Press translations [Japan]. Political Series 0197, 1946-01-18.

Extracts:

Vice-Minister OMURA: Mr. OMURA, Seiichi, vice-minister of Home Affairs, entered the Department of Home Affairs in 1917, held the prefectural governorship of NAGANO and KANAZAWA, the directorships of Police and Local Affairs Bureaus, and was appointed vice-minister of Education under ex-minister of Education MAEDA. Meanwhile, he served also as Vice-Minister of Education under ex-Minister of Education KAWARADA, director of the JAPAN Education Association (NIPPON IKUEI-DAN), Assistant Mayor of TOKY[illegible]. This is the third time that he has occupied the post of Vice-Minister of Home Affairs. He comes from the OKAYAMA prefecture and is 54 years old.

Mayor of TOKYO FUJINUMA: Mr. FUJINUMA, Shohei, Mayor of TOKYO and concurrently Chief of Metropolitan Police had held this post in 1938 under the SAITO Cabinet. He was chief secretary of the HIROTA Cabinet in 1942, and is at present a member of the House of Peers. He became famous in the OMOTO Sect affair. As he was chief of metropolitan police following the May 15 incident he has had some experience in keeping the peace and order of the metropolis, but times have changed. He comes from the TOCHIGI prefecture and is 63 years old.

Director of the Police Board HASEGAWA: The new Director of the Police Board HASEGAWA, Noboru, aged 50, is from HIROSHIMA. He graduated from Harvard University in 1924, held the post of President of the Metropolitan Defense Board, chief of the Wartime Living Board, Director of the KANTO Distribution Board and has been governor of the YAMANASKI prefecture since October of last year. That he has been appointed to this post directly from the post of prefectural governor, without even passing the higher official's examination, is due to the trend of the times, but his abnormal career seems to have been appreciated.

Conditions for Nomination:

Home Minister MITSUCHI appears to have first anticipated appointing younger officials for the three important posts of the Home Department, but, he says under the circumstances, ex-education minister OMURA, well-known for his ability, was made Vice-Minister and Mr. FUJINUMA, Shohei, an intimate friend of the Home Minister, was appointed Mayor of TOKYO.

The post of Mayor of TOKYO and, concurrently, Chief of Metropolitan Police is not of a temporary nature, for now it is of more import than ever that the mayor of TOKYO should attend, in his capacity as Chief of Metropolitan Police, the vice-minister's conferences on metropolitan questions in general.

POLITICAL SERIES: 197 (Continued)

ITEM 1 (Continued)

Mr. YAMAZAKI, Vice-Minister of Education

Minister of Education ABE has decided to appoint to the post of vice-minister of Education Mr. YAMAZAKI, Kyosuke, director of the Science Education Board. An official announcement of his appointment will follow in a few days. Mr. YAMAZAKI aged 58, is from the GUMMA, prefecture. He graduated from the Imperial University (engineering) in 1916, was an assistant professor, and last September was made director of the Science Education Board. He is one of the so-called three directors of the Department of Education and an all-round man.

Assistant Chief Secretary: TAJIRI

Chief Secretary to the Privy Council: MURASE: In connection with the resignation of the MIYOSHI from the Assistant Chief Secretaryship of the Cabinet, and the appointment of Mr. ISHIGURO, Chief Secretary of the Privy Council, to the directorship of the Bureau of Legislation, the Government decided at the regular Cabinet meeting on 15 January to nominate director of the Board of Political Affairs of the Foreign Office TAJIRI, Chikayoshi, as Assistant Chief Secretary of the Cabinet, and Mr. MURASE Chokuyo, former director of the Bureau of Legislation and member of the House of Peers, Chief Secretary of the Privy Council.

Chief Secretary NARAHASHI resigned from the Liberal Party. For a fair and square execution of the general election, -the first mission of the SHIDEHARA Cabinet, - and in connection with his assumption of the post of Chief Secretary of the Cabinet, Mr. NARAILASHI declared yesterday that he was resigning from the Liberal Party. He will, however, come forward as an independent candidate for representation.

Summary:

The following is the statement which ARAHATA made against he Central Executive Committee of the Social Democratic Party: "We, the Japanese Social Democratic Party, are the crystallization of the long sufferings and sacrifices of our proletarian class. We are grieved by the present attitude of a reactionary section in the Party's Executive Committee which robs us of the results of our struggle, falsifies our qualities and will finally push us into the camp of the enemies of revolution. Let us first consider the question of war criminals. Although the last SCAP directive clearly covers the cases of KAWANO, KAWAK[illegible]MI and TAMAN, which is a shame for the Party, and although it is clear that still more persons will be involved, the party's head quarters still try to hush up the matter. During the meeting of the Central Executive Committee we expect a trenchant decision, after hard fighting, to be put up by all of you."

"The second problem we have to deal with is the proposed union with the Liberal Party. Our Party Program maintains that capitalism is to be abolished and socialism is to be carried through: Therefore, it is against Social Democratic Principles to form a Cabinet in alliance with such understudies of the bourgeoisie as the Liberals. Such a course would arouse the hatred of the people and might lead to the breakdown of our party. I sincerely hope that the fight all of you will put up will lead to a decision. That leaves no more room for such scheming."

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POLITICAL SERIES: 197 (Continued)

ITEM 2 (Continued)

"Third, the standing committee has overstepped it's bounds by dealing with constitutional problems and publishing a declaration on the preservation of the Emperor System. Neither the permanent committee nor the preparatory party convention is entitled to such statements I hope that you will do every thing in your power to bring about a revocation of the said decision. Without democracy inside the Party The Party cannot flourish, nor can democracy in JAPAN be brought about. In order to reform the party's upper strata the speedy convocation of a general Party meeting is necessary. It is likewise necessary for making the Party democratic, for strengthening the democratic revolution, and for urging it on."

Full Translation:

The problem of a coalition between the Social Democratic Party and the Communist Party is supposed to enter upon a new-phase because of NOZAKA's return to TOKYO; the Social Democratic Party's refusals to form a popular front caused the Communists to denounce the rightwing elements and issue a statement breaking off relations with the Socialits. The Social Democratic Party, therefore, is going to hold a meeting of the Central Committee on 16 and 17 January in order to decide its fundamental attitude in this matter. ARAHATA, Kanson, who was supposed to be ranked with. YAMAKAWA, Kin, as a Communist lender, issued his open letter to the Social Democratic Central Executiv[illegible]Committee on 15 January, dealing with the right-wing tendencies of the leaders. Desiring to establish democracy in the Party, he also proposed in his letter to hold a meeting.

The result of a meeting of the Central Executive Committee on the 16th, which is going to discuss the value of forming a coalition with the Communists will be worth noticing.

Since HIRANO, Rikizo, KAWAKAMI, Jotaro, and KONO, Mitsu, are named as war criminals in a list made by the Communists, we can easily imagine that they are the so-called reactionary elements in the Social Democratic Party. However, the central powers of the Democratic leaders are thought to rest in the chief secretary, KATAYAMA, Tetsu, of the former Social Democratic group. In the case of the united group of the Right-wing, they, are in the hands of KATO, KANJU, and SUZUKI, Mosaburo; in the case of the ex-general alliance group, the power lies in the hands of MATSUOKA, Komakichi, and NISHIO, Suehiro, and in the hands of MIZUTANI, Chozaburo, of the former labor group. Though they say that Mr. KAWAKAMI and Mr. KONO, who bleonged to the ASOO group in the former Social Mass Party, exercise no leadership now, we do not think this need be so. Such conditions suggest a delicate situation.

DISTRIBUTION: "X"

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