Press translations [Japan]. Economic Series 0222, 1946-01-28.
Date28 January, 1946
translation numbereconomic-0989
call numberDS801 .S81
Persistent Identifier
ECONOMIC SERIES: 222
ITEM 1 "Rescue One Million Tenant-Farmers!" Farmers visit the Prefectural Office in a move Opposing Return of Land - Provincial Newspaper Shinano Mainichi Shimbun (Nagano) - 23 Jan 46. Translator: T. Ukai.
Summary:
In a move opposing the enforcement of the Revised Agrarian Land Adjustment Law (KAISEI
NOCHI CHOSEI HO), a group of 110
farmers, in two trucks, visited the Prefectural Office on 22 January. They were members
of the Preliminary Arrangements
Assembly for the Formation of the Prefectural Federation of Unions for Creating Peasant-Proprietors
(JISAKUNO SOSETSU KUMIAI
KEN RENGOKAI JUMBI KAI). They are organized to protect themselves, that is, the tenant
farmers, from the ever growing number
of landlords who would deprive them of their lands, since the said law was announced.
They carried banners with phrases such
as "Return of lands absolutely opposed!", "Rescue the Million Tenants in NAGANO-Ken!",
and "An arrogant democracy is
needless!". These slogans clearly indicated their demands.
They also demanded a mass interview with the governor and were refused; finally,
two deputies, Messrs MIYAMOTO, Katsumi, and
MATSUO, Tamaki, saw Mr. MONONOBE, the governor and expressed themselves on the current
state of affairs. They demanded that
effective measures be taken independently by the prefectural authorities. Then, after
putting questions to officials of the
Agricultural Administration Section (NOSEI KA), they left the office. On the way back,
before the buildings of the
Agricultural Association of NAGANO, they stopped and delivered some critical addresses
to the people and encouraged them.
Questions and answers interchanged between the governor and the two deputies were
as follows:
MIYAMOTO: "The demand that tenant lands should be returned to landlords is like a
death sentence to the tenant-farmers. Mr.
WADA, Director of the Agricultural Administration Bureau, instructed government authorities
to effect, adequately and fairly,
a return of lands temporarily possessed by tenant farmers. Yet, the instructions are
not reaching the furthermost agencies of
the Government in various municipalities. We are of the opinion that it can be taken
for granted, that municipal officials
represent the interests of landlords and deliberately ignore the instructions. This
fact will never make the landlords pay
heed to social justice. On the contrary, it gives them ample opportunity to exploit
their tenants without letting them become
aware of what is going on.
Every instruction or direction, plan or policy, must be most carefully transmitted
to the furthermost part of the
administration."
ECONOMIC SERIES: 222 (Continued)
ITEM 1 (Continued)
Governor: "We are doing our utmost to realize the principle you mentioned, but I
fear it is a most difficult task."
MATSUO: "The agrarian law we now have is, I am sure, based entirely on the interests
of the landlords. The policy, which we
can discern in this law, appears to us very fluctuating and, in some points, obscure.
We must demand that the prefectural
authorities act independently, following their own principles; for example, allowing
both tenant and landlord, without any
difference in opportunity, to have access to an acreage sufficient to stabilize their
livelihood. That is, both tenants and
landlords should possess the acreage of all the arable lands to be found in NAGANO-Ken,
divided by the number of all the farm
families in NAGANO."
Governor: "Independent measures by the prefectural authorities can be thought of
favorably. But, the decision of the country
that a landlord may possess a maximum acreage of four cho, six tan, cannot be ignored.
A local government can be independent
insofar as it stands within the framework of the policy and program of the central
government."
MATSUO: "Can we be sure that the prefectural authorities do not recognize the necessity
to buy land from landlords possessing
less than four cho, six tan?"
Governor: "We might be inclined to recognize the necessity. However, it's a great
task even to compile our present plan. Our
first goal is just what you see."
MATSUO: "Then, may we assume that only a part of the farmers in NAGANO-Ken are to
be given favors, and the majority are to be
treated badly?"
Governor: "This is a difference in our way of thinking. At least the spirit of the
legislation in this case is not what you
claim."
MIYAMOTO: "Is it possible to reduce the acreage to about two cho?"
Governor: "We are thinking of a small reduction. Landlords in possession of an acreage
of more than four cho and six tan,
however, come under the law now introduced. Infact, we have been advising, among other
things, those landlords with less than
four cho, six tan to part with some of their arable lands. We will not cease in this
effort."
MATSUO: "The formation of the Agrarian Land Committee (NOCHI I - INKAI) is very defective
and remarkably unfavorable to tenant
farmers. We offer a committee of ten landlords and ten tenant farmers as an organization.
You should understand that a tenant
committeeman can express himself in favor of the landlord. A landlord retains a year's
supply of rice and wheat for his own
benefit, whilst a tenant farmer is compelled to depend upon rations and nothing else
after he has paid his year's rent in
rice. A tenant farmer can afford only to avail himself of rations on the return system
(KANGEN HAIKYU) of 0.5 go per day,
whereas the wholly one-sided supposition prevails that he has easy access to any kind
of food. We also demand an adequate and
fair rate of delivery of rice to the government."
- 2 -
ECONOMIC SERIES: 222 (Continued)
ITEM 1 (Continued)
Governors "These phenomena are the result of decisions arrived at by the municipal
offices concerned. We have no other
intention than to try to assign a fair and adequate rate of delivery of rice to the
government."
ITEM 2 Centralized Cocoon Supply System Will Be Put Into Operation - Provincial Newspaper Niigata Shimbun (Niigata) - 24 Jan 46. Translator: S. Iwata.
Full Translation:
The silk farmers at KITAGAMA-Gun are going to put the centralized cocoon supply system
into operation and request an increase
in the price of cocoons from 30 to 50 yen per kan. They also request the distribution
of clothing in exchange for
cocoons.
The branch office of the Agriculture Association, which is dealing with the three
problems, treats silk culture the same as
rice. It has decided on this year's yield of 60,000 kan of cocoons. The same branch
office will effect the distribution of
rice in exchange for cocoons, and will encourage mulberry cultivation in the spring,
summer and autumn so as to increase the
cocoon crop. It will also encourage catch-cropping on the mulberry farms for the purpose
of promoting a variety in production
at KITAGAMA-Gun, and it will earnestly promote the utilization of natural fertilizers,
the rational treatment of compost by
oxygen caused by the excrement of silkworms, the scattering of improvised fertilizers
made of green soy bean and ashes,
co-operative rearing of young silk worms, simple rearing of silk worms at their best
(out-door rearing), inspecting the soil
of mulberry farms, and protecting silk worms from the hardening disease.
ITEM 3 The Revision Enforcement Law For Food Control to be Promulgated Soon - Asahi Shimbun - 26 Jan 46. Translator: Z. Konishi.
Full Translation:
An urgent law, the Food Emergency Management Law (SHOKURYO KINKYU SOCHIREI), which
aims at strengthening control of food, is
to be enforced soon. In this connection, a revised bill for the Food Control Law Enforcement
Act (SHOKURYO KANRI HO SHIKOREI)
was formally approved at the Cabinet meeting held 25 January. This bill will be promulgated
and made effective at the same
time as the Emergency Management Law (KINKYU SOCHIREI). Additional points in this
law are as follows:
- (1).In case of necessity, recognized by the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, or local Governors, it is possible to issue an order to the owner, to deliver his rice, wheat, or cereal, flour to the Government, based on regulation nine of the Food Control Law.
- (2).No one can make any requisition, receipt or promise for rice, wheat and cereal flour for their business.
DISTRIBUTION "X"
- 3 -
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