Press translations [Japan]. Political Series 0222, 1946-01-24.
Date24 January, 1946
translation numberpolitical-0921
call numberDS801 .S85
Persistent Identifier
POLITICAL SERIES: 222
ITEM 1 Formation of Popular Front - Provincial Newspaper Kochi Shimbun (Kochi) - 18 Jan 46. Translator: M. Kojima.
Summary:
Every political party in KOCHI-Ken has decided to start a democrartic movement, promoting
the delivery of staple-food by
farmers in order to tide over the present food crisis, irrespective of their own principles.
That is to say, the preparatory
committee meeting of this movement was held at the prefectural assembly hall on l6
and 17 January. On this meeting, about 15
representatives of each party had gathered together and discussed the various concrete
problems, under chairman who is the
head of the political and economical department of the KOCHI press office. He is an
advocate of this movement, as is the
governor of KOCHI-Ken, Mr. NAGANO. As a result, the following items are to be put
into practice as quickly as possible:
- 1.Before undertaking the import of foreign rice, and the import of rice into this prefecture from other prefectures, it is absolutely necessary for farmers to accomplish the delivery of 90,000 koku of rice.
- 2.For the purpose of promoting delivery of rice by farmers, the prefectural governor and the authorities concerned must explain directly to farmers the importance of the delivery of rice.
- 3.As regards the production of living necessities, especially farming implements, as collateral, both the Communist Party and the Socialist Party must persuade the labor union to promote the farmers' desire to deliver rice. At the same time, both the Liberal Party and the Progressive Party must urge the capitalists to awaken.
Moreover, the formation of the KOCHI Food Emergency Counter-measure Conference as
a concrete system practising these items has
been decided on. The main organizations which pre to participate in this conference
are as follows: The KOCHI Federation Of
Labor Unions; The KOCHI Few JAPAN Young Friends' Association; The KOCHI Federation
Of JAPAN Farmer's Union; The KOCHI
Agricultural Society; The KOCHI Aquatic Society; and The KOCHI Commercial And Industrial
Advisory Committee. Thus, a
democratic joint front, consisting of 17 organizations, is about to be formed.
In the above-mentioned system, the collaterals production committee, a farmland adjustment
committee, a staple-food delivery
promotion committee and food production promotion committee will be formed under the
council deciding the policy. In addition
to that, a drafting committee will be selected in order to decide the various methods
putting its policy into practice.
POLITICAL SERIES: 222 (Continued)
ITEM 2 Editorial Comment On the Reorganized Cabinet - Provincial Newspaper Nagasaki Shimbun (Nagasaki) - 19 Jan 46. Translator: N. Tachibana.
Full Translation:
After a ten days' delay since the directive requiring purge of political circles
was issued, the Cabinet was reorganized on 13
January, but no one will be satisfied with such a change of ministers. We cannot but
feel anxious about the future of our
country as we see old Premier SHIDEHARA's and his ministers' political in-competency.
His fundamental aim at reorganization is
perhaps to discharge the duties of an interim Cabinet, but he is mistaking the means
for the end. It is for the sake of
rescuing the people from starvation and to establish democratic government. It is
quite ridiculous that a Cabinet, which has
no capacity to overcome the economic crisis and decrease the number of starving people
even by one, should intend to conduct
the general election.
There is no minister for whose retirement the people are sorry. The people seem to
be glad to note that nuisances have been
removed, but they cannot hope for improvement in new ministers.
Indeed, new Home Minister MITSUCHI is certainly a political senior, but he is a conservative
party politician. Moreover, he is
one of the politicians who were napping in the privileged seat of the Privy Council
at a times when parties were
disintegrating and in the days of the tyranny of the military clique.
New Education Minister ABE may be called a liberal, but it is a question whether
or not we can rely on his political acumen to
reform feudalism among educational officials.
Minister of agriculture SOEJIMA is an unknown quantity; we cannot but feel uneasy
about the extent to which he will be able to
gain the support of farmers.
Chief Secretary of the Cabinet NARAHASHI is reported to have demanded a general resignation.
As he is a promising young man,
we wish he had been true to his word. The people are feeling disappointed with the
unreliable Cabinet more and more, and the
Communist Party, which has been encouraged by Mr. NOZAKA's repatriation, and other
democratic bodies are getting control over
the people.
ITEM 3 Japanese Communist Movements after NOZAKA's return - Provincial Newspaper Nagasaki Shimpo (Nagasaki) - 23 Jan 46. Translator: K. Onishi.
Summary:
With Mr. NOZAKA's return, the Japanese Communist movement has grown from boyhood
into youth; at least, it will overcome its
infantile disease. While advocating the destruction of the Emperor System as the natural
insistence of the Communist Party, it
leaves to the discretion of the people's free will the question of whether or not
the Imperial Household is to be allowed to
survive. It is developing from a popular front into a wider democratic front, and
its generous recognition of other parties'
insistences, always leaving room for compromises, gives us an impression that it has
left the table of Political controversies
and has set its foot on politics as a reality.
The minority must compromise with the majority in the Diet in order that its insistence
may win the majority. To become a
''party that is loved by the masses", as Mr. NOZAKA said, is the first problem for
them. They must succeed in wiping out such
beliefs among the general public as the one that communists are even fiercer than
tigers or that they specialize in
violence.
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POLITICAL SERIES: 222 (Continued)
ITEM 3 (Continued)
Mr. SHIGA and Mr. TOKUDA were imprisoned for 18 years and did not give up their insistence,
but due to their segregation from
the outer world, they are rather inaccurate in their judgment, though their cries
are far from being feeble. On the other
hand, though Mr. NOZAKA was a refugee he brought back, through his direct contacts,
the reality of Soviet communism and the
realistic polities of the YENAN Government. The amalgamation of these two different
elements has brought a result that has
widened the way for the Communist movement in JAPAN; it is also expected that it will
give much to democracy.
ITEM 4 The Agricultural Association Disapproves of the Government's Measures - Provincial Newspaper The Chugoku (a local press) - 20 Jan 46. Translator: S. Hirata.
Full Translation:
Concerning the Government's use of force in the failure of delivery of rice, vice-president
of the National Agricultural
Association, KODAIRA, made a statement as follows: "Under the present circumstances,
there may have been no alternative for
the Government but to take such measures as to use force in the event of failure of
delivery, but it is difficult to commend
such measures from the standpoint of the Agricultural Association. I suppose such
a drastic measure has been adopted by the
Government as its final recourse. The delivery of foodstuffs is the most important
problem which confronts the Nation today.
Whatever the measures of the Government, the Agricultural Association intends to go
its own way in tiding over the crisis of
the food situation by carrying out the delivery in accordance with the farmers' independent
method.
ITEM 5 The Date of the General Election - Provincial Newspaper The Hokkoku Mainichi (Kanazawa) - 21 Jan. 46. Translator: S. Kawasaki.
Summary:
With regard to the directives of General Headquarters to move war leaders from public
offices, the Government is making every
effort to carry them out. Judging from various measures, it is expected to take more
than a month before the Prime Minister
designates those who are liable under the directives. At the Cabinet meetings of 5
and 8 January, the Government discussed
prohibition from employment, and retirement from Government offices, based on Imperial
Ordinance 542 of 1945 (the Emergency
Imperial Ordinance concerning the acceptance of the POTSDAM Declaration).
Some of the proposals for reforms were left over, therefore, and although they were
submitted at the Cabinet meeting on 18
January, formal resolutions were postponed. If they are accepted, after the permission
of General Headquarters is obtained, a
petition is to be made to the throne to have them referred to the Privy Council.
The gist of the Imperial Ordinance is as follows:
- 1.Those who are liable, under the directives, cannot be candidates for membership in the House of Peers, nor can they be elected by representatives of the highest tax payers.
- 2.Members of the House of Representatives do not have to receive notification from the Prime Minister if they are liable under the directives. The election officials cannot accept the notification of candidacy or recommendation unless they are certain that the candidates do not involve persons who have been notified by the Prime Minister. It is necessary that the approval of General Headquarters be obtained before the Prime Minister issues notification to those who are liable under the directives.
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POLITICAL SERIES: 22 (Continued)
ITEM 5 (Continued)
Apart from the removal of Government officials from public offices, the date of the
general election is the most important
matter It is scheduled for the end of February. After that, it is expected to be necessary
for a month to elapse at the most.
Therefore, the final decision will probably take up the whole of February. If the
date of the general election is decided on
at the Cabinet meeting on 22 January and made public after the meeting, the general
election will be carried out at the end of
March. MacARTHUR's Headquarters had reported that after 15 March the carrying out
of the general election, will be permitted.
However because of various -preparations for the enactment of the Imperial ordinance
regarding the dismissal of Government
officials from office, the date of general election will be the end of March. Accordingly,
an extraordinary session of the
Diet is sure to be convened after 10 April.
DISTRIBUTION "X"
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