Press translations [Japan]. Economic Series 0103, 1945-12-26.

Full Translation:

Wages of laborers will be raised in line with similar steps taken for Government and corporation officials and employees, it has been decided by the Ministry of welfare. The Ministry, which has been investigating a revision of the present wage system to meet the situation created by the end of the war, came to this conclusion with the approval of the Supreme Command of the Allied Powers. The new measures to be taken in connection with the revision of the wages for laborers are understood to be:

• 1.Wages within the amount of 100 yen a month are to be raised, but the wages of daily wage earners and laborers who are temporarily employed for a limited period of two months will not be raised Wages may be raised either by giving money allowances to correspond with prices as they rise, or by raising that the basic monthly or daily wages. It is, however, suggested that the projected raise should be done in such a way as to give more to the low wage earners. Special consideration will be given in connection with the revision of wages of coal miners.
• 2.Allowances for family members will also be raised at the same time. Such allowances were formerly paid at the rate of five yen each for every family member whom the individual laborer has to support, but the new rate will be raised to 20 yen each. Allowances paid monthly for the families who have evacuated to air raid shelters will hereafter be abolished.
• 3.The increase of wages and allowances will be effective from December 1945.

In connection with the increase of emolument it has been decided that it is not necessary to obtain Government approval as provided in the wage Control Ordinance. However, it is directed that when such revision has been enforced, each corporation has to report the matter to the prefectural governor.

Summary:

Many prefectures are attempting to overcome the food crisis by increasing their arable land through land reclamation and conversion. Several already have prepared specific plans. In FUKUOKA-Ken there is a plan to reclaim 6,000 chobu in this fiscal year. Smaller scale

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reclamation of areas below 50 chobu will also be subsidized, and the work will be managed mainly by town and village authorities or agriculture associations.

Greater scale reclamation of areas above 50 chobu will be undertaken chiefly by the prefectural governments or the prefectural agriculture associations and the Reclamation Corporation (NOCHI KAIH TSUEIDAN), being subsidized wholly by the Central Government. The main aim of this reclamation plan is to create independent small farmers. Settlers will be alloted one chobu of reclaimed land per household.

In OK Y[illegible]-Ken a five year plan to reclaim 30,000 chobu has been set up to produce food and relieve the unemployed. In the 1945 fiscal year, there will be 3,300 chobu reclaimed in small scale lots and 2,000 chobu reclaimed on a greater scale. Government subsidy will be granted as in the case of FUKUCKA -Ken.

In the case of IWATE-Ken, 43 households were settled in a waste area located in this prefecture which was once under the control of the Imperial Household Ministry in the MEIJT Era. The administration of these settlers, however, has been transferred to the Prefectural Government and the average acreage of these settlers is at present 1.5 chobu. As the food problem has become serious, the Prefectural Government has decided to add 3.5 chobu to each acreage of these settlers. To encourage the creation of independent farming, 1.5 chobu, combined with 3.5 chobu, will be allowed to be owned by these tenant settlers. Payment will the made annually by installments.

In YAMANASHI-Ken, according to a decided plan, reclamation acreage covers 2,400 chobu, 1,600 chobu of which will be completed next year. The foot of Mt. YATSUGATAKE, TAMAH[illegible]TA Airfield, and KITA - FUJI Field will be brought under cultivation during this fiscal year through the Prefectural Government or group settlers.

In FUKUSHIMA-Ken, the Prefectural Government will set up two farms which will be given different missions. One is an experimental farm and the other an experimental reclamation field. The former will have six chobu and will employ modern equipment. This farm will be engaged in the improvement of farming. The latter will have sufficient provision for reclamation and will be expected to study improved reclamation.

In EHIME-Ken, a former Army site for maneuvers is now a farm which was named YOSHIMO Farm soon after the war ended. This farm has been, and will be, cultivated by demobilized soldiers and air raid sufferers. The whole acreage of this farm is estimated at some 130 chobu, of which 40 chobu have already been hoed barley seeds planted. An attempt will be a made to convert 70 chobu into farm land first of all. The 50 households in this farm area are planning to keep 20 horses and two milch cows, and, furthermore, will try to raise goats and fresh-water fish on a large-scale.

Full Translation:

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ITEM 3 (Continued)

The coal output of all JAPAN in the first part of December totaled 213,000 metric tons, and the number of mine workers increased by 7,600, according to investigations conducted by the JAPAN Coal Controlling Association (SEKIT[illegible]N TOSEIK[illegible]I).

The following is a summary of the information on coal production and labor conditions which the association obtained from various mining centers:

I Coal Producing Condition: The total amount of coal produced throughout JAPAN during the first 10 days of December was approximately 213,000 metric tons, showing a decline of 12,000 tons from the preceding 10 days. It is assumed, however, that the coal production during the first 10 days of December would have reached the same amount of the preceding period, if it had not been for two Sunday holidays.

During the month of November, coal production was 160,000 tons during the first and second 10 days, and 220,000 tons during the last 10 days. Therefore, it was generally anticipated that production in December would increase, following the favorable trend in the preceding month.

The coal production program sets the amount to be turned out during the month of December at 660,000, and thus one-third of the total was produced during the early part of this month. The present coal crisis compels the further increase of production, even after the projected amount of 660,000 tons is turned out during the month.

The solution of food problems, which is the first condition for increasing coal production has been the vital problem in mining districts. It is the urgent desire of all miners and their families that their rice rations be increased to six go for miners and three go for each member of the family.

Coal production since October according to production districts was as follows:

II Labor Conditions: The number of miners working illustrates a conspicuous increase in December, and it is now anticipated that 80 per cent of the miners scheduled to work will work during the

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current year. Despite ambitious movements to collect coal miners through radio, newspapers and other similar information and publicity facilities, the miners recruited to November totaled only about 20,000 as against the 600,000 set .for the third quarter of 1945.

The number of miners ho joined during the first 10 days of December was 12, 760, while those who left numbered 5,104 excluding the 4,166 Korean miners who left mines in HOKKAIDO. Thus, the miners during the second 10 days of November showed an increase of 7,658. The total mine workers on 10 December aggregated 230,855, excluding 7,863 Korean miners who are waiting in HOKKAIDO to return to KOREA.

The numbers of miners who were employed or who left the mines during the first 10 days of December are as follows:

The decline of coal production is attributed mainly to the evacuation of Chinese end Korean miners, who returned to their countries at the termination of the war. All Chinese miners have been evacuated from JAPAN, while Korean laborers who left mines in HOKKAIDO during the first 10 days of this month numbered, approximately 4,000 The remainder numbering some 7,800 Koreans will also leave HOKKAIDO by 20 December.

The speedy training of miners in a short period of time, and appropriate measures to guide them in settling at their assignments will be the vital problems of labor to be studied hereafter. In order to attain this objective, the food and wage problems must preferentially be solved.

Miners employed at the JOBAN Coal Mines are increasing in number, More miners than those scheduled were employed in the month of December.

Coal production has been increasing with increase of laborers and altogether 1,783 tons of coal wore produced in a single day on 1 December, which is understood to be the highest figure throughout the country in recent days. On 15 December production advanced to 2,072 tons per day.

Summary:

In KIRYU, CU[illegible]-Ken, following the proposal made by the. KIRYU Weavers

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ITEM 4 (Continued)

(KIRYU SHOK[illegible]KI[illegible]I) Association to Allied Headquarters, as to the production of mixed textile goods, all entrepreneurs of the textile industry agreed to produce textiles in more creative and more resourceful designs, as soon as these goods are deemed suitable as collateral Imports.

In CHIBA Ken, all fish canners are reportedly ready to begin production for export. However, to carry out this production, we must break such bottlenecks, as a shortage of canning materials, sugar, cottonseed oil, salt, and soy been sauce, and establish priority distribution of fishing implements and special rice ration for fishermen.

Extracts:

In order to import food, the Nation must export things which are wanted by other countries. Thus the production of collateral export goods is as important as the production of food itself. Here we will review the production conditions of major collateral export goods in provinces near TOKYO.

At first we will examine the situation in SAITAMA Ken. Here the most important export is silk, the chief export product of the Nation. Prior to the war SAITAMA used to produce 5,000,000 kan of cocoons. Her silk mils numbered 54, ranking fifth among all prefectures. These figures shrank during the war, mod and at present readily reconvertible factories are only 7 (one slide mill and 6 woolen factories). The rest were converted into munitions factories. The acreage of mulberry fields also has shrunk from 40,000 cho to 15,000 cho. Now the prefectural authorites are jubilant over the plan to produce 2,500,000 kan of cocoons for next war. From this 300,000 kan of raw silk or 18,800 bales can be obtained. The spinning will be done by the silk mills of SAITAMA Ken. For this purpose, the rehabilitation of 17 silk factories with 41,000 spinning machines and 3,908 cocoon boiling pots, is being planned.

DISTRTIBUTON: "X"

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