Press translations [Japan]. Editorial Series 0277, 1946-01-21.
Date21 January, 1946
translation numbereditorial-0871
call numberDS801 .S82
Persistent Identifier
EDITORIAL SERIES: 277
ITEM 1 Carry Out Prompt Democratization of Cur Economy - Magazine: Shinnihon Keizai - Jan 46 Issue. Translator: Echigo.
Full Translation:
The road which the democratization of JAPAN's economy is to follow was distinctly
printed out in a directive issued by
MacARTHUR's Headquarters on 26 November. The directive exposed the financiers and
wartime entrepreneurs who had made fortunes
during the war, and who are now trying to patch up matters and justify their enormous
war profits. Indeed, it is these war
profiteers, together with a large portion of the privileged classes, who stand in
the way of reconstruction. Heedless of the
starving masses and the vicious inflation which is approaching with the force of an
avalanche, and concerned only with saving
themselves and these profits, they constitute the principal obstacle in the path which
new JAPAN must follow.
The Government must heed the unvoiced will of the masses. It is earnestly hoped that
the Government will vigorously and
resolutely carry out the necessary democratic reforms: that it will levy the confiscatous
war profit's tax, eliminate the
payment of indemnities to war industries; and put into effect the agrarian reform
program without delay.
ITEM 2 The Strengthening of Food Control - Asahi Shimbun - 20 Jan 46. Translator: J. Wada.
Full Translation:
Although it is high time for rice delivery, the quantities delivered by the farmers
by 20 January were only 28 per cent of the
scheduled amounts, and threaten to bring about a serious food situation. At last,
the Government has decided to take measures
for strengthening food control by the issuance of an Imperial Ordinance. In the Ordinance,
there will be included the
compulsory purchase of crops.
The unfavorable results may be ascribed to many factors, one of which is the delay
in notice for delivery. There has already
been a general anxiety about the result. We have often in this column, warned the
Government of the possible results. It is
too late at this time for the Government to decide on the adoption of compulsory measures.
Again, we can only lament the
incompetence and inability of the present Cabinet. Their power is not almighty under
the present serious conditions. The
Government should recover political power as strong as the projected compulsory measures.
The farmers, on their part, must
reflect on their own responsibility for forcing the Government to take such steps.
The thorough self-examination by the
Government, the farmers and the consumers, and the closely combined efforts of the
three are needed to obtain good results
from the emergency measures. The hampering elements in delivery, which have hitherto
prevailed, should be fully re-examined,
and maximum use should be made of the new devices.
EDITORIAL SERIES: 277 (Continued)
ITEM 2 (Continued)
First, farmers can not obtain necessities except by offering rice in exchange. This
situation must be remedied. In the linking
of the distribution of necessities and the results of delivery, the system will be
meaningless unless the necessary minimum
for reproduction is assured by the fulfilment of delivery. The mere strengthening
of the link system will not do. An
investigation made last year by a certain agricultural association in HOKURIKU revealed
that an average of two to (TN. About
one bushel) per farmer was set aside for the purchase of necessities. The Government
has again declared its intention for a
greater production of farming necessities, in relation to the strengthened control
of food. However, farmers are complaining
of being unable to get farming necessities through legal channels. Thus, the Government
should do its best in prohibiting all
illegal transactions by producers of farming necessities. Further, farmers are usually
required to pay in rice for medical
treatment. Farmers with large families are suffering from this burden. What measures
will the Government take to control this
conduct by practitioners? Even if plain requests for rice are controlled, doctors
may be very unkind to patients who do not
bring rice. If so, the control will be only nominal.
Secondly, the Government should enhance its political power. After the defeat, the
police have been unable to supervise
illegal trade strictly because of their lessened power. A trip to black markets will
suffice to surprise farmers at the
abundance of food in cities. A prerequisite for the stimulation of the will to deliver
is to eliminate such unfair markets.
The weak police power is a reflection of the weak political power of the Government.
Now, when the center is in collapse and
the ends are in paralysis, heavier punishment may bring only the antipathy of the
farmers. It is, of course, necessary, in the
present situation to restrain some vicious people, but the Government should, first
of all, muster its power to promote
morality and raise the sense of solidarity among the farmers.
Thirdly, one of the causes for the bad results of delivery is the current inflation.
The price problems, such as the
discrepancy between the prices of staples and those of subsidiary food items, and
the lack of equilibrium between official
prices and black market prices. can not be solved by raising the rice price. Any rise
in the price of rice will not keep pace
with the rise in the black market prices of subsidiary food items. The buying up by
city consumers and the holding back by
farmers are closely connected with the planned property tax and demand our special
attention. Farmers, who now have a
considerable sum of cash or deposits, consider their own interests and believe that
they had better hold rice in kind, since
tax payments for delivered rice will be levied. They consider that cash and deposits
will be made known to the authorities
when they are to be changed for new currency, while rice-bales can easily be concealed.
The only solution is to end the
property levy as soon as possible to assure farmers that they will be secure from
the property tax for the money to be
obtained after that date. Even such a decisive measure as to exempt payments for the
delivery of staple food from the property
tax is worth studying.
ITEM 3 (I) Political Parties and the People (II) Insuring Fertilizer and its Distribution - Tokyo Shimbun - 20 Jan 46. Translator: K. Nagatani.
Full Translation:
I
Strictly speaking, none of the existing political parties are connected with the
people. Both the Social Democratic Party and
the Communist party are still in the process of getting into closer contact with the
people, as are the Progressives, the
Liberals and others. The forthcoming general election will undoubtedly be responsible
for the
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EDITORIAL SERIES: 277 (Continued)
ITEM 3 (Continued)
advent of a union between the political parties and the people. That is the reason
why all parties, especially the
Progressive, Liberal and Social Democratic Parties are attaching importance to the
general election. It must be remembered,
however, that a connection between the parties and the people will be impossible except
through the general election, and that
the matter are now striving to cope with various headships confronting the Japanese
people today. The assumption of power may
be one of the actual steps of each political party towards the realization of its
ideals, to be sure, but from the standpoint
of their connections with the people, all parties should first make public their respective
policies with clarity.
All the parties have thus far revealed their aims and with the general election coming
nearer, they are expected to
demonstrate their aims more concretely. However, it is necessary that each party exhibit
before the people its concrete
measures designed to meet present issues. This process will lead to a closer relationship
between the political parties and
one the people. For example, if all parties publish their respective policies in regard
to the present ever soaring prices and
some of them agree with each other, a united front may be established to achieve their
proposals. General attention should be
focused on this point.
(II)
The decline in the productive capacity of farms due to the fertilizer shortage is
largely responsible for the present poor
crop. Especially in growing of rice and barley, it may be said that the decrease was
entirely due to the shortage of
fertilizer. The labor shortage during the war too, was surely responsible for this
decrease. However, there is now abundant
labor for farming purposes in the villages. Accordingly, it is the supply of fertilizer
that is essential for increased
production. Increased production of rice and barley requires chemical fertilizers.
Since the Government is striving to secure
fertilizer the situation will improve this year.
Considering the present coal situation and the poor prospects for importing fertilizer,
it may be impossible to supply farmers
with sufficient fertilizer to meet their demands. However, the authorities should
see to it that all fertilizer secured should
come into the hands of the farmers at the appropriate time and at official prices.
The question of channels for fertilizer distribution has often been discussed. In
the days when these channels were under the
control of merchants, farmers could not get good fertilizers. Since the distribution
of fertilizer has come to be made through
the Agricultural Associations, the Purchasing Guilds of JAPAN (ZENKOREN), or the Industrial
Associations, these organizations
have been assuming undue authority and distribution has not run smoothly due to red
tape.
Considerable discussion has already taken place as to whether merchants or organizations
should distribute fertilizer. Under
present circumstances, if merchants have charge of fertilizer distribution, they will
necessarily use fertilizer in exchange
for other goods. In view of the delicate relationship between the current rice allotment
system and the distribution of
fertilizers, there seems to be no alternative but to distribute fertilizer through
government organizations.
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EDITORIAL SERIES: 277 (Continued)
ITEM 3 (Continued)
Nevertheless, bureaucracy should be avoided at all costs. The general public as well
as the government authorities are
expected to take cognizance of the fact that the providing of fertilizer and its fair
distribution, is one of the most
important factors in solving the food problem. Unless the farmers are assured of a
fertilizer supply, the food problem will
never approach a solution.
DISTRIBUTION "X"
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