Press translations [Japan]. Political Series 0120, 1945-12-26.

Summary:

As the time has come to find a president and vice-president of the TAKAOKA Municipal Assemble, to succeed those resigning, a conference was held on 10 December at the municipal office to discuss these matters. After much deliberation, Mr. SHIMADA, Kitaro, was recommended as president, and Mr. MAKINO, Teijiro, as vice-president.

A town council will be held on 15 December to elect the president and vice-president, and after their elections a new mayor will be sought.

Extracts:

Aiming at the democratization of the local political structure, the Citizen's Union of AICHI-Ken was inaugurated at the AICHI Prefectural Office on 20 December.

Mr. ISHIGURO, Koichi (its originator and member of the Prefectural Council), and seven others were selected as the permanent committeemem. They are: YOKOI, Kamekichi; SHINODA, Shinichi; YAMAUCHI, Kurasoburo; ISHIDA, Ginjiro; SAKAKIBARA, Magotaro; OMI, Tameji; and SAKABE, Kametaro.

Extracts:

The Excutive Committee of the Social Democratic Party in NAGANO-Ken held a meeting in NAGANO on 22 December and discussed plans for the next general election.

The following five men were recommended as candidates (more will be added as conditions demand): NOMIZO, Katsu; HAYASHI, Torao; TANAHASHI, Kotora; MIYASHITA, Gaku; and MOTOFUJI, Tsunenatsu,

POLITICAL SERIES: 120 (Continued)

Extracts:

Mr. KOZAKA, Takeo, of the Progressive Party, and former Diet Member from the first district of NAGANO-Ken, who was expected to stand in the council election, decided not to run and asked his political friends for approval on 22 December. He said that his friends urged him to run in the election, but he refused firmly to do so. He also said that he would support a suitable candidate in the coming election and do his best for the local political party in the future.

Full Translation:

The Diet will be able to face the various requirements of the new generation when the House of Representatives and the House of Peers are reformed. Having finished its epoch-making work of the revision of the Election Law, the House of Representatives can be said to have started its own reform. In addition, the Diet is already dissolved and the general election is imminent, so reform of the House of Peers is now looked forward to by the people. What will be the thoughts of the members of the House of Representatives and the House of Peers toward each other?

From this point of view, Viscount OKOCHI, Kiko, member of the House of Peers, and Mr. KATAYAMA, Tetsu, former member of the House of Representatives, stated their opinions for us as follows:

Mr. KATAYAMA, Tetsu, former member of the House of Representatives: "The reform of the House of Peers lies in complete abolition of the present House of Peers, which is made up of aristocrats, high taxpayers, and veteran officials. To supplant them, we should appoint representatives from various professions. The projected House of Peers should be composed of representatives of labor and former unions, capitalists, technicians, physicians, attorneys and other professions. The House of Representatives represents various regions, and the House of Peers will be able to discuss professional bills as representatives of the professions.

"At the end of the MEIJI Era, the late HOZUMI, Yataka, refused the right of the masses to participate in political affairs, saying that the Universal Suffrage Law Bill must not be introduced into the House of Peers. The House of Peers wielded its authority as a spokesman of the aristocrats and the ZAIBATSU, but now it is on the brink of ruin. The Privy Council, of course, will be abolished since the system of senior statesmen has ceased to function. The evil of past politics lay in the restriction of power to a few privileged men.

"When we think of the time that aristocrats, militarists, ZAIBATSU and bureaucrats made the House of Peers a kind of black market of polities we realize that the causes of defeat in the present war can be attributed to despotic rule. Consequently, it will be most important to expel those politicians from the House of Peers, rather than merely patch up the situation by temporary measures. When we speak of democracy we mean free participation of the people in politics. Speaking from this point of view, the Diet, which is

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POLITICAL SERIES: 120 (Continued)

ITEM 5 (Continued)

composed of members of the House of Representatives, must become the center of political activity. Consequently, the House of Peers will lose its worth, and a new professional House of Peers will replace it. Also, the abolition of the present House of Peers is necessary for the establishment of democratic politics, in that representatives of the people must replace these war-guilty members.

"Now that the power of the GUMBATSU is broken, the power of the ZAIBATSU should also be taken away. Court ranks and the Order of Merit should be taken from people, irrespective of peerage. Thus, all people should start a new life. The overthrew of all feudal ideas, such as contempt for the people, as well as contempt for women, which will be broken down with the enfranchisement of women, will also become necessary. In overthrowing the attitude of contempt for people, the abolition of the House of Peers can be said to be the most urgnet question."

Viscount OKOCHI, Kiko, of the House of Peers: "It seems rather presumptuous to criticise the House of Representatives from the standpoint of a member of the House of Peers, but, to speak frankly, I hope for strengthened, unified, political [illegible]. It will, of course, be necessary for one party to gain more members than the others in a political struggle. However, those who had followed their conviction for many years, and those who had flattered bureaucrats, will never co-operate. The problem of unifying political parties must be solved with this in mind. The Election Law Bill that passed the Diet encourages disunity of political parties. Indeed, the management of the revision bill seems to be very difficult, and it is sad to see that a tendency toward disunity of political parties has already arisen. In such countries as ENGLAND or AMERICA, where constitutional politics have progressed very far, the people's interest in politics has developed much more than in our country.

"It is regrettable that time has been wasted on the question of war responsibility in the recent Diet session. In other words, the man who has caused a fire and the men who has poured oil into the fire are equallt responsible. But the man who tried to extinguish it has no responsibility. There are men, simulating liberalism, who submitted useless bills in the Diet session in spite of their war responsibility. These men circulated such ideas as that of the people's general confession of war responsibility, in order to remove the burden of guilt from themselves. I think that such men should have admitted their war responsibility.

"The Election Law Bill, forwarded by the Progressive Party, seems to intend to oppress the appearance of new men in order that the Progressives, can acquire the reins of goverment again."

Full Translation:

Chief public procecutors of local courts in all parts of JAPAN met in a conference in the Ministry of Justice on 24 December in order to discuss and determine the principle of control for the forthcoming general election. Justice Minister IWATA, Justice Vice-Minister SAKANO, members of the Home Office, President of the Supreme Court

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POLITICAL SERIES: 120 (Continued)

ITEM 6 (Continued)

SHIMOYAMA, Public Prosecutor-General NAKANO, President of the Court of Appeals, find Chief Public Prosecutors from all parts of JAPAN attended the meeting. Prior to Public Prosecutor-General NAKANO's address and Chief of Criminal Affairs Bureau SATO's discussion of the problem, Justice Minister IWATA delivered the following address: "As a logical outgrowth of her acceptance of the POTSDAM Declaration, JAPAN is now expected to revive and strengthen democratic trends in politics, economy, culture, and society, in order to build a foundation for the future JAPAN. Therefore, by dissolving the House of Representatives the Government plans to carry out a free general election and to establish a democratic Government guided by public opinion. In the recent election law revision, the minimum age of voters and the age qualifications for candidates have been lowered. Therefore, the number of voters has greatly increased. Complicated regulations, tending to interfere with free elections should be swept away by simplifying regulations for controlling the election.

"I hope all of you thoroughly understand the significance of the forthcoming general election. Throw away completely the idea regarding control and co-operate fairly and enthusiastically in participating in the election. As the forthcoming election will be held under conditions of freedom of speech and assembly, it is espected that many speeches will be delivered during the campaign. In view of the internal conditions of public order caused by the present food shortage, we cannot say that there is no danger of the occurrence of serious disturbances. I hope all of you will be careful to maintain public peace by guarding against this difficulty."

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