War Burdan on People of Japan

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXX, Issue 13647, 21 May 1942, Page 6

War Burdan on People of Japan

BY JAMES. R. YOUNG

CHINA ADVENTURE WAS A FLOP

Returning in May, 1940, to everyday life in Tokio after two months in a Japanese Gestapo gaol, I was able to see with sharper, clearer perspective what the army fanatics had actually done to Japan and the Japanese people. War with China cut an eighth of an inch trom Japanese matches. Wood was a war material, and had to he conserved. Oranges cost over 6s. each. American lemons more—if you could get them. Eggs, potatoes, butter were scarce. Meantime, the armies of the Rising Sun sat in their own shadows in China. Permanent waves had been forbidden to the Westernised women of Japan. They were not in the spiritual trend of the times.” Lipstick and rouge were frowned upon. Odorous hair tonics, which the Japanese love, were curtailed to conserve cash which might be needed.

I sold my car to a diplomat in the Turkish Embassy in Tokio. To me it was useless. Automobile owners were no longer allotted their one gallon of petrol a day. Pleasure riding was discouraged, and seventy million Japanese maintained only ninety thousand private cars, taxis, and trucks. The few resident foreigners suffered with the Japanese. We were for'bidden "to import any of 260 items, including canned foods, preserves, whisky, and sports goods. No one, foreigner or native, was allowed

more than two golf balls and two tennis balls a season if they were obtainable. A golf ball cost 12s. Tobacco shipped into the country was charged duty as high as 450 per cent. You smoked native cigarettes costing fivepence a pack and not worth it. I quit smoking. Steel gramophone needles —and everyone who could possibly raise the cash had a gramophone—were banned. Bamboo needles had to be used. Public dances in hotels were"- prohibited. The American Negro and Hawaiian bands, formerly immensely popular, were ordered out of the country. In Tokio, a city of 6,250,000 people, the taxi-dance halls were closed. Patrons, before the dance ban, were urged to go home “to meditate on the war.” The 18 Government-operated radio stations offered mostly military) music. There were radio lectures throughout the day by army and navy officials, patriotic addresse's and talks urging conversation of resources. The stations went off the air at 9.15 p.m. with a closing injunction to listeners to join the “spiritual mobilisation of the people’s mind.” or to assist the “Imperial Rule Assistance Association. Radio speeches attacked the Chinese, American, and British, who were charged with being “warlike and aggressive.” Army men cited the “provocation by which the Chinese and foreign Powers forced Japan to “defend” herself —by, of course, invading China. One thing was certain. War against Britain and the United States was coming—fast! The land of the cherpy blossom -was no longer a tourist mecca. Its tourist trade, which brought millions of dollars annually, had almost vanished. Travellers feared and resented the constant surveillance of the secret police. They did not like being shadowed by obvious sleuths wherever thejj moved. Resident foreigners had resigned themselves to spying by either ignoring it or attempting to make the spies’ work easier so they would be less troublesome.

Famous American Correspondent, and Former Tokio Representative of International News Service

A friend of mine had four employees he knew were spies. Accepting the espionage, my friend made it a point to let the spies know where he was going, whom he saw, and what he did. One of my favourite spies was Mr Fuji. He was five-feet-two, Mount Fuji is about 15,000 ft. But Mr Fuji’s serenity and power were as great. We dubbed him Mr Mountain when speaking in the house or office or when we knew he was behind the screen, a favourite lurking spot. Japanese houses are ideally designed for spying. Maybe that was the original idea of the screen that you find in every home. On one occasion I benefited from the spies. My car license number was given as that of a car involved in an accident. Weeks after the accident I was summoned. I could not remember where I had been that day. With a volume of typical Japanese “evidence” against

j me, I appealed to the spies. } They checked back in their notes, • told me where I had been, and substantiated my alibi to police. Before the present totalitarian, anti-American campaign, foreigners were frequently stopped on the street by bowing Japanese, who asked: “You American or British?” Told you were American, they said: “Very nice. Americans very nice. British bad people. Americans very fine. Good-bye.” [ * Then Americans came into the “hated” class.

Advertising accounts had dropped over 60 per cent. All foreign advertising of imported products disappeared along with the products themselves. Department stores were forbidden to advertise special bargain lines. The order was a blow to them. Japanese department stores once rivalled America’s in-' completeness of stock. | Shopping in a department store was an all-dhy affair before the war. Mothers brought their children and turned them over to store employees. Children were entertained by visits to zoos maintained on the roof, or by riding in cable cars or midget trains. Mothers visited the store auditorium, heard lectures, or received other entertainment. The larger stores had pipe organs. ' Tea and biscuits were served, free to all, on each floor. There were fashion shows and cooking schools. I organised such events several times. I could never find a large enough auditorium. All these entertainments were banned in a few seemingly short months. The spread of Western fashions was halted by Government decree. Gay colours and flowered kimonos were replaced by drab greys and blacks. Women were reluctant to revert to the old national styles, but accepted them as a patriotic duty. Sales of electrical household appliances were strictly curtained, although the demand was tremendous and unlimited. Canned goods and other prepared foods lost in sales volume; there was no soda ash for making bottles, and tin could be used only for Avar materials. Foreign food innovations were eliminated. The Japanese had to return to the traditional diet of rice, fish, vegetables, and limited amounts of meat. Milk, cheese, butter, and eggs were no more, for there was no pasturage for extensive- cattle herds. What meat there was was excessive in price. One thing was certain: “Declared” or “undeclared,” the China adventure was a flop.

This is the final article in James R. Young-’s “inside Japan” series. Young was in Japan for 13 years. He was gaoled by the Japanese Gestapo last year and charged with spreading “false news and rumours.” In this article he tells us how devastatingly Japan’s war in China affected the life of the Japanese people.