UNITED STATES' foreign policy is the establishment of a true peace and emphasized that lasting peace could only be attained by mutual understanding and positive cooperation among the big powers of the world. He further commented that this peace should not be a "20 year peace" like that after World War I and that not only the American people but mankind throughout the world desires it. "The theme of 1946 is the method by which we can accomplish this aim" he said.

The General Assembly of the United Nations Organization now being held in LONDON is" our first gallant attempt for the maintenance of world peace in which mankind of the whole world is putting its greatest hope".

The United Nations Organization has acknowledged the participation of several defeated countries, namely ITALY, RUMANIA, BULGARIA, HUNGARY and FINLAND, as decided in MOSCOW in December of last year. The fact that AMERICA is inclined to approve of participation by GERMANY and JAPAN in the future proves that this new organization has none of the bad points the old League of Nations possessed. The statement by the President that the voices of the small nations should be esteemed like those of the big powers, the lack of which was a drawback in the League of Nations, reveals how much interest the UNITED STATES shows in the new world peace machinery. We must draw our attention to the fact that even a socialistic State, the SOVIET UNION, has the same leading authority as AMERICA, and we should be more interested in the development of the United Nation Organization in which we are going to take part in the future.

President TRUMAN, by recalling several items of the twelve principles which will guide the course of future American foreign policy and which were announced in NEW YORK on 27 October of last year, stated the following in referrring to the occupation of JAPAN. "As a method of controlling JAPAN we have decided recently on a concerted action by the United Nations. The pattern of this administration will have the UNITED STATES sustaining prime authority and responsibility with the approval of the countries concerned in the United Nations Administrative Committee. This will be retained until the Japanese people have completed choosing a Government by means of a free election."

EDITORIAL SERIES: 370 (Continued)

ITEM 1 (Continued)

Turning to the problem of occupied countries, President TRUMAN, in describing the wretched conditions in GERMANY continued: "JAPAN, in contrast to GERMANY, has an established functional political organization. Despite the huge casualities caused by the war, Japanese productive capacity and transportation facilities have remained to the extent that they are at least able to secure the existence of the nation. To guarantee the impossibity of starting a new agressive war by either JAPAN or GERMANY, it is necessary to deprive them of the capacity for arms production and to revolutionize drastically and effectively their social and political mechanism. For this purpose, various democratic organizations must be furthered and the voices of the common people must be heard in Government circles." These words show us clearly what the Japanese people have to do in the future.

However, we must realize ourselves that many difficult hurdles are placed across the course of the establishment of a Democratic Government faithful to the Potsdam Declaration. This is because we can hardly call it democracy if only the Government and the Diet are democratized. It is presumed that it will take a considerable time for us to complete the democratization of everything. There will still be many obstacles to be overcome till the people are completely re-educated in politics. Nevertheless, if we reflect upon the fact that President TRUMAN has reminded the American people that "the UNITED STATES also must be prepared to undergo hardships in order to maintain world peace," we as a defeated nation should achieve this aim as soon as possible, whatever sacrifices we may have to bear. In order to maintain international trust as a nation all the people should pay attention to the words of President TRUMAN.

Concerning CHINA and KOREA, the President said "The fundamental policy of the UNITED STATES in the Far East consists of full aid for the development of CHINA, which has become independent and united. This is the conventional policy of AMERICA …… the object of the UNITED STATES in KOREA is to restore KOREA'S supremacy as soon as possible and help the development of a democratic Government by means of a free nation-wide election". We should not overlook this statement cither, for we should become acquainted with AMERICA's Far Eastern Policy. It is of great significance, because the Far Eastern nations have undergone a revolution unheard-of before in the history of the Far East brought about by the great war. The revolution being carried out under President TRUMAN and the American people, though there are many obstacles blocking its course, can be called less sacrificing and less distressing compared to that which the European nations have experienced in past years. We must admonish ourselves and must not to become forgetful because the present revolution is being achieved almost in a too easy and peaceful way.

Said the President in his message, "It is the ardent wish of every American that future historians do not call the wars, World War I and World War II but World War I and the Last World War". As a matter of course the biggest desire of all mankind is the establishment of eternal world peace machinery and a po[illegible]erful united nations security agency. Consequently this aim should be also the desire of every Japanese.

We should read with appreciation the ideas of the American people expressed in President TRUMAN's message, and should express our thanks for the freedom being given us and should be ready to repay the kindness we have received and are receiving.

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EDITORIAL SERIES: 370 (Continued)

Summary:

The request for a rise in pay by four or five times by the railroad personnel did not surprise the people so much as the report that the request was granted. But, nowadays, this sort of thing is no more than a usual daily event which cannot draw anybody's attention. The radical changes during the past month clearly indicate the rapid acceleration of inflation.

It is a well-known fact that not only the railroad personnel, but all the Government officials are to be awarded a number of extraordinary allowances as well as a two or three times boost in salary. This indicates how the Government itself is taking pains to improve the treatment of laborers who are on the verge of financial ruin. The attitude of the Government might be called courageous, when we consider how the general civil companies are still in a state of lethargy and hesitate to adopt the treatment of their employees to the advance of inflation, allowing the successive occurrence of strikes. More courageous, however, is the Government, one must admit, in raising the prices of commodities. Just after opening the sale of unreasonably expensive cigarettes each pack of which costs 7 or 10 yen, the Government dared to raise the railroad fares two times and a half for passengers and three times for freight which is an unprecedented large-scale boost in public enterprises. The people who do not arraign the authorities for such bold measures are worthy of deep reflection, but at any event the government is taking advantage of the docile people and hastening the national economy down a steep slope toward destruction.

Large-scale boosting of charges for mail, telegram and telephone is said to be under consideration. The raising of the prices of rationed cigarettes is inevitable, too. As for general commodities, coal underwent a four times raise previously followed by a ten times raise in the price of fertilizers, which caused necessarily the raise in the price of rice crop from 150 yen to 300 yen and from 75 yen to 150 yen in the consumer's price. It goes without saying that this fact will affect the prices of all goods.

This is the long debated seesaw game of wage and price. Range of the oscillation is wide and the speed is rapid. Measures for price problems advocated by the Price Department of the Finance Ministry are too theoretical and abstract. The ideal "system of prices", which puts the basis of all prices on rice, and figures out the index of livelihood in accordance with which the prices of all fundamental necessities including coal are to be decided, is possible as an idea, but actually is not worth a straw.

Such a game is nothing but a trick by those who have no moral strength. What is needed most at present is to prevent the boundless boosting of prices and the overflow of currency. Undoubtedly it will give the majority of the people not a little suffering to carry out the measures, but it would be nothing compared with the pain which the multiple rise of prices would impose up on them. The present cabinet is only sticking spurs in the seesaw game of wage and price, and we should not sanction the existence of such an incompetent and irresponsible body.

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EDITORIAL SERIES: 370 (Continued)

Full Translation:

Our national flag symbolizing absoluteness of the sun has lost its meaning and significance after JAPAN's defeat. The people were told that this flag denoted sincerity and purity within, and that it shone upon the whole world. It was the symbol of universal benevolence. This shows JAPAN's exclusiveness at being the best race on earth. What was the ideal of this universal benevolence? We believed in illusion, therefore we blindly shed tears of sentimentality when the military advanced the motto "Where there flies a flag of the rising sun there is no enemy!"

However, the surrender ruined our dreams and the true light shone strongly upon us. Now that new JAPAN is about to arise from the ruins of defeat, I do not want to see the flag of our old evil dreams, remaining as a symbol of the old tragedy. I desire a new flag. The true sun shone upon the world with equal warmth, while we were worshipping our old frustrated sun. I wish for a true, permanent flag symbolizing our new will. (Letter from NOGUCHI, Tadao.)

Adopt a New National Anthem

The national anthem symbolizes a nation's hopes and ideals; it also embellishes her cultural art upon the international stage. Since our anthem "KIMIGAYO" is no more our hope or ideal, it has no artistic splendor. I hoped for a better one while looking at the Olympic [illegible]movies. Is it not the artist's mission to give a hopeless people a glorious anthem?

This is not a job for the Government - it has to be out by the people themselves. We must take positive action and bring light to the people sinking into darkness. Our new anthem should be sung anytime, anywhere, and not only on ceremonial occasions. This is a difficult task for without splendor it will soon be forgotten. However, a thoughtful artist's spirit will certainly carry out the mission and will create an anthem suitable for our true voices.

(Letter from ISHII, Iwao.)

I wonder if we cannot have a new anthem encouraging and stimulating the people to establish a peace loving nation.

Our "KIMIGAYO" instituted by the Education Department was sung for many years. However, it's solemnity is now a little too antiquated. Even our Emperor promulgated a Democratic rescript on New Year's Day. If all literary people and all musicians got together and created an anthem, approved by the whole nation I am sure that the interest of the people will rise. (Letter from RIYOGEN)

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