INTERESTING COMMENTARY ON JAPANESE OUTLOOK

Chronicle (Levin), 14 August 1947, Page 7

INTERESTING COMMENTARY ON JAPANESE OUTLOOK

(N.Z.P.A.-

-Reuter,

Vopyright)

Eeceiveu \\ ednesdav, (.0 p.m. LOXDOX, Au-n.4 13. Two vears after tlie last sliot wa." iired in the Pacilic \Var, Japan is stili verv definitelv an uniinished businesk say's the Tokio correspondent of the Daily Ilerald. in writing on the ap proaching seronu aniuversary of the eini of the war with Japan. The plain truth about the occupation of Japan, be says, is that it has been a j mixture. Militarily it has been nearly j 100 per cent. successful. Japan has been totally demilitarised and it.s war j industries junked. Politically there has j been some solid progress and the Japan- ; ese have made a begiiming in the tasK | of making demoeraev live. i Eeononiically and ideologicnlly the j occupation is not going too well. I)e- J spite the efforts of the American Mili- , tarv Governnient teams, General .Mac"Arthur's reform directives have been earried out verv uuevenly, espeeially m the provinces. Ancient liabits of thought, barelv dented in the eities, still persist uuehanged in the0 country. Most Japs still regard their Emperor as divine, still exhibit a childlike and unquestioning respect and obedieive for authority, still remain ineapable of renehing a deeision for themselv.es, and still retain their fanati'*al taith in ".Taponism" and the heritage and destinv of their race. The real fount oi political power remains with the sante rnling elass as prewar, served by the saine bureaucratie macliine and political bosses and their henchnien. The channels of econoniic power and foreign trade are still controlled by jioniinees. of liipn u hn lnul a slranglo-

1 hold 011 Japan 's eeonomy before Pearl j Harbour. From the monient General MacArthur i publicly announeed that lie favoured an j early pull out froiu Japan, a rush for ' positions in the Japauese " take over" 'macliine set in. Japan 's industrialists j and anoiiynious ligures wlio really puli 1 the strings here, began working over- : tiine 011 plans for an all-out world trade 'drive aimed at restoring the nation to j its foriner position as a leading indusjtrial power in' the Orient. Despite the j preseuce in power of tlie Socialist l Preniier, tlie rnling class in Jajian has f solid reasons for conlideiice. Tiie Jap- ! anese are feeding better tlian niany oi tlie liberated peoples of the East and South East Asia wlio were their victims. They are assured of General .\hicArtliur's all-powerful support in t'avour of a ' 1 soft " peace and an American guarantee against external aggression, American crodits and technical assistance for Japauese industry. General MacArthur has actively dis•ouraged nationalisation even for fapan's hankrupt coal industry or former inonopoly concerns. Most iniportant of all, astute men aF the top in Japan know that the economic strengtheuing and social stabilisation of tliis country have become vital to American vested iuterests. -So far there has been no sacritice of eitlier of the two things whicn tlie Japauese rnling class considers vital — -control of industry and tlie continuaiice of a bureaucratie goverinng macliine. But they still are not- satis fied. Japan is desperately determined tlial if there should be anv next timo, siie is going to be on tlie winning side. Slie learned, above all, that lip service lo democracy is a ciieap price to pay for an American guarantee of prot.ection against external aggression. Whai

tlie Japauese have not done and have no intention of doing — despite the flamboyant MacArthur claims of "a spi ritniil revolution" — is to scrap any p'art of tlie age-old beliefs and liabits of tliouglit that - constitute the mental heritage of the race. Ratlier are they lndding 011 to their national race mincl with fanatical loyaity while living out this occupation.