Press translations [Japan]. Editorial Series 0146, 1945-12-26.

Summary

Allied Headquarters has ordered the Government to enforce farm land reform in order to insure a democratic structure in Japanese farming communities. For ages the land problem has been an abstacle to Japanese agriculture. Much has been said about the matter in vain. Some people have insisted on the status quo. The ever rising tide of democracy throughout JAPAN today has eliminated the opposition of the status quo[illegible]groups to our great satisfaction. This must be considered as an advance for Japanese agriculture.

It cannot be denied that in our NIIGATA-Ken there still remain some lamentable vestiges of feudalism. These feudalistic vestiges in the farming villages of our country accounts for the power of the GUMBATSU and bureaucracy in the past. Accordingly, if our farming villages are to be made democratic, steps should be taken to uproot these vestiged. For this purpose we have stressed re-distribution of land along demo[illegible]ratic lines.

The present farm land reform is surely a revolution in the land system, frankly speaking, however, this only means that vent has been given to farmers pent-up desires for the creation of democratic farming villages. This bill is by no means the one for which tenant farmers have fought, but it is a present to those who have been practically in slavery, Democracy in the farming villages of JAPAN will be realized only through mere severe fights in the future.

It must be noted that the mere emergency of numerous[illegible]peasants with smell holdings doesn't mean the thorough democratization of farming villages, nor the solution of the food problem. Under the present agrarian conditions, who can say that number of tenant farmers have become independent, self-supplying peasants simply because lands measuring less than 1 Chobu have come into their possession? Feudalism still remains in our farming communities.

The present land reform came to farmers una[illegible]ps[illegible]tedly, It is in the future that the younger generations in farming villages are expected to fight for more.

Farmers of NIIGATA-Ken! It is up to you to understand clearly your position and the conditions surrounding you and to carry out a democratic revolution in the old feudalistic farming communities. Of course there are many problems before you [illegible]so far as agriculture is concerned, you should acquire all rights in your hands and construct autonomous villages in the true sense of the word.

In fastering independent, economically-established farmers, you have

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much to do; namely, learning better technique, mechanization, utilization of animal newer, reclamation of waste land, establishment of cultural institutions, as well as the amassing of farm land and improvement of the land.

These steps are considered essential for the complete democratization of Japanese farming communities. According]y, not only farmers but also all laborers in farming villages are expected to lend every effort for this grand achievement.

Full Translation:

Candidates are now fighting for Diet seats in every electoral district. The largo number of candidates may be considered a distinct feature of the forthcoming general election campaign. It cannot be denied that in the provincial constituencies the campaigns are confused because all the political party was established have but recently been established. The Communist Party, though it has a fairly long history, has only had a short period of preparation after gaining legality. Thus every party's unpreparedness for the electoral campaign has induced confusion in provinces.

Confusion of this kind may be inevitable in the process of reconstruction, and we have no idea or how to avoid it. To our regret, many of those considered war criminals are taking advantage of the newly revised Election Law, which is inconvenient for [illegible]vandidates, in order to maintain their clannish constituencies under cunning disguises. According to the International News service dispatch on 19 December, Supreme Headquarters intends to forbid any man who was a leader in the Imperial Rule Assistance Association, from registering as a candidate. We heartily agree with this, and hope, as we mentioned several times before, that any leading member of that Association and the several parties connected with it, such as the (YOKUSO) Imperial Rule Assistance Machoidasoeicty, Imperial Rule Assistance political Party. (YOKUSYI) and JAPAN Political Parts, will refrain from candidacy. Due to the fact that they have played such leading roles in the political fiel[illegible], their voluntary refusal to be candidates will exert a great influence on the people's minds, and he think it will inevitably accelerate their political awakening, At the same time this voluntary and conscientious behavior will atone for their political vices, and certainly hasten their rebirth.

In connection with the coming general election, we cannot refrain from looking back at the last election, which was, strictly controlled under the recommendation system supported by the Imperial Rule Assistance Association. At that time, striving to insure political power and taking advantage of JAPAN's victory in the beginning of the war, the TOJO Cabinet held the Imperial Rule Assistancy Political conference on 23 February, 70 days prior to the general election, and deliberated on plans for the election to de held on 30 April, 1942. The conference was attended by 33 persons including OASA, Tadao, OKADA, Tadahiko, KATSU, asan[illegible]ri, [illegible]Kotaro, TAKI, Masao, FUJIYAMA, Aiichiro, MAEDA, Yenezo, [illegible], Tatsunosuke, YUKI, Toyotaro, and YOKOYAMA, Sukenori. [illegible]for General ABE, Nobuyuki, and Lieutenant-General

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ANDO, Kisabur[illegible], who have both been arrested as suspected war criminalss all these men are stil[illegible]active behind the scenes, though not appearing in the limelight.

Many of these 33 are working in the back ground of the new [illegible]olitical parties now rapidly growing, By their support those connected with the Imperial Rule Assistance Association, Imperial Rule Assistance Manh[illegible]ed Association, and Imperial Rule Assistance Political Party are old enough to be candidates. They are eager to preserve their feudalistic powers by moans of money and fixed constituencies, under the pretext of asking the people's judg[illegible]ment in the election. Therefore, we, the mass of the people, should determinedly banish such candidates because they do not have enough good sense to voluntarily assume conscientious behavior regardless of how much we may advise them to abstain from dandidacy.

In the coming general election we are apprehensive of the trend of now voters, such as women or young men who generally speaking, have little political knowledge. Ignorant of political affairs, and of each candidate's political conduct in the past, they might be decoived by cunning political pretenses and fascinated by the fame of well known people. Therefore, we fear they might make mistakes when voting. The more guilty the [illegible]of the candidates, the more eagerly they will try to increase their in[illegible] [illegible]these now voters. This is the tendency we observe at present.

Considering these situations. we believe that political democratization would be greatly promoted, if we could expel such candidates, political careers were in some way connected with the war responsibility. Though the SHIDEHARA Cabinet's political power is actually too weak to be expected to war such candidates, we ardently hope that this movement may be realized through the exercise of authority by supreme Headquarters or by the people themselves

Full Translation:

Labor trouble, which was expected after the termination of the war, has now increased. According to statie[illegible], 41 strikes took place during last two months, with str[illegible] [illegible]above l6,000. This is an increase of four times the number of strikes and eighty times the number of strikers in comparison with the sight-month period before the termination of the war. No doubt it may be somewhat unjust to compare wartime with p[illegible]condition. It may be safely asserted that these figures do not ne[illegible] [illegible]arily show a [illegible]frequency of strikes when it is considered that JAPAN is [illegible] [illegible].

However, we need to pay more attention - to the a[illegible]ravatingttendencies, which are evidently caused by the edi[illegible]ination of the so-called ultra-nationalistic spirit in [illegible], as well as the encouragement of union movements in labor.

According to statistics, the causes of the prevailing strikes can be summed up as due to the deficiency of materials, high prices of

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commedities, unemployment, and so on. These facts show that living conditions of the working classes are totally unsatisfactory. Therefore, in most cases, it is not surprising that we have unrest on the part of employees.

As the Union movement becomes more and more active under the new Labor Union Law, a struggle to secure cue rights of labor is sure to assume more serious propertions. To this strung we shall be willing to offer whatever support is necessary. We must not forget that the situation confronting present-day JAPAN is, in a sense, far more critical than it was in wartime. However fair and just it may be to fight to safeguard the rights of labor, yet we must not fail to fulfill, not only individually but also collectively, the various responsibilities which are charged upon us as a result of defeat.

Take the reparations problem as an example and you will see how difficult it is to reconstruct our economy. There is no escape from this h[illegible]rdship which is sure to affect [illegible]workers seriously. In this sense, the demand to preserve the rights of labor cannot always be mot unconditionally. The development of a fair union movement must no doubt, be encouraged However, there is a limit to this Development. How can this restraint be consistent with a [illegible]ken movement?

One of the[illegible]eans to this and would be to place the management of business partially under workers' control. Of late, opinion prevails that such partioi[illegible]tion on the part of workers, in the field of management, serves as a check on economic strife and on the growth of a union movement. However, this opinion originates only a theoretical and vague sense. In short, the royal road to the democ[illegible]atization at our of our economy, is to establish a new organization which would be charged with the industrial responsibility to adjust the relations between labor and capital.

Full Translation:

The atrocities committed by the Nazi toughs and by the Japanese militarists are beyond description. We as a new and peace loving nation, should scrutinize this [illegible]Indifference to these evils in distant countries should be cende[illegible]. Their acts may be termed brutal, and there still remain a great [illegible] [illegible]of such brutes in JAPAN, who are trying their utmost to keep their [illegible]-doings secretly. Such vicious elements should be stamped out by own hands so that repetition of such evils may not [illegible]and so that we may be allowed to participate in the international [illegible]as a peaceful nation.

A golden o[illegible]has new presented itself to clear out such elements as the war [illegible]but a [illegible]effort in taking measures against these [illegible]is [illegible]by the Government's part. without this, international faith in our country could not be hoped for Mere [illegible]for our respectable tradition as peaceful nation would, be in[illegible]vain. The common feelings of all the nations of the world would be inclined not to let the Japanese eat even a grain if we let such brutes go unpunished.

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The Nazis have massacred millions of European people regardless of sex or age in a most cold-blooded manner. A report in the [illegible]FARHEN company investigation reveals that civilians were experimented on in testing poison gas. According to the written accusation against the Nazi leaders by the Allied Powers, numbers of innocent women and children were sacrificed in experiments by making women sterile, or used for research in uterine cancer, in scraping marrow or, in cutting muscles. Hunger, floggings and rape, were ordinary occurrences.

Many cases of violence in MANILA and NORTH CHINA by some of our troops have been of a very similar nature. Tens of thousands of cases in common with these brutal acts have been committed repeatedly in broad daylight. For instance, in a. forced march at the foot of Mt. FUJI two victims among the soldiers in a certain regiment were reported, soldiers were beaten on their heads with shovels in a district regiment. Many relatives of ours have suffered from such evils by the militarists who, in their arrogance, thought our beloved fathers, husbands, sons and brothers were animals. The barbarous acts inflicted upon pacifists, scientists, and rationalists by the assistants of the militarists and special police are more than mere fables.

KOBAYASHI, Takiji, a writer, recently described a dead body covered with bruises. Are the people to be unmoved by such atrocity? The eases of infringement upon our fellow countrymen's rights were too numerous to be mentioned. we must at the first opportunity sweep away these cold-blooded elements - the sooner the better. By this time the emaciated American war prisoners back home are presumably telling of their sufferings in the prisons in JAPAN to the people there. The American people who hear this must hate the Japanese as brutes. Seeing is believing. They must now[illegible]saying also, "No helping hand should be offered these brutal Japanese who mistreated our loved ones." It is most foolish to let such brutes, as well as the war criminals, alone. In doing so, the disclosures of the atrocities will be made just at the time when the other nations' hatred toward JAPAN has been pacified. The earlier we sweep away the brutes the earlier the time will come when JAPAN will [illegible] [illegible]ceful atmosphere of the world. We must carry out this step to gain trust-worthiness as a peaceful JAPAN.

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