Press translations [Japan]. Political Series 0101, 1945-12-22.

Full Translation:

HATOYAMA, Ichiro, President of the Liberal party, yesterday spoke on the election policy of his party as follows: "The basic policies of the Liberal party attach first importance to the protection and maintenance of the Emperor system. Second, the party emphasizes the guarantee of 2.5 go of rice, barley, and wheat as the daily minimum food supply and demands food imports under a democratic administration. Third, importance is given to the question of unemployment relief. The present unemployed are different from those of farmer years, because they have been made jobless due to air raids, or are demobilized soldiers. In other words, most of them are victims of the national policy, so to speak, and they have to be treated in a different way.

"Our party, therefore, strongly insists that an extensive engineering project should be encouraged with the construction of a new JAPAN as the basis. The State should start a huge engineering project such as river improvement, reconstruction of ports and harbors, etc., and for this project jobless people should be mobilized so that they may work and gain their self respect. For this purpose, new Japanese bonds should be issued. Fourth, we emphasize necessary agrarian measures and restoration of commerce and industry. The economy of the future JAPAN will be brightened through participation in international trade on the basis of liberalism. I believe commerce and industry and farming communities will be restored by free trade.

"First of all, food should be imported in huge quantities and efforts should be made to lower the prices. Then, the cost of living will be lowered and exports will be promoted. In this way, the economy of the people will find its way opened to reconstruction.

"For the rehabilitation of war victims, the Government should undertake thorough relief measures on a large scale. For instance, the building of money simple houses to give to war victims would be an excellent start. Next, let me deal with the general elections. The coming epoch-making general elections will be held soon. Election campaigns are to be conducted with inconvenient transportation and communication facilities. We had insisted on a new method of campaigning, such as speaking on the street with the megaphone in hand. In spite of this insistence of ours, the Government bill for reform of the Election Law has been revised with the condition that any act calculated to excite the voters shall not be permitted. This is a matter of regret. Today when I called at Supreme Headquarters, this matter became a subject of discussion. Americans cannot understand why the Diet has restricted the

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freedom of election campaigns and extended the authority of the bureaucracy. It is just as the Americans maintain—when a vigorous campaign is allowed, the new men will be given a chance for seats in the Diet. It is to be hoped that the foregoing restrictions will be removed by the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice.

"The Liberal party will face the general election full of confidence, endeavoring to acquire a large number of new men in addition to re-electing its present members."

KATAYAMA, Tetsu, Chief Secretary of the Social Democratic party says: "We are to face the general elections with the spirit that our party alone is fully equipped with power and qualifications for shouldering the prevailing situation. The present impoverished life of the people cannot be saved unless the party in power is the political party of the working masses and one professing socialism. The first job in the coming elections for our party is to restore to the hands of the masses the political power which a small number of privileged people heretofore held. Our misfortune of today is a product of capitalistic politics. The unsuccessful men will be replaced by new ones in the coming general elections. This is why we have decided to adopt the slogan in struggle of the coming election, 'Socialism or Capitalism?' "Weakness of the SHIDEHARA Cabinet exists in the fact that, although all the policies are changing to social policies, as seen in the Labor Union Law or Agrarian Land System Law, the policies of the Cabinet are still far from socialistic and it carries on its policies in an indecisive way, pressed only by the force of Supreme Headquarters. Other parties have, of course, the same basic character as the members of the present Cabinet. The Social-Democratic Party alone has a fresh point of view. A socialistic country is a cultured and peaceful country. From this point of view alone, I believe that statesmen of the past should be swept away. We shall endorse some 250 recognized candidates, of whom we are confident some 100 will be elected to the Diet. Some persons say that because new candidates are numerous, our party will be at a disadvantage, but no longer will the labels of individuals have any effect. Much importance is now attached to the policies of the political parties. The voters, I am sure, will vote for political parties, not for individuals. As for the various postwar economic questions such as food supply, unemployment and inflation, they can be solved only by executing the social policies of our party. We are ready to take charge of these difficult problems. We appeal to the public to support our policies covering emancipation of workers and farmers from their slave-like circumstances, and rapid realization of the plan of governmental management of fundamental industries such as banking, mining of coal production of fertilizer farm implements, etc. Our slogan is, 'government for the public, government in the hands of the public.'"

TSURUMI, Yusuke, Chief Secretary of the progressive party says: "The planks of our party are: 1. Protection and maintenance of the national polity, (Emperor System), 2. Thoroughgoing enforcement of a social welfare policy (guarantee of people's livelihood), and 3. Recovery of international trust.

"In reply to the Communist party, which demands the abolition of the Emperor system, our party, seeking the stabilization of the State, will play the role of the representative political party, and this is the platform to be adopted. For the purpose of stabilizing the

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people's livelihood we must enforce a social welfare policy more thorough than the New Deal of the UNITED STATES in order to prevent the occurrence of violent revolution. Also, we should like to endeavor to reduce the differences between the rich and the poor.

"As a result of the present defeat in the war, it has been revealed that our so-called moral diplomacy has not been moral at all. We insist on encouragement of education so as to educate the Japanese as men of the world and thereby recover international trust.

"I want to leave this 3-point platform to the cool criticism of the people before the coming general election. I anticipate success in achieving an absolute majority. We shall have some 350 to 400 candidates, of which about half will be new men."

Election struggle predicted by TOKUDA, Kyuichi, Chief Secretary of the Communist party: "The forthcoming general election will be the basis of the democratic structure of JAPAN and also its first trial. The Communist party, therefore, attaches much importance to it. The party will, through the election campaign, endeavor to extend the influence of the party and thoroughly insist on the party's views. Second, the Party will endeavor to have as many of its men elected as possible.

"So far, some 100 candidates have been chosen and 50 more are likely to be drafted in the near future. These candidates include all party staff members except MIYAMOTO, HAKAMAO, and KIN, who are ineligible to run. The candidacy of two women is pending negotiations,

"The chief platform planks in the platform are: (1) Stabilization and promotion of the livelihood of the people, (2) thorough pursuit of the war criminals, (3) abolition of the Emperor system and establishment of a people's republican government with a new, democratic constitution.

"In order to advertise the platform, we intend to make the most of all means of propaganda such as speeches, pamphlets, etc. Besides, for local districts, we are prepared to broadcast recorded speeches of the central committeemen. The cost of the campaign will depend chiefly on the donations of the workers.

"Utilizing the plural, ballot system, we will have two candidates standing in promising electoral districts like TOKYO or OSAKA. We should like to co-operate with other democratic elements like the Social- Democratic Party and if conditions are favorable to us, we can expect the success of 50 men or so."

"My Idea is Co-operation" says Mr. KUROSAWA of the Co-operation party. "It is of the greatest importance for us, in our attempts at revival, to do away with all defects, while still preserving our traditional virtues. Friends! I should like to advocate co-operation for the reconstruction of JAPAN. Co-operation means the establishment of a co-operative community of justice and humanity based on autonomy, labor, and love. A principle, however, accurate and reasonable it may be, cannot help the human community if it is nothing but a theory. In my belief, rigid principle is to be mixed with warn humanity. All our policies stand or fall on this point. For example, in the agricultural field, we can establish a good farm-village and multiply the production of foodstuffs by spreading the doctrine of co-operation in every industry. Thus, the agrarian industry and cultural and social institutions would be stabilized.

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"The industry of JAPAN hereafter is to be based on medium and small industry. In order to raise this industry to the level of the rest of the world, we must endeavor to improve techniques, enhance efficiency, and rationalize the management under a system of co-operative society.

"As for a few heavy industries like production of fertilizer and heavy farm implements, we must to prevent monopolistic, capitalistic enterprise. We demand to have more than 60 or 70 per cent of the shares open to workers. Rural co-operative societies and workers in the big factories would be able to take charge of the enterprise as shareholders. In this way, management of a company is controlled close co-operation between capitalists, technicians, and consumers. If co-operation prevails fully in every economic and social activity, all the farmers, as small promoters of enterprises, will be successful ones.

"In the establishment of a new JAPAN, we can learn much from Denmark. If foreign nations found that JAPAN could easily feed her 80,000,000 population in such a narrow domain, they would be ready to pay their respects to this country. Then, she could be a most powerful speaker in international affairs.

"Universal disarmament is our final object, thereby insuring the everlasting peace in the world. We must start in this way. Only with such a high goal, can our race again be hopeful arise from its present miserable situation."

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