Press translations [Japan]. Editorial Series 0171, 1945-12-28.

Full Translation:

Having read the evening edition of your paper dated 16 December, I have the honor, as a Chinese born in FORMOSA, to report to you our actual situation as well as my recognition of the misdeeds of some Chinese born in FORMOSA. We have no kinship with Japanese, and 99 out of a 100 of us are unmarried. Therefore we can get no support from Japanese farmers, and take meals in chop houses. We have to overcome the shortage of food by buying potatoes and other food at high prices in street stalls. This expense amounts to at least 400 yen a month. We have, however, no means to cover these expenses, for the Japanese do not employ us for fear of revenge. Having sold all our property, we are now coming to a crisis because of malnutrition.

I think the Japanese Government should fulfill its duty of returning us to FORMOSA, and of assuring us of livelihood until that day, if it has recognized the error of its policy in CHINA, which it has already admitted. Letter from (WU Hung).

In reply to the editorial in your paper dated 16 December, I have the honor, as one of the people of CHINA, to state that the military clique and the ZAIBATSU of JAPAN deceived the Chinese, brought them forcibly to JAPAN, and treated them inhumanly like horses or oxen. The misconduct of Koreans and Chinese must, of course, change, but a wicked Japanese cheated a friend of mine out of his savings, and when he complained to the police office, the officials treated him very coldly.

Furthermore, a thing that provokes the people of CHUNGHWA-MINKUO (TN: Chinese word for CHINA) is the word SHINA (TN: Japanese word for CHINA). There is no country called SHINA in the world. Why do the Japanese say SHINA instead of CHUNGHWA-MINKUO? This is due to a remanent of traditional Japanese ideas of contempt and aggression against the Chinese. After the ending of the war, the Japanese Government said that the policy for CHINA had been changed and that Prince KONOE was being sent to CHINA to apologize for the error made by JAPAN during the war. Nevertheless, all the famous people, the Government authorities, newspapers and all other periodicals are still using the word SHINA. They may say that they use the word from mere habit and therefore there is no meaning of contempt in it, but I demand that they take greater pains to understand CHUNGHWA-MINKUO and her people. "CHUNGHYA-MINIKUO has the pride and glory of a great power, and adopts no narrow retaliatory measures" according to CHIANG, Kai-Shek. (Letter from Citizen of CHUNGHWA-MINKUO).

EDITORIAL SERIES: 171 (Continued)

Full Translation:

I

There are many things that we want to buy at street stalls, but we must walk about the streets to find stalls where things are cheap. Can a man, who is living on a salary of about 100 or 200 yen, pay ten yen without difficulty for an item? Most of those who walk about the stalls are the workers, for people of the higher classes have no need to go to stalls to buy goods.

Stall proprietors are also proletarians. They get food at some producing district and sell it at small profit while sitting on a mat on the street. When we see a women with a child in her arms or an old women among the stall keepers, we cannot help thinking that they sell things only to live. Both the sellers and the buyers are proletarians. These poor people are contending with each other for money. The complaint against the inadequate quantity of food has changed to one of protest against high prices. They are driven to despair and spend money thinking tomorrow is another day. I want to appeal to our people's conscience. Is political power unable to rescue the people of the lower classes from the present state?

(Letter from KANAYA, Toyoji, a student in TOKYO)

II

Since the control over prices was abolished, markets are always jammed with people. We can get anything we want, but how high the prices are!. We salaried men cannot buy anything at such high prices. Anticipation by the authorities, that commodities would come out more naturally and that prices would also come down, if the control were abolished, was erroneous. We are different from tho[illegible]e who are rich. We have no money. We cannot get good. Hunger, no fuel, the severe winter, and difficulties are lying before us.

A wild wind is blowing in our heart now that the chill winter wind is blowing outdoors. We find people dying from hunger hare and there.

JAPAN is now facing a crisis.

(Letter from KATO, Hiroshi, clerk of a Company in KANAGAWA)

III

"Go away if you have not a great deal of money!" "Buy generously. You, old one, you won't be able to go to heaven if you are stingy." "Look there. A women in a jeep is laughing." These were the words I heard at a market when I asked a greengrocer the price of a radish and hesitated to buy it. As Miss ROKUDA, Kyoko said in this column on the 15th, we old ones who live on a small pension, will have no other way than to die when the grant is suspended.

LLetter from ITO, Masa, TOKYO)

IV

The life of those of the intellectual class is as hard now that the war is over as it was in pre-war days. Those who work hard always tread a thorny path, while an easy way is opened before the dishonest ones. The writer wants to buy one kamme of sweet potatoes rather than a pile of oranges if both of them cost ten yen. Even an 100 yen note will buy nothing more for us than one bag of sweet

- 2 -

EDITORIAL SERIES: 171 (Continued)

ITEM 2 (Continued)

potatoes. We cannot even buy a salmon with it, to say nothing of rice.

Thus, the life of those of the intellectual class becomes harder, and there remains no other way for then than to depend upon salvation by grace in the shape of the change to the new yen currency, the property tax, the war profit tax and the fall of prices.

(Letter from KOMICHI, Shokichi, Clerk of a Company in GUNMA)

Full Translation:

Mr. ISHIKAWA, Tatsuzo, emphasized the necessity of birth control in this column on 20 December. We, who regard birth control as a kind of massacre of human beings, feel very much opposed to his arguments. They say the density of population in our country vas 145 persons to a square mile before the war, but now it is 205 persons. They say the misery of defeat penetrates our minds more and more, and the present generation can hardly bear the difficulties of living. Are these reasons enough to advocate birth control? Never! It is a shame to practice such racial suicide because our country remains a modern civilization, even if defeated.

The problem of food, housing, unemployment, the people's welfare, etc are the more grave because they are threatening the existence of our race rather than us, the present generation. Is there any parent who kills his children to prolong his own life? We could never admit such selfishness in order to enjoy our present lives at the [illegible]ost of posterity.

Mr. ISHIKAWA goes so far as to say that the aim of increased population will admit the necessity for invasion of foreign countries, but I agree with Welfare Minister ASHIDA's reply. Having sacrificed a great many young men during the last ten years of violence and war, JAPAN's population has changed its figure from a pyramidal shape into a gourd shape; that is, her population chiefly consists of the old and children, and she has now a small number of young men. Accordingly, there is no fear of excess population in the future; on the contrary, it may be reduced temporarily. Mr. ISHIKAWA seems to take none of this into consideration when he advocates birth control. He argues that it is too much of a burden for housewives to bring up their children and that this excess burden might lead their homes and all society to eventual destruction. Why, then, cannot mothers' freedom or emancipation and the upbringing of their children be coexistent?

Indeed, his opinion which aims to maintain both the existence and the culture of our rac[illegible]by birth control can be said to be mistaken. Of course, it is true that all the people want to have some leisure after the war, yet we do not approve of self-enjoyment at the sacrifice of our posterity. (A letter from TAKADA, Kazuo in MEGURO)

(B) A Word from a Mother's Standpoint.

On reading Mr. ISHIKAWA[illegible]s "Birth Control and Women's Culture," I am going to express my own real situation and my hopes from the standpoint of a mother who has four children of two, four, six, and eight years. As Mr. ISEIKAWA says, the awakened women will resort

- 3 -

EDITORIAL SERIES: 171 (Continued)

ITEM 3 (Continued)

to birth control, whether it is legally acknowledged or not. If it is not, the illegal practice of it causes much misery to the people and makes them unhappy. I am convinced through my experiences that aside from the upper class, of people, who have enough help and resources, a mother cannot bring up more than four children in these days when she must work so hard and worry about provisions and the care of her children. Four children is still too many for a mother who loves them with all her heart and is conscious of her duty to bring them up to be honorable citizens in cur society. I believe it is a mother's duty to rear only as many children as she can afford to raise without neglecting any of them.

All the Japanese, mothers must be saved from the unnecessary excessive labor of delivery and upbringing of their children. Japanese mothers who eagerly want to improve themselves culturally yet can find no time to do so are miserable. I often regard myself with endless pity when at the end of the day I want to read something but full asleep from fatigue.

Without birth control mothers can never be elevated though I admit some evils are caused by it. I want to bring up good children on this limited land, and it is not quantity but quality that is required today. The low culture of the mothers who have been hitherto encouraged "to be fruitful and multiply" is a sad gift of militarism. Of course, I do not hate the trouble of bringing up children, and I insist that those who can afford to rear many children should have more than those who cannot afford to. On the contrary, however, those who can afford to have children want birth control, and those who cannot afford to have children lack the knowledge of it. The Government must incorporate birth control into one of its policies, put it into practice correctly, and instruct the poor. I, a fatigued mother, am very grateful for Mr. ISHIKAWA's kind opinion. (A letter from MATSUMOTO, Chiyoko in SETAGAYA)

DISTRIBUTION "X"

- 4 -