Press translations [Japan]. Editorial Series 0224, 1946-01-10.

Full Translation:

The chapter, "The Country of Horses," in GULLIVER's Travels is a masterpiece of satire, which criticized European civilization in the 13th century. It contains some passages which satirize law and the judicial system. Horses believed that human beings could do everything following the dictates of nature and reason, if they (humans) were rational animals. However, they could not understand judgement no matter how repeatedly GULLIVER told them about it. When things begin to assume a new aspect, officials think of rules or precedents first without thinking whether they are right or wrong. They do not know how to manage a new occurence when it is unprecedented. These officials, who never think of the delay in the solution of new problems, often seem to us to have no common sense.

It is indeed irritating that the Government has no will to punish war criminals by itself, but it also may be that it is unable to do so because there is no proper law in JAPAN which covers the situation. It is very natural for criminal law to have no provisions for the punishment of war criminals because no one thought of such a thing when the law code was made. The Government should enact a new law for this purpose. The people will never oppose it. It is deplorable that the officials who were proud of their desk plans during the war are now too cowardly to manage the new state of affairs.

Full Translation:

The Government does not know the date of the general election, and except for those who are certain they will be purged as a result of MacARTHUR's directive, all the candidates, both faultless and conscious of a slight guilt, are absent-minded and in a state of high confusion. With the exhaustion of their money and with no prospect of getting more, they are all discouraged and fretting. Such a state of mind as theirs is justly applicable to the SHIDEHARA Cabinet, too. It is only the black marketeer and gangster-burglar who are in high spirits these days, a very ironical social phenomenon.

What is the cause of this situation? First, we point at the extreme poverty of information. Foreign Minister YOSHIDA has not visited MacARTHUR's Headquarters for the past three days, since the whirlwind purge directive was issued. Nevertheless, the chief secretary of the Cabinet stated over the radio that the Cabinet should be reformed but should not resign en bloc.

EDITORIAL SERIES: 224 (Continued)

ITEM 2 (Continued)

They seem to forget that neither Ministerial changes nor Cabinet reform can be carried out merely by their willing it. Moreover, the Government cannot fix the date of the general election by their arbitrary decision alone. The problem of food importation is just a dream for us at present, since permission hasn't been granted except, perhaps, in principle.

What surprises us most when we come into contact with Ministers or high officials is the fact that they are terribly ignorant of SCAP intentions and are so badly informed. In this regard we know the Communists are far superior. The Government has hitherto been able to general intelligence through the Special high Police, gendarmes and other information sources closely attached to the Cabinet, but even with all these organizations it cannot get intelligence from any source other than Japanese. It is even more impossible to get it if no effort is made, and no effort is being male.

The UNITED STATES has always concentrated all her efforts on collecting information, from pre-war days to now. Therefore, she does not make any errors. Moreover, she can improve her methods. In JAPAN, though the military olique boasted of its monopoly in collecting information, it secured, in fact, no intelligence except that which led our country to defeat. The rest may be judged from this.

Full Translation:

According to the speeches of HATOYAMA, president of the Liberal Party, a joing front has already been established by the Liberal and Social Democratic Parties. He said, furthermore, that before the formation of the Liberal party, he had a confidential meeting with the leaders of the Social Democratic Party and promised his co-operation, and that he received a communication from the Social democratic Party concerning the issuance of their statement demanding the present Cabinet's resignation en masse. If you, therefore, say, "Now I can read the thoughts of the Social Democratic Party which gave a flat refusal to the repeated proposals of the Communist Party for the formation of a mass front," you will be 1aughtod at because of your-lack of political sense. It seems, however, that the Social Democratic Party has only wasted time by its haste. It might have been able to make a joint front with the Liberal Party whenever it wanted; it could have said that it had no need to act in concert with a party which stood for different views until the general election should come. As to HATOYAMA, we may say that he acted like the elder politician he was. Some people entertained a doubt about what kind of classes wanted the Liberal Party to gain ground. This was because of its progressive character which was recognized as being little different from that of the Progressive Party. The people drew a line of demarcation between the two parties only in connection with the responsibility for the war.

It was however, the so-called liberalism of the Liberal party, that is, those who enter the Social Democratic Party from the Progressive Party need a good deal of mental revolution, but they can easily go over to the Liberal Party. The unpopularity of the Progressive Party brings about the popularity of the Liberal Party, but the popularity of the Social Democratic

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EDITORIAL SERIES: 224 (Continued)

ITEM 3 (Continued)

Party is not positively disadvantageous to the Liberal Party. The Liberal Party gains conservative credit, so to speak, that it is the only party which is able to control the Social Democratic Party. As a matter of fact, if the Liberal Party forms a coalition cabinet with the Social democratic Party, the former will play role which dominates the latter, instead of being led by the latter. This is, however, not disadvantageous to the Social Democratic Party. Its fastidious members may be dissatisfied, but they can sweep away the uniform antipathy towards the Social Democratic Party. Those who have an acute sense of politics will support the leaders of the party.

In BRITAIN, the Labor Party invaded the influential sphere of the Liberal Party and it made itself, what it is today. The Social Democratic Party may be led in principle by the Liberal Party, but if the party expects greatness in the future, this will not be unbearable. When the time comes, the Liberal Party will take up the standpoint of a conservative party, and the coalition of the two parties will become the power of stability in the period of social upheaval.

Full Translation:

It was decided at the time of the MEIJI Restoration that the name of an era should be distinctive in our country. Let us think of this system again, and one will see hove inconvenient it is. Suppose we read a part of Chinese history-Emperor KOKI died in the 6lst year of KOKI, which falls in the seventh year of KYOHO in our country, the year 2382 of the Japanese era, that is, 1722 A.D. Thus, it is complicated for us to compare the time when an event took place. The use of historical eras alone is very inconvenient. I think the countries of the [illegible]ast had better adopt the year of the Christian era, which is now adopted in all European countries. Then the name of the year will be uniform, and many advantages will be given to all phases of civilization.

A proverb says, "Strike the iron while it is hot." The government should quickly adopt the common way of naming the year. I say for cautions sake that I, the writer of this letter, am neither a supporter of the Emperor system nor a Christian.

([illegible]OTO, Takenoshin)

The Union of all communications workers which is going to be formed by the will of the authorities is a government union without any autonomy. The governing class of JAPAN cannot divest themselves of their feudalistic ambitions and the same applies to the communications officials. However, there are some employees who allow themselves to conform to the feudalistic ideas of officials. Perhaps they do not know the purpose of a labor union. A labor union must always be accompanied by democracy. It means that the union must be independent, or else it cannot be called a labor union. As to the Union of all communications workers, it seems that the authorities do not want to co-operate with those who once sacrificed themselves to the movement for forming unions. I think it is because the Communications officials do not want the movement of unions to develop independently, and so they firmly cling to such an antidemocratic idea.

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EDITORIAL SERIES: 224 (Continued)

ITEM 4 (Continued)

Founders of a union should try to render it independent, if they attach great importance to the interests of all employees and wish to make the communications world democratic. All the communications workers must make an effort to establish an independent union which stands on a foundation of democracy.

(ISHIZUKA, Kojiro)

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