Press translations [Japan]. Political Series 0259, 1946-02-01.

Full Translation:

Based on the important views expressed by Education Minister ABE at the Cabinet Meeting on 29 January, the Government, decided that various ministers should study the problems of the revision of the Constitution and opened the extraordinary Cabinet meeting at 1000 on 30 January. Concerning the Government's constitutional revision, the completion of the revised bill has been hastened at the Constitutional Problem Investigation Committee, headed by Minister of State Without Portfolio, Dr. MATSUAOTO. At the committee held on 26 January the bill was completed. It is to be submitted at the general meeting of the committee on 2 February, and is to be passed without any amendment. The drafting of the revised bill by the Committee, can be considered completed. The revised draft is not single, and its contents consist of two bills which have slight differences. Both bills have been completed as regards the text of the Constitution. Thus at the time of completing the drafting at the committee, Minister of State MATSUMOTO is to submit it to the cabinet meeting and explain it in detail.

At the cabinet meeting held on 30 January, "A" bill was made with reference to it. The two bills were reported article by article, and explained in detail. In answer to the explanation by Minister of Stat MATSUMOTO, sincere questions and exchanges of opinions were made by minister of Justice IWATA and various other Ministers. The center of discussion seemed to be mainly concerning Chapter 1 of the Constitution, namely the article concerning the position of the Emperor. At the Cabinet meeting of the same day, the explanations had not yet been finished. At 1330 on 31 January, an extraordinary meeting will again be held, and following it, at the time of the hearing of the explanations, the discussions will be continued. In order to complete the deliberations on the problems of the constitutional revisions, it is estimated that two or three more Cabinet meetings will be necessary.

The bills of the committee that were made clear at the cabinet meeting by Minister of State MATSUMOTO, for the first time, are the revised four fundamental principles that he had brought up at the previous extraordinary session of the Diet. They are, the superintendence of the supreme power of the Emperor, the restriction of items of the supreme power, the responsibility system of Ministers of State, and the strengthening of protection of the peoples' rights.

POLITICAL SERIES: 259 (Continued)

ITEM 1 (Continued)

Some Ministers are of the opinion that those bills may be too conservative and too moderate. Until their settlement as Governmental bills, many dicussions are forecast. Moreover, the revised bills are to be again submitted to the Cabinet meeting formally after the end of the general meeting of the Committee; and are to be decided upon as the bills of the Government. After the decision, the Constitution Deliberation Conference will be established, and the bills will be introduced. After the completion of deliberations on the bills the proposal concerning the Emperor will be submitted to the Throne. Furthermore, the gist of the revised bills is expected to be made public before being introduced to the Revision Deliberation Conference (KAISEI- SHINGI-KAI). The date is forecast to be the announcement of the date of the general election, about 1 March.

Full Translation:

The date of the general election has been finally settled as 31 March. The big four, the Progressives Liberals, Social-Democrats, and Communists, and many other small political parties, are now eagerly making their own election policies in the struggle to win seats in the new Diet. Approximately 75 members of the Progressive Party, which had been the most powerful until the last Diet was dissolved, were prohibited from running as candidates by the political purge order of SCAP. The party has lost 114 promising members, in addition to 39 persons, who have voluntarily given up their candidacy. Consequent new men have to stand as candidates to cover this shortage in opposition to the Liberal and Social Democratic Parties. On the other hand, the latter two parties are also trying to break up the Progressive Party.

Up to the present, the so-called new candidates of various parties throughout the country total more than 1200. Classification by the electorial districts are as follows: KATO District, 270; TOKAI District 154; TOHOKU and HOKKAIDO Districts, 185; KITA-SHINETSU District, 101; KINKI District, 180; CHUGOKU District, 112; SHIKOKU District, 72; KYUSHU District, (excluding OKINAWA), 180.

Classification by party is Progressives, 207; Liberals, 160; Social-Democrats, 201; Communists 69; Co-operatives, 16; Independents, 262; other parties, 282.

We reason that there is overwhelming majority of new candidates who belong to the independents, due to the SCAP directive. They intend to select their party after the general election. Many more new men are likely to spring up before or after the day when the writ for the election is issued.

Full Translation:

According to an announcement from Allied Supreme Headquarters on 30 January, Colonel CAPPENTER, Chief of the Legal Section of the Allied Supreme Headquarters expressed the fact that the number of sealed letters and telegrams of the Japanese people to Allied Supreme Headquarters, relating their opinions about the problem of war crimes, amounts, on an average to seventy five. In addition, the Legal

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POLITICAL SERIES: 259 (Continued)

ITEM 3 (Continued)

Section is now conducting a series of private interviews with those Japanese who want to offer their information concerning the war crimes. In these contributions about war crimes which are sent to Colonel CARPENTER are found various contents, extending from the petition of the release of those war criminals who are now being kept in custody in prison, to the requirement for the investigation of certain war criminal suspects. Colonel CARPENTER made the following statement concerning those questions. The Judicial Affairs Section welcomes the support of the Japanese people for the inspection, inquiry and the indictment of war criminals. Such a fact that a large number of contributions were sent from the Japanese people is nothing but the expression of the awakening towards the manifestation of the national self-respect by playing their parts respectively in the punishment of war criminals. These contributions shall be kept as anonymous, if the contributors want to do so. A certain Japanese called at the Judicial Affairs Section after a long journey and asked for the investigation of his son, a military officer, as a war criminal, who is staying at present in BURMA. The reason this Japanese thought his son must have committed war crimes, was that he had even maltreated his parents before he left his house. Another Japanese writes a letter to the section, in which he reveals his aspiration to offer information about the maltreatment of war prisoners by the Japanese and another Japanese informs the section of the fact that some policemen in cert in towns treated with cruelty some airmen when they decended from a B-29 bomber last spring. Colonel CARPENTER state that it is true that such kind of information is particularly useful in pursuit and confirmation, but the name, place and time of the cruelties of which they want to tell us, should be clarified as much as possible.

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