Press translations [Japan]. Editorial Series 0133, 1945-12-20.
Date20 December, 1945
translation numbereditorial-0429
call numberDS801 .S82
Persistent Identifier
EDITORIAL SERIES: 133
ITEM 1 (a) Proposal to Improve the Condition of Teachers (b) Corrupted Teachers - Tokyo Shimbun - 18 Dec 45. Translator: K. Sato.
Full Translation:
I would like to say a word about a plan for increasing the pay of government officials,
since I am one of those connected with
elementary education. Although it is absolutely prohibited for us to make undue profits
as is done in business, we are still
human beings. Hitherto, we have been told repeatedly by senior officials, "You educators
should not consider salaries, instead
be silently contented with your honorable profession". However, under the present
stringent state of offairs it is impossible
for us to remove ourselves from our economic problem. For instance, there is a teacher
who, at the age of 33 or 34, has a
family to feed and receives a salary of about 60 yen a month. To live and carry out
our work at this wage is miserable. Under
these circumstances, have the authorities no intention, to improve and to classify
the existing salary-system into several
grades, and to increase the rate of pay raises especially in favour of low-salaried
people?
Moreover, I believe that those who have families to support are worse off than those
who are single. Aren't the authorities
going to increase the family allowance? Isn't it true that if you consider everyone
equally the old state of offairs will
prevail? Besides, if a bones is to be given, it should not be based on the standard
of salary, but rather distributed
according to each individual's endeavour. I would like to hear the opinion of the
Minister of Education about this.
(Letter from MAYUMI)
The evacuation of schoolchildren which has estended over a year is almost completed.
I express my sincere gratitude to the
authorities concerned as a parent. However, I deeply regret that there have been many
mistakes in the undertaking. My second
son went to HIRAOKA, Mura, SHIMOTAKAI-Bun, NAGANO Ken, and when I visited him once,
he was utterly depressed, in spirits and
his physical strength had declined to such a degree that I could hardly recognize
him. In contrast to my belief that this was
solely due to the lack of ample food allotments on the part of the prefectural authorities,
I heard several things from a
domitory-mother who came back the other day: "As the date of evacuation drew near,
the teachers carried the charcoal supply to
farmers' houses every day, and exchanged it for apples, wheat, etc. Thus depriving
the children in order to send it to their
own homes. In addition, a strawbag full of preserved rice left over by stinting on
the children's rations and a box of canned
goods disappeared in a single night." She asserted with resentment, "I have worked
a long time for the children's sakes but I
cannot help being vexed to think that I have been a cat's paw of those immoral people."
Listening to the story I can only remember the circumstances of my visit to my child;
just as the words of the proverb: "Where
there's smoke, there's fire." This state of affairs is far graver than the
EDITORIAL SERIES: 133 (Continued)
ITEM 1 (Continued)
problem of the returning soldiers. An earnest appeal must be made by schoolgirls
who solicit the relief fund for the war raid
orphans.
(Letter from one of the parents)
ITEM 2 "Economic Policy of each Party is meager" - Nippon Sangyo Keizai - 19 Dec 45. Translator: H. Furukawa.
Full Translation:
The House of Representatives was dissolved on Tuesday and consequently a general
election is to be held on or about 24 January
of next year. Of course we cannot expect the House of Representatives to be thoroughly
reconstituted so as to provide for the
democratic construction of JAPAN in one election. However we must direct our attention
to the coming election in which members
who co-operated in the prosecution of war will be forced to come up for election again.
The results of it can be expected to
show the future of each political party.
Accordingly it is natural that all the political parties, Progressive, Liberal, Social-Democratic,
Communist and Co-operative
intend to concentrate upon electioneering a month or more before the general election.
Each party, Progressive, Liberal and
Social Democratic, not to mention Communist, cannot be completely assured of success.
However, they can be expected to
participate in the new government by holding a balance of power. As a result of this
view, each party seems to put stress upon
the so-called election campaign, which means the art of holding their long-established
constituency or encroaching upon the
others, rather than propagandizing their platforms.
It cannot be denied that each party has a very poor platform, especially as to economic
policy. As a matter of fact much
difficulty lies in the way of reconstructing a peaceful economy, since our country
has been defeated. On the one hand a
fundamental policy is required for this purpose and on the other hand, emergency measures
must be adopted to cope with the
urgent situation. However, in view of the fact that this matter is of great importance
and entails difficulty, each party
should contend with one another, clearly announcing their platform as to economic
policy.
All parties, Progressive, Liberal, Social-Democratic and Communist, assert an economic
policy to some extent. All of them are
modeled along democratic lines, but few of them can win the sympathy of the people
or can be a guide to the economic
reconstruction of new JAPAN. Setting aside the fact that the Communists have no substantial
program, except that of the
abolition of the Emperor System, and that of the advocacy of economic policies which
are a mere array of communist theories
based on formulism, all the other parties have no economic policy by which they can
be expressly characterized.
All of their platforms are abstract and empty or a mere array of problems. Moreover,
the important problems such as that of
the creation of the property and war profit tax or of land reform have been previously
suggested to be put into effect by the
Allied directive. A policy for the curtailment of finances is now being studied more
concretely by the Government. The
parties, encluding the Social-Democrats, cannot attract the peoples' attention with
a new policy, since it is not too much to
say that the parties lag behind the people in this regard. The people will have difficulty
in electing a member of the House
who can truly represent the peoples' will on economic policy. At the very most, the
platform of each party is abstract and
empty on a fundamental policy and is no more than an array of problems on emergency
measures.
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EDITORIAL SERIES: 133 (Continued)
ITEM 2 (Continued)
The meagerness of the economic policy of the political parties is directly attributable
to the fact that the parties lack able
men and firm organization. The party men themselves study the economic problems sincerely
and steadily and learn from
practical men as well as scholars. However, the party organizations such as the political
affairs investigation committee
should be established firmly as the central organ of the party, and not as a temporary
expedient. If the present condition of
the parties continues, party men will always be led by bureaucrats, who are now watching
for an opportunity to restore their
former influence. Thus, in effect, the bureaucrats will again become the leading influence
in political circles. Now that the
parties or party men can make the most of statistics and materials which were monopolized
by the bureaucrats in wartime, it
must be possible for parties to establish firmly an economic policy suitable to actual
conditions.
On the other hand, each party should firmly hold its own policy or views without
following the fashions of the day. The
platforms announced by each party make us feel that they were adopted out of an opportunistic
choice. Although it is
inevitable that a party has its ups and downs, a party whose policy drifts with the
current will not be able to be a broad
party. The similarity of policies among the Progressive, Liberal and Social-Democratic
parties is due to their opportunism.
The problems which interest the people most are those on daily life and economics.
Bach party, which appears in the general
election, should acquire the people's confidence by presenting a confident economic
program.
ITEM 3 Sweep Plans Away - Tokyo Shimbun - l9 Dec 45. Translator: I Hotta.
Full Translation:
We have discovered during the war the fact that theory can not be adapted in real
circumstances. It is easy to formulate a
plan. Those officials who think their work is done and they have discharged their
duty when such a plan is made, have done
harm to our country. Why hasn't this evil custom been swept away now that the war
is over?
As the shortage of Coal became more serious, the Government seems to have taken various
counter-measures for it. A Board of
coal has been established, wages and supply of food for the coal miners have been
raised, an employment order has been
arranged, and machines and materials are to be distributed conveniently to the miners.
If these plans are put into practice
and the miners employed, the output of coal will rapidly increase in spite of the
bad conditions caused by the disordered
condition of mining during the war. But how about the real circumstances?
The establishment of the Board of Coal and the appointment of high officials were
indeed realized, but the other plans are
nothing more than what we call theorelical plans and moot of them have not been put
into practice. It is rumored that the
contradiction between a desk plan and real circumstances have resulted in the frequent
flights of the miners from the coal
mines. It is very natural, therefore, that Allied Headquarters demands of the Japanese
Government a serious examination of the
problem, and orders that counter-measures be taken as soon as possible.
The habit of formulating desk plans is not limited only to the coal problem. Are
those plans for cultivating the land or
construction of
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EDITORIAL SERIES: 133 (Continued)
ITEM 3 (Continued)
dams capable of realization? A picture of a rice sake cannot satisfy a man. The evil
custom of the officials, who think that
their work is done when they make a more desk plan must be swept away at this time.
ITEM 4 Rejuvenation of Libraries - Tokyo Shimbun - I9 Dec 45. Translator: Y. A. Suzuki.
Full Translation:
Since we have the rights of woman suffrage, it is a pressing matter to raise the
standard of our culture. But, we cannot
accomplish our purpose as long as the libraries are in such a poor condition. Municipal
libraries should be improved and
should be opened on Sundays and at least until 1930 during weekdays. I desire that
the authorities aid in enhancing the
people's political senses and satisfy their thirst for knowledge. (From HIRABAYASHI,
Taiko.)
(Answer from the TOKYO Central Library.)
At present, there are only two libraries, the KYO BASHI and the SURUGADAI. We know
it is inconvenient for those who want to
study so we are formulating a large systematic plan to enable people to study in earnest.
If those who especially want to
study would consult with either library, they would be given special attention. Shortage
of fuel makes it difficult to keep
the libraries open at night, but we are trying our best, at present, to meet your
wishes.
(From the Head Librarian of Central Library.)
DISTRIBUTION "X"
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