Press translations [Japan]. Social Series 0215, 1946-02-01.
Date1 February, 1946
translation numbersocial-1058
call numberDS801 .S84
Persistent Identifier
SOCIAL SERIES: 215
ITEM 1 Labor Struggles - Yomiuri Hochi - 30 Jan 46. Translator: T. Ogawa.
Summary:
The Metropolitan Teachers Union which has started an active drive to seek better
treatment yesterday held a mass meeting sad
submitted its demands before Mr. FUJINUMA, the Metropolitan Governor. These demands
comprised a five-fold increase of salaries
and the prompt resignation of Governor FUJINUMA of the Metropolis. Governor FUJINUMA
promised that their demand will be
officially answered on 30 January.
It is learned that the Governor's answer will also be given, simultaneously to the
TOKYO Traffic Workers Union, the TOKYO
Metropolitan Employees Union, the TOKYO Water Supply Workers Union, the TOKYO Metropolitan
Officials Union.
It is expected that an epoch-making joint struggle will be launched by forming united
front of the aforesaid unions depending
on the answer. This struggle is different from the general strikes which have been
seen hitherto. Each union headed by the
TOKYO Traffic Workers Union is planning the management of business by the worker's
control. The Teachers Union is also
planning to establish a School Committee consisting of representatives of parents,
school children and teachers, without
resorting to a strike, and to carry out the school management by this committee.
The fact that a democratization of education is being planned autonomously is worthy
of note as an epoch-making event in the
history of education. The Teachers Union decided the policy of the people's control
of education by launching a joint
struggle.
After adjournment of the mass meeting held at HIBIYA Park on Monday, some 6,000 teachers
together with 1,000 men of the TOKYO
traffic Workers Union carried out a large scale demonstration with the powerful support
of the Conference of the KANTO Labor
Union. They visited Governor FUJINAMI at the KYOBASHI ward office to submit the Unions'
demands. With their demands totally
rejected by the Governor, 300 representatives of the teachers selected be each ward
again interviewed the Governor at 1900 on
the same day. The interview was ended as the Governor promised to give a concrete
answer at 1000 on 30 January.
After reaching an agreement on future measures, the Teachers Union decided to adopt
the following policy in order to carry
through their demand.
- 1.To hold a Parents meeting in each ward, for the purpose of organizing the School Committee, which will control the school management.
- 2.To participate in a joint struggle with the TOKYO Traffic Workers Union and other Labor Unions related to the metropolitan Government. Their action will depend on the Governor's answer to be given on 30 January.
SOCIAL SERIES: 215 (Continued)
ITEM 1 (Continued)
In the course of this negotiation an interesting event occurred. Some 100 policemen
were dispatched to the scene of the
interview by the Governor's orders. These policemen, however, showed a friendly attitude
toward the teachers all the time. The
majority of the policemen said "We policemen also have the same demand as you. have".
Some of them even aided the teachers so
they could see the Governor.
Following the interview with the Governor, the teachers held a meeting of the action
committee yesterday at the SHINRYU
Primary School at KAMAKURA-Cho, in KANDA-Ku.
At the Committee meeting the following 4 point plan was decided: (1) to organize
an action committee in each ward, (2) to
establish the Operation Section, the Information and Propaganda Section, (3) to develop
a fighting formation in perfect order
under the instruction of the Action Headquarters, (4) to organize the School Committee
as soon as possible to handle the
control of school management. This will include the mapping out of teaching materials,
text-books, etc.
ITEM 2 Conversation between Gen Dyke and Ed. Minister. ABE - Asahi Shimbun - 31 Jan 46. Translator: M. Ohno.
Summary:
Education Minister ABE talked with Brigadier General DYKE about fundamental educational
Problems on 22 January.
The Minister of Education' I know well JAPAN is [illegible]and the UNITED STATES is the victor. However, I
believe the UNITED STATES would not ignore both truth and justice in view of being
victor. Consequently, I intend to insist on
everything frankly. I want you to understand this.
DYKE: Well, Progress lies in frank negotiations, I think.
The Education Minister: Some officials of our Government have accepted without any
preparations certain orders from the
General Headquarters which would be impossible to complete. There were many of those
causes before, I think. I want to avoid
this, and if I think it is impossible to obey a directive of the General Headquarters,
I will say frankly and tell why the
directive is impossible.
DYKE: Yes. And to bear this out, suppose I issued a directive to force you to do
something by a certain date. We will allow
you to postpone this date in special cases. Education is a thing of great importance,
I think. It will be a serious matter if
evil educational methods lead young men on an unjust path which would seriously injure
the minds of the young men. I want to
know in detail the educational conditions in your country and I want to tell you,
in advance, our opinion concerning education
in this country as well as to deliberate on the propriety of such an opinion.
Till now, we have had to issue a large number of directives in order to give the
Government an outline of our intention.
Hereafter, though we might issue some directives, the will be additional ones to supplement
the former ones. Our work in the
future is to fill up the contents of the directives issued formerly. I want to suppress
promptly the improper parts of the
present text-books. Concerning this, the understanding between the Headquarters and
the Education Ministry is rather good, I
think. However, it is not so in the provincial districts. I think the co-operation
of learned civilians is necessary for
revising the text-books. The adoption of civilians as advisory is desirable.
- 2 -
SOCIAL SERIES: 215 (Continued)
ITEM 2 (Continued)
The Minister of Education: But, there are very few learned civilians suitable for
that purpose now in JAPAN because of the
rapid change of the social conditions and of the idleness of the Government, which
should have cultivated many men of talent
even during the war. Consequently, though I want to adopt as many civilians as possible,
I cannot now settle the number,
because of the above mentioned circumstances. I want you understand this.
DYKE: I said only that the co-operation of civilians is necessary for the general
educational problems. As you know, American
educational envoys are to come to this country soon. I want you to form promptly a
Japanese commission to work with them.
The Vine-Minister: We have already made a list of the members of that commission,
numbering about 23 persons, However, I think
the commission must be filled up by the further addition of members, especially public
educators.
The Minister of Education: I wish to say a word about Japanese history, Japanese
history must be written afresh. However,
previously when the communist thoughts entered our country, our history had been written
from the standpoint of communism, but
it did not portray the real facts. If Japanese history is to be written in the light
of democracy only, it will again become
unreal. Consequently, the problem of history must be handled with great care. Accordingly,
we want to begin to teach, at
school our history free from such fabrications and militaristic elements for the present.
Lieutenant Colonel NUGENT: Japanese history must be written not only from the communistic
standpoint, or from the democratic
point of view. It must be based on historical facts.
DYKE: I think Japanese history must be written by the Japanese themselves, not by
Americans. But, as this is a important
matter, ample time must be devoted to it. I think that Japanese history has not only
been distorted by militarism and
nationalism, but that there are other distortions too. Consequently, I am of the opinion
that it would be better if the
teaching of Japanese history were suspended till the tine when a more is realistic
history is written.
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