Press translations [Japan]. Editorial Series 0052, 1945-12-04.

Full Translation:

With the completion Friday, 30 November, of the demobilization of all servicemen within JAPAN and the abolition of the War and Navy Ministries, the history of our military end naval forces turns its final page. Looking back upon this history, the two arms of the service organized under a universal conscription system early in the MEIJI Era, contributed much to safeguard our country as well as to maintain international faith. On the other hand our Army and Navy have been troubled with clanish strife from their very beginning. This hindered normal growth. Militarists interfered in politics and frequently formed militalistic cabinets which turn aggravated rather than corrected conditions. Thus the militarists fostered Fascism, and led our nation to the brink of ruin. It is quite natural that we can bid farewell to our Army and Navy without remorse.

It was our earnest desire that the Army and Navy be dissolved like Japanese cherry blossoms fall (TN: Cherry blossoms symbolize spirit of manhood). We were shocked to learn, soon after the termination of the war, of many odious incidents perpetrated by our Army and Navy. But it does no good to cry over spilt milk. Hereafter, all veterans must endeavor to fulfill their moral duties as honest citizens, whatever hardships they may encounter.

It goes without saying that our veterans, particularly those of low rank who bear no responsibility, must be treated kindly. Whatever ill will exists between the people and the demobilized men must be eliminated as quickly as possible so that through co-operation a peaceful JAPAN can be established.

Full Translation:

JAPAN faces a shortage of coal as critical as that of food. The unemployed number a reported 13,000,000, while the businessmen's profits are diminishing. JAPAN's economy is in a critical state, but economic conditions differ from tacitly similar conditions at any stage in the normal development of capitalism. Normally, a collapse occurs as a result of overproduction, while JAPAN's problem now is obviously one of under-production. In that way, the current crisis differs fundamentally from those experienced in the past.

Our Government is not aware of this fact. They seem to be contemplating the pursuit of a policy similar to the New Deal of the UNITED STATES, or the Labor Relief Work of Nazi GERMANY. In panies due to over

EDITORIAL SERIES: 52 (Continued)

ITEM 2 (Continued)

production, relief for the unemployed is attainable by increasing their purchasing power to a fair minimum, But does this solution hold in the present crisis?

Recent authorities attempted to alleviate the coal shortage by raising miners' wages drastically. It served only to produce the opposite of the desired results. At a time when the production of consumer goods essential for a minimum standard is totally inadequate, can the authorities be certain they can provide enough materials for such ambitious projects as dam and road building? Can't they understand that the best counter measure to inflation is to increase the supply of consumer goods on the market?

The first measure in relieving the unemployed should probably be an adjustment of current prices which have gone up at an astonishing rate in proportion to the decrease in monetary value. Yet wages remain constant. As a consequence the number of job seekers does not increase, simply because they cannot live on their salaries anyway.

All steps should be taken to restore as promptly as possible JAPAN's economy to the maximum degree permitted by the ALLIES. In proportion to the present rate, many of the unemployed will be absorbed in production enterprises. Further more, by paying wages in kind, we can effectively put into practice the principle that only he who works can eat.

After JAPAN's economic recovery has been unsumated, we can proceed with unemployment relief by large scale public projects. Unless the government formulates policies to suit the circumstances, and effectively puts them into practice, there is no way to surmount existing difficulties.

Full Translation:

"A resolution regarding war responsibility of representatives" proposed jointly by the Liberal Party and the Social-Democratic Party along with several of the Independents resembles superficially that of the Progressive Party, entitled "A resolution regarding war responsibility". Nevertheless, they are very different from each other in content. The former resolution speaks clearly of representatives while the latter purposely omits the word. Should war responsibility be placed among Progressive Party representatives there is almost no one free from responsibility except for SAITO, Takoo or KAWASAKI, Koku, both of whom were not recommended by the Government in the last election campaign. The former resolution in its last paragraph states that the representatives must decide on steps to be taken while reflecting upon their responsibility, while the latter evasively states that the representatives must consider what they did in the past and endeavor to heighten the morality of the nation. The Progressive Party is the largest with some 270 members and will evidently pass their resolution as opposed to that of the other three parties in the House. But they must remember that pursuance of the war responsibility of representatives is strongly desired by the electorate. If they reject the combined proposal by an overwhelming majority they will have evaded the question of war responsibility and leave a bad impression upon the electorate. Therefore they first proposed a conciliatory plan to the Liberal Party and tried vainly to draft a joint resolution. They then changed their strategy and drafted a plan in opposition to the combined resolution. Such a strategam, if employed in the Diet, would result in the Progressive Party emerging as winner with their resolution.

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EDITORIAL SERIES: 52 (Continued)

ITEM 3 (Continued)

This is far from what the present Diet should he. The war responsibility may he very differently construed. We can understand explanation claiming it was our duty to co-operate in the prosecution of the war upon issuance of the Imperial Declaration of War. We won't accuse enlisted men, requisitioned factory workers, mobilized students and literary men for co-operating in the war. But those representatives who courted military cliques, and became nominating committees of election reconmendation associations, or who became executives of political parties controlled by militarists and who pushed the people on the road to defeat, must "decide on their steps" to enlighten the morality of the nation. Though bargaining and political strategems in the House may remain, representative's seats in the House never exist apart from the voters. These representatives must wash their faces and come back again entirely purified.

Full Translation:

The attitude of the members of the Lower House pertaining to responsibility for the war is beyond comprehension. All existing political parties are simultaneously probing war responsibility with varying attitudes. The Social-Democratic, the Liberal and the Progressive Parties are apparently making attempts to evadeing their own responsibility by censuring other parties for causing the war. To be sure, this present plight was caused by TOJC and [illegible]as SAITO, Takao declared in his interpellation among those to be [illegible]nsured as suggested by a member of the Social-Democratic Party are the Ministers of the War Cabinet the Vice-Ministers of Political Affairs, the Councilors of the Cabinet, the Imperial [illegible] [illegible]istance association staff holders above that of bureau director [illegible]Headquarters of the Men's Imperial Rule Assistance Group, also ha is the district branches of the same organization.

In addition, as the Liberals point out, those who assumed Diet leadership in consonance with the Government's policies and those who nominated Imperial Rule Assistance Association members as candidates for the Diet in the general election of 1[illegible]42, should likewise assume responsibility for the war. Also members of the Progressive Party, who during the war, hung on to the shirt tails of the bureaucrats and the big financial cliques. As punishment, the Social-Democrats insist on suspension of their citizenship, the Liberals are for exclusion from the present session, and the Progressive Party merely suggests self-criticism. Thus there exists this divergence in attitude over the method of punishment.

The truth is that each party is taking the most favorable way of assuming responsibility for the war into consideration. In other words, they are taking advantage of this opportunity to investigate war responsibility with an eye to the coming general election campaign. If all the nominees of the [illegible]OJO clique in the election in 1[illegible]42 as Imperial Rule Assistance association members, are held responsible for the war, they would be found in every party, the majority of course, belonging to the Progressive Party. That is because each Party is evading the setting up of a standard censure.

Each Party is probing the responsibility for the war in such a way as to protect its own members from censure. Progressive Party in Particular, having a great number of members liable to censure assumed

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EDITORIAL SERIES: 52 (Continued)

ITEM 4 (Continued)

a lukewarm attitude of self-criticism and was so impendent as to declare in its statement that it has resolved to improve public morality. We demand at this, the unanimous resignation of all the members of the Diet whose hands are not clean.

To be sure, the majority of the members were driven toward war by the militarists against their will; Some of them, cautiously expressed opinions against the war. However, considering the present defeat, the members, despite their commerable faith or actions should simultanously apologize to the general public by assuming responsibility for the war. This is the true moral attitude the Members of [illegible]the Diet should adopt. Previsions pertaining to war responsibility are not to be found in any code of law, but only in the moral standards of the Japanese people.

Full Translation:

Already four days of the 18 day Diet Session have passed, yet the so-called "speechs on General questions" are being reiterated both in the House of Representatives and the Mouse of Peers. Only the draft for the War Responsibility Resolution is about to be discussed in the House of Representatives. Is such slow procedure Justifiable in these times? The Nation doesn't think so. The Nation believes that the present Diet is not qualified nor able to form a policy for the new JAPAN, yet they unwillingly let the Diet go on merely because the present circumstances require the presence of an organization in the form of the Diet. The Diet must finish the discussion of the urgently needed bills as soon as possible, and must wait for the judgement of the Nation. Yet they waste [illegible]reoious time in both houses, giving old speechs on general questions. They might excuse that by saying that the Government has not yet proposed the important bills, such as the Farm Land Reform Bill or The Labor Unions Bill. The accusation must be directed against the Government for its idleness. Yet the members of the Houses themselves are not free from the accusation of being un[illegible]faithful to their duties.

What have there "general questions" clarified for the nation? Hardly one single pertinent matter. It must, of course, be partly due to vagueness on the part of the Government, but the main cause should be attributed to the questions of the members of the Diet themselves. It is not far wrong to say that their questions are made for the sake of protecting themselves or are aimed at the votes in the next general election. Although the Election Law Reform Bill has been submitted, they wish to propose the so called "Resolution Pursuing the Mar Responsibility" before discussing the former. General questions are discussed by the representatives of each Party in a certain proportion before this session meets; just as in the past. These facts show that the method of carrying on the discussions is just as it always has been and has not been improved to meet new situations.

If the Diet is sincerely interested in placing the blame on those responsible for oho war it must he done either at the start of the session or after the deliberation on all bills is finished. We think it will be effective only if they agree that no one held responsible for the war will run in the coming general election.

The nation believes that the Diet is responsible for the war.

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EDITORIAL SERIES: 52 (Continued)

ITEM 5 (Continued)

Hence, whatever resolution the Diet night make, we "believe the nation will pass judgment itself. We request that the Government prepare at once the Farm Land Reform Bill and the Labor Union Bill as they are the most important bills in the present session. At the same time, we request that the members of the Diet do not blindly follow past examples in carrying out discussions, but that they seek a new method and help expedite parlimentary procedure in the Diet.

The nation realizes the importance of reconstructing JAPAN. As the first step towards the political reconstruction of the new JAPAE will begin with the next general election, the earliest dissolution of the present Diet possible will be a happy event for our country the Diet should clearly conscious of this, and must make every effort to speed up the discussions of the bills. They must know that this is more| important than merely making resolutions on the war responsibility of the Diet.

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