Press translations [Japan]. Political Series 0245, 1946-01-30.

Extracts:

"I do not have much to talk about except that I have been appointed a Privy Councillor by His Gracious Will", said the aged doctor. "It was in 1935 that the theory of the Emperor's being a state organ was taken up as an issue at the instigation of the Militarists, but as for me I had my own belief and knew how to cope with the situation so that is why I did not give way to persecution, nor am I specially overjoyed because I am now made an official.

"The theory that the Emperor is a state organ has been advanced by me for many years past and there is nothing new in it because the issue depends on whether or not the state is regarded as a corporation. The theory, even from the point of view of an academic theory, has nothing to do with the question of the abolition of the Emperor System and I entirely support the system as does Mr. ABE. On the whole it is not right to separate the Emperor as a person from the system for then where is the unity? The Militarists were talking of my theory as lese majesty, but it was more than I ever dreamed of. A prerequisite for the rebirth of JAPAN must be education in the sense of rooting out feudalism. After the General Election a new Party Government will be formed." Here he abruptly stopped speaking, perhaps wary of unexpected misunderstanings, remembering the unpleasant incident of ten years ago.

Full Translation:

Unification of Laborers in KANTO Formation of Unified Front

The formation of a unified labor front is now getting steadily under way throughout the country, especially in the KANTO districts where all the laborers, with their emancipation campaigns as precious experiences, have begun to cry out for organizing their 'strength'. They have organized a representatives' conference from the factories in the KEIHIN districts, the southern and eastern industrial quarters of TOKYO, and have been busy preparing for the formation of a unified front of all the working masses in the KANTO districts.

At 10 a.m. on 27 January, a representatives' conference of all the factories in the KANTO districts was held at the Aeronautics Hall at TAMURA-Cho, SHIBA-Ku. In this conference 1,500 members participated, representing upwards of 320,000 organized laborers in the KANTO districts, besides 139 associated bodies. These representatives emphasized that the reconstruction of JAPAN is now resting upon the shoulders of

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ITEM 2 (Continued)

all the laboring masses, so that they must form a labor front at once. Taking the occasion as a fine opportunity, the representatives decided to name their gathering the "Conference of the Laborers' Union of the KANTO Districts", Prior to other movements of this kind in JAPAN, they have thus taken the first epoch-making step in the labor history of this country. It is a noteworthy fact that the KANTO District Laborers' Conference, assuming itself to be the nucleus organ, has appealed to laborers in western JAPAN to cooperate in the formation of en extensive laborers' front.

Unity Is Our Strength KANTO Representatives' Conference in High Spirits

At the representatives' conference of all the factories in the KANTO districts, there were present not only industrial workers, but also laborers in the Government Railways, members of the teachers' associations, picture-hall workers, and workers in newspaper and communications offices. They were representing all the working classes in TOKYO, KANAGAWA, CHIBA, TOCHIGI, GUMMA, and SAITAMA Prefectures. The conference was begun by the opening address of HASEGAWA, Hiroshi, who represented the labor union conference of the southern quarters of TOKYO.

The following three persons were chosen as chairmen, ITO, Ken (of the KAMAIA Branch of ISHII Iron Works); MAKINO, Matsutaro (of the TOKYO Communications); and SUZUKI, Tomin (of the YOMIURI Newspaper Office). They reported on the current conditions in the various districts. Chair-' man ITO reported that unity was the very strength of the laborers, adding that all the workers of the KAMATA Branch of the ISHII Iron Works, by virtue of this strength, had at last won the right of management and supervision of the factory.

The next speaker was TANAKA, representing KANAGAWA prefecture, and he stressed the importance of a unified front, reporting the joint struggle of the 32 factories in the prefecture against the TOKYO SHIBAURA Manufacturing Company.

MONONOBE, Nagaoki took the rostrum next, representing the JAPAN Teachers' Association, and made the following remarks. The feudalistic and bureaucratic authorities of the Education Ministry take no notice of the starving condition of us teachers. Because of the state of our living conditions some of the teachers are obliged to abandon teaching for other more lucrative posts. Others who are honest and sincere are unable to attend school every day because of malnutrition. There are many pupils who cannot carry lunch boxes to school because of the food shortage. Education itself is in a state of starvation. We must claim the right of supervising schools ourselves. His story was pathetic as well as impressive, and revealed the real condition of the elementary schools in JAPAN at present.

Then the conference dealt with the business of the day, and the following problems were discussed, and were carried unanimously:

• 1.Inquiry into the Labor Law and the National Insurance and Protection Laws, now held by capitalists.
• 2.Abolition of tax for labor income.
• 3.Increase in production and supervision by labor unions.
• 4.Easing the food crisis.
• 5.Formation of a single association for individual industry.
• 6.Formation of a common front and a unified front.
• 7.Request for a joint front of the Communist Social Democratic Parties.

The conference broke up at six p. m.

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Extracts:

The Central Executive Committee (CHUO SHIEKO IIN KAI) of the Social Democratic Party will meet at the headquarters of the party at SHIMBASHI on 29 January. Beside all the leaders of the party, Mr. NISHIO, Suehiro, who is now in OSAKA, will come up to attend the meeting. It is expected that they will deliberate on a joint campaign with the Communist party and the attitude of the Party towards a democratic front, The Communist Party is likely to make a fourth proposal for a joint campaign with the Social Democratic Party at the meeting.

Remarkable progress has been made on the coalition of the Social Democratic and the Communist Parties recently, and the Chief Secretary of the Social Democratic Party, KATAYAMA, even said at the mass national reception of Mr. NOSAKA "The Social Democratic Party will willingly join in the formation of a Democratic Front". From this point of view the Central Executive Committee meeting on the 29th, with a back ground of the development of the situation, will be worth noticing as indicative of the future course of the democratic front in our country.

Full Translation:

NIIGATA. Dr .BA MAW, ex-chief of the Puppet Burmese Government, was arrested on the 17th by McARTHUR's Headquarters. It is now revealed that at the termination of the war, finding no place of shelter, he went to ISHIUCHI-MURA, MINAMI UONUMA-GUN, NIIGATA .ESN under the protectation of the militarists and certain civilians and has been in hiding there since August last under the false title of a "Professor of MANCHU University". Accompanied by IMANARI, Takuzo, of MUIKA-MACHI, he secretly went to the town and was sheltered in a room of YAKUSHOJI Temple not far from the town. Disregarding the villagers' possible suspicion he purposely chose for his place of reading the shadow of a prominent big tree in the temple grounds. No trace of restlessness or the worries of a fugitive were perceived in him as he took walks in a leisurely manner clad in a KIMONO, His scholarly demeanor soon acquired for him the respect and friendship of the villagers as the "Manchurian Professor" and the "Temple's Guest". The temple where Dr. BA MAW passed his days of concealment is on a terrace between ISHIUCHI and SHIOZAWA Stations on the JOYETSU Line and the Chief Priest is TSUCHIDA, Kakujo, who is the principal of the Youngmen's School of the village and is also a councillor of the Village Assembly, During the war he was active as the Director of UONUMA, Branch of the Emperor's Rule Assistance Manhood Corps (YOKUSAN SONENDAN), and the Chief of the same institution of the village and is on very intimate terms with IMANARI. BAMAW's six months' life in the temple was solely spent for the study of Japanese, so much so that a book of English-Japanese Conversation was soon worn to tatters. When he heard of Prince KONOYE's suicide, he remarked with sorrow, "A big loss to the State. I am sorry that his state of mind drove him to take his own life." He advised TSUCHIDA to study English, saying, "English is the world language. There was a shadow of defeat in prohibiting the language." His progress in Japanese was so remarkable as to enable him to engage in daily conversation without inconvenience at the end of three months. He amused the company by saying, "Love is KOI and a carp is also KOI. Japanese is difficult." He invariably took to physical exercises by bending and stretching himself in bed and often skipped with a rope. He loved JAPAN wholeheartedly and was trying to be assimilated. He seldom wore European clothes and in spite of his tall stature of 5 feet 8 inches he was always in Japanese KIMONO. He also preferred Japanese food, and was pleased with the simple meals of a Buddhist temple. When the reporter called at the

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Temple, the priest was not in, but his wife told him as follows: "The professor's care was taken up by my husband and my duty was only to carry meals to him. I do not even know his name except that he was a professor of a Manchurian University. If I remember right it was August 27th that Mr. IMANARI and a gentleman from TOKYO brought the Professor to us and told us that the Professor had been studying in JAPAN for sometime but owing to the termination of the war he was unable to go home and asked us for lodging until ship accomodations could be arranged. For sometime after his arrival he turned out early in the morning and sat up till late at night. Between meals he was reading in his room and occasionally went out for walks. As both his face and manner are refined and he showed no signs of avoiding the world, I am even now wondering if he was not mistaken for the wrong man. His daily life was very tidy and he learned to speak Japanese pretty well." The Police Station at MUIKAMACHI has suddenly became a scene of activity by the visits of the Occupation Army personnel. The Home and Foreign Departments and other authorities concerned, and the strain and excitement of the Police, tell the grave nature of this case. IMANARI Takuzo, the central figure of the case and TSUCHIDA, Kakujo, who afforded a shelter to BA MAW, having close connection as friends in the YOKUSAN SONENDAN and as a tutor and a pupil during the former's school terms, are naturally involved in grave suspision. TSUCHIDA was summoned to undergo examinations by the Occupying Forces, Police, and Home office officials, where he is said to have stated that he did not know the intricacies but was only asked to look after a MANCHURIAN who could not go home due to the termination of the War. "About the end of the war I was vaguely told by Mr. IMANARI that he might someday ask me to look after a Manchurian friend of his and on 28 August I received a sudden visit from him accompanied by the so called Manchurian and a man introduced as his friend in TOKYO, and at last I was obliged to take him in by their repeated entreaties. At first I was made to understand that he would stay for about 3 weeks and in spite of my reminders to Mr. IMANARI and his assurances that he would be removed to elsewhere, the matter had been left at that." In connection with this case Mr. HIRAGA, Renichi, a director of SHICHIYO KOGEISHA of the town was called as a witness to the police Station and Mr. IMANARI, Kuichi, ex-Mayor of the town an Mr. YAMADA, Shinichi, President of the Chamber of Commerce of MINAMI UONUMA GUN were also summoned for police questionings.

Summary:

"Who were the reactionary elements and the collaborators in the Transportation Ministry?" To answer this question, a ballot-box was put up before the entrance of the Ministry building. It is understood that a two-day vote from 28 to 30 January, a drastic purge will be made of these anti-democratic elements. Early on the morning of 28 Jan, the officials scratching their heads and lost in thought, walked up to the box and carefully jotted down [illegible]names of culprits and comments on them, with the names, posts and status of voters, and threw their slips into the box. This box will be opened on 31 January by the committeemen of the Personal Administration of the TOKYO Railway Bureau's Labor Union in the presence of all the members. In consequence the conduct of employees will be reviewed in order to decide the culprit to be excluded from their posts.

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