Press translations [Japan]. Political Series 0215, 1946-01-23.

Full Translation:

The general election based on the new Election Law will be held after 15 March. The date will he announced as soon as the standard for restriction of candidacy is settled, according to the directive issued by Allied Headquarters on 4 January.

The candidates are allowed to report on their candidacy simultaneously with the announcement of the date, and the election campaign will open with their reports on their candidacies. Therefore, the scope of the qualifications for candidacy must be clearly determined before the date is announced. In reporting on candidacy, the candidate or his sponsor, must submit to the election director (the prefectural governor) a certificate in his own writing that he is not affected by the prohibitive ordinance, if this is approved and formally received by the election director, he is entitled to stand as a candidate. To ascertain doubtful points, we asked the Home Ministry for explanations.

Question: By what method is the standard for restriction on candidacy determined?

Answer: It is to be promulgated as an Imperial Ordinance in conjuction with a clean sweep of those affected by the directive, from official and public posts. However, it is impossible to give concrete instances of prohibitions in detail contained in this ordinance, so perhaps means other than the Imperial Ordinance may be used; namely, notification of the Cabinet or the Prime Minister. The prefectural governor will be notified of the standard for authorizing qualifications, and that he must not receive mulitfarious kinds of persons' reports on their candidacy. The method is not as yet determined.

Question: It is very difficult to authorize qualifications, isn't it? As a practical problem, what is the standard for judging whether or not the candidate is affected by the directive?

Answer: It is not as yet definitely determined how to settle the scope of prohibition of candidacy, but in practice it seems easier than most people think. According to the directive, professional soldiers and powerful persons of the Imperial Rule Assistance Association, the Imperial Rule Assistance Political Association, the JAPAN Political Association, and conservative bodies are disqualified, and it is clear that those who were leading persons to them are also included, but mere members will be free. As for suspected propagators of militarism and extreme nationalism since the Manchurian Incident, they belong not only to political bodies out also cultural and thought societies, so it is necessary to examine them by drawing up written inquiries in order to judge what their past idealogical careers were. The form of the written inquiries is shown in the directive.

This protocal is to be filled out in detail with examples of the discussions and writings they engaged in, what speeches they delivered, the numcer of their devotecs, etc. As a practical problem it is common knowledge.

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that those who will stand as candidates will be persons well-known in districts, so those who have such past careers will not report their candidacy.

Question: If some of them report on their candidacy and give false careers and certificates, how will they or treated?

Answer; They will be severely punished, as[illegible]clearly expressed in the directive. The election director will not receive such false certificates. Even if he should receive them by mistake, such persons' election will be declared invalid and their sponsors will be punished.

Question: In cases where the election director is in doubt, what is he to de?

Answer: As the assessment of a candidacy, is very important, there may be such difficult cases. In such cases he will ask the Government for judgment by furnishing them with a detailed report. If aven the Government should be at a loss, it will make inquiries at Allied Headquarters.

Question: If so it will take a considerable time from the report on candidacy to formal acceptance of it or authorization of candidacy, won't it?

Answer: As the reporter will be disqualified if his report on candidacy should be refused, he should take formal steps after previous deliberate investigations to ascertain the prefectural governor's private judgment and the standard of restriction on candidacy. Therefore, it seems unlikely that cases will arise where the prefectural governor will refuses his report.

Question: Isn't it necessary to leave plenty of time between the announcement of the standard for qualifications for candidacy and that of the date of election?

Answar; Yes, since it is necessary for the Government to settle that standard as soon as possible in order to give the people enough time to think whether or not a man is a suitable candidate.

Question: After the prefectural governor has received his report on [illegible]candidacy, will anyone else be allowed to make a protest against

Answer: The prefectural governor is the highest governmental authority in judging qualifications for candidacy, so if the prefectural governor has accepted his report on the candidacy, this qualifies the candidate, [illegible]else is allowed to make a protest against it or take legal proceedings against him in declaring his election to be invalid.

Full Translation:

It is observed in the House of Peers that the number of those members who are to be expelled by the recent "purge" directive of MacARTHUR's a Headquarters will be 90 or thereabouts, including 15 members of the Imperial Family. The Upper House is now studying measures to meet the [illegible]ase in which the Government promulgates an Imperial ordinance executing the dir[illegible]tive. The authorities in charge of business matters in the house will investigate those measures. The members who are affected by the "purge" directive, and in consequence are to be dismissed, will be requested to tender their resignations at their own will, because the dismissal cannot legally be made before the regulations pertaining to the House of Peers are revised. This is to be

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ITEM 2 (Continued)

done for the sake of expediency.

The Government will report their resignation to the Throne, and after the Emperor's sanction, their dismissal will be put in practice. The loss of seats in the Upper House to be caused by the dismissal of as many members as 90 or so will seriously affect the management of the Diet and the Government is trying to work out every possible means to meet the situation.

What the House of Peers aims at seems to be a substantial renovation instead of a mere nominal one. Concrete plans for this have been agreed upon among the members, as a result of liason with the Legislation Bureau.

In accordance with those plans, the Upper House will seek to select supplementary members in the following manner: The chief of the Bureau of Peerage end Heraldry will be asked to choose titled members; the presidents and vice-presidents of both Houses and the Privy Council will choose those of the imperial nomination; the president of the Imperial Academy will choose those of the Academy; and the Provincial Governors, will choose those of the highest taxpayers. This is to be done before the general election is carried out. The purport of the above is to be included in the Impartial Ordinance executing the "purge" directive.

This is, of course, the intended reform, so far as the present House of Peers Ordinance is concerned and is not the fundamental one. The Government expects to introduce drafts of the Constitution Revision Bill in the coming extraordinary session of the Diet, and the plans of reformation of the House of Peers Ordinance, which were decided on recently, will be reexamined again. Taking advantage of this fine opportunity, the Government intends to sweep away the feudalistic character of the House of Peers, and bring about the advent of a democratic Diet in the true sense of the word, together with the birth of a new House of Representatives, resuscitated by the general election.

Prince TOKUGAWA, Kuniyori, president of the House of Peers, is reported to about to resign his post due to the "purge" directive, but the authorities of the Upper House are of the opinion that he is not affected by the directive.

Full Translation:

The selection of new local governors, which is to be carried out in the near future, is steadily progressing under the direction of the heads of the Home Ministry. Home Ministry MITSUCHI and Vice-Home Minister OMURA are principally concerned. The Chief of TOKYO-To, [illegible], was called at 1600 on 19 January and talked with them con[illegible]the changes.

Here then half of the prefectural governors are expected to be changed in order to fill the places of the retired governors. Regarding the field of new appointments, one-third will be selected from the Home Ministry itself, and the remaining two—thirds will be appointed from new sources, which is the outstanding feature of the present change.

According, laymen who are to be promoted to the position of prefectural governors are expected to number about eight. However, their selection it one of the diffi[illegible]ulties, and it will be a fair success if five or six civilians, including members of the House of Representatives, take their seats as prefectural governors.

The attitude of Home Minister MITSUCHI to the present change is that of

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Desiring to fulfill the purge order from MacARTHUR's headquarters, and at the sane time to sweep away bureauacracy in local administrative offices. For this reason, he is going to appoint the most capable men as prefectural governors.

The present change must be regarded as a selection of new personnel, rather than a change of personnel. This is attracting people's attention as an epoch-making event.

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