Press translations [Japan]. Social Series 0179, 1946-01-19.

Summary:

A fourth year student, in conspiracy with a third year student, organized, a hand consisting of 17 members, 15 of them being junior students of the ZUYO Middle school in SHIZUOKA-Ken. They raided a provisions' warehouse owned by Mr. HIRAI, Hiejiro, on the night of 10 January, and stole two bales of polished rice, condensed milk, seven cans of light oil, and 12 sho of soy. They also stole 250 cans of fish from a warehouse in the same town. They committed two other burglaries before being apprehended by the SHIMODA police. After questioning, it was found that the stolen goods were equally distributed among them.

The robber who broke into Mr. SAITO's hospital in TSURUOKA-Shi, YAMAGATA-Ken, on 13 January and stole 50 Yens worth of narcotics was brought in and identified, as [illegible]student of the NIPPON Medical University. He was a morphine addict, and broke into hospitals only to get narcotics.

As a result of the fourth round-up of delinquents in the districts under the jurisdiction of the TOKYO Metropolitan Police Office, about 700 were gathered, 650 male and the rest female. About 150 will be held. Most of them were 18 or 19 years of age.

At about 2040 of 14 January, Mr. YOSHIDA, Kanji, an employee of the NIPPON Insurance Company, residing at MINAMIOKA, MEGURO-Ku, was assaulted by a group of three robbers and robbed of 5,000 Yen near FUJIMI DAI, in the same district. At about 2300 of 14 January, a group of five robbers broke into Mr. UENO, Umekichi's home at no. 51, 1-Chome, MEJIRO-Machi. TOSHIMA-Ku, tied up the ten members of his family, and stole 4,300 Yen in cash, 50 kimonos, two foreign style suits, and ten other articles. Moreover, they were bold enough to drink beer and wine and they slept until dawn. They left the house about 0500.

Summary;

Corporal KAGAWA was a very simple village youth, respecting the Emperor as if he were a God. He was sent to NORTH CHINA at the outbreak of the CHINA Incident in 1938, and was promoted to corporal as a model soldier. He was reported dead at the CHINA front and his funeral was conducted by his village office. He became the pride of his village.

To everyone's surprise, he has returned to JAPAN, in good health, as a communist, together with Mr. NOZAKA, leader of the Communist Party of JAPAN and some others.

SOCIAL SERIES: 179 (Continued)

ITEM 2 (Continued)

He hails from HISAKATSU-MURA, AWA-GORI, TOKUSHIMA-Ken, his name being KAGAWA Takashi, otherwise known as UMEDA, Teruhumi, a leader of the Japanese Peoples' Emancipation League in YENAN, CHINA. He describes his adventures as follows: "I am surprised at my own change during these eight years. Born a poor farmer's son, I graduated from the KOKUSHI-KAN Special School in 1937 and was at once called to the service and dispatched to the NORTH CHINA front the next spring. I well remember my earnestness at that time. I was posted as a railway guard along a line between CHENGTING-FU and TAIYUAN-FU. Our enemy was the Chinese Communist Army, whom we regarded lightly as Chinese bandits.

"On 22 August 1940, we were attacked suddenly at a point near YANGCHENG, and about 15 of my comrades and myself were surrounded by the enemy we fired all our shots and decided to burn our red tubes in an attempt to kill ourselves. (These tubes contained poison gas used by Japanese troops in CHINA.) I fell unconscious only to awake after a lapse of some time, lying in a poor farmer's cottage, watched or attended by a smiling surgeon of the 8th Route Army, who spoke Japanese quite well. He was kind enough to care for me assuring me I was safe and should not be uneasy.

"A few days after I had recovered another Chinese officer came and told me the 8th Route Amy was not an enemy of the Japanese Nation; they were fighting against aggressive Japanese militarism. He asked me to join the 8th Route Army. At first I refused, but gradually I became conscious of being in an utterly new world. Officers of the Army were gentleman, refraining from such violent acts as striking their subordinates, as was the custom in the Japanese Army. They are far from being devils or mountain bandits as was generally supposed in JAPAN.

"One day I entered a farmer's house and took away a bit of salt and several persimmons, for which a soldier of the 8th Route Army apologized and repaid the farmer. This showed me the contrast with what the Japanese troops were doing. They would plunder farms whenever they went out on manoeuvers. They themselves were the devils and bandits, From then on I was ever more deeply impressed end today I pay profound respect to the 8th Route Army. I was later brought to YENAN, base of the Chinese Communist Party, where I was made a student of the Industrial and Agricultural School, the organ for re-educating Japanese. After one year's study there, I knew that we had been cheated by the militarists, and that the war was one of aggression. Simultaneously I began to think of JAPAN's ultimate defeat from a scientific point of view; therefore, I firmly resolved to stand against JAPAN's aggression.

"Graduating from the above school, I was ordered to do propaganda directed against Japanese Army troops and Japanese residents, in cooperation with the 8th Route Army. The most effective means for this purpose was the utilization of telephones. I tapped Japanese lines connecting our portable telephone sets with the Japanese military telephone lines. For example, I would say, 'It's very cold tonight, is'nt it?, 'at which Japanese soldiers would reply and tell various stories thinking me to be a friend. Then when they began to doubt me and would ask my identity. I would reply that I was a member of the Emancipation League. They would then cut the conversation. In such a way, a feeling of familiarity sprang up between us, resulting in Japanese soldiers coming to our base, drown by our propaganda. Thus a greater part of the Emancipation League was made up of Japanese soldiers.

"Once, I staked my life as a soldier in a mistaken war of aggression, but now I am resolutely determined to devote my time, as a simple private, to the cause of the real and sacred war of democratic revolution."

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SOCIAL SERIES: 179 (Continued)

Summary;

In compliance with the demand to bring about democratic reforms in education and establish a new educational system by the educators' own hand, completely separate from ZAIBATSU and bureaucratic dictates, the All JAPAN Teachers' Union (ZEN NIPPON KYOIN KUMIAI) and the JAPAN Educators' Union (NIPPON KYOIKUSHA KUMIAI) were organized on 1 December and 2 December, respectively. Later, many local unions were also organized.

These two unions, with the same objectives, were unable to be consolidated under a unified body because, fundamentally, these two unions differ in their opinions on the Emperor System. It was realized, however, that the democratic reform of education should be obtained by the complete economic and academic independence of teachers, add that the isolated and exclusive teachers' union is not only powerless but also harmful to its own purposes. Accordingly the Central Executive Committee of the All JAPAN Teachers' Union has decided to hold an all JAPAN conference of teachers' unions at 1000 of 19 and 20 January at KEIO University, in an attempt to organize a united, Teachers' Union of All JAPAN.

On this occasion, representatives of the organization in TOHOKU, KANTO, CHUBU, and KYUSHU area will attend. On the first day a report on the progress of the movement will be given, while on the second day, the platform, stipulations, and other problems regarding the extension of the system will be discussed. At the same time there will be a discussion about drawing up concrete plans for a 500 percent increase in salary, to achieve a purge of the educational circles, and to affect the prompt reinstatement of illegally dismissed teachers.

DISTRIBUTION "X"

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