Press translations [Japan]. Economic Series 0080, 1945-12-19.

Extracts:

The labor shortage in coal mining is now not only impeding coal output but is also making it impossible to repair drifts in mines which have been damaged through careless mining during the war. Any attempt to exploit new mines has not as yet been made. Although the government has a three-year plan for producing 400 million tons of coal, it is still quite doubtful whether this plan will be put into practice under the present labor situation.

In view of the fact that some 55,759 mine workers were killed by mine accidents during the early part of 1944 (a serious increase over the number killed in l940), the immediate repair of mines is a necessity for increasing the production of coal. Therefore, first and foremost we must get enough wine workers to replace the 120,000 discharged Korean workers.

On the other hand, the production of explosives to meet necessary demands in coal mining will get underway if the material become available. Explosives for military use, though there is a large amount in stock, can not be used for coal mining because of the poisonous gases which they emit.

Full Translation:

In the three months that have elapsed since the termination of the war, the intensified, nation wide concern over getting jobs has become a, frightening problem to the people of JAPAN. They have just awakened from their idleness and are aware of their actual state, after having spent their retirement pay and savings.

In the present unemployment situation only a small number of people have obtained jobs in addition to those employed by the Allied Forces and those engaged in coal mining.

This unfavorable condition of unemployment is mainly due to the following reasons: 1. People cannot live on their wages, owing to the recent rise in commodity prices; 2. They have neither enough food nor adequate housing; 3 They cannot find any suitable jobs owing sabotage on the part of capitalists.

ECONOMIC SERIES 80 (Continued)

ITEM 2 (Continued)

Therefore, most of the unemployed, with the opening of a free market, are becoming street vendors.

In KANAGAWA-Ken according to an investigation conducted by the Labor Section of the Prefectural Office on 15 October, there are 207,872 demobilized servicemen, of whom 87,248 are still jobless, living on black market dealings, while others are working at their former jobs, mostly farming.

In CHIBA-Ken, out of 120,000 ex-servicemen, about 20,000 are still unemployed, according to an investigation dated l5 November. Most of the are engaged in black-market dealings. Among those who have obtained jobs, 40,000 are engaged in farming, 60,000 in business, and 3,500 in industries.

In GUN[illegible]A-Ken, there are 254,200 demobilized men, with 93,500 working on farms, 57, 538 at their former occupations, while a greater part of unemployed are dealing in black-market goods.

In IBARAGI-Ken there are about 30,000 unemployed, but most of the ex-servicemen are working as farmers.

In SAITAMA-Ken there are considerable numbers of unemployed, including ex-servicemen and former war workers.

Although the reconversion from wartime to [illegible]eaceti[illegible]e industry is now underway, industrial recovery is making little, progress at present.

Full Translation:

The Japanese financial world is expressing the view that the property tax which the Government, with the support of Allied Headquarters, is planning to impose on all properties in the next fiscal year, must not obstruct production or destroy the source of future revenues.

The present stand-still of industrial activity is partly due to the shortage of food and coal, and in partly due to the money market. This financial difficulty is noticeable in every field of industry and, because of the delay in Government compensation, this tendency is rominent in the chemical, iron and steel, and mining industries. It is feared, therefore, that the imposition of a colossal capital levy on industries, under such circumstances, may not only become an obstacle to production butt may defeat its own purpose of checking inflation.

Instead of a property tax, influential groups are urging that the Government order all corporations to issue stocks amounting to 20 per cent of their assets and keep them in custody until the corporations can redeem their own stocks, later, when the nation's economic conditions are stabilized. Then the corporations are to reduce their capital to the extent with which they redeemed the stock. Supporters of this plan wish to submit it to Government authorities as an authorized plan of their group.

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ECONOMIC SERIES 80 (Continued)

Full Translation:

Crop control, which had been instituted during the autumn and winter cultivation of last year, will be abolished if the Agrarian Adjustment Law, now under discussion in the present session should meet with parliamentary approval. Following its abolition, it seems the Department of Agriculture and Forestry will assume a policy of no control over cultivation. This will promote the democratization of agriculture, one of the old ropes which bound agriculture for a long time has been cut.

The plan to control the kinds of crops to be cultivated is one of the systems of control brought forth by a war. It was put into practice upon authorization by regulations, which were based upon the Agricultural Land Administration Ordinances. This was a plan for the production of crops for food, and was designed to adjust the cultivation of high-grade vegetables, crops for feed or fertilizers and crops which are not connected with warfare, such as mullberry trees, fruit trees, tea trees, flower plants garden trees, watermelons, muskmelons, strawberries and others. But the substantial effect of the plan was unsatisfactory because of the difficulty in putting the plan into practice.

The farmers, did not adhere to the plan as directed by the authorities (the Agricultural Association), This is apparent from the fact that the plan for vegetable production and war goods crops was a failure. Accordingly, the next spring cultivation of summer crops, of which potatoes the leading crop, will be left to the farmers. They will determine what kinds of crops they will cultivate. However, judging from present conditions in the production of leading foods, it is not likely that there will be much production of vegetables.

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