Press translations [Japan]. Editorial Series 0178, 1945-12-29.

Full Translation:

The gloomy aspects of the postwar situation have recently been deepened by the large increase in crimes. In TOKYO there were 23 murders during the four months after the war, while there were only nine murders from January [illegible]15 August. This month saw 16 burglaries during the early par[illegible]while 26 burglaries were committed in November. Lately, [illegible]glare have appeared and are increasing daily in number.

According to the report of the Metropolitan Police Office, these crimes are generally committed by amateurs or those not accustomed to such deeds, with the result that they commit murder when more robbery could be accomplished. This is suite re[illegible]rettable. It must be noted that these terrible crimes are not peculiar to the year's end as in the past. The crimes now prevailing come as the result of difficult existence combined with moral degeneracy, both promoted by the defeat. It is highly probable that such crimes will increase [illegible]ore and more unless some drastic measures are taken to relieve the people of their present privation.

The radical cure for this evil lies in an adequate supply of food and in the relief of the unemployed, etc. Together with this, however the prevention and extermination of crime must be considered. We find that all these emend upon the activity of the police. The present police are not gratifying the expectations of the people. The drop in the quality of policemen was often questioned during the war, and it is reported that the Home Office authorities are making great efforts to improve the situation. It must be kept in mind, however, that under the present circumstances the problem of quantity is no less important than that of quality, as far as the police are concerned. Since the increase in the number of policemen cannot be attained without the permission of the Allied Supreme Headquarters, the public peace must be maintained by the number authorized at the end of the war.

There are only 250 to 300 applications to the Metropolitan Police Office, while those retiring number 200 to 300 per month. This condition barely enables it to prese[illegible]the present number. Nevertheless, considered from the standpoint of training and efficiency it means a decrease in the number of qualified policemen. The cause contributing to the retirement of experienced policeman is, of course, their meager salary. Their suffering is demonstrated by the fact that a street-seller without licence in a certain resort was found to be a policeman. It cannot be denied that the abolition of the pension system made the matter worse. An increase of pay is most urgent in order to keep the present members at their posts and at the same time to induce competent new ones. Some other system which may be substituted for the abolished pension system must also be considered in order to stabilize their livelihood.

EDITORIAL SERIES: 178 (Continued)

ITEM 1 (Continued)

Furthermore, mobile equipment and weapons must be given to the police. The present circumstance in which they must hang to the sides of street cars on the way to the scene of crime, doesn't permit them to seize evidence. If they grapple unarmed with a gang of four burglars armed with pistols, they cannot enforce arrest. We earnestly desire that the police he furnished with automobiles, auto bicycles, and pistols. The G-Man system of the UNITED STATES should also be studied. For this purpose, however, police expenditures must he enlarged. The yearly expenditurs of the Metropolitan Police Office is 145 million yen, of which 85 per cent are personal expenses. Under these conditions, scientific crime detection cannot be expected.

Mr. KO[illegible]I, chief of the Police Bureau, said, "The police have lost self-confidence and determination because of the mistaken view that the [illegible]of the police is inconsistent with democracy." This is a very [illegible]table phenomenon. The police should be a strong influence in the maintenance of public peace in an unarmed. JAPAN. They should have their former pride restored.

Full Translation:

The poverty of Japanese politics is the inevitable product of feudalistic shaping during the MEIJI Resto[illegible]tion. Since the CHIMA Incident, as a result of which Japanese militarists and bureaucrats established themselves, Japanese political poverty has become so extreme that the general populace has fallen into letharay. That is the reason the ruling class in those days formed, various official political associations, such as the Imperial Rule Association, the Manhood Corns, the Imperial Rule Assistance Political Association, the Greater JAPAN Political Association, and the Imperial Rule Assistance Association. Thus the ruling class plotted to deceive the Nation into accepting their ambitious schemes. However, such efforts had no effect on the people who were already apathetic toward politics. In the meantime we lost the war.

This negative attitude of our people towards politics is largely responsible for the present prevailing mental collapse. Our people today are devoting themselves to solving their pressing difficulties by individual effort and not through politics. This inclination is now taking the form of economics struggle against soaring prices throughout the country. Labor unions are shouting for improved conditions and increased, wages, while each Individual is engaged in buying black market food. Under the present circumstances it is only natural that these conditions should prevail among the people, but we must not forget that present difficult conditions will not improve if we continue these practices.

Speaker SHIMADA of the Lower House, when received in audience by His Majesty on 19 December, said, "There are many indications that the people too much occupied with the food problem to be interested in the forthcoming general election."

To our regret, none of the statesmen, including Speaker SHIMADA, assume responsibility for having driven the Nation into its present lethargy. These politicians, holding the present situation to be inevitable and irreparable, are not only assuming the attitude of observers, but are even pouring oil on the flames. For example, in the enactment of the Labor Union Law, the objectives of the labor unions were limited to economics alone, and political and social movements were excepted. Labor unions made intermittent protests against this, all to no avail.

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EDITORIAL SERIES: 178 (Continued)

ITEM 2 (Continued)

A by-product of the public indifference to politics is the recent arrogant operations of burglars and murderers. It is customary for them to attack pedestrians and people in air-raid shelters who live under conditions as abject as these rogues. They apparently do not attack the privileged classes who live in opulence.

Needless to say, our resistance to the privileged, classes should not be violent, but the sight of us feeding on each other and groaning under the same burdens is unbearable.

In this way the general populance is being entrapped by the privileged classes. Who are unconcerned with the present plight. However desperate our diff[illegible]mlties may be, we should by no means resort to feeding on each [illegible]. While we are feeding on each other, those who are responsible [illegible]ruin are cunningly conniving to perpetuate their privileges at the [illegible]ifice of our welfare. It is high time we break down these feudal [illegible]ces end push ahead, else these powers undoubtedly will combine under a smoke screen and will be a hindrance to a democratic JAPAN.

It is in our political movements that we find the highest values. It is up to the postwar Japanese to eliminate the political poverty which accounts fundamentally for our present plight. Farmers should waste no time in forming associations and farmers' committees. Labor unions should solidify as soon as possible in different in different districts and occupations. The populace, as the large body of consumers, should reform and strengthen town association along democratic lines. Strengthening the associations is a primary recuisite for the farmers, laborers, and the consuming masses toward an awakening. In this way through politics our people should weather various hardships in produotion and consumption.

No delay should be tolerated. Starvation is imminent. Matters can no longer be entrusted to the care of incompetent Government officials or the privileged classes who will not take the initiative in the solution of these problems. Now is the time for us to break down our political poverty and pull ourselves out of the state of political Indifference. We are not doing our best to overcome this cirsis, we must start systematic action. Only by demonstrating a willingness to act will relief from a the rest of the world, be extended to us.

Full Translation:

1. To Mr. KIKUCHI, Kan

A great surprise hit me while listening to the round table discussions over the radio on the evening of 22 December on the subject "Who are the War Criminals?" I heard the name of Mr. KIKUCHI, Kan among the speakers. Is he really qualified to attend that discussion meeting and boldly name war criminals? During the war, all so[illegible]s of magazines published round table discussions encouraging the people's fighting spirit and Mr. KIKUCHI's name never failed to catch the readers' eyes. Further he was an important member of the JAPAM Movie Company, which with other companies in the same form of business produced deceitful propaganda and acted as a tool of the militarists. Beside these, he was a manager of the "The Literary Year" (BU[illegible]GEI SHUNJYU). "Aviation Culture" (KOKU [illegible]U[illegible]KA), and "Aviation Talk" (KOKU TAIDAK).

Among the speakers that evening wag also Mr. SHIGA, Yoshio, a leading member of the JAPAN Communist Party, who named Mr. KIKUCEI as a war

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EDITORIAL SERIES: 178 (Continued)

ITEM 3 (Continued)

criminal. What a queer sight to see these two figures sitting at the same table discussing the war criminals!

The duty of men of letters has become greater since the construction of cultural JAPAN has been brought up, but they lack modesty. The whole nation must bear the responsibility for the defeat. Where there is no recognition of individual responsibility, there is no advance in democracy. Awakened to such a responsibility a man then has the qualifications to inquire into who is a war criminal. There should be a clear distinction between the war criminals the people, condemn and those when the Allied Forces point out. Our enemies are the moral hyprocrites and over[illegible]ight liberals.

Letter from T.Y.

2. P[illegible]ing of retiring allowance.

Both my son and nephew who were working in the First Military Arsenal during the war were discharged at the end of the war. Each of them received as a retiring allowance a deposit bill for a three month term to be paid at the OJI branch office of the MITSUBISHI Bank. With the expiration of the term, they went to that branch office to be paid on 5 December, but they were refused because of a dir[illegible]cti[illegible]by the Finance Ministry. The reason was that the Government must obey the Allied directive ordering the suspension of the pensions and they were told, to wait until further notice.

Is the directive also meant to suspend the retirement allowance of workers whose working place happened by chance to be the military arsenal?

Facing the cold, winter and. hearing the approach of the New Year I was eagerly looking forward to pay day. This affair is not a problem concerning me alone. The same fate may be met by a war suffering artisan or by a female worker whose husband or brother has fallen at the front. Officials of the Government who are busy making up pretents for indimnitie for munitions companies, what will you do for us, the unemployed whose retirement allowance is a mere fraction compared with indimnities? I warn you that deep resentment will arise among the hundreds of unemployed if it is finally decided to leave the bill unpaid. This is my personal experience and I must end my letter by adding that there are a great many workers who share the same complaint with me.

Letter from YOSPIDA, Minoru

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