Press translations [Japan]. Editorial Series 0222, 1946-01-09.
Date9 January, 1946
RepositoryRauner Special Collections Library, Dartmouth College.
Call Numbereditorial-0694
Call NumberDS801 .S82
Persistent Identifier
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EDITORIAL SERIES: 222
ITEM 1 (A) On the Character of the Coal Miners (B) We refuse to participate in a Special
Attack Corps (C)
We require Labor Service by the Youth - Asahi Shimbun - 8 Jan 46. Translator: I. Kuniko.
Full Translation:
There are, in the present coal shortage, such causes as the shortage of labor, food,
and materials and the riots of the
Chinese and Korean miners. However, even if these problems were solved, coal production
could not be expected to be favorable.
There is the problem of the bad miners. Those who have been looked down upon by the
people are now lawlessly rampant, are
causing disorders and are unable, to understand the true meaning of liberalism and
democracy. Furthermore there is the
sabotage of the workers supposedly caused by the food shortage.
This is a major factor in the coal shortage, they sometimes instigate their partners
to resist their leaders, or on the
pretext of the food shortage they stay in the mine for only four or five hours a day.
Some of them actually work for two or
three hours, and others do not work at all. Meanwhile the coal mine operators have
not considered any measures, because they
fear that their measures in this predominant age of workers may be criticized as capitalistic
oppression. They fear that they
may bring on the blame of society or that if the miners go on strike, coal production
will be greatly decreased.
The treatment of the good and honest miners must be improved, but those wicked miners,
who have brought disorder and sabotage
to the coal mines, should be properly punished through social justice. The employers
must be expected to boldly dismiss the
bad workers. At the same time the Nation must also encourage the powerless employers
and make every effort to awaken the
wicked ones. Their discharge is liable to be mistaken as an oppression of the workers,
but this is the right of the good
workers.
(OHKUCHI, Hiroshi, a coal mine expert, HOKKAIDO)
Nothing but an increase of miners has been considered as a measure against the coal
shortage. We coal workers hope that more
scientific measures will be taken. Specially, since the period from now to March,
is a point of gas explosions, drastic
measures should be taken.
A large number of people seem to think that coal is still being dug by shovels or
pickaxes. However, a modern mine requires
mechanically powered coal diggers, such as cutters or picks, and delicate gas measuring
apparatus. The coal mines are not at
all like hell. They are factories. Machines play an important part. The people do
not to realize how important we are with the
broken machines. These machines and the mine interiors, which had been ruined during
the war, must be repaired or adjusted as
rapidly as possible.
EDITORIAL SERIES: 222 (Continued)
ITEM 1 (Continued)
What we eagerly want are such tools [illegible]veying instruments, anemometers, and gas measuring apparatus.
Gas measuring apparatus is especially indispensable in our daily digging. In the present
gas explosion season, it is the staff
of life. A skilled worker should not enter a mine without it. Over half of these staffs
of life in every mine are broken or
are not used due to the shortage of dry batteries. If these broken instruments are
repaired and gas measuring apparatus are
used, [illegible]an increase in coal production may be anticipated. We shall flatly refuse to participate
in
a special attack suicide corps in the coal mines.
(YAMAZAKI, Eiichi)
If more laborers are required to overcome the coal shortage, it may be vice to call
the youth of the Nation from 18 to 20
irrespective of class, and have them dig coal for a year or two. This should be carried
out as their labor service. In such a
way, the Government can lighten the national expenditure for wages, and the young
people will not only gain sound minds by the
collective training, but the unemployment overflowing in the great cities will , to
some extent, be relieved. However, when
the Government takes change of them, it should absolutely avoid such military training
as in the HITLER Jugend.
There are many difficult tasks the reconstruction of a new JAPAN. Accordingly, it
is not improper to require labor service of
the youth, who are free from military service, not only in digging coal but also in
any other national tasks. The young men
should voluntarily participate in such labor service to train their bodice and minds
for the new age.
(TAMAURA, Yoshijiro)
ITEM 2 "Each Party should Co-corporate in Solving Problems’ - Yomiuri Hochi - 8 Jan
46. Translator: R.
Fu[illegible].
Full Translation:
Shocked by the "purge" directive, the SHIDEHARA Cabinet is struggling for survival
by attempting reorganization at the last
moment. The reorganization of the Cabinet, however, is most difficult in view of the
present critical situation, and it should
never be allowed, even if it is possible.
This powerless and reactionary Government should be overthrown at once. Meanwhile,
we see a shameful attempt to establish a
coalition Government by those who expect the collapse of the present Cabinet. At this
time when the life of the people is on
the bri[illegible]of ruin such political dealings in the dark should be crushed by the peoples own hands.
But how is it possible to crush those dealings? This is the most important question
on which the people should concentrate all
their political influence in the present critical situation, This is the first step
for the people to take in solving the
present crisis by themselves. To be sure, the political attack of the people or the
formation of revolutionary groups lags far
behind the speedy advance of the "MacARTHUR Revolution".
It cannot be denied, to our regret, that the power of the people is very weak. We
must not, however, neglect the ugly conduct,
and plots of the reactionary influences due to the weaknesses of the people's power.
In this critical situation, effective
means should be looked for, and we believe it to be possible.
The present crisis in JAPAN demands that the next Cabinet be organized around a popular
front, in which old democratic
elements be combined. For this purpose the three largest parties, the Liberal, Social-Democrat,
and Communist parties are
required to co-operate with each other,
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EDITORIAL SERIES: 222 (Continued)
ITEM 2 (Continued)
when each party is thoroughly organized. The co-operation of the three parties for
this purpose, however, will meet with
difficulty in organization of each party or in agreement of common politics. So the
co-operation cannot be expected at once
while the reorganization of the present cabinet and the establishment of a coalition
cabinet is being planned. However, the
Liberals, as their leader Mr. HATOYAMA stated are opposed to both the survival of
the SHIDEHARA. Cabinet and the appearance of
a condition cabinet. This is of course identical with the Social-Democrating and Communists
stand. On this point, the three
parties agree completely. This agreement, is no doubt of a very partial and negative
nature. At any rate the agreement exists,
and the three parties should unite on the basis of it. Their co-operation ought to
be made to this extent and this shows it is
actually possible.
We dare say that these parties should be called betrayer of the Japanese people if
they are reluctant to unite. By their
combined power, the three parties, as the former GOKEN-SAMPA (Pro-constitutional three
parties) did, could crush the present
cabinet and smash the political plot to establish a non-party Government. The matter
cannot be neglected even for a moment.
The three parties should meet immediately in joint conference for this purpose. Other
small factions, if they are truly
democratic, may be allowed to participate. The first step will be taken to tide over
the crisis by the joint conference held
by these Parties. If it be too difficult to continue the conference, further stops
may be abandoned. If matters go well,
co-operation may be limited to only recommending the succeeding cabinet.
The succeeding cabinet which the conference recommences may be carried out by the
parties or may be demanded of the throne for
sanction. It does net matter if the conference at least demands that the succeeding
cabinet be organized, not on the
recommendations senior statesmen, but on that of leaders of each party. It is a matter
of course, however, that every effort
should be made to organize the Cabinet on the popular front, as the "GOKEN-O-SAMPA"
organized the co-operative cabinet in
former days.
The theory and practice of the popular front is already deeply rooted among the masses.
The time is coming when those who
ignore this fact will be left behind. Among the Social-Democrats, those who advocate
the popular font in union with Communists
have already grown powerful. Union is a matter of course for the Social-Democrats,
who desire to fight for the people without
prejudice. It is the came with the Liberals. It is natural for the brave Liberals
who are willing to contribute to the
people's interact without no other ambition, to act as do the sincere Social-Democrats.
To that as it may, we propose for the
present, that the joint conference of parties reject the tacties for an undemocratic
solution of the political situation.
At the same time, we give a brief suggestion to the Emperor as to how he should behave
at this moment. It is the inefficient
SHIDEHARA Cabinet which brought about the present crisis in the people's lives. It
should never to allowed to reorganize this
cabinet or to reappoint the came Premier. To order the organization of a non-party
Government would be inefficient and would
in affect serve to increase the hellish condition of inflation, starvation, and unemployment.
A constitutional monarphy, which
the Emperor says is desirable, is the other alternative, Each politica1 party cannot
prepare, for the election by doing
nothing. Politics and the Government should be entirely entrusted to these Parties,
as democracy requires. To practise this,
the Emperor may confer with the leaders of each political party by himself, or other
ways can
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EDITORIAL SERIES: 222 (Continued)
ITEM 2 (Continued)
be considered. At least, the Emperor should consider the above-mentioned idea for
the necessary political change. In the civic
circle, the voices for the abolition of the Emperor system are becoming speedily louder,
and it might not be impossible to
imagine the appearance of a Government without the approved of the Emperor.
ITEM 3 Japanese People's Attitude Toward Science - Asahi Shimbun - 8 Jan 46. Translator:
H. Arai.
Full Translation:
SCAP has lately ordered that banquets for the Allied Forces are prohibited because
of the food crisis. In truth, this has been
done because SCAP cannot overlook the fact that self-seeking follows among the Japanese
are making a cat's paw of foreign
quests and eating black market dishes to their heart's content. Indeed, it must seem
absurd to foreign guests that many
Japanese fawn upon a foreign guest and dive or exchange good wishes with him at Government
expense. We should not wish to
witness in democratic JAPAN a recurrence of former conditions wherein executives of
munitions companies, presumably while in
the service of the Army and Navy, ate sumptuous dinners in restaurants.
To promote the development of science, various organizations such as the Technical
Board, Science Research Institution and
Science Promotion Society were set up during the war. They controlled their own funds,
but the total amount of their funds was
far less than the cost of one atomic bomb. We pointed out that each organization had
an antiquated elder scientist at its
head, and that almost all the members of these organization were engaged in duplicating
each other's efforts. On one hand, we
often advised that the research of descriptive science as well as natural science
is indispensable, and that all these
institutions should be brought under the jurisdiction of the Education Department.
New these matters have been under
consideration.
Although the naval authorities paid a bounty of less than 700 yen for even great
scientific achievements, the military
authorities sometimes offered a prize of 100,000 yen for such a trivial discovery
as a new design for an existing pattern.
Looking back now, we remember that this was a very stupid undertaking.
ITEM 4 The Surplus of Revenue and Inflation - Tokyo Shimbun - 8 Jan 46. Translator:
H. Arai.
Full Translation:
According to the draft budget for the next fiscal year, the estimated amount of revenue,
is about 13,300,000,000 yen, and
estimated expenditures is nearly 12,800,000,000 yen. The Government will have a surplus
of revenue of about 500,000,000 yen,
the great feature of the draft budget for the next fiscal year. It is a long time
since the budget included no provisions for
the sale of war bonds.
When comparing the budget with household budgets, people other than the writer may
become filled with consternation. However
expensive fish and vegetables may be, if a person can live on the food distributed,
he can get along on his income. Since he
can hardly subsist on the rationed rice alone, his income does not rover the expenses.
Such is also the case with state finance. How is the budget for the coming year related
to goods? On what is the standard of
prices based? In other words we wonder whether or not the sum appropriated
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EDITORIAL SERIES: 222 (Continued)
ITEM 4 (Continued)
in the coming budget will bring things indispensable to administration. Only if the
Government’s plan is as successful as the
bill which was drawn up will revenues exceed the expenditures by about 500,000,000
yen. If inflation makes rapid progress, and
prices rise several times as high as prices on which the budget is based, every task
will be more expensive. Government
officials' pay must be raised.
The more aggravated the state of affairs in society becomes, the greater the requirement
for special measures; the more the
unemployed, the greater sum of money the Government must appropriate for the purpose
of relief.
Considering these facts, it is obvious that even the large sum of 500,000,000 yen
will disappear rapidly. That estimated
revenue will exceed estimated expenditures is a rather premature nation, and does
not indicate that sound finance has been
established in JAPAN. The existence of a revenue surplus is totally dependent upon
the Government's ability to avert
inflation.
DISTRIBUTIONS "X"
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