Press translations [Japan]. Social Series 0118, 1945-12-24.
Date24 December, 1945
translation numbersocial-0491
call numberDS801 .S84
Persistent Identifier
SOCIAL SERIES: 118
ITEM 1 Monthly Withdrawals of Postal Savings 10,000,000 yen. Salaried People's Bonuses are Exhausted in Buying Potatoes and Perishable Food Tokyo Shimbun 22 Dec 45. Translator: K. Minagi.
Summary:
An analysis of postal savings gives a clear indication of the increased expenditures
of the people of TOKYO. A comparison
between the suns on deposit and the withdrawals during the three months prior to the
end of the war, and those during the
three months since the end of the war shows a monthly decrease of 110,000,000 yen
in deposits and a monthly increase of
20,000,000 yen in withdrawals, according to figures at the TOKYO Central Post Office,
where savings from 600 TOKYO post
offices are collected.
This is not true' of TOKYO only but holds for all war-damaged cities in JAPAN. In
October there was a large number of
withdrawals, probably for the purpose of purchasing sweet potatoes. Moreover, the
purchase of black market perishable food is
seriously affecting the household budgets of salaried employees.
The throngs of people usually evident at this time of the year, depositing their
bonus money, have not appeared this year.
Year-end bonuses as well as part of the 40,000,000,000 yen postal savings of JAPAN
are rapidly disappearing in the purchase of
food at provincial villages.
To what extent salaried employees' purses are being lined with their bonuses may
be judged from the recent rear-end conditions
in street stalls end department stores. Purchasing power is certainly declining. Such
daily necessities as aluminum, pots and
frying pans seem to have been bought by those who were in need of them. Only porcelain
elates or bowls are selling in some
quantity, an indication of New Year's preparations.
Toys which are appearing in increased quantities in the street markets are still
too expensive to attract the attention of
pedestrians. The regular shuttlecock recquet, for instance, costs as high as 30 yen.
The general attention of the customers is
focussed on food, the most popular item being sardines.
In department stores where Christmas sales are being emphasized, cheap fancy goods
are the object of the customer's search.
Clothing is being handled at present only by street-stall keepers at black market
prices.
Department store managers are optimistic about the probability of a favorable chance
in prices of consumer goods, believing
they will soon settle to a level moderate enough to permit their handling such articles.
SOCIAL SERIES: 118 (Continued)
ITEM 2 Crimes - Asahi Shimbun - 22 Dec 45. Translator: H. Nishihara.
Summary:
The increase in the number of burglary and murder incidents has aggravated the uneasiness
of the public. The police is
considered too understaffed and inept to cope with the situation. General Headquarters
was petitioned for an increase in the
number of police officials, but Permission was not granted.
The following account is of an interview of Mr. KOIZUMI, Chief of the Public Peace
Bureau (KEIHO KYOKU) of the Hone Ministry
by an ASAHI reporter:
Question: Burglaries are perpetrated every day in TOKYO, and crime throughout the
nation has increased greatly in number.
Isn't it a reflection of the weakness of the police?
Answer: I regret that the incidence of crimes in both large and small cities has
increased tremendously since the war's end.
The current crime wave may be regarded as a manifestation of difficult living conditions,
public demoralization, and a
misconception of liberalism. It is the aftermath of war in a defeated nation.
The police failed to handle the situation because the police in JAPAN had been accustomed
to exceeding their authority, and
were not under suitable administrative control. They considered democracy and their
concepts of the function of a policeman
incompatible, and as a result, lost considerable self-confidence For example, the
practice of patrols questioning suspicious
pedestrians was discontinued because it was thought contrary to the principles of
democracy. This practice must be revised.
Public opinion opposed this practice because of the bad manners of the police. I do
wish the public would not consider it a
personal affront when questioned by the police, since it is necessary in the prevention
of crime.
Question: Isn't it true that the police neglect their crime-prevention duties because
they have other matters to look
after? Answer: To a certain extent that is true. Matters concerned with labor service and-labor
have been placed under
the administrative control of other agencies, but matters pertaining to economic,
price-fixing, etc. are in the hands of the
police. General Headquarter's order prohibits us from increasing the number of police,
so the only alternative is to improve
the quality of the police. Their wages will be raised in an effort to improving their
standards.
Question: Criminals operate in groups of two or three or even ten. Do you plan to
equip the police with more effective
arms?
Answer: It's a very complicated problem for which no satisfactory solution has been
found. We wish to increase the number of
policemen.
Question: Do you intend to encourage the public to organize self-defense groups which
would operate with police in crime
prevention?
Answer: I favor such a plan, yet at the same time, fear placing authority in the
hands of untrained people. We intend to
discuss that matter at a meeting of police staff members.
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SOCIAL SERIES: 118 (Continued)
ITEM 2 (Continued)
Question: If the number of crimes continues to increase, what action do you propose
to take ?
Answer: We do fear crimes will increase; hence we must improve the quality of the
policemen. In larger cities we may have to
institute a crufew. All people on the streets after a specified time will be questioned
and investigated. A census is a
necessary measure, too. But in the last analysis, we must reconstruct crime prevention
and investigation organizations which
were so disrupted during the war.
Currently, crimes seem to be accompanied by brutality. In the UGUISUDANI Station
murder case, even the victims shoes were
stolen. The public was terrified because the murder was committed very close to a
lighted building.
A total of nine crimes were committed in TOKYO from January to the end of the war,
while 28 burglaries occurred in November
and 16 murders in the first 10 days of this month. The habitual criminal generally
does his work alone, but the current
criminal operates in groups, even killing when killing is unnecessary. It is evident,
then, that these criminals are amateurs,
since they exhibit brutality when such an act is superfluous. Most of the criminals
are youths of 20 or 25 wearing military
uniforms and armed with swords, daggers, clubs, tiles, stones—in short, anything they
can lay their hands on. Pistols have
begun to appear recently. Crimes are committed even in broad daylight. In October
and November, 5,000 cases of larceny were
reported, and 40 per cent of the perpetrators were apprehended. Of 23 murder cases,
10 have been successfully solved and four
are near solution.
No better results can be expected of the present understaffed force. Detectives investigate
a number of cases simultaneously
and. have hardly enough time for sleep. The Preliminary Investigation and Identification
Section of the TOKYO Police Bureau
travels to the scene of a crime in streetcars since they have no motor vehicles. The
police telephone system is inadequate,
and utilization of a police radio network is impossible at present. Sabers are not
adequate weapons. The Police Department has
petitioned General Headquarters for permission to carry pistols and tear gas bombs.
DISTRIBUTION: "X"
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