Press translations [Japan]. Economic Series 0034, 1945-12-01.

Summary:

Question: How is the coal famine in KYUSHU?

ENDO: In KYUSHU, output in June was 1,670,000 tons; in October, only 270,000 tons. The chief cause of the decrease is the repatriation of Korean laborers and a shortage of foodstuff.

Question: How about the JOBAN District?

SHINOYMA: 137,000 tone in July decreased, at the end of war in August, to 65,000 tons.

ENDO Raising wages and increasing rations was a measure decided upon but not yet put into practice. Mining people say that immediate action to enforce this decision is most necessary.

Question: What are demobilized people doing now that a labor shortage prevails?

NOZUS: In AICHI Prefecture 700,000 were dismissed from munitions factories and 75 or 80 per cent of them are idle.

ENDO: In FUKUOKA City, 50 pre-war factories, with a total number of 55,000 workers, decreased to 9 factories and 45,000 employees. Prefectural authorities think that unemployed will soon turn to mining.

NARITA: One may think that there will be a surplus of farm labor but in CHUGOKU Japanese are taking the place of Koreans.

ENDO: Touching upon the topic of labor, 2,300 evacuees from the RYUKYU Islands are at FUKUOKA. Seven or eight are dying every day in spite of Government relief. Fundamental relief measures must be granted them.

Question: How is the reconstruction work of provincial cities and towns progressing?

NOZUE: In FUKUI they have built 3,000 regular houses and 2,000 barracks. In TOYAHA, where they have an abundance of lumber, 6,000 new houses have been constructed.

NAGOYA is very slow, probably because many residents are tenants and negotiations for the renewal of tenancy are difficult.

ECONOMIC SERIES: 34 (Continued)

ITEM 1 (Continued)

Question: How are provincial industries being transferred to peace industries?

NOZUE: AICHI factories are being converted into pottery and textile businesses.

NARITA: In OSAKA post-war reports show that the number of reconversions in businesses amount to 3,840 out of which 2,923 have material in stock and 612 have nothing on hand.

ENDO: In North KYUSHU quick transformation is impossible. One remarkable situation there is the bicycle-manufacturing plants. Small factories are going to be united into one big industrial combination.

Summary:

A coal famine is most serious to the TOKYO Railway Bureau. To fulfill the need of the railroad, 2,980 metric tons of various coal are being shipped out every day; 800 metric tons from the Asiatic mainland, 500 metric tons from the NAGOYA Railway Bureau, 800 metric tons of the JOBAN coal and 880 metric tons of the KYUSHU coal. The NAGOYA Railway Bureau has 15,930 metric tons in stock now (23 November). It requires about a seven day consumption and will have no surplus quantity to supply the other Bureaus after 10 December. So is the case with the OSAKA Railway Bureau which has 18,810 metric tons in stock. Without supplies of the JOBAN and KYUSHU coals, the TOKYO Railway Bureau will be unable to carry on transportation after December 10. The TOKYO Railway Bureau has now less than the two days' supply of 4,200 metric tons in stock. The current output of coal in all JAPAN amounts to 556,000 metric tons monthly. This is insufficient to supply the 500,000 metric tons needed by the State Railway Bureaus. Mr. INO, Chief of the Management Bureau (GYOMU-KYOKUCHO) of the Transportation Ministry, has negotiated with the Commerce and Industry Ministry to ship a good deal of coal stocked at the HOKKAIDO mines.

To end this coal deficiency the personnel of the TOKYO Railway Bureau as well as the MITO Administrative Bureau (KANR1-BU) have been dispatched to the JOBAN mines to ship out about 30,000 metric tons. In addition, it is negotiating with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to organize a coal mining supporting organization (SEKITANOEN-DAN) to mine coal for use in transportation. Students of all the Railway Personnel Training Schools (TETSUDO-KYOSHUJO) and the Engineers Training Schools (GIKO-YOSEIJO) as well as the members of the Tunnelling Body. (Tunnel-BUTAI) are expected to join this organization.

Summary:

The outline of the proposed monetary obligations of the Government in connection with the indemnification for munitions industries and war fire insurance was jointly announced by the Finance Ministry

- 2 -

ECNONOMIC SERIES: 34 (Continued).

ITEM 3 (Continued)

MITSUBISHI Heavy Industry:

SUMITOTO Metal Industry:

Loan Advanced by Banks: The Bank of JAPAN (NIPPON GINKO) and other banks have advanced money directly or indirectly to munitions companies in the form of debentures or loans. Their fiscal conditions in connection with the payments of indemnities follow:

Loans made by the Bank of JAPAN to various banks as of 24 November 1945 amounted to 27,473,000,000 yen.

Loans made to munitions companies by designated banks as of 31 May 1945 amounted [illegible]26,100,000,000 yen and those as of 31 August 1945 are estimated at 32,000,000,000 yen.

Compulsory loans made by he Industrial Bank of JAPAN (NIPPON KOGYO GINKO) as of 15 August 1945 amounted to 3,439,000,000 yen. In addition, the same bank advanced 180,000,000 yen to munitions companies as general dispersion expenses and all banks combined advanced 639,000,000 yen as factory dispersion expenses.

Loan decided to be made by the Wartime Financing Bank (SENJI KINYU KINKO) as of 31 July 1945 amounted to 5,371,000,000 yen. Loans actually made by the same bank as of the same date amounted to 3,632,000,000 yen. Investments decided to be made by the same bank as of 31 July 1945 amounted to 666,000,000 yen and those actually effected as of the same date amounted to 374,000,000 yen.

- 4 -

ECONOMIC SERIES: 34 (Continued)

ITEM 3 (Continued)

Outstanding amount of debentures, as of 31 December 1944, and Government-guaranteed debentures, as of 15 August 1945, follow:

Industrial debentures totalled 17,034,000,000 yen, of which 7,730,- 000,000 yen is guaranteed by the Government. Financial debentures totalled 15,447,000,000 yen, of which 8,445,000,000 is guaranteed by the Government. The aggregate total of debentures is 32,482,000,- 000 yen, of which 16,175,000,000 yen is guaranteed by the Government.

Funds advanced by the Government as of 15 August 1945, totalled 3, -244,000,000 yen.

DISTRIBUTION. "X"

- 5 -