Press translations [Japan]. Political Series 0199, 1946-01-19.

Full Translations:

The Government has drafted the Imperial Ordinance or the "purge directive", and it was submitted for examination to the Cabinet Council which met on Tuesday. After amendment of its phraseology it will shortly be presented to SCAP. As soon as permission is abtained, it will be referred to the Privy Council for his Majesty's sanction. According to the present Imperial Ordinance, officials above CHOKUNIN rank will be closely examined by the questionnaire, and these affected will be removed from their posts at the discretion of the Prime Minister.

Moreover, false statements or concealment of facts will be punished either by penal servitude or imprisonment, not exceeding one year, or by a fine net exceeding 3,000 yen. As regards the official report to SCAP, the same penal rule will be applied. Again, as regards the general election the Government will require report by the election chief on the candidates qualifications.

The full text of the Imperial Ordinance is as follows:

Article I. Those whom the Prime Minister designates as liable under items of the directive concerning removal from official posts are as fellows: Officials whose participation in the public service is not suitable are prohibited from taking official posts (that includes persons on the boards and staffs of companies and company directors, members of as relations and other bodies which belong to the special financial control of Government officer), or to be appointed mayors or members of the Imperial Diet. These above CHOKUNIN or its corresponding rank who do not hold official posts (That includes members of boards and staffs of companies and other corporations established in accordance with special laws which the Prime Minister designates) should be discharged or retire from office. As regards members of the Imperial Diet, they should forfeit membership. In case circumstances arise which make it difficult to replace those affected by the above clause, it is possible to retain or reappoint them as determined by the Prime Minister, in spite of the stipulations of the above clause.

Those who retired from official posts, or less their position by the stipulations of the first clause, are prohibited from receiving net only official but also private pension anniuities, or other allowances or gratuities, with the exception of special cases designated by the Prime Minister,

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Article II. Those liable under the directive are prohibited from becoming candidates, as laid down in the House of Peers Court and Baron Members Election Rule or House of Peers Imperial Academy Members Election Rule or House of Peers High Taxpayers' Election! Rule. On preparing the list of electors in Article IV or Article XXXIX of the House of Peers High Taxpayers' Election Rule, prefectural governors should make those, who are mutual election representatives, give documentary proof that they are not liable under the directive.

In case prefectural governors find it difficult to ascertain the status of electors under the directive, they should send a report, along with the documents mentioned in the above clause, to the Prime Minister, through the Home Minister, for a final decision.

The stipulations of the above two clauses will also be applied in the election of count and baron members of the House of Peers or the election of Imperial Academy Members of the House of Peers.

However, it is net necessary for the prefectural governors to refer the documents to the Home Minister, when they apply the rule as returning officers.

Article III. The reports or recommendation reports of candidates, stipulated in clause i or ii of Article LXVII of the Members of the House of Representative Election Law (hereafter abbreviated as report or recommendation report), is to be accepted by the election chief. This document, which is sufficient to certify that the person who is to be a canditate is not liabl under the stipulations of Article I, should be simultaneously produced.

Unless the election chief ascertains whether the person, who is to be candidate, is liable under Article I, he is prohibited from accepting his report or recommendation report. If it is difficult to ascertain whether or not the person is liable under Article I, he should send the report, together with the document mentioned in the above clause, to the Prime Minister through the Home Minister in order to receive the Cabinet's instructions.

Article IV. The various ministries should acquire the necessary questionnaire concerning the application of the provisions of Article I as laid down by the Prime Minister.

Article V. False statements or suppression of facts entered in the document, or in the questionnaire mentioned in the above article, will be punished either by penal servitude, or imprisonment not exceeding one year, or by a fine not exceeding 3,000 yen. In the case of the various ministries presenting reports to SCAP in accordance with the directive mentioned in Article I, the same rule will be applied with regard to false statements or suppresion of facts in their reports.

N.B. This Ordinance will be put into effect from the day of promulgation.

Full Translation:

The Problem of the Presidency of The Party Was Not Touched Upon.

The first Central Executive Committee meeting of the Social Democratic Party was held at the TOKYO KURAMAE Industrial Hall at 1000 on 16 January

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in order to deal with such, subjects as the complicated and delicate situation within the Party, the problems involved in the democratic front, and problems connected with the Emperor System. Chief Secretary KATAYAMA and about 80 important Party members were present.

At the meeting the following items were dealt with: 1. Report of general affairs (by KATAYAMA) ; 2. Information about the organization (by [illegible]SANUMA) ; 3. Methods for formal permission for candidature (by HIRANO) ; 4. Policies to be made public in the forthcoming general election (by SUZUKI); 5. Joint campaign with the Communist Party (by NISHIO) ; 6. The Emperor System and the reformation of the constitution (by KATAYAMA)

Varied questions and opinions were voiced on the above subjects by several persons, including Messrs. OKADA, Sosshi; SHIMAKAMI, Zengoro; ONO, Shunichi; MORITO, Tatsuo, and others. The meeting adjourned at 1600.

The joint campaign with the Communist Party and the problem of the Emperor System were expected to be discussed but nothing was said on these problems, various policies were reaffirmed as follows.

"The democratic front can be made strong only by the Social Democratic Party energetically encouraging it. Opportunities will be greater Party after the establishment of the Party's principles and the general election. The Emperor, who has a part of the se-erign power, should be maintained, and the supreme power should rest with the State."

The question as to the presidency of the Party has not yet been decide because of the present state of affairs, and it has been agreed that things will continued as they are at present. For this reason the question was not brought up at the meeting.

Summary:

The SHIDEHARA Cabinet has decided to carry out the general election and the work of revising the Constitution by reconstructing the Cabinet. State Minister without Portfolio MATSUMOTO has remained in office, in consideration of the importance of his role in revisng the Constitution, and is devoting himself to finishing the draft. In this way the SHIDEHARA Cabinet has made its intentions known and will face the new session of the Diet with MATSUMOTO's draft of the revised Constitution as one of its chief weapons.

The representatives who will comprise a committee to investigate the Constitutional Revision Bill in the coming session of the Diet will be selected in the general election which is to be held after the middle of March. It is doubtful whether the political parties and the Nation, at this time when the general election is just ahead, are fully conscious of the fact that the general election is of tae utmost importance.

One of the main reasons for revision of the Constitution is, of course, to solve the problem of the Emperor System. We should like to ask if the electors, and those to be elected, are fully aware of the great importance of this problem. The problem of the Emperor System should be taken up for discussion, first of all, by considering the democratization of the political system of this country. At the same time the Emperor System is a problem entrusted, by the POTSDAM Declaration, to our Nation for solution. How to solve the problem constitutes the fundamental question of democratizing the Nation. In this dual sense,

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each individual must deliberately investigate this problem, reach his own conclusions, and make use of the opportunity of publicizing his ideas in the coming general election. Accordingly, all the parties are obliged to clarify their attitudes toward this problem, and the discussions on the problem of the Emperor System should become more interesting than ever.

Allied Headquarters has issued directive after directive concerning the Emperor system, particularly those directing the dissolution of military units, abolition of the secret police, discontinuance of State SHINTO, etc. Thus, the Emperor System, as a nucleus of the feudalistic and bureaucratic Government, has already disappeared. The Emperor System, operating on a basis of democracy, is another question which is to be solved by the free will of the Nation, in the light of the POTSDAM Declaration.

The Emperor issued an Imperial Rescript on New Year's Day in which he expressed his ideas, saying that it was erroneous to regard the Emperor as a divinity and that it was also a mistake to consider the tie between the Emperor and the Nation as divinely created. Pertaining to this, General MacARTHUR states in appreciative satisfaction that the Emperor clarified his own standpoint along liberal lines. In this manner a new foundation for the Emperor System should be laid, not upon any divine or absolute premises, but upon a democratic structure.

The Emperor's Status in the Constitution

How, then, should the status of the Emperor in the democratic Government be considered? Moreover, should the Emperor System be continued for carrying out a democratic revolution? Opinion throughout the country is concentrated upon this problem. Viewing the attitude of the Government and of the political parties, we find that the Communist Party was the only one that advocated the abolition of the Emperor System. But this Party, taking advantage of NOZAKA's return, has manifested a politically significant attitude by saying than, though the party is against the Emperor System as a national system, the continuance of the Imperial Household is another thing which is to be determined by the Nation's free will.

In contrast to this attitude of the Communist Party, the Progressive and Liberal Parties, as stated before, have given no explanation except to express themselves as advocating the maintenance of the national policy, making it clear that they support the Emperor System. This Social Democratic Party insists that the Emperor System should be continued, but with the Emperor's sovereignty drastically limited.

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