Press translations [Japan]. Political Series 0276, 1946-02-04.
Date4 February, 1946
translation numberpolitical-1123
call numberDS801 .S85
Persistent Identifier
POLITICAL SERIES: 276
ITEM 1 Electoral Situation in CHUBU and KINKI Districts - Mainichi Shimbun - 3 Feb 46. Translator: K. Murakani.
Summary:
There are only 18 vacant seats in AICHI Ken and yet, there are a lot of candidates.
The Progressive Party has 12, the Social
Democratic Party five; the Communist Party seven; the New Civic Party two. Besides,
20 odd persons, who do not belong to any
party, are expected to run.
Women candidates number two, KOSHIHARA, Haruko, of the New Civic; and TAJIMA, Hide,
Communist. Moreover, a few more women are
re-mored to be running as well.
In GIFU Ken, the Social-Democratic Party decided on five officially recognized candidates
including Mr. KATO, ex-Diet member.
However, some of the party-men, discontented with the policies of the headquarters,
left the party for the Communist Party.
The Liberal Party will decide on its election policy after Mr. MAKINO, ex-Diet member
returns. Approximately 30 persons are
expected to deposit money for candidacy.
In OSAKA-Fu: On 29 January, the depositors numbered 111. Under such circumstances,
a very hot contest is expected.
The Progressive Party is endeavoring to readjust its personnel. Mr. UEDA. Kokichi,
and OKAWA, Mitsuzo are the principal
candidates.
Recognized candidates of the Liberal Party number six in the first district and seven
in the second. SHIYASU, Shinkuro, and
NAKAYAMA, Gonzo are notable candidates.
The social-Democratic Party recognized Mr. NISHIO, Suehiro; TAYOROZU, Kiyoomi; SUGIYAMA,
Ganjiro; TANABE, Osamu; TAKIGAWA,
Sueichi; INOUYE, Ryoji and five other persons. They hope for the support of the working
classes while the Communist Party
presented five candidates.
The JAPAN Cooperative party is led by Mr. TANAKA, Fuiisaku. Candidates of small parties
number in all 22 at present.
In KYOTO-Fu, on 29 January, depositors numbered 50, five times as many as the number
of seats available.
Big Parties such as the Progressive, Liberal and Social-Democratic have made previous
arrangements to avoid internal
strife.
The Japanese Revolutionary, Communist, and Republican parties are very active. Generally
speaking, the Social-Democratic Party
is favored. All ex-Diet members, including HASHIDA, welfare Minister are to run. The
principal new men are NAGATA, Masaichi,
Liberal; and Dr. YASUDA, Tokutaro, Communist. The leading women are KIMURA, Chiyo,
former teacher and OISHI, Yoshiye in
MAIZURU.
POLITICAL SERIES: 276 (Continued)
ITEM 1 (Continued)
In HYOGO Ken, The depositors numbered 32 up to 27 January. The Communist Party has
six candidates, including SHIMIZU, Chie,
women.
Mr. KAWAKAMI, Jotaro of the Social Democratic Party has given up. However, the party
will have 11 candidates headed by NAGAYE,
Kazuo. Mr. OUCHI, Hyoye, professor at TOKYO Imperial University is likely to stand
at AWAJI.
In SHIGA Ken, 22 persons are expected to run, including 18 new candidates. Depositors
up to 29 January numbered 12.
In NARA Ken, seven main members of the social-Democratic Party, headed by chairman
WAKABAYASHI, resigned from their party and
joined the Communist Party. Some others also left it for the JAPAN Advance Party (NIPPON
ZENEITO). In contrast with this
confusion of the Social-Democratic Party, both progressive and Liberal Parties appear
calm at present.
In WAKAYAMA Ken, the existing political parties appear inactive. Small parties do
not appear as yet.
In MIE Ken, 10 or more persons gave up their candidacy, since they were affected
by the SCAP order. A Democratic united front
has been formed between the Social-Democratic and Communist Parties. Everyone in the
prefecture regrets that Mr. OZAKI, Yukio
voluntarily gave up his candidacy.
ITEM 2 TOKUDA of the Communist Party Declaims the Government "Gag" Law - 3 Feb. 46.
Translator; S.
Hirata.
Summary:
With reference to the intention of the government to revive the control of speech,
Mr. TOKUDA, Chief Secretary of the
Communist Party, says, "Being unable to bear the people's criticism, the Government
is attempting to issue a gag law again by
exercising its power. It is nobody else but the Government itself that makes a false
statement of fact. The people know fully
well that it was by this very means that they were enslaved and driven into a merciless
aggressive war. TO revive the control
of speech is nothing but a crime committed against the people.
The Government control of speech to prevent disclosure of secrets is a return to
the dark ages in administration. The secret
policy adopted by the Government in the past has been an object of resentment by the
people. As the Government exists for the
people, there should be no secret withheld from the people. We will wipe out the dark
administration of feudalism by the force
of a democratic front."
ITEM 3 The Importance of the Coming: General Election - Mainichi Shimbun - 3 Feb 46. Translator: K. Murakami.
Summary:
The forthcoming general election is a very important affair as the foundation for
the establishment of a new, democratic
JAPAN; and its result depends mainly upon the people's concern and efforts. Political
circles in the provinces became active
after the election day was fixed and the ordinance of the Home Ministry on candidacy
was promulgated. candidates who have
already made their deposits number 195. Two thousand and several hundred persons are
expected to run, including 1,200 or more
new men.
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POLITICAL SERIES: 276 (Continued)
ITEM 3 (Continued)
The recent political purge directive of SCAP has brought about a very great change
in the political world. The political
situation has been greatly changed by the directive allowing members of new men to
come to the front. However, are these new
men genuinely new? We must not overlook the fact that there are some who run only
as substitutes for members of the old Diet
who have been banished by the SCAP order, and so-called permanent candidates who try
to take advantage of this
opportunity.
It is a typical characteristic of this election that there are many candidates (approximately
one fourth of those expected)
who stand for neutrality or independence from parties. From this fact, we can point
out that most of them shrink from showing
their colors: in other words, they intend to take a definite stand after determining
the settled political circumstances as
the result of the general election.
At any rate, granting that the majority of laborers living in big cities may welcome
new men, old members of political parties
still have strong power in farming and fishing villages. Can the proletarian elements
break up these old politicians? On the
other hand, small political parties number 170 or 180 throughout the country.
Women, who have been given suffrage for the first time, will play a great part in
the coming general election. In every ken
women have stood as candidates. We have only a few ken which have no women candidates.
In spite of all these facts, some
people pessimistically say, "women who go to the poll will be 20 per cent of the total".
This lack of enthusiasm for the
election is not only prevalent among women, but represents a general tendency. It
is because of the fact that the people are
busy with the present urgent problems of food and housing that they have no time for
politics.
Both the Progressive and the Liberal Parties are making efforts to readjust their
fronts; while the social-Democratic,
Communist, and Republican Parties are busy in stabilizing their subsidiary organizations
and gaining more members. To what
degree can these parties [illegible]make the most of the one month before the notification of the date of
the general election?
ITEM 4 General TAJIMA Gets Death Sentence; Long Term For HONDA - Asahi Shimbun - 3 Feb 46. Translator; H. Kato.
Extracts:
The American Military Tribunal in MANILA on 1 February sentenced to death by hanging
Lieutenant General TAJIMA, Hikotaro,
commanding officer of the Japanese forces on the BATAAN Peninsula, and gave thirteen
others terms ranging from five years to
life inprisonment. Lieutenant General TAJIMA was sentenced to hang when found guilty
of murdering three American Airmen in May
1944. Thirteen other Japanese officers received prison sentences ranging from five
to 30 years for their part in the murders
of a great majority of the Filipinos on BATAAN.
Former Captain HONDA, Hiroji, fifth war crime suspect, was given a 20 year prison
term of hard labor, in the verdict announced
on 2 February by an American Military commission at YOKOHAMA. Former Japanese prison
camp commandent HONDA was sentenced to 20
years hard labor for failure to control men under his command and prevent them from
committing atrocities against Allied
Prisoners of war, and putting sick war prisoners to work in coal-mines. His sentence
was the lightest imposed during the
YOKOHAMA trials of minor war criminals as Captain MARCHESON and other defense councils
pleaded his innocence from the
beginning on the grounds of insufficient evidence.
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POLITICAL SERIES: 276 (Continued)
ITEM 4 (Continued)
In another YOKOHAMA trial, Colonel FUKUMOTO, former war prison camp commandent at
FUKUOKA was summoned as a witness; when the
defense examined him about the customs of penalties in the Japanese forces, he stated
that the order of the war Ministry
concerning treatment of war prisoners prescribed that treatment must be vigorous but
not merciless and that the commandant of
a prison camp must he competent in the control of his men.
Next, INARIDA, Inosuke, former director of the MIIKE Coal Mine was summoned as a
witness after the council examined the
offender concerning the death of Corporal JOHNSON. ISHIDA denied the charge but acknowledged
the fact that he punished
corporal JOHNSON and first-class warrant office HICHAM on charges of illegal acts.
He concluded his testimony by claiming that
he had never tortured a war prisoner by water to determine whether or not he was guilty
of larceny.
DISTRIBUTION "X"
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