Press translations [Japan]. Editorial Series 0138, 1945-12-23.

Summary:

In the Lower House on 11 December, the premier, in answer to the interpellation as to whether or not the Government has the intention of abolishing the Foreign Office, declared that he has no such intention. He said that the tasks concerning liaison and the evacuation of compatriots from abroad are business enough. Moreover, the suspension of the function of diplomatic negotiations is temporary, so that in consequence the cultivation of diplomats is a very necessary thing.

But so long diplomatic negotiations are suspended, there can be no excus[illegible]for maintaining the Foreign Office. The Central Liaison Office not has the duties of [illegible]iaison and of returning compatriots. In addition, the term of occupation by the Allied Army will be long and we cannot continue feeding a great number of idle parasitic diplomats.

Diplomacy is not a technique. The diplomats [illegible]insight, and made no effort to avoid war. Having driven JAPAN [illegible]the present situation, they are responsible. Therefore, it is impossible for us to entrain. JAPAN'S new mission to these people. Abolish the Foreign Office. Strengthen the central Liaison Office, find the problem will be solved.

The unreasonable fired prices on vegetables have been removed and they are now on the market again. But the price is too high - it takes almost all one's salary to buy only vegetables. The distinction between who can eat and who cannot has become very clear.

KAWAI, the Vice-minister of Agriculture and Forestry, was surprised at this condition - and investigated the distribution from the Central Market in TSUKIJI to the neighborhood Associations. He found that some of retail dealers have received as high as a sixty per cent commission. It is reported that the vice-minister recognized that we cannot realize the true conditions by following only a paper plan, His plan on paper provides that the market dealers make a profit of five per cent of the cost price and the retailers make a thirty per cent profit. Consequently the cost price plus this thirty five per cent will be the consumer's purchasing price.

when this plant was announced we pointed out in this column that our

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people might be cheated by bad dealers. The authorities should also regulate the prices in the Neighborhood Associations, and they seem to have considered this point in their desk plan. The vice-minister stated that if dishonest dealers had an inclination to make illegal profits he intended to inaugurate special market controls.

Judging from this statement no effective policy for the system seems likely to be put into effect. It is inevitable, sometimes, that an unexpected development brings to light a defect in the paper plan, but if a previously determined idea should shownup as a defect of the paper plan it is not the defect that is at fault but the entire plan. Sometimes, the authorities clai[illegible]that even after their plans are enforced, they themselves have discovered their defects.

Summary:

OYA, Nobuhiko, a Critic, says: People are now thinking of JAPAN's reconstruction, each advocating his own opinion, but we cannot help feeling that personal gain or benefit motivates many of these opinions. We wonder if they have taken into consideration, at all, "the revere reality of JAPAN's defeat," which is the basic condition for reconstructing a new JAPAN.

Only for the convenience of the Allied Forces in governing JAPAN, that is, for purposes of controlling this ruined land and hungry people, is old JAPAN still allowed to exist in outward appearance, in spite of its collapse as a state. We must never allow members of former political parties to take advantage of this political residue.

The rebuilding of JAPAN should be the task off a new, legitimate government, acknowledged by the people, and not the task of the present Government, whose duty should, for the present, be limited to stabilizing the people's livelihood, solving the problem of unemployment, and cleaning away the vestiges of the old regime.

Then, after the elimination of the old regime, JAPAN'S reconstruction should be started first, by organizing and disciplining the people themselves. Among bureaucrats, Diet members, and ZAIBATSU, who remain from the old regime, there are too many speculators whose plans are only those of political opportunists. JAPAN's now construction must never be the object of their profit or speculation.

SUEKI, Yasuzo, a clerk says: when I attended a meeting on the democratic movement, held by a certain political party the other day, I was discouraged by the small audience. Lecturersshutit that people are now being driver toe hard, and that policy hereafter should be of the people's own making. Yet those lecturers belong to a class having much leisure and no worries. Democracy must be "of the people by the people, and for the people," and should not be the monopoly of

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scholars and politicians.

<tab/>NAGAO, Takeo, a student says: We have recently gained freedom of speech Is it not the Japanese national character to be fic[illegible]and frivolous, quick to echo other people's views proudly? Can we find any intelligence in such a characteristic? Can a great and sound spirit of Re-building JAPAN be nurtured in such a tumultuous society? A Japanese proverb says "One dog barks a false alarm and a thousand others take up the cry." This is due to a fault in our national character. We recognize that the present adversity of our Ration originated in this weakness, and we must prepare for a new start in the future.

Full Translation:

In the forth-coming general election the public concern will be centered around the question: "will ex-members of the Diet run for re-election and will they be successful candidates? Those Diet politicians are decidedly responsible for having suppressed the Legislature during the war years, end some of them were puppets of the militarists and bureaucrats while others harbored reactionary sentiments. As Members of the old Diet they have failed to protect the rights of that legislative body through either their inactivity or incompetence.

On this account, almost the entire nation desired their resignation, but only a few of them were courageous enough to resign. The Majority of them, under cover of the ambiguous resolution for war responsibility, were impudent enought to stick to their positions until the Diet was dissolved, to the disgust of the General public. In case such politicians dare attempt to reappear in the Diet as member, it would only reveal that their moral sense of responsibility is paralyzed. Yet will they abandon their intentions for re-election?

For them to succeed in this attempt would be nothing short of approval by the public for the past evils of the old Diet. This would be tantamount to the denial of the Diet system, which is non-recognition of Democracy. This would surely bring ruin to us. Despite this fact will the public let these politicians have their own way? To be sure, the politicians may say that instead of retiring, they prefer a positive means of contributing to the good of the country, but this would be morally unpardonable on their part. The retirement of such politicians leads to the emergence of new, fresh politicians which will give new life to our political system. For the construction of a new age a rejuvenated Diet is needed. Some Technical clumsiness in the management of Diet affairs cannot be avoided, but we believe lack of tact may be preferable in the present crisis.

We believe, therefore, that the politicians of the old regime must refrain from such ambitious attempts as running for re-election. This

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is the only way of assuming responsibility for their past conduct and it will also pave the way for democracy in the new Diet.

Full Translation:

The present government has stated that it will strictly refrain from interference in the election campaign. All Diet dissolutions in the past sixteen general elections were held for the purpose of confirming popular support of the cabinets which had dissolved the-Diet, and the 21st general election was held for the same purpose, however, the next general election will be quite different from whose held in the past and should testify as to what sort of constitution and Government the pe[illegible]people want to have. All of today's parties are upholding democracy as their ideal. However, there are many kinds of democracy, capitalist socialistic and communistic and the real outcome of the coming general election is dependent upon the peoples' selection of some kind of democracy.

The most important of the matters to be settled in the election is that of the Emperor System and that of the constitution. Although the general election repeatedly will be held for the purpose of revising the constitution, there must be some other kind of popular voting for establishing a new constitution. Both the Progressive and the Liberal Parties are capitalistic and positively advocate the continuance of the Emperor System. Today, we find no importance in merely advocating the System but rather in providing some kind of Emperor system in the Constitution. Both of them equivocally advocate parliamentarians under the Emperor's reign. The Social-Democratic party is also conservative in this regard and is resistent neither on the sovereignty of the Emperor nor on popular sovereignty. In short, they insist that the larger portion of the sovereign power belongs to the Diet - a democratized Emperor system. They also made clear that they would follow the general will of the people in whatever kind of democracy they might choose in the general election. They seem to want to liberalize the Constitution and want to put the initiative in the hands of the Diet.

The Liberal party which was established in 1891 was influenced by French political thought and wars more radical than the social-Democratic Party of today. They held that sovereignty belongs irrevocably in the hands of the people. The RISSHISHA, the forerun of the old Liberal Party, once drafted a Constitution in which they stipulated that the legislative power, the rights to declare war and negotiate peace, should be with the Diet.

The old Progressive Party established soon after the liberal Party had a British character and emphasized that sovereignty should remain in the Diet, between the Emperor and the people, where the wills of the Emperor and the people might be concentrated. They were almost of the same opinion as the present Social-Democratic Party, but were

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not socialistic.

The Imperialist Party was politically of Prussian origin and their was the theory of the divine right of kings. The present Constitution is based on principles similar to those. "The crisis of revolution" has been heard often in the past and the revolution of today is the result of surrender. We must clarify the general will of the people for democracy with regard to the settlement of the Emperor System.

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