Press translations [Japan]. Social Series 0226, 1946-02-04.

Author Supreme Commander for The Allied Powers. Allied Translator and Interpreter Section.

Date4 February, 1946

translation numbersocial-1122

call numberDS801 .S84

Persistent Identifier
GENERAL HEADQUARTERS
SUPREME COMMANDER FOR THE ALLIED POWERS
ALLIED TRANSLATOR AND INTERPRETER SECTION
PRESS TRANSLATIONS
No. 1122 Date: 4 Feb 46

SOCIAL SERIES: 226

ITEM 1 Bicycle and other Thefts in HIROSHIMA - Provincial Newspaper, Chugoku Shimbun (Hiroshima) - 31 Jan 46. Translator: S. Inoue.

Summary:
At about 2300 on 28 January, three thieves broke into Mr. KATO, Yosaku's office of the combined towns in the NOBORI-Cho National School in JORYUKAM-Machi, HIROSHIMA-Shi, and stole 500 yen in cash while threatening the family with Japanese swords.
The AZUMA Police Station arrested a bicycle thief on 29 January. The thief, named MIYAGI, Rokutaro (43), was unemployed and a native of SHIGA-Ken. He is alleged to have stolen four bicycles and sold them at 2100 yen each.

ITEM 2 Man Swindles Cotton from Sericulturalist - Provincial Newspaper Shinano Mainichi (Nagano) - 31 Jan 46. Translator: T. Ogawa.

Summary:
Having been informed that a great quantity of cotton textiles owned by the OGAM Industrial Company of MATSUMOTO-Shi was being hoarded in the silkworm raising room at the house of NAKAMURA, Yaichiro, in KOKURA-Mura, a seven-man gang of swindlers plotted to swindle the owner of these textiles.
The men involved are; IKEDA, Giichi (age 21), ISHIKAWA, Nakaichi (19), OTOYAMA, Aimichi (20), KANAYAMA, Shota (27), NISHIMATSU, Kintaro (46), HARADA, Shunshaku (40), NAKAWA, Shoichi (27), and IMAIZUMI, Kazushige (21).
Being a former employee of the Occupation Forces, IMAIZUMI deceived an American soldier, an acquaintance of IMAIZUMI, by saying: "Please drop in at my home." They rode in a jeep to the house of NAKATA, the silk-worm raiser, and asked him to show them into the raising-room, pretending that they came by the Occupation Forces' order. But when their request was rejected by the owner on the excuse that he had no key with him now, they left, promising to visit again in a few days.
On 25 January they visited NAKATA again with a borrowed truck, and carried out 290 rolls of cotton flannel, and 96 rolls of plain cotton cloth. The next day, they also carried away rolls of cotton flannel, and 95 rolls of plain cotton cloth in the same way, the total value of which is estimated at 10,800 yen.
The culprits were arrested, however, by the MATSUMOTO Police just when they were carrying out the third truck-load of the swindled goods
SOCIAL SERIES: 226 (Continued)
ITEM 2 (Continued)
TAKATA, Miyaki (age 37), unemployed, living at OHYANAGI-Cho, MATSUMOTO-Shi, swindled two to of rice, and one to each of barley and wheat, from YAMADA, Kiyoichi, and insurance salesman living in HOTAKA-Mura, deceiving him by saying he would get a sewing machine for him. This swindler has committed several crimes by pretending to be an employee of the Occupation Forces. He is alleged to have made more than 6,000 yen illegally, but was arrested by the TOYOSHINA Police and sent to the Public Prosecutors' Office on 29 January.

ITEM 3 Reduction of Prefectural Staff in KYOTO, MAIZURU and FUKUCHIYAMA - Provincial Newspaper Kyoto "shimbun (Kyoto) - 31 Jan 46. Translator: M. Ohno.

Full Translation:
In accordance with the plans for the reformation of the administrative system of the Government, the KYOTO-Fu Authorities have decided to discharge officials corresponding to about 30 per cent of the total. Thus directives have been issued to the mayors and heads of the towns and villages to be put into effect by 31 March.
Accordingly, officials, corresponding to 30 per cent of the total, including the annual salaried officials, monthly salaried officials, officials not on the regular staff and other employees in the KYOTO Municipal Office, 20 per cent of the officials in MAIZURU-Shi and 10 per cent of the officials in FUKUCHIYAMA-Shi are to be dismissed. As for officials in various towns and villages, suitable steps based on the standard of the above three cities, will be taken in accordance with the respective provincial circumstances. However, technicians working at various laboratories and ether places are not to be discharged.
Retirement allowances at the rate of five-tenths their monthly income are to be given to the discharged officials together with a similar sum as occupation change allowance. However, if the total sum of allowances is less than a sum corresponding to five month's salary, five month's salary will be paid, and if it exceeds a sum corresponding to 10 month's salary 10 month's salary will be paid.

ITEM 4 The Distribution of War Materials Returned to JAPAN by Occupation Army - Provincial Newspaper Shinano Mainichi (Nagano) - 31 Jan 46. Translator: Y. Akabane.

Summary:
The governor of NAGANO-Ken, Mr. MONONOBE, declared that the delay in the disposal of returned war materials was due to the sabotage of agents who were ordered to dispose of them. The following is a summary of an interview with the leading staff of the Ken Textile Control Company which is handling a large part of these returned materials.
"Materials delivered to the Allied Forces from the Army (they are called "A materials") were received by the chiefs of local branches of the Prefectural Office at the beginning of November. It was on 28 November that our company received lists from the Ken Office prepared on the basis of these materials. There upon, we prepare to complete their distribution by 20 December and instructed all our
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SOCIAL SERIES: 226 (Continued)
ITEM 4 (Continued)
local agents to come to take over alloted materials on 7 December. However, instructions were received from the Occupation Forces to postpone the distribution. It was 26 December that permission for collection and distribution was obtained from the Occupation Forces. In the meantime, on 27 December, the order to stop silk and silk fabrics was issued and we were forced to investigate the exact quantity of all such articles.
"As no restriction is imposed on materials directly handed over from the Army to the Ken (they are called "B materials"), they should have been delivered to us at once to distribute them through the regular channels. In reality, demands from the local branches for us to take over these B materials have been irregular and have come in several times separately since last August. Only a few days ago, we were requested by a local branch in HIGASHI-CHIKUMA-Gun to take over materials held in SHIOJIRI. In January, we were on holidays until the sixth. Though we began our business from 7 January with might and main, we faced a great difficulty on account of the discrepancies in quantity between the lists and the actual materials, and were obliged to re-prepare by ourselves the plan for collection and distribution based on the existing materials which are in store in various places, some of them being dispersed even in the closets in the houses of local people. To distribute these materials all over the Ken, about 1,000 trucks are necessary. This is food for thought though we have done our best to dispose of our business. However, it is to be regretted that we are condemned as having been idle.
"At the end of last year, we were instructed by the prefectural authorities to deliver them a quantity of military shoes and boots, shirts and socks, which were distributed, among the prefectural staff as year-end gifts. We were upset at having to distribute such materials to them before distributing them to the people. However hard we try, transportation is our greatest need. If, as planned, 73 trucks and 33 freight cars, as well as 324 packages, are moved smoothly by 4 February, materials will surely reach the retail control! associations in different places by 5 February.
"Distribution tickets are to be delivered to the purchasers through heads of cities, towns or villages by 5 February in accordance with the prefectural instructions. So, if arrangements to be made by the local branches and cities, towns and villages are completed as instructed by the Ken Office by the 5th, distribution against tickets will begin on 6 February and be finished on 10 February. In order to sweep away the popular suspicion regarding returned war materials, the Ken authorities opened a conference on the 29th, at which both officials and civilians directly connected with the distribution and transportation, including, of course, the governor, were present. It was decided that over 500,000 items including 9,224 packages containing military uniforms, blankets, shirts, pants, socks and stockings, valued at over 18,000,000 yen are to be sent out, mobilizing 73 trucks and 33 freight cars, etc. They will be distributed through joint selling stations scattered throughout the prefecture by 10 February at the latest. Necessary instructions have, therefore been given by the governor to all police offices, and heads of cities, towns and villages. If completed as planned, the distribution of war materials, including those already distributed, will come to an end two months after its beginning."
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SOCIAL SERIES: 226 (Continued)

ITEM 5 New Railway Hospital in NAGANO Provincial Newspaper Shinano Mainichi (Nagano) - 1 Feb 46. Translator: S. Sakata.

Summary:
The renowned "ghost's mansion" in NAGANO-Shi is expected to be made into a hospital soon for the employees of the Railway Ministry. The building, which the NIIGATA District Administrating. Bureau of the Ministry purchased from NAKAJIMA, Morinosuke, physician, of MINAMI-ISHIDO-Machi, NAGANO-Shi, will be named the NAGANO Branch of the NIIGATA Railway Hospital. Patients will be admitted after the middle of this month, when the inside equipment of the new institution is expected to have been completed.
The new hospital is to have various departments such as surgery, internal diseases, etc and will have 50 beds. Any railway employee who becomes sick or is rounded in the course of duty is to be treated free of charge there.

ITEM 6 Democratization of WASEDA University - Nippon Sangyo Keizai - 3 Feb 46. Translator: S. Sakata.

Full Translation:
Urged by the alumni desiring to promote the democratization of WASEDA University, a meeting was held at the university on the first by the main body of the professors who are dissatisfied with the attitude of the university authorities. They intend to revise the rules of the university after the presidential election is carried out by the Education Reform Examining Committee which the university authorities themselves appointed.
At the meeting the following opinions prevailed.
  • 1.Immediate retirement of those who had the supreme duty of leading the university as directors during the war.
  • 2.Reformation of the university's rules should be carried out by a committee consisting of representatives publicly elected from among the professors of each department.
  • 3.The president and directors should publicly be elected by the representatives whom the assemblies of the professors and the managers of graduates' society will elect in accordance with the newly reformed rules.

ITEM 7 How Students Spent Their Vacation - Minpo - 3 Feb 46. Translator: S. Inoue.

Summary:
A long winter vacation has come to an end. Food and housing shortages, which were responsible for the long vacation, remain as severe as ever. There are many problems which have attracted the students' attention, such as the Emperor system and student participation in political campaigns. How, then, did they spend the holidays just ended?
Mr. I., a student of the TOKYO Imperial University said: "As I belong to a certain political party, I have made a great effort to get new members for my party during the holidays. I am a political
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SOCIAL SERIES: 226 (Continued)
ITEM 7 (Continued)
student and I am sure that we students can play a big role in guiding politics in the proper direction."
Mr. C., a TOKYO Imperial University student said: "I came up to TOKYO two or three days ago, as there is much food in local places, and I have gained weight. I worked hard so that I might recover what I had lost during the war. After intervals of studying, I talked with local youths about the political or the food problem."
Mr. A., a WASEDA University student said: "My parents are still in MANCHURIA and I do not know what has become of them. As I have received no money from my parents since the end of the war, I am obliged to work for my bread. I am now a newspaperman in the morning for 150 yen a month and a translator in the evening. I am sorry that the hours for study are greatly lessened by earning my own living."
Mr. D., a KEIO University student said: "I stayed in TOKYO during the holidays and with my comrades opened a free college at the lecture hall in my school for the study of democracy. I also went to many factories in the JONAN district to investigate scientifically how laborers are working and living."
A girl student said: "I applied for a job at the DAI ICHI Hotel for the Occupation Troops, partly to make full use of the holidays and partly to aid in supporting my family. Some people may look at me peculiarly. However, the present job is something useful to me and I am happy enough to have gained a little knowledge of English. I want to keep this job for some time to get a little practical knowledge rather than go back to school where no educational, policy has been set up yet."
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