Press translations [Japan]. Political Series 0080, 1945-12-15.
Date15 December, 1945
translation numberpolitical-0335
call numberDS801 .S85
Persistent Identifier
POLITICAL SERIES: 80
ITEM 1 On the Dulness of the Diet Session - Tokyo Shimbun - 12 Dec 45 Translator: S. Ono
Summary:
Following is the gist of a interview with SUGIMOTO, a demobilyed soldier, at the
visitors' gallery of the Diet. He formerly
served as councillor to the National Industrial Service.
Mr. SUGIMOTO said, "I have been getting angry at everything I see and hear since
I came back from KOREA early in November.
This may be because I am not yet accustomed to the actual situation in homeland. When
I landed at SASEBO, I was received with
the cold and unsympathetic gaze of my fellow countrymen. The rice crop of my native
place is only one-third of that of an
average year, due to untimely rains. In TOKYO, I found the prices of things so high,
that I wonder who can afford to pay,
outside of the war-profiters.
"Then came the current Diet session. Seeing its complete inability to handle the
matters, I can not help feeling an impulse to
plunge myself headlong into a political movement to speed the reconstruction of JAPAN.
We must all be aware that this is no
time to argue. The best step to meet the dearth of coal output is to make all the
members of Parliament go to coal fields to
help dig, instead of idly sitting in the Diet wasting time in useless discussions.
The nation doubts that the present Diet has
an earnest intention and a burning design to help the country out of its present plight.
They tried to shelve the Agrarian
Reform Bill, one of the most significant bills to be introduced to the present session,
when a directive from General
MacARTHUR ordered the government to submit a concrete plan to realize the fair division
of agrarian lands by 15 March of next
year. This has thrown the Diet into utter confusion. Are they blind, that they do
not see the actual situation prevailing at
present? To be sure, the Agrarian Reform and Labour Union Bills are painful to the
landowners and capitalists. But they must
realize this is the only way to save the country from eventual catastrophe. Think
of hundreds of thousands of war victims and
demobilyed soldiers still overseas. They have sacrificed everything for the sake of
the country. It is only natural to request
the capitalists, landowners and members of Parliament to do their utmost, regardless
of their personal interests, to
reconstruct JAPAN for the common happiness of the whole nation. Since the Diet is
the only legislative organ available at
present, however poor it may be, we have to rely upon it. I therefore earnestly wish
that the members of Parliament will
strive for the cause of the nation with renewed energy.
POLITICAL SERIES 80 (Continued)
ITEM 2 Mr. Matsudaira Expected as Successor To Hiranuma, President of the Privy Council - Nippon Sangyo-Keizai - 12 Dec 45. Translator: K. Murakami
Summary:
The president of the Privy Cornell, Baron HIRANUMA, Diichiro, who had been listed
as a war criminal suspect, is to be
delivered to the Allied authorities on 12 December. He will tender his resignation
before he goes to the camp. Premier
SHIDEHARA is deliberating on the selection of a successor to Baron HIRANIAMA. The
successor will be decided upon very soon
because of the urgency of the situation. The number of possible candidates is, however,
very limited because the successor
must not be among the possible war criminals suspects and must be acceptable to the
people. Thus, Baron WAKATSUKI, Reijiro,
and Mr. MATSUDAIRA, Tsuneo, however, be ready to accept the office, as he is in poor
health at present. Then, only Mr.
MATSUDAIRA is left as the most lively successor for the position.
ITEM 3 President Pro Term of Progressive Party - The Mainichi Shimbun 12 Dec 45. Translator: S. Kawasaki
Full Translation:
The Progressive Party Is Expected To Run into Trouble.
The problem concerning the presidency of the Progressive Party has been brought to
a herd. The party is no longer able to
postpone decision on a new president. Therefore, the leaders of the party made arrangements
on 9 and 10 December. As a result,
the party has decided to hear the opinions of the leaders first, and on the lithe
Messrs. MACHIDA, OKADA, KATSU, OMA, MAEDA,
YAMAHAKI and KANAMITSU met at the official residence of the President of the Diet
Mr. SHIMADA, where they deliverated and
agreed upon the necessary steps.
There was one group which recommended, General UGAKI, Kajushige, for president, but
there was considerable opposition to this
proposal. Mr. MACHIDA was also recommended, and present circumstance indicate that
he is libely choice. As a compromise, it
was suggested that General UGAKI be made an adviser and Mr. MACHIDA chief of general
affairs, with some person from NAKAJIMA's
group to be chairman of the election committee. It seems likely that, the senior group
will recommend Mr. MACHIDA for
president, or chief of general affairs; and after the election, the president will
definitely be chosen.
Members other than leaders, held a conference at TOKIWA in the MARUNOUCHI Building
on the evening of 10 December. The problem
of choosing a president was thoroughly discussed there also.
ITEM 4 Power of Declaration of War Will Be restricted - Yomiuri - Hochi Shimbun - 12 Dec 45. Translator: S. Sano
Full Translation:
At the Budget Committee meeting of the House of Representatives on 11 December, Mr.
MIZUTANI, Shozabure, Social Democrat,
interpellated as to how the Emperor's sovereignty is to be restricted. Mr. MATSUMOTO,
Minister without Portfolio, hinted in
his reply that the power to declare war and other power rovided for in the present
Constitution would be restricted. The reply
was as follows;
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POLITICAL SERIES 80 (Continued)
ITEM 4 (Continued)
"As it was before the war, a war could break out without approval of the people or
the Diet in accordance with Article 11 and
12 of the Constitution, but such a situation must he remedied. Though concrete plans
are not yet worked out, I am arranging to
revise the Constitution on this point. How to do it is a very difficult problem, but
I intend to revise it so that it hear out
the idea of strengthening democratic tendencies."
ITEM 5 What do the Political Parties fight for in the Coming Elections (1. part) - Asahi Shimbun 12 Dec 45. Translator: C. Gilbert
Summary:
The ASAHI representative opens the round table talk of leaders from the various political
parties by declaring that the
political parties have published their programs, but, that these programs are abstract
and unclear. He, therefore, asks the
representatives of the different political parties to give a clear-cut statement as
to what they are going to fight for in the
coming elections.
TSURUMI (Progressive): The Progressives are fighting for two aims; to maintain the
Japanese form of state and to stabilize the
national livelihood.
MIZUTANI (Socialist): The question is whether JAPAN will remain capitalistic or become
socialistic! The Socialists are of the
opinion that the Japanese national livelihood can be stabilized only under a socialistic
system. The Progressives may
emphasize their intention for social reforms, yet they are out to maintain capitalism,
maybe in a modified form.
ANDO (Liberal): The result of the general elections will most probably be a multitude
of small parties without any large
majority party. This condition will continue until the Japanese people know what they
want. The Liberal Party agrees with the
Progressives in their political aims, which are, in other words, the solution of the
food problem and maintenance of the
Emperor system.
SHIGA (Communist): MIZUTANI's statement that the socialists are going to fight for
the enforcement of socialism is not keeping
in pace with the time. The fulfillment of the HOTSOLAM Declaration demands a democratic
revolution. The question is, who is
fighting for whom and for what? The Emperor system and its government are affiliated
with the ZAIBATSU and the land owners,
they have destroyed the stability and high plane of the livelihood of the sucesses
during the war and are impeding their
stabilization and elevation atere the war. The Communist Party and their leaders who
have just come out of prison, however,
are fighting for one class only, the sucesses.
KUROZAWA (Independent): The Independents are at present not a polical party, but,
a great part of them will form in the near
future a National Co-operative Party. The National Co-operative Party is of the opinion
that just the statement of the
necessity of social reforms by any party does not solve any social problems, Practical
measures are needed. The national
Co-operative Party sees the solution of the Japanese social problem in the organization
of a National Co-operative Association
grouped in agricultural, industrial and consumers co-operative associations. It is
opposed to artificial political
stabilizations, because it believes that the stabilization of the national livelihood
can be attained through co operative as
associations of the nation.
DISTRIBUTION "X"
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