Press translations [Japan]. Political Series 0236, 1946-01-27.

Full Translation:

Since the forthcoming general election will have to be impartially carried out, the Minister of Commerce and Industry retired on 25 January from the Progressive Party with which he had been affiliated.

According to the policy which had already been decided at the cabinet meeting, the Cabinet and every government office have decided to carry out the reduction of officials of all government offices. This is one of the important items for administrative readjustment which the Cabinet had planned.

For that purpose, the bill of the reform of the government organization including the Cabinet, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and the Ministry of Public Welfare, was discussed and decided at the Cabinet meeting held on 25 January.

Thus, the Cabinet is steadily adopting measures necessary to fulfill the administrative readjustment as scheduled. Therefore, it can be expected that the reduction of officials will be realized by the end of March.

Summary:

The appointment of new prefectural governors was motivated by the necessity of carrying out the elections, coping with the dangerous food situation and maintaining public order. For these reasons it was necessary to appoint experienced and able men. The result was that many former administrators and diplomats were given posts in prefectures where they knew local conditions. On the other hand, the Minister of the Interior MITSUCHI has declared his intention of making the administration more democratic, but in this regard the new measures cannot be termed very successful, since only one nonofficial has been appointed, bringing the number of governors without an official background to five. Therefore, the democratization of prefectural administration is still far off.

Full Translation:

In a message read at the reception in honor of Mr. NOZAKA, a Communist leader who recently returned home from YENAN, Mr. OZAKI, Yukio, the eldest parliamentarian and noted liberal, stated as follows:

"Mr. NOZAKA has now returned to JAPAN from his life as a refugee abroad for more than ten years, and has stepped into his fatherland

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where the old powers that once drove him out of the country, have already been crushed. I can well imagine the congratulations of his comrades and old friends who welcome him as leader just at a time when the situation is becoming more and more serious.

"Mr. YAMKAWA, Hitoshi, one of the promoters of the meeting, recently put forward the view that it was necessary to establish a popular front, and I heartily support his proposal, understanding that he is intending to reconstruct new JAPAN not only for the labor and property-less classes but for all classes who hope for the establishment of a democracy. It is reassuring to note that on this point, Mr. NOZAKA and YAMAKAWA are of the same opinion.

"The old political parties and politicians no longer have the power to save JAPAN from the present crisis. The only measures which can lead JAPAN out of the darkness into a successful future and release the people from their former oppression is for JAPAN to take the political power from the old politicians, develop the democratic influences as rapidly as she can and encourage new influences in the formation of a popular front.

"I willingly approve this interpretation and while anticipating the close collaboration of both Mr. NOZAKA end YAMAKAWA. At the same time, I request that those present at this meeting strengthen and extend the foundations of that collaboration. I am sincerely convinced that the dawn of a new JAPAN will arise as a consequence of this meeting."

Full Translation:

Letters addressed to the Premier, indicating the reflection of people's opinions, numbered 337 in all during the period from 16 December to 15 January. The total shows a considerable decrease compared with 468 during the preceding 15 days, but, on the other hand, the scope of the letters is more restricted and more earnestness and sincerity are discovered in the contents. The noteworthy feature of the present letters under review is that political questions head the list, taking up 20 per cent of the total, followed by financial and industrial and also food questions of which each occupy 15 per cent and matters regarding the Japanese abroad absorb 12 per cent.

Out of 67 letters on political questions, that of the Emperor System is the main subject of discussion. Against 15 which uphold national polity, two propose the abolition, while four each claim the Emperor's war-responsibility and demand his abdication, respectively. Besides these, ten letters criticize the Emperor, which indicates a record high rate. Six other writers demand a thorough punishment of militaristic war criminals while four suggest the removal of the seat of government to KYOTO.

Out of 50 letters on food question, 20 persons cry for an increase of staple foods to three go, and 24 letters divided equally into six each advocate an immediate import of food stuffs, the issuing of an Imperial Rescript for means of accelerating the fixed rice deliveries (KYOSHUTSU), putting into action rational and strong measures for fixed rice deliveries and strengthening of the control of black market transactions.

The great majority of 54 letters on financial and industrial policies favor the immediate execution of the property levy and profit tax on

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the war-time new-rich in order to prevent vicious inflation, many of them consider it proper to raise the exemptions to 30,000 - 50,000 yen. On the agrarian land question some are against the law itself while others assert compulsory purchase of the land. Only three ask for increase in wages, the reason for this strangely small number may he attributed to the fact that the majority of the wage earners are busy in practical disputes.

Forty letters were written with regard to the protection of war sufferers and repatriation of the ex-servicemen and civilians overseas, which is regarded as reflecting the actual condition that while the nation's living is being pressed towards readjustment and reconstruction amidst hardships, government measures are showing no progress. 130 letters scrawled by the tiny hands of children of KEIYO Elementary School, TAKADA-Machi, OITA-Ken, all appealing to the Prime Minister to exert his influence so that their fathers and brothers may come home as early as possible, cut the readers especially to the core.

Extracts:

"The MITSUCHI cleaning-up" measure based on the MacARTHUR directive expelling militarists went up as had been expected, like a rocket and came down like a stick, thus disclosing the conservative character of the old powers represented by Home Minister MITSUCHI. It is true that all the prefectural governors who had been heads or officials of the branches of the Imperial Rule Assistance Association have been replaced by civilians, some high up on the level of vice-ministers, technical and other public officials, many of whom are younger persons. Thus the old evils in personnel administration of the Home Ministry have been purged by the dignity of the Home Minister and the skill of Vice-Minister OMURA and others. However, the question is whether this much spoken of and large scale "personnel-cleaning-up measure" has really had the hoped-for result in replacing the undesirable by the desirable.

The object of MacARTHUR's directive calling for the abovementioned changes in local governors is, of course, a reorganization of officialdom, not merely passive step of expelling those coming under the terms of the directive. On this point, however, the Government and the Home Ministry totally lacked cognizance. The Home Minister induced those who were considered liable under the terms of the directive to resign voluntarily, but as a whole he did not differ much from Mr. HORIKIRI as regards the reshuffle.

As the first measure, the Home Minister had formed a plan not to adopt anyone above 60 years of age for the post of prefectural governor, thus reducing the number of candidates for the governorship. Among the elder reserve officials there were, however, several applicants for the post, and the Minister is said to have had some difficulties in carrying out his plan to the letter. It is therefore beyond any dispute that the reshuffle of local governors carried out under such circumstances fell very short of the expectation of the people at large.

The positive policy taken in the change of prefectural governors may be seen in: 1) Releasing the prefectural governorship from the monopoly of the Home Office; 2) Clarification of the fact that a prefectural office is an office set up by any Government Ministry: 3) Disappearance of the narrow clique of Home Office officialdom hailing from the police bureau, the local affairs bureau, or the social welfare bureau.

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