Press translations [Japan]. Editorial Series 0095, 1945-12-15.
Date15 December, 1945
translation numbereditorial-0334
call numberDS801 .S82
Persistent Identifier
EDITORIAL SERIES: 95
ITEM 1 The Emperor and His People - Asahi Shimbun - 10 Dec 45. Translator: K. Nobunaga.
Full Translation:
The Emperor declared in his Rescript at the end of the war, that conditions in the
world and in the Empire generally were bad,
and "I will correct the situation with extraordinary measures." In the lame duck session
of the Diet an indication that
extraordinary measures are being practiced in administrative, economic and cultural
fields?
As an example, the Lord Keeper of The Privy Seal office deliberated too long over
drafts, for the revision of the constitution
before submitting them to the Emperor. Then in leaving the problem to the government,
there was a further waste of time while
State Minister MATSUMOTO, made an intermediate report at the budget plenary session
on 8 December.
According to his report, the main principle of the sovereignty of the state are to
remain as they had been. Ministers of the
state are to be responsible to our people through the Diet. What, the, is the relationship
between the Emperor and the people?
It should be remembered that minister of Education MAEDA stated at the 30 November
Diet session that he was sympathetic to the
principles of a limited monarchy.
Cannot the tenet "The Emperor is always with you" be used as the basis for Japanese
democracy?
ITEM 2 School Strike - Tokyo Shimbun - 10 Dec 45. Translator: S. Inove.
Summary:
I was astonished by an article in the 5 December issue of a certain newspaper describing
the details of our 4 December student
conference. It was a thorough fabrication that I intend to correct in the following
summary of the actual proceedings.
We proposed the establishment of a new alumni association, already authorized at
a faculty meeting the day before. We merely
debated our future attitude.
On matters pertaining to revision and strengthening of the faculty we discussed the
means of securing good teachers, and
drafted a resolution emphasizing the necessity of faculty changes, urging the president
to consider it. We did not go so far
as to name faculty members whose retirement we desired.
We discussed the desirability of publication of the school budget so that we may
make necessary corrections by insertion or
deletion. Student opinion should be expressed in the board of directors' meetings.
It is obvious, then, that the student conference was held merely to
EDITORIAL SERIES: 95 (Continued)
ITEM 2 (Continued)
to promote harmorious relations between the faculty and student body, and not, as
the newspaper article stated, to air
disputes or call strikes. Our purpose is to foster new educational traditions. (From
a student of the MUSASHI Higher
School.)
ITEM 3 Relieve Our Repatriates - Asahi Shimbun - 11 Dec 45. Translator: K. Nobunaga.
Summary:
When our repatriates first landed, they were obliged to leave their money in the
custody of the custom authorities, and
received only about one hundred yen to take with them. I could not help feeling indignant
at this unsympathetic attitude of
our government. Also, if they landed at different harbors, they were treated differently.
The government should take up such a
serious matter. It neglects things like this because of the inefficiency and undemocratic
make-up of its bureaucracy.
If every person were permitted one thousand yen, three billion yen will be required
for the three million repatriates which
are anticipated. This would be too great a sum to be met by the banks. Therefore,
it is evident that the government should
take some other financial procedure. The Government should establish its union policy
at any cost. The relief for our
repatriates as established by the Government is very negative, although I don't know
why "No funds" is the reason. Why can't
the Government get contributions from banks and companies?
Allied Headquarters has no objection to this relief work. Then, why can't the government
pay the necessary expense for the
relief work? (Letter from KAWAMURA, Takee in TOKYO, a banker of the SHOKIN Bank.)
ITEM 4 Severe Protest Against Despotism in The Japan Social Democratic Party - Yomiuri Hochi - 11 Dec 45. Translator: S. Fukuda.
Summary:
I am a member, though not active, of the Executive Central Committee of the Japanese
Social-Democratic party. I read in a
morning edition dated 5 Dec 1945 about the following. It stated that the Social-Democratic
party held a meeting of the
Executive Central Committee in the Lower House at 1300 of 4 Dec, notifying local branches
of its non-cooperative attitude
toward the communist party and its support of the Emperor system. A little later,
on the 6th, a formal notice of the meeting
reached me. I am not concerned about the refusal to co-operate with the Communists,
but I will protest against the committee's
attitude toward the Emperor System.
I too, am a member of the committee and am responsible for its decisions. I now quote
from the first half of the committee's
letter: "Our party's attitude toward the Emperor System - Our party's course is clearly
stated in "the basic attitude of the
Japanese Social-Democratic party toward the revision of the Constitution", a statement
made at the time when the party was
organized and then sent to all local branches.
Our party's attitude toward the Emperor System is this: "We shall endeavor only to
realize both democratization and
socialization under the system of the Emperor. That is to say, approval of the existence
of the Emperor System is to adopt the
theory that the power of the state is vested with the sovereign in accadance with
constitutional theory.
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EDITORIAL SERIES: 95 (Continued)
ITEM 4 (Continued)
We support the widespread reduction of the Emperor's prerogative according to democratic
principles, and the realizations of
democratization and socialization under the Emperor system."
I read sentences asking that proper measures he taken to inform their members of
the Social-Democratic party of the
significance of this letter. This made me think that opponents of these resolutions
by the committee would secede from the
party, or else, the committee must ascertain, in view of the conditions and regulations
of the party, whether our party's
important decisions bear resemblance to "Japanese socialization under the Emperor
system" (in Yomiuri Hochi, 13 November 1945)
as expressed by Minister of State-Without-Portfolio MATSUMOTO whose beliefs represent
the hopes and intentions of the majority
of present party members.
In my next three points, I ask for open answers to explain plainly the real circumstances
and regulations of the party.
Question 1. Has the standing Executive Central Committee the ability and authority
to notify every member of the Executive
Central Committee of decisions, and undertake by itself such grave decisions?
Question 2. Do members of the Japanese Social-Democratic party who oppose or disapprove
resolutions in question, whatever
their reasons for such opposition, lose their good standing as members?
Question 3. I know the present letter says the party's attitude toward the Emperor
system is defined in the fundamental
attitude of the Japanese Social-Democratic party toward the revision of the Constitution"
as declared at the party's
organization. But I wonder if, when, and where such a formal declaration was made.
At any rate, the only matter that was
formally decided on the problem of continuance of Emperor system took place at the
beginning of establishing general policies
and politics. "Constitutional democratization is in accordance with minds of the whole
nation. The entire decisions is
ridiculous. It is very regrettable that resolutions are made by the despotic actions
of a minor staff."
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