Press translations [Japan]. Social Series 0210, 1946-01-31.

Summary:

At the instance of the Economic Section of the MIYAZAKI Police Office, a complete cordon was thrown around the two railway stations of HIROSE and SUMIYOSHI on the night of 19 January to apprehand criminal brokers intending to take sweet potato jelly outside MIYAZAKI-Ken. As a result, 97 offenders were arrested and 7,000 kan of jelly and seven koku of rice were confiscated. The police are now busy exposing illegal producers and dealers on the basis of evidences offered by the arrested brokers. Parallel with this, all the police offices in the Ken have thrown a wide net, and it is estimated that the amount of potato jelly detained will reach from 3,000 to 5,000 kan. This amounts to approximately 15,000 to 25,000 kan of sweet potatoes. The police authorities are warning the people against the manufacture of sweet potato jelly and its sale on the black market for the purpose of securing food and they are going to punish offenders strictly.

Illegal transactions in rice and potatoes.

One TSUKAMOTO of OSAKA was found to have bought 2 bales of rice at 1,000 yen through the medium of one YAMASHITA living in KOBAYASHI-Machi, and transported the larger part of it to his house in OSAKA. One

One YOSHIKAWA, in conspiracy with his brother and his friend, a railway clerk, was found to have bought 720 bales of sweet potatoes for 32,400 yen from YAMAGUCHI, Kimimichi, chief of a local association of TAKAHAPA-Machi. It was also ascertained that YOSHIKAWA had bought potatoes for sixty thousand yen, from 35 black market merchants.

An assistant station master of ORIO Station, in conspiracy with two of his colleagues was found to have bought about 70 bales of sweet potatoes for from 54 to 150 yen per bale.

All the culprits in the above three cases were arrested by the KOBAYASHI Police Office.

Summary:

The MIYAZAKI-Ken government is now considering the establishment of a social education association to enable it to carry out the democratic and peaceful business necessary for social education. The businesses to be undertaken are the opening of a mothers' class, lectures on labor problems, citizenship, the science of living,

SOCIAL SERIES: 210 (Continued)

ITEM 2 (Continued)

cultivation and the training of leaders for social education, etc. The central section of the association will be erected in the prefectural capital by the end of this month. The constituents are teaching personnel and members of Young Men's Associations, Women's Associations and press circles.

Extracts:

At the national schools in our prefecture lectures on English will be given to those who are higher than the fourth year. The lectures will be elementary, and basic English will be used. They will be held more than twice a week, replacing the hours of lessons recently abolished, and using extra hours.

Concurrently with their lectures, other English lectures will be given to those who want to have extra lessons, for which the English-Japanese Conversation Book published by the TAMAGAWA Consolidated Schools (GAKUEN) will be used as a text book.

Full Translation:

Every day complaints come to the head off led of the National War Sufferers Union (ZENKOKU SENSAISHA DOMIE) demanding investigation of various misdeeds in their daily lives. To cope with this, the union held a meeting of war sufferers in KOJIMACHI-Ken at 1300 on 28 January to discuss the complaints of the people. In KOJIMACHI-Ken, measures have already been taken to arrange for people's meetings as an aid in settling the complaints and demands of the public, which will reach the union through two special contribution postboxes. The people must promise in this case that their contributions will include no falsehoods.

Full Translation:

Around 2100 on 27 January, a burglar, aged about 22 and apparently demobilized serviceman, broke into the house of SAWAJI, Umikichi, aged 65, tobacco dealer, of 504 Sanchome, SHINUKU-Cho, KATSUCHIKA-Ken. The burglar threatened the family with a dagger spying, "Give me your stock of Peace cigarettes", and robbed the family of 400 yen and cigarettes.

Around 1910 on 27 January, five burglars broke into the house of MOTOBASHI, Umajiro, of 1235, Nichome, KAMIJAKUJII, ITABASHI-Ku, and threatened the family with pistols, and robbed, them of 10,000 yen, suits and mochi cakes. They tied up the whole family and ran away.

Summary:

The KEIO Hospital - Fuel on hand is hardly enough even for cooking for the patients. Bedrooms are smoked out by the fires for heating causing bad effects on the patients. Surgical operations are all carried on at once to economize in coal. The hospital will be furnished with electricity in a short time.

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ITEM 6 (Continued)

The Imperial University Hospital - Surgical operations are carried on before dawn due to the shortage of gas. Trees are cut down and even chairs and desks are broken up for fuel to heat the surgery.

Summary:

Maternal care is being affected by the high cost of living and the shortage of foodstuffs.

Since the end of the war, a large number of babies have been abandoned and such a tendency has become marked of late. The number of babies abandoned monthly averages six or seven in HOGO-Ku, eight in ASAKUSA-Ku and UENO-Ku respectively, and two or three in every other Ku. This fact a[illegible]parently shows that people of the lower classes are hovering on the brinks of starvation. Would the mother be punishable on a charge of abandoning her baby?

The following words will apeal to your heart:

"I feel sad indeed to part with my baby. Imagine a scene in which my baby was crying for my breast. I felt as If my flesh was torn away by something. I hesitated for along time considering whether my baby should be abandoned or not. I left the baby and returned again to the spot and even then I did not make up my mind. However, I was becoming so weak that I could hardly keep my baby to my bosom. I remembered that there was not a grain of rice in my home. I thought I would not be able to bring up my baby hereafter by my own poor efforts and my baby might become happier in some other merciful hands than in my poor hands. Oh! My baby! I have now made up my mind. Forgive me, please, though you might think me an irresponsible mother. However, this is the only step left to us in this world.

The above is a letter attached to a baby who was abandoned beside a certain maternity hospital. The mother of the baby was forced to part with her dear baby because of her social circumstances under which the maintainace of a minimum standard of living became impossible. Strained circumstances of living. Mother's arms becoming thinner and thinner. A poor figure worn to a shadow. And there was not a grain of rice. In fact, it would, be very hard to support her baby with such feeble strength. However, in spite of her maternal affection, why did she take such a step?

Many reasons will be considered, but the shortage of milk be the first one among them. An official of the Foodstuff Section (SHOKU RYOKA) of the TOKYO Metropolitan Office said, "I heard about abandoned babies many times at maternity hospitals. The cause is not due to only the shortage of milk, I think. However, it is a fact that the present milk ration is very little. We are appealing to the Ministry of agriculture and Forestry to increase the ration of milk. One hundred koku of milk is necessary for a day's satisfactory ration, while only forty koku of milk is delivered daily to the Milk Control Company. A considerable quantity of this is entering into the hands of blackmarket dealers, it is thought. The distribution of a milk substitute is now being considered. We are seeking measures to increase the milk ration for babies." The ration of milk is very little, indeed. Consequently, mothers must obtain milk from blackmarket dealers, for which the expense will amount to 1,000 or 1,200 yen a month. Under these circumstances, the lower class people cannot bring up their babies in any way.

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SOCIAL SERIES: 210 (Continued)

On 15 January, a baby was abandoned near a hill in UENO Park with a bottle of milk and a letter saying briefly, "Excuse my crime." On the other hand, 90 poor babies are accommodated at the ITABASHI Babies Home (ITABASHI YOIKUIN). The Director of the Home said. "Almost all the babies brought under my protection had no clothing with them. This shows the acute difficulty of living." HANI, Matoko said, "During the war, other physicians in TOKYO and I, myself, negotiated with various officials of the Government to solve this problem. However, suitable counter-measures were not taken by the insincere Government. I think a law must be made for babies, by which the babies should be protected from such miserable conditions. Milk must be distributed fairly, because milk is for a baby what rice is for us."

Summary:

Around 1700 on 24 January [illegible]AKAHARA, Kazuo of 114 1-chone, MEJIRO-Machi, TOSHIMA-Ku was visited by a 20-year-old girl dressed in sailor style, who stole 2,000 yen, a MITSUBISHI Bank deposit book and a seal. The girl withdrew 9,200 yen from the KOMAGOME branch of the bank on the next day.

Around 1910 on 27 January, a gang of five robbers broke into the house of HASHIMOTO Umajiro, farmer, of 12, Nichome, KAMI-SHAKUJII, ITABASHI-Ku, and, threatening the family with pistols and daggers, robbed them 10,100 yen, clothes and rice-cakes.

Around 1900 on 27 January KOJIMA, Sunio, workman, of 3123, Nichome, KOIWA-nachi, EDOGAWA-Ken was robbed of 60 yen by two men on the road near his house. In the struggle he was injured on his face and hands by the theives' knives.

On 24 January, OI, Namiko (age 59), stall-keeper, of 89 KAWARATA, HONDEN, KATSUSHIKA-Ken and KABE, Tane (age 47), stall-keeper of 3, Sanchome, KAMIDORI, SHIBUYA-Ku reported to their respective police stations that they had each found in their takings a forged 100 yen bank-note unskillfully tinted with color pencils.

Full Translation:

[illegible]WANO, Sadayuki, Doctor of literature, Head master of the KONAN High School, is expected to be appointed the new head master of DAI ICHI High School, the post which has been vacated by the present Education Minister ABE, Yoshinari.

Dr. AMANO wrote "Book for Students", "The Logic of reason" and other book popular with students, when he was the student-manager of the KYOTO Imperial University. The "Logic of Reason" went out of print at his own request due to the oppression of militarism.

The doctor, a graduate of the Philosophy Department of KYOTO Imperial University in 1912, got a position in the KOYAN High School as a professor in 1931, and later held the post of professor of DAI ICHI High School, Peers' School and assistant professor of KYOTO Imperial University.

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SOCIAL SERIES: 210 (Continued)

ITEM 9 (Continued)

Resignation of WASEDA University's President.

The resignation of Dr. NAKANO, Tomio, President of WASEDA University due to illness was approved by the board of directors of the university on 28 January. Dr. HAYASHI, Mikio, managing director, is reported to be the acting president-general until the election of the next president is carried out.

Full Translation:

The Public Livelihood Section (MISEI KYOKU) of the TOKYO-To Office, the SHIBA-Ku Office and the ATAGO Police Station have accommodated about sixty vagrants in the Vagrants' House at 24, TAKAHAMA-Chu, SHIBA-Ku. Contrary to the tendency of ordinary vagrants who want to escape at the first chance, the vagrants in this house have not attempted to escape so far, because (l) at the beginning they were not forced, but presuaded by officials who told them that they would be given food-rationing tickets and would be able to communicate with their families, if they consented to cone and (2) the house was not formally called a Vagrants' House but the KEIHIN Dormitory.

The vagrants have regained their will to work and want jobs. The officials concerned are pleased with their proposals and will find then such jobs as cleaning stations and employment as coolies by the Occupation Forces.

DISTRIBUTION "X"

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