Press translations [Japan]. Political Series 0081, 1945-12-15.

Full translation:

Regarding the desires of the respective parties with regard to amendments to the Election Revision Bill, each minor party has maintained its own views. There were many objections at the Party council of the Progressive Party on 9 December. Consequently, the party could not reach any decision on the bill. There were a good many disturbances at the Party council and at the inter-Party committee on 10 December. Accordingly, the bill was placed on the order of business of the plenary session on that day and was to be passed with partial amendment. It may even be held for the plenary session on 11 December.

Deliberation, with regard to the Election Revision Bill, of the members of the House of Representatives has drawn a great deal of attention. The Progressive held a joint meeting of officers, three directors, the Deliberation Committee, and the Election Law Special Committee, on 9 December to draft an original bill as the growndwork for new amendments. Consequently, the members of the Party have agreed on several points, but the majority of them insist on an election by a single secret ballot instead of the restricted plural ballot system.

The question of an electoral district system has also come up for re-examination. Although the method of voting is so important a problem that each major party has its own opinion, in the end this problem will be decided by adoption of the original form of the bill, and the major constituency system also is likely to be passed without any change. The contents of the amendment draft, according to the Party decision, are as follows:

• 1.According to the original bill, the election campaign, before report of candidacy, could be conducted as a candidate pleased, but the revision would prohibit this.
• 2.The Party approves the original bill's provision for taking legal proceedings against a candidate to annul his election in the event that he has spent more than the allowed amount on his election, but no penalty shall be imposed upon him.
• 3.Acts to influence voters unduly, and acts to instigate extra-legal voting are not restricted by the original bill, but these acts shall be prohibited, just as in the existing law.
• 4.It has been decided, according to the Party draft, to permit as many as five campaign offices. As in the existing law, campaign offices shall not be set up within three blocks of the entrance to polling place.

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• 5.Rest houses shall not be established.
• 6.The Party has decided to conform to the policy of the Home Ministry with regard to the publication of public bulletins. The distribution of pamphlets or leaflets concerning candidates shall be prohibited.
• 7.Newspaper advertisements shall be permitted, on an equal basis for all candidates, instead of abolishing the free-delivery mail system.
• 8.Notices of candidates shall be put up at proper places in cities, towns, or villages, due to the abolition of standing sign posts and posters as a public notice of candidacy.
• 9.Posters can be put up only to announce the political views of candidates. The number of posters shall not be limited. Their size is to be that of one leaf of a newspaper. (A ream of paper is equivalent to 2,000 sheets of paper in this size, so each candidate can get 20,000 sheets out of ten reams of this paper, distributed by the Government.
• 10.The amount of paper for announcements after election shall be limited to 200 sheets.

Extracts:

Mr. HATOYAMA, President of the JAPAN Liberal Party who was the first advocate of woman suffrage after the end of the war recently gave his personal opinion on woman's place in the reconstruction of JAPAN. The gist of his talk is as follows:

I have been an advocate of woman suffrage since the time when universal suffrage was first proposed. A good policy, means the granting of the franchise to as many people as possible; therefore, it is quite right that women, comprising half the nation, should be granted, suffrage. They, through many experiences at their homes or in offices during the war, must have their own opinions concerning the present state of JAPAN.

"Judging from their present status, granting women the franchise may be premature. However, since "pratice makes perfect," granting suffrage is the first step."

"Some say that a handful of rice is better than suffrage. True, woman suffrage and the food problem are related. But the public at large is inclined to view only the materialistic phase of life. The first thing to be done toward the reconstruction of a new JAPAN is taking adequent measures toward solving the food problem. I have talked with Major General Marshall concerning this problem at the Liaison Office. In short, the food problem must be solved scientifically. The solution of this problem will make JAPAN brighter and more cheerful, while womens Gives will acquire composure and time for thought."

"The aim of democratic policy consists in the removal of both servile

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ITEM 2 (Continued)

conditions and social unrest. We must endeavor to make Japanese women free from the positions of absolute obedience and at the same time we must remove social unrest. In this sense, it is quite necessary to heed women's demands.

There are various opinions about the Emperor system, but I think women's affection for our Emperor is very strong. As they have not suffered as much hardships as men, they are purer of heart. Now that our women, who are peace lovers, and cherish deep affection toward the Emperor, are granted suffrage, perhaps there will be no more JAPAN of the future.

Women have now been given a tool with which to cultivate their own destiny through their own efforts. It is of no need to argue whether this tool has been acquired by dint of their own awakening or through General MacARTHUR'S directives. At any rate, I hope they will make use of this with discretion.

Summary:

CAKSAR, hero of ROME, sent to his country a very brief report "I came, I saw, I conquered", but I can only say "I came, I saw, I was defeated." The causes of the defeat are the same in JAPAN and the southern area," said Mr. SAITO, Director of Singapore Branch of the NIPPON SANGYO KEIZAI.

The following is a report of the confused conditions in these districts immediately before and after the war as made by Mr. SAITO. "The Army authorities in SINGAPORE were lacking in sincerity in building a defense until the fall of OKINAWA. They thought the decisive battles would next be fought in the homeland and also that SINGAPORE would be attacked, so they made plans to call out soldiers in the southern areas in June, to enlist almost all Japanese males in August, and manufacturing weapons of war. Small arms and grenades were made fairly satisfactorily, but guns were not. Shells fell on our own troops, and they could not help smiling sardonically, saying, "Horrible, but nothing can be done!" Wodden airplanes were planned but could not be made. Allied airplanes were flying overhead, but no Japanese planes came out fighting. "Many planes are reserved for the decisive battle in SINGAPORE," was the talk among the soldiers, but the fact was that the uneasiness of defeat was very apparent among army leaders who were resolved to die if Allied Forces come. All the Japanese residents were once very active digging trenches and laying communication lines, but progress was very slow, as they could not utilize mechanical power. Rumours were rife among the Chinese that the British would never attack SINGAPORE, but according to the announcement of the MOUNTBATTEN Headquarters, the Allied Forces were going to push their MALAYA operation on 9 September. SINGAPORE would in any event have fallen into the hand of Allied Forces completely by now, in view of the poor defensive conditions stated above.

The Allied Power had a well perfect and active spy net in the MALAYA peninsular and more than 2,000 members of guerrila troops were said to have landed there. They acheived brilliant results in destroying

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railways and attacking military storehouses etc. By the beginning of August, even motor trips in MALAYA were dangerous. MALAYA has long been known as a hotbed of anarchists and their activities were conspicuous during the Japanese occupation, many Japanese having fallen at their hands. They issued currency of their own and their headquarters was placed deep in the mountains while their leaders lived in the city and knew clearly the movements of Japanese troop. For this reason, some Japanese companies were obliged to evacuate their places of business in the hinterland.

With a view toward preventing inflation in JAPAN, the remittance to JAPAN from the southeren districts were limited but there were somewhat relaxed in August. After the war, the limit of deposits payable in JAPAN was removed, enabling one to send money to JAPAN in any amount. Money sent to JAPAN immediately before and after the end of the war amounted to 130 million yen, while deposits payable in JAPAN totaled 300 million yen. To dispatch these overwhelming applications for remittances, the clerks of Japanese banks in SINGAPORE did their best working constantly. Currency in SINGAPORE by the end of July amounted to 1,800,000,000 yen and reached 15,000,000,000, yen by the end of August, the increase in that month being 1,200,000,000,yen; out of which 7,000,000,000 yen was held by the Army and Navy, and the remaining 4,000,000,000 yen was in circulation.

Learning of the decline of the war effort via radio and the press, the number of secret listeners of short wave radios rapidly increased. Considering the stratgical disadvantages of this tendency, the Japanese military authorities confiscated short wave radio sets in August but without the desvied results. On 8 August news of the Soviet participation in the war was received, followed the next day with the news of the negotiation about the unconditional surrender. Nevertheless, security reigned throughout the city of SINGAPORE and no change was noticed in polices at Chinese restaurants at the end of August, except that prices soared very high.

The intelligence department and. military police were very nervous over the rumored broadcasting of the Emperor on 15 August and did their best to prevent the residents from listening to it. Complaints were raised, against this measure, saying, "Do the authorities leave the Japanese utterly blinded?" At that time, the contents of the broadcast were not clear and doubt was entertained as to whether it might be some trick on the part of the Allies, so only a part of soldiers were allowed to listen to it. The interruption of the Emperor's broadcast was decidedly a bad thing, whatever reasons.

The ceremony of reading the Imperial proclamation to end the war was held on the 19th. The six day period from the 14th to the 19th was spent with everyone profoundly disturbed by the news seeking diversion only in drink. Once the end of the war was announced however, residents began hurriedly attending to various matters, driven by an indescribable feeling of urgency and haste.

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