Press translations [Japan]. Editorial Series 0107, 1945-12-16.

Full Translation:

Since freedom of speech, publication, association and religion were guaranteed, many political parties and other cultural groups have successively come into existence. Politicians are hurrying to form political parties, openly or secretly, with the forthcoming general election in view. At present only three parties, namely the Progressive Party, the Liberal Party and Social Democratic Party have seats in the Diet, but already more than thirty parties hove declared themselves as newly formed political associations.

To speak summarily, the Liberal Party is a conservative one which supports a constitutional monarchy. The Social Democratic Party, as well as the Communist Party, stand for socialism. The latter Party has been a secret organization for the past several decades, only coming into legal being after our surrender. It may be that the Liberal Party is an intermediate party between the Progressive and Social Democratic Parties. As for other minor parties, they will come under one of the categories of the above three parties. The Progressive Party is nothing but the remanant of the two now-defunct SEIYU-KAI and MINSEI-KAI. It is widely known that the party, consisting of those House members elected during the tenure of the TOJO Cabinet by a precendent breaking government recommendation system, unconditionally supported the TOJO Cabinet policies. However, at present the party has a majority in the Diet and is most influential in political circles, thanks to its long history of political activities. Therefore, it is expected that the party will rank first in the forthcoming general election, high above the Liberal and Social Democratic Parties. If the old saying that we cannot fill an old bottle with new wine is true, the Progressive Party should be named "the Japanese Retrogression Party" and disappear from the political scene.

The Liberal Party seemed, at first, to enlighten the general public, as an ideology of orthodox liberalism, which attracted the attention of part of the bourgeois intelligentsia. However, to our regret, party leader HATOYAMA's speeches delivered at the inauguration ceremony of the party as well as in the Diet, reveal the party leaders ideologies still linger somewhere between conservatism and socialism, failing to come up to democracy as yet. Surely HATOYAMA spoke about liberalism and democracy on those occasions, and yet he seemed to lack understanding as to what the public and nation really want and to which trends they are inclining in idea. In short, he is, in political ideology, far from democratic.

Compared with these two leading (at least up to the present) Parties,

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the Social Democratic and Communist Parties were formed entirely on the basis of socialism. At present, we cannot foresee what record the two parties will show in the forthcoming election, but at least the Social Democratic Party wall lead other parties so long as democracy is encouraged in our country. Whether we like it or not, our political situation is believed to be inclined toward the hegemony of socialism. In order to encourage liberal and democratic tendencies more and more in this land, we must be entirely opposed to feudalism and despotism which have been hindrances to the development of liberalism and democracy for many years. For this, liberals and democrats need intrepid fighting spirits, not afraid of even a bloody revolution. Without any fight against feudalistic influences, the democratic construction of JAPAN could never be realized. Therefore, we are opposed to the Progressive Party which is a remnant of the feudalistic influence and the Liberal Party which is aiming at getting into power by compromise with the vested feudal interests.

Full Translation:

We are suffering from a shortage of medicines all over the country. Physicians cannot prescribe for patients. owing to the lack of medicines, many people die who could have been helped.

A miserable fact was reported as follows: Two sons suffered from diphtheria at the same time. Their parents could get only one dose of the serum, and so they had to decide which son was to be given the serum injection. One was helped, the other died. This winter, at a time of severe shortage of medicines, serious epidemics are expected to prevail because of the poor food and clothing situation.

Diphtheria has gradually increase since the winter of 1943 and now shows signs of great prevalence.

This winter we have small amounts of preventives and serum, so we cannot help but think of how many children will die from such diseases as typhus, paratyphbid, and abdominal typhus. Dysentery decreased at one time, but recently has been increasing again.

Influenza spread throughout EUROPE and AMERICA last year, but fortunately our country got rid of the disease. The kind of influenza known as "Soanish influenza" took ten million lives throughout the world at the end of the first world War.

If this type of influenza afflicts our defeated country, it will bring a greater calamity than the war brought. Since we are facing such conditions, even though the total amount of medicines is small, the Government should do its best to distribute the existing supply to the patients as quickly as possible.

ASHIDA, Minister of Welfare, made a speech in the Diet in which he said, "Our Army had medicines amounting to 12,000 truckloads and the Government will distribute it to civilians with permission of the Allied Powers." The total price of the medicines is more than 100,000,000 yen and the supply consists of 500,000 packages. A long time elapsed since this military medicine was declared for civilian use by the Minister. Nevertheless, the declaration has not yet been carried out. An amount of medicines valued at 100,000,000 yen is

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enough to meet the civilian demand for one year. It was valued at 300,000,000 yen a year in 1936. In 1941 it was valued at 400,000,000 yen. Out of this amount, 100,000,000 yen's worth was exported to CHINA and the southern countries and a considerable amount supplied the Army. Therefore, medicine worth 100,000,000 yen is sufficient to take care of this year's crisis.

The medicine is concealed in the mountains and in other places. The Government explains the delay in distribution as due to the difficulty in transportation or the lack of labor. If the distribution of the medicine is not easily understood, by the Supreme Command, we will blame the Government as being too uninterested to impress the Allied Powers. This should be not only a paper plan, but we also request that the Government distribute quickly the medicine to hospitals, physicians, end the sick,

The shortage of medicine is chiefly due to the shortage of coal and war damage to the medicine factories. Shortage of salt and other materials from the southern countries, on which our country depended, is also a cause for a shortage of medicine.

The production of synthetic medicines ceased with the stoppage of the steel, sulphuric acid, and alkali industries. Consequently, it is difficult to establish a fundamental policy for the increase in production of medicine.

However, a temporary policy to break the crisis of this winter should he considered. We have already mentioned that the Government should exert itself to obtain the military medicine with all possible speed. Second, the control of production and distribution of medicine should be expedited and the prices should be free from manipulation.

Regulations for the control of medicines are an obstacle to the production and distribution of medicine. On account of the poor control of the distribution, both patients and physicians cannot get a supply. The complex procedure for distribution causes delays for as long as six months or a year.

Physicians handling internal treatments are handicapped by the shortage of some medicines while surgeons and obstetricians have too much. The price of medicine should be established according to the present situation; otherwise, hoarding and black market dealing will result.

Becarbonate of soda will appear on the black market and the price of a dose of serum will rise to 100 yen, although the fixed price is one yen and thirty-five sen. The price of morphine hydrochloride will become 300 yen for five grams.

From the standpoint of the importance of medicine, its exclusive use by the rich and not by the poor must be avoided. To attain this objective, a specified price should be effectively established.

Geographical locations of medicine factories are: five at OSAKA, three at TOKKO, and two at other places. In TOKYO, 64 per cent of the factories were destoryed in the war, while in OSAKA only a few were destroyed. Therefore, some of the medicines in OSAKA should be transported to overcome the difficulty of packaging and distribution.

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Preferential assistance is necessary for the reconstruction of the destroyed factories so that medicines will be produced in greater quantities It is reported that the TOKYO Metropolitan Office will establish one or two distribution points in every ward of the war-devastated districts.

The distributing point is to provide various kinds of medicines. It will satisfy the needs of patients even at night.

Public association, social work organizations, and physicians' associations should be more active as regards policies for medical treatment. The Government, especially, should actively put some policy into effect, to safeguard the health of our people in this great crisis.

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