Press translations [Japan]. Political Series 0150, 1946-01-07.
Date7 January, 1946
translation numberpolitical-0649
call numberDS801 .S85
Persistent Identifier
POLITICAL SERIES: 150
ITEM 1 The New Year and the General Election - The Mimpo - 5 Jan 46. Translator: T. Ogawa
Summary:
The Now Year is very important and very significant, I believe. Airplanes are flying
over our heads, but neither explosive
bombs nor incendiaries drop from above. Even if we hear the shrink of motor sirens,
it is no longer an clear to warn people to
turn their electric lights. We can continue our work at ease. For this little matter
alone we feel quite grateful. The fact
that peace has come, following the termination of the world war, really makes us feel
grateful and happy.
There is, however a mere important thing. Freedom has been bestowed upon all of us
which enables us to speak of bad things as
being bad and good thing as being good, and to accomplish the good things more easily
by destroying the bad. During the war,
everyone had to do as he was ordered, knowing that some of these orders were bad.
You may well understant what I say by your own experience if you recall those days
during the war. The time has come, at last,
when we can do good things without hesitation, and stop the bad things promptly. The
Japanese people must perform only good
deeds hereafter. Do them eagerly. There is no need to feel constrained by the Government,
the police or the military police.
On the contrary, the government officials, police officers or the officials of the
prefectural government can do good things
together with the average people. Until now, when anybody, for instance a village
policeman, wanted to do good things and stop
bad things, he could not because he had to obey the chief of police, obey the village
office, and obey those who had influence
in the village administration. The time has come, however, when he can do the right
thing without being bound by anybody. In
short, the town people, factory workers, farmers, or primary school teachers, regardless
of occupation, can all join the
Liberal Party, or the Progressive Party, or the Japanese Social Party, or the Japanese
Communist Party. If a village policeman
joins the Japanese Communist Party, the chief of police has no power to discharge
him from his office, as long as he fulfills
his duty as village policeman. If there is any chief of police who would threaten
his subordinate with discharge, the
policeman can bring accusations against him to the Home Minister. In ease the Home
Minister refuses to listen to the
policeman's accusation and supports the chief of police, the policeman can then have
the Home Minister discharged. This is a
very favorable change, I think.
ITEM 2 Progressive Party in Great Confusion Cyclonic Directive by MacARTHUR - Asahi Shimhur - 5 Jan 46. Translator: A. Kido
Full Translation:
On 4 January, when the SCAP Directive was issued to banish all militaristic leaders
from government and other public offices,
the Government and the Progressive Party, were in [illegible]cold sweet. Chief
POLITICAL SERIES: 150 (Continued)
ITEM 2 (Continued)
Secretary TSUGITA, with a look of istress, called on Premier SHID[illegible]HARA, who is sick at his home in
SETAGAYA, informing him of the directive. As a result, an [illegible]traordinary Cabinet meeting will be
held this afternoon to work out remedial measures.
On the other hand, the Progressive Party was to hold this year's first general meeting
yesterday. Only about half of the Party
members attached the meeting and were quite surprised at the directive. The meeting
was [illegible]t once
dissolved. Chief secres[illegible]ry TSURUMI said. "[illegible]y this alone we cannot now
how far the directive is applicable. Secretary TSURUMI then went out to find out the
original text of the directive. Meanwhile
telephones in the office rang continuously, party members asked questions about the
directives, and office employees were
quite impassive. Chief secretary TSURUMI on coming back said, "The question now is
not our party's statement; the persons
concerned cannot even make campaign speeches for candidates; of the 15 directors,
the remaining; persons will be KAWASAKI,
SAITO, and YOSHIOKA. This evening an important general meeting will be held."
Mr. KIUCHI, Kyo, who had come to join the party, was at a loss upon seeing the confusion
in the office. "Consulting with
President MACHIDA, we have decided on the attitude of our Party toward the directive"
said chief secretary TSURUIMI, He
concluded his speech, saying "with the remainder and new members we will ultimately
[illegible]democratic
administrative organization based on our party Platform, 'faithful fulfilment of the
PO[illegible]SDAM
Declaration.'" But his voice gave a depressing impression.
ITEM 3 Mainichi Shimbun - Jan 5 46. Translator: S.Ono
Full Translation:
The following are the names of the persons who had taken an active role in the formation
of the Imperil Rule Assistance
Political Society. (Names of these already arrested as war criminals arc excluded):
- 1.Members of the House of Peers: ARITA, Hachiro; ISHIGURO, Tedaatsu; IWAKURA, Michitomo; ISHIWATA , Sotaro; ENDO, Ryusaku; OGURA, Masatsune; OHARA, Naoshi; KAWARADA, Kakichi; KIMURA, Naosato; KURODA, Nagakazu; SENGOKU, Kotaro; TAKI, Masse; TSUGITA, Daizabure; YABUKI, Shozo; YAMAOKA, Mannosuke; YUKI, Toyotaro; YOKOYAMA; Sukenari; YOSHIDA, Shigeru; HASHIMOTO, Seinosuke; and HORIKRI, Zonjiro.
- 2.Members of the House of Representatives: UCHIGASAKI, Sakusaburo; USHIZUKA, Toratare; OKADA, Tadahike; OASA, Tadao; KATSU, Masanori; KOYAMA, Masatoshi; ODAIRA, Gonichi; KOHDO, Eijiro: SHIMOIDE, Yoshio; SAITO, Shintare; TOGO, Minoru; MAEDA, Yonezo; MATSUMURA, Kenzo; YAMAZAKI, Tatsunosuke; KAWAKAMI, J[illegible]t[illegible]ro; TANABE, Shichiroku; KIYOSE, Ichiro; and CGUCHI, Kircku.
- 3.Financial circles; IZAKA, Takashi; and TOYAMA, Aiichiro.
- 4.Journalism: KOMORI, Shichiro; TANAKA, Tokichi; and TAKAISHI, Shingoro.
Meanwhile the number of those who agreed to enter into the scheme on the invitation
of the af[illegible]re
mentioned amounts to one thousand, including almost all members of both houses. Further
the name of those who took active
posts after the formation of the Society are as follows (the above mentioned excluded):
KANAMITSU, Yasuo; TSUGUMO, Ku[illegible]itoshi; and MIYOSHI, Hideyuki.
After the Society changed its name the JAPAN Political Association the following
persons were in executive positions: KOIZUMI,
Matajiro; SAKURAUCHI, Yukio; SHIMADA, Toshio; MACHIDA, Chiuji; ASANO, Ryozo; NAKAJIMA,
Yadanji; KAWASHIMA, Masajiro; KODAMA.
Hideo; ISUTSUMI, Kojiro; TAKAHASHI, Morihei; ISURUMI, Yusuke; NAGANO, Mamoru; NAZAKI,
Katsuji; and YASUMI , Saburo.
- 2 -
POLITICAL SERIES: 150 (Continued)
ITEM 3 (Continued)
Thus, with the resignation of the members of the House of Peers and the exclusion
of the members of the House Representatives,
together with the exile of the chief-executives of the provincial offices of the Society,
a drastic change in the political
field of both cities and provinces is expected. In connections with the Imperial Rule
Assistance Association, the prefectural
governors now in office, with few exceptions, have assumed concurrently the post of
head of the local branch of the
Association, and will probably be the cause of whole scale reorganization of the staff
members of the Home Ministry, when the
directive is interpreted to include the removal of the head of branch office of the
Association. These who are unaffected by
such a directive are the following prefectural governors: CHBA; MIYAGI Ken; HAYASHI;
SHIMANE Ken; KOIKE; WAKAYAMA Ken;
TANIKAWA; YAMAHASHI Ken; and IHADA; SHIGA Ken.
In the head office of the Home Ministry: SAKA, Vice-Minister; KOIZUMI, head of the
Bureau of Peace Preservation; OSHIMA, head
of the Bure[illegible]r of Control; and IRIE, head of the Bureau of Provincial Affairs are expected to be
exiled; the first three under the sane char[illegible]o, of being ex-governors, and the fourth of being
ex-chief of the military government in MAOCASSAR.
ITEM 4 The Cabinet Meeting Has Been Postponed until Today - Asahi Shimbun - 6 Jan 46. Translator: R. [illegible]chiai
Full Translation:
Upon receiving the new important directives from Allied Headquarters on 4 January
the Cabinet was scheduled to hold an
extraordinary meeting the next afternoon to discuss pertinent measures. However, this
has been postponed until the Foreign
Minister, YOSHIDA visits Headquarters on 6 January. On the other hand, since the Cabinet,
which is responsible for realizing
the latest orders, must add some changes to such laws as the House of Peers Ordinance,
the Election Law, the Civil Service A
pointment Ordinance, and the Civil Service Limitation ordinance and since it is also
necessary to make a rule about the
dissolution of militaristic organizations and about dis[illegible]osition of their property, the Cabinet has
been preparing an Imperial decree at the Legislation Office. It is going to be referred
to the extraordinary Cabinet Meeting
on 6 January at 1000, and to be pronulgated as one of the emergency Imperial Rescript
that are indispensible according to the
POTSDAM Declaration.
Therefore, the extraordinary Cabinet meeting will be held at 1000 to decide on the
ordinance pertinent to carrying out the
directives, and after the Foreign Minister's visit to Headquarters, which is expected
to take place this afternoon, another
meeting will be held.
If the minister must submit a full report of his visit in advance, the meeting may
not be opened today.
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