Press translations [Japan]. Editorial Series 0072, 1945-12-08.

Author Supreme Commander for The Allied Powers. Allied Translator and Interpreter Section.

Date8 December, 1945

translation numbereditorial-0267

call numberDS801 .S82

Persistent Identifier
GENERAL HEADQUARTERS
SUPREME COMMANDER FOR THE ALLIED POWERS
ALLIED TRANSLATOR AND INTERPRETER SECTION
PRESS TRANSLATIONS
No. 267 Date: 8 Dec 45

EDITORIAL SERIES: 72

ITEM 1 Five Year Financial Plan - Mainichi Shimbun - 6 Dec 45. Translator: K. Nobunaga.

Full translation:
Finance Minister SHIBUSAWA said he would try to prevent the collapse of the social and economic system as a result of inflation; that the disproportion between money and materials would he adjusted by the increase of production of civic necessities and by the establishment of a property tax; and that a readjustment of the price structure would be carried out.
Everybody recognizes that this kind of order is necessary from the standpoint of democracy. On the other hand, the Finance Minister said that the Government would pay principal and interest on public loan bonds through the property tax and would carry out the proper indemnification of the military enterprises which waxed fat with war profits.
A proverb says, "He who runs after two hares will catch neither." The proverb is applicable in criticizing the Finance Minister's policy. The actual problem is not his running after two hares, but which hare he runs after. It is a natural financial policy that increased taxes be resolutely carried out for the payment of principal and interest on the public loan bonds issued for the war expenditures. This is to maintain the old order in financial circles. Since the first World War, there has been much discussion in England on the establishment of a property tax. The time has passed when the establishment of a property tax was considered a revolution in the tax system. [illegible]day's problem is for what purpose the income from the property tax will be expended. The problem is whether the Government should discharge its promise to the war profiteers or should fulfill its promise to guarantee a "minimum standard of living" for the laboring classes who have reached a crisis due to the war.
Bernard SHAW advocated the cancellation of war bonds in his work "Socialism and Capitalism" after the first World War. He explained that it was a contradiction that our people should bear heavy taxes to repay national debts within our country, and that the cancellation of the bonds was only a redistribution of the people's income without loss to the country as a whole. Two hundred billion yen in national bonds is property to those people who have the bonds. Reparations of losses for military enterprises also is a change in inventory of property from red to black. The Financial Ministry is exerting itself to protect such property but, the laboring classes and a great many of our people have fallen to the lowest levels of life on account of the inflation.
EDITORIAL SERIES: 72 (Continued)
ITEM 1 (Continued)
In this sense, the five-year financial plan of the Finance Ministry is only so much paper. The Ministry's intentions are quite clear when we see such childish figures.

ITEM 2 "Transfiguration of Europe"- Mainichi Shimbun - 6 Dec 45. Translator: H. Furukawa.

Full translation:
In those European countries now emancipated, general elections are taking place, and it is necessary for our nation, which now also faces a general election, to investigate and deliberate on the trends taking place in EUROPE, as expressed in the elections, and the changes in the attitude of the Allies due to the outcome of the elections. Generally speaking, results of general elections held in the various countries are characterized by overwhelming victories of leftists and the sudden decline of the rightist, elements. This is, as was expected during the war, a political tendency in the post-war world. The "Right Wing" of pre-war times has now completely disappeared from the political stage. In the new politics, the place of the former "Right Wing" is taken by those parties which were called "Central Leftist" or "sub-; eftist" in the pre-war period, while the Socialists occupy the position of center in the legislatures.
This tendency is most clearly shown in FRANCE, where the Radical Socialist Party, which has long been the dominant influence in the Chamber, moved to the right with only 19 seats (in pre-war days 116 seats), and the right and the center have almost disappeared. On one other hand, the Socialists with Leon BLUM, who was released from a German prison, as director, won 139 seats (155 pre-war), and with the Popular Republican Party, which has acquired 142 seats, are to play a part similar to that of the Radical Socialists in pre-war FRANCE. The Communists, who made a remarkable showing as early as 1936, have now acquired 151 seats and have become the largest party in the Chamber.
In BULGARIA, it was rather unexpected that the Communists, in spite of the remarkable activity of DIMITROV, a prominent member of the now defunct Comintern, have won only 98 seats, equal now to the Agrarian Party.
It is natural that in JUGOSLAVIA the National Front, led by TITO and characterized by its communistic elements, gained the victory.
In both HUNGARY and AUSTRIA unexpected results were shown. In HUNGARY, the middle-class party, which is rather conservative, gained an overwhelming majority against the Social Democrats and Communists. In AUSTRIA, the moderate People's Party became the largest with 85 members; next came the Socialists with 78 members; the Communists netted only three members. This fact may suggest something since AUSTRIA and HUNGARY have been under the occupation of the SOVIET UNION.
In NORWAY, where the QUISLING Puppet Government ruled under the German occupation, of a total of 150 seats the Labor Party occupies 77, the Communists 10, while the right and central factions lost ground.
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EDITORIAL SERIES: 72 (Continued)
ITEM 2 (Continued)
It is reported in CZECHOSLOVAKIA that the Socialists and Communists will acquire 72 per cent of all seats. It will be interesting to see what proportion of seats each of these parties will share.
In RUMANIA, the political situation is expected to show a similarity to that of HUNGARY and AUSTRIA.
Through a general survey of political trends in EUROPE, the fear of the peril of BOLSHEVISM for the masses in all countries seems to have been rather imaginary. It is notable that the countries which came in closer contact with SOVIET RUSSIA expressed more plainly their anti-Communistic tendency. This fact may be interpreted in different ways, according to different viewpoints. However, we recall the fact that the anti-Communistic feeling was very strong in POLAND, which was under Russian occupation, and a similar tendency is reported in GERMANY. We suppose, as our special report from ZURICH pointed out a few days ago, that the masses in European countries have come to be terrified by totalitarianism and bolshevi[illegible]but have not really hated them. Totalitarianism has a strong tendency to ignore the individual in its attempts to advocate totality. It is natural that a man would be attracted by democratic government which stresses the liberty and emancipation of the individual and respects humanity.
Living in a society which resembles the "Life of White Ants," depicted "by MAETERLINCK, no matter how completely it may be nationalized, a person cannot help feeling somewhat uneasy and lonely. How the attitude of the Allies to their former enemies will be changed by the results of the general election is shown in the change of public opinion in AMERICA and ENGLAND. As a defeated nation, we think that it is necessary for us to realize the important significance of the forthcoming general election by studying the outcome of general elections in the European countries.
Distribution "X"
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