Press translations [Japan]. Political Series 0227, 1946-01-26.

Full Translation:

It is desired that the attitude of the Education Office on the political movements of teaching staffs, and students, be made clear before the general election is held.

Recently, at the Education Office's conference, it was decided that all political movements and election campaigns except educational movements should be free. On 21 January, the notes of vice-ministers were issued to the principals of schools and local governors. The political freedom which teaching staffs and students have obtained is very extensive, including such freedoms as the right to join political assemblies, freedom of political action is a school (except during teaching hours), and freedom of candidacy for teaching staffs, students, add pupils.

Accordingly, they have decided that civic education in schools should be stressed. For instant, qualifications as members of the Communist Party are now compatible with those qualifications of a student, but it is prohibited for teachers to influence their minds during teaching hours. However, free discussions concerning politics is officially permitted both outside and inside the school rooms. Moreover, permission for the candidacy of teaching staffs and the creating of more than 150,000 students is an epoch making milestone.

Students' members of the House of Representatives may appear one after another. However, in case teaching staffs of the Government and public schools are elected, they should naturally retire from the Government and public offices under provision 10 of new Election Law.

Full Translation:

As the date of the general election will be announced early next month, the authorities concerned are now making preparations for taking various measures for the enlargement of polling-stations, the establishment of temporary booths to be provided for women's voting, and the prevention of abstention from voting by means of mobilizing school children. The authorities published a new list of voters on 23 January, fruit of their investigation of the number of voters in TOKYO-To, excluding voters in the islands and persons having qualifications to vote owing to demobilization, rehabilitation and evacuation.

POLITICAL SERIES: 227 (Continued)

ITEM 2 According to this list, the member of voters in both the first and second electoral districts are, respectively, 900,444 and 1,073,240 and the total of both numbers is 1,973,240. As compared with the number of voters in the previous list the number in the first district shows a decrease of 21,367, and that in the second district shows an increase of 501,635. The reason for this phenomenon is that the population in TOKYO-To has changed, owing to the war.

The result of comparing the number of existing voters with that of persons who have newly acquired the right to vote is as follows: The number of persons who had qualifications to vote, in accordance with the old election law, on 15 September 1945, was 830,602. The total of men 20 to 25 years of age and all female voters, who have newly acquired the right to vote, is 1,143,082. Therefore, the: number of new voters, including younger male voters and female voters, is 312,480 more than that of the old voters as of 15 September 1945.

The statistics of the number of voters, depending on set distinction, has not been made clear in the present investigation.

Statistical Table Of Number Of Voters In TOKYO-To[illegible]

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POLITICAL SERIES: 227 (Continued)

Summary:

The home coming of NOZAKA, veteran leader of the communist movement, has had a striking influence on the further development of the JAPAN Communist Party, which apparently is in the course of casting off the old clothes of sectionalism to become a faithful companion of the public.

In the face of the sincere efforts the Party is presently making to solve such difficulties confronting us in our daily life as the food problem and labor troubles, there is no denying that the people are becoming sympathetic to the Communists. It seems that fortune has turned in favor of the Party, after a long period of suppression and hardship, when the termination of war established the freedom of political opinion. Things have not turned out so smoothly, however, as it at first appeared.

The Chief proposal of the Communists, advocating the instant abolition of the Emperor system, was more than the stomach of the public could digest, being accustomed to the diet prescribed by the bureaucrat-inspired Board of Information. Letters of encouragement were infrequently sent to the head office, while it was not seldom that the party members, trying to help workers in the labor troubles were by violence out from the plants, by unbelieving strikers.

Meanwhile, the party members themselves, it cannot be denied, have behaved in a rather cowardly manner, remembering the menace of the past days caused through the brutal hands of political police and the rightist terrorists. The intellectuals, on the other hand, fully in sympathy with the theoretical stand of the Communists, had to confess their dissatisfaction with the actual conduct of the Party.

Now the situation has completely changed. The opportune proposal of the Party, sponsored by NOZAKA, regarding the early formation of a unified front for the democratic campaign, together with the outing of tie Party program, have done much to gain the sympathy of the public. The head office is now swamped with over 1,000 letters from all over the country, while pecuniary contribution to fatten the purse of the Party are also sent ivory day in increasing manors.

In the meantime, the number of citizens wishing to join the Party has reportedly scared 1,000 to 2,000 a day, including wide range of professions, such as an ex-commander of special attack corps, former employee of the KODAMA special organ and chief executive of the agricultural association, to say nothing of countless laborers, office clerks, and working women. Leading members of the Party are striving for the formation of a joint front with the Social-Democrats to promote the autonomous control of food, as well as for the enlarged activity of the labor unions to settle the labor trouble in favor of the workers. For instance, SHIGA veteran Communist, is now in the JOBN coal fields, while TOKUDA, another leading member of the Party, stays in the BIWAI coal fields in HOKKAIDO, where they are expected to be dedicating themselves to the smooth solution of the troubles. A plan to issue a new periodical called "working women' is reportedly under way to enlighten women on political affairs. It seems that their next aim is to gain members among the house wives.

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