Press translations [Japan]. Political Series 0268, 1946-02-03.
Date3 February, 1946
translation numberpolitical-1101
call numberDS801 .S85
Persistent Identifier
POLITICAL SERIES: 268
ITEM 1 New Constitution is of an English Pattern Minister without Portfolio MATSUMUTO Peaveals Yomiuri March 2 Feb 46. Translator: J. eiller.
Full Translation:
As a result of study and deliberation, we obtained two revision drafts - A and B.
The A draft is the one I am now explaining
at the Cabinet meetings while the B draft is a collection of various plans in detail
in order to be of reference value when
studying the A draft but in some case more than three drafts are brought into discussion.
At the cabinet meetings we are not
studying the two drafts as the final ones and making a choice between the two, but
as far as draft go A draft is the basic one
from beginning to and while the B draft is no more than the material for my explanation.
Neither draft, however, has anything
in common with the one rumored to be the Government draft, except for one of the tentative
revision drafts sent from various
quarters at the end of last year which has some resemblance to one of them. The explanations
I am now making at the Cabinet
meetings are not on such article but only on the outline of the whole; we intend to
go into detail after that.
We intend to make decisions at the Cabinet meeting early next week regarding the
important points which will be the essential
part of the final draft which is expected to emerge from the Investigation Committee
on 2 February.
The Constitutional Question Investigation Committee is not a resolving organ but
is an investigation organ. Consequently study
is being made at Cabinet meetings from various angels. The investigation conducted
by the committee extends over a very wide
sphere and studies are carried out in anticipation of various contingencies. As it
is, even in case of divergence of opinions
in Cabinet meetings there is no need to call the committee hurriedly and it is not
scheduled to be convened until a decision
is arrived at by the Cabinet, when supplementary rule, etc will be submitted for study.
As a matter of fact the revision will leave the heads of the Investigation Committee
tomorrow and in the future a draft
decided by the Cabinet will be submitted to the Deliberation Committee to be set up
in the Cabinet. The committee will be
composed of the organization according to an Imperial Ordinance, and the draft, after
being duly passed for deliberation, will
be forwarded to the Privy Council for Imperial ratification and from there he submitted
to the Diet. I think the suitable time
for the publication of the draft is immediately before submitting it to the Deliberation
Committee. Of course it would be more
democratic if the draft were studied by various other bodies than the Deliberation
Committee and also if the draft were
published before the announcement of the date of the election so that the candidates
might face the election and expres their
respective views on the proposed revision, but I am afraid, owing to various circumstances,
it will be difficulty to obtain a
timely publication. If, however, it can be done before the announcement of the election
date it would be a comparatively easy
matter to map out the supplementary rules etc, before the extrordinary session after
the general election.
POLITICAL SERIES: 268 (Continued)
ITEM 1 (Continued)
As I replic to the questions at the last extraordinary session of the Diet I do not
feel the need for changing articles 1 to 4
in view of their meaning. Some people may take my attitude as very conservative or
undemocratic, but it is quite natural to
leave room for political and legal debates in the Constitution and it is not proper
to conclude that I am adhering to a
Constitutional Monarchy because of my attitude of not revising articles l to 4. The
question whether the subject of
sovereignty rests with the polity or the people should be left to political or legal
debates and it is wrong to expect such
definitions from the articles of the Constitution. It is dangerous to measure such
a question with a definative conception and
I hope the public will discover the quality in the draft to be published. Needless
to say, it is our intention to fulfill the
purport of the POTSDAM Declaration, and the proposed constitution as whole is anglicised,
with as few articles as possible but
embodying the fulfillment of the POTSDAM Declaration.
ITEM 2 Constitution Reform Investigated; Ministers Discuss Consus Question - Tokyo Shimbun 2 Feb 46. Translator: R. Ochiai.
Full Translation:
The Cabinet, having its daily meeting with regard to Constitution revision, is seriously
investigating the bill which
MATSUMOTO, Minister without Portfolio, presented. The ministers are frankly expressing
their opinions especially on the
articles that provide for the Emperor's position and his sovereignty, and are in a
hurry to draft the original plan after
thorough and careful consideration.
Therefore, at an ordinary Cabinet meeting on 1 February, the point of their discussions
will cener on the Constitution
revision bill. Before the meeting, Foreign Minister YOSMYA, Finance Minister SHIBUSAWA,
Minister without Portfolio MATSUMOTO,
and the Cabinets Chief Secretary NARAHASHI had an informal talk a 0930 in the secretary's
official room.
Besides the revision bill, they are going to decide the details on the census which
must be carefully taken during the week
after the general election, according to the directive issued by SCAP.
ITEM 3 Constitutional Reform Draft Expected Ready Next Week - Social Democrats and Communists Express Opinions on 4-Minister Statement - Nippon Sangyo Keizai (Japan Industrial Economy) - 2 Feb 46. Translator: K. Onishi.
Full Translation:
For a speedy solution of the problem of constitutional reform, the Government is
holding Cabinet meetings every day to study
the subject mainly in the light of the tentative draft drawn up by the Constitution
Investigation Council and it is expected
that the Government's interim draft will be ready during the next week at the latest,
and the Constitutional Reform Council as
a Government organization will be established where the representatives of the Government
and the people will discuss the
draft.
When the Government draft is presented to the Council, it will be simultaneously
announced to the public to ask their
opinions. The day for this is expected to be about 1 March which is the day the announcement
of the date of the general
election. As a result, coupled with the election campaigns the people's discussion
of Constitution reforms will become active
and the attitudes of all the people will gradually cone to light. At the Council,
there will be revisions of the Government's
original draft, but there will be also fairly warm discussions at the Privy Council.
After the draft is approved by the
- 2 -
POLITICAL SERIES: 268 (Continued)
ITEM 3 (Continued)
Privy Council, the Government for the first tine appeals to the Emperor for his proposal
to reform the Constitution, and by
Imperial order the draft will be presented to the Imperial Diet for discussion.
For two months, from now on to the end of election, and among both the Government
and political parties, the problem of
Constitutional reform will be the center of public opinions. Further, the opening
of the special Diet session is expected to
be about 20 April, and the Government will study the revisions and abolition of appended
regulations for simultaneous
presentation. The reform draft discussions will be continued at the Cabinet meeting
to be held on 4 February at 1330, it was
decided.
Mr. MIZUTANI (Social Democratic Party) says, "No objection, but we object to its
capitalistic application. As for our party,
it is our policy that we direct it in conformity with the spirit of the Labor Union
Law, and we have no objection in principle
to the Government's statement, but in actual practise it is a serious question as
to how to dispose of violence, threats, and
encroachment upon ownership. To be blunt, the labor dispute itself is a sort of threat,
which, if the law is to be applied
strictly, may forbid the labor dispute itself, but this way of thinking does not apply
in the case of labor disputes even when
considered from an academic standpoint. Besides, during the war, didn't the capitalists
maltreat the laborers with violence
and threats? We object to any unilateral application that disregards the long cherished
sentiments of the workers. Therefore,
a big question lies in where to draw the line of demarkation between impunity and
violation. On the other hand, the
capitalists ought to behave themselves in such a way that they be held in affection
by the workers and so be free from
violence and threats."
Mr. KUROKI (Communist Party) says: "It is the supression of the workers'. The Government's
statement or labor disputes
suppresses the workers' management control. There is no infringement upon private
ownership by the workers' management
control; it is contrary to the facts, because there are even instances of increases
in their profits as the result of the
increased output by the workers' control of management. As for violence and threats,
the party is not leading them in that way
at all; we are leading them to proceed in peace. The Government's attitude ignores
the right of labor based on the POTSDAM
Declaration, and it exercises suppression, standing on the view-point of the Emperor
system. It is a violation of the treaty
following the POTSDAM Declaration, it obstructs the democratization of JAPAN and such
a Government must be overthrown at
once."
DISTRIBUTION "X"
- 3 -
Loading...