Press translations [Japan]. Social Series 0130, 1945-12-28.
Date28 December, 1945
translation numbersocial-0543
call numberDS801 .S84
Persistent Identifier
SOCIAL SERIES: 130
ITEM 1 Measures for War sufferers in KOBE - Provincial Newspaper (KOBE) KOBE Shimbun - 21 Dec 45. Translator: J. KINOSHITA.
Summary
For war homeless and orphans in KOBE a refuge home, SHINSEI-RYO, has recently been
established by the agency of the KOBE
branch of the War Victim Relief Association at the site of the SUMA Lunatic Asylum
at NISHISHIRO, SUMA-Ku, KOBE-Shi. This home
will house 300 people, who are to he given food, shelter, clothing and jobes. On 20
December, 70 homeless who have lived at
night in the KOBM station were taken in the home.
OKURA, Mutsuji, head of the home, having resigned his position as an executive of
a committee of the Ex-convict Relief
Association (SHIHO-HOGO KYOKAI) has voluntarily taken the new work, and has revealed
his resolution to execute this relief
task.
ITEM 2 Some Virtuous landowners are contrasted with majority of blackmarketing landowners - Provincial Newspaper - (HIROSHIMA) CHUGOKU Shimbun - 21 Dec 45. Translator: J. KINOSHITA
Summary:
Since the land reform decision of the last Diet, one praiseworthy landowner has appeared
in the ranks of the owners and
workers. He is KAMAMURA, Yasuhiko of YAMAGUCHI-Ken, KUMAKE-Gun, [illegible]. His resolution to deliver all
his farm land of 42 chobu (some 11 acres) to his 200 odd tenant farmers at the price
is greatly praised by his tenants. This
action will have much influence[illegible]other landowners in his district.
ITEM 3 Oppression of Christianity Continued in KUROSAKI village Provincial Newspaper Nagasaki Shimbun (NAGASAKI) - 21 Dec 45. Translator: C. GILBERT.
Summary:
KUROSAKI-Mura on SONOKI Peninsula near NAGASAKI is well known for the heroic suffering
of its inhabitants who were persecuted
during the TOKUGAWA period for their belief in Christianity. After the MEIJI Restoration,
thanks to the effort of a French
Father, a new church and convent was soon rebuilt and the angelus bell resounded as
of old.
The inhabitants of KUROSAKI-Mura went out as missionaries and soon won an ever widening
circle of Catholic converts in
adjoining areas until the outbreak of the MANCHURIAN Incident, when they encountered
turned oppression by the government. The
convent was forcibly turned into a military training center, the angelus bell was
confiscated and shortly before the end of
the war Father NAKAJIMA was arrested by TOKKO and placed under detention in the NAGASAKI
police
SOCIAL SERIES: 130 (Continued)
ITEM 3 (Continued)
station. As it became clear during the hearings, they had absolutely no case against
him.
During Father NAKAJIMA's detention, a Navel officer visited him and said that the
brotherly love Christ taught was irrational.
Father NAKAJIMA contested the point and said that he had always believed that HAKKO
ICHIU (TN "The world under one roof", an
old Japanese proverb) meant nothing else but this very same brotherly love, that it
means not to do harm unto others, but, to
respect others as yourself. Father NAKAJIMA says the Naval Officer was unable to reply.
Father NAKAJIMA believes that the
Japanese lost the war because they lacked the proper spirit of religion.
ITEM 4 Progress of Reconstruction in War Devastated Cities - Provincial Newspaper (NAGOYA) Chubu Nippon Shimbun 22 Dec 45. Translator J. KINOSHITA.
Full Translation:
A detailed report of the investigation on the rehabilitation was fered by TAGUCHI,
clerk of the TOKAI-HOKURIKU Administrative
Bureau AICHI-Ken.
NAGOYA-Shi - Of the families of [illegible]sufferers, 740 dwell in houses normally built, 4,768 in
tim-patchod shanties or barracks and 680 in subterranean hovels. The remaining 141,405
war victims, are roomers in the
undevastated areas in the city. The building of 700 simple houses have been, for the
most part, completed, in November, and
are inhabited by these hovel dwellers. Out of the allotment of the 21,000 temporary
houses, only some 2000 have been built.
Some 1600 of the 3000 municipal houses will be built by the end of this year.
ICHINOMIYA-Shi Of the 10,000 families of war sufferers, 3,300 live in houses built
by themselves while families living tin
patched shanties number 800 dwellers. One thousand, temporary have been allotted by
the Government and other 382 simple houses
are expected to be built. Many people are applying for them.
OKAZAKI-Shi - Out of the 7,500 families of war-sufferers, 4,5 00 desire to live in
the city. Families which dwelt in houses
constructed by themselves are estimated at 1,300. Some 500 of the 1,400 simple houses
allotted are expected to be built this
year. The Municipal Office is making strenuous efforts to accomplish this.
Out of the 725,000 koku of timber for the 29,000 allotted houses in AICHI-Zen, 520,000
koku must be imported from neighboring
GIFU-Ken and MIE-Ken, as these do not require as much timber they have on hand in
GIFU-Ken.
CIFU-Shi - Building materials for 470 out of 11,000 simple houses which had been
planned have been delivered. Two thousand one
hundred houses were built by the people themselves. Three thousand simple houses,
1,000 self-constructed houses and some 80
Municipal houses are expected to be built in this year and. As an emergency plan 11,045
people of 2,354 families are to be
taken into several factory domitories which first accomodated 2,180 people.
OGAKI-Shi Out of the 4,800 families of war-sufferers 500 dwell, in self-constructed
houses. None of the 750 allotted houses,
450 planned by the Municipal Office, 300 the Lodging Association were built. Dwellers
in tin-patched shanties number some 800
families, of which 130 are thought to be unable to pass the winter under existing
conditions. Plans are being, made to receive
them, in factory dormitories.
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SOCIAL SERIES: 130 (Continued)
ITEM 4 (Continued)
In GIFU-Ken extreme shortage of building materials is checking the smooth advance
of the house-building.
ITEM 5 Literature and War (2nd part) - Tokyo Shimbun - 27 Dec 45. Translator: C. GILBERT.
Summary:
After the outbreak of the German-Soviet War, public opinion in AMERICA was against
participation, but then it changed and
AMERICA entered the war to destroy Fascism. Democracy has shown its victory over Fascism
and its progressiveness. The war was,
however, won not through the superiority of the American atomic bomb over HITLER's
V weapon, but, the superiority of democracy
over fascism. HITLER's GERMANY, MUSSOLI[illegible]I's ITALY and the JAPAN of the TENNO as weak capitalistic
States were fated to declare war against all things demecratic. The leaders of the
different democratic states who took up the
fight with this fascistic combination were prompted by their own interests, but, the
peoples have tried to overcome by
shackles. This has become evident in the general [illegible]of ENGLAND, the liberation movement in the
French colonies, the attempt to democratize the CHIANG-Kai-Shek regime and the independance
movements in INDIA, [illegible], KOREA and elsewhere. Fascism is the result of capitalistic bankruptcy. It negates
those parts of
the, capitalistic society which arc healthy and tries to a [illegible]order. Therefore, Fascism did not only
endanger the [illegible]but, also those democratic and liberalistic attainments which the capitalistic
society had reasoned in its evolution from feudalism.
Japanese reform into a democratic state under the MEIJI Restoration was a bourgeois
half measure. Therefore, the reversion to
feudalism became, strong and democracy weak in the 10 years of JAPAN's wars of aggression.
During this time, only the
imprisoned Japanese Communist Party members showed political, economic, and cultural
opposition to [illegible]. The attack of Japanese fascism against Japanese democratic writers was especially
virulent. It started with the
dissolution of the Union of Japanese Proletarian Writers, followed by the banning
of the magazines "CHUOKORON" and "KAIZO",
and imprisonment of their staff, the reorganization of ASAHI and other Japanese daily
newspapers, dismissal of democratic
university professors and the oppression even of bourgeois authors as was evinced
by the prohibition of much crotic literature
on the ground that they did not reflect feudalistic morality. This led even to the
suppression of the collection of modern
Japanese literature
ITEM 6 Condition of Amusement Centers in TOKYO - Tokyo Shimbun - 27 Dec 45. Translator: C. GILBERI.
Summary:
Christmas bells announced peace, but, there are no New Year decorations for the Japanese
people and HAGOITA (TN Shuttlecock
game played throughout Japan during the New Year's celebration.) cannot be had, as
they are too costly. On the other hand, the
amusement centers with their black market stalls and movie halls areas overcongested
as the transportation system. The ASAKUSA
amusement center is, however, crowded only from noon to just before supper time. Already,
before the end of the performances
people begin to leave as nobody wants to be in war devastated, precarious. ASAKUSA
after dark.
People eat ODEN (TN Japanese stew) at five yen a plate and visit the movie and theater
halls grumbling over the excessively
high admission fee, especially the 200 per cent tax. The greater part of the audience
is composed of young men, and a few
women. Chinese
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SOCIAL SERIES; 130 (Continued)
ITEM 6 (Continued)
and Korean spectators have increased remarkably. All movie halls and theaters are
full but the intake in December dropped to
two-thirds of November. The total intake in ASAKUSA for September was 1,030,000 yen,
for October 1,020,000 yen, for November
1,010,000 yen. Up to two months ago the spectators asked for change for a 10 or 100
yon note; now they all pay in small
change.
At the NICHIGEKI in MARUNOUCHI the audience is different from that in ASAKUSA. It
is mostly composed of young girls, who make
up 70 per cent of the audience. From 12 to 13,000 people visit the NICHIGEKI daily.
One can see youngsters paying the six yen
entrance fee and buying five Japanese cakes at six yen a piece at the inside still.
Such is the sad picture of youths starved
for joy.
DISTRIBUTION "X"
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