JAPANESE LINK FOLKLORE AND FASCISM IN NEW STRUCTURE

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23204, 16 December 1940, Page 6

JAPANESE LINK FOLKLORE AND FASCISM IN NEW STRUCTURE

JAPAN'S NEW ORDER

[By HANDALL GOULD.I

TOKYO—Japan’s new totalitarian Shin Taisei, or Imperial Rule Assistance Movement, strangely combines ancient Japanese folklore with modern Fascist practices and.a Soviet-like organisation of “neighbourhood squads.” Some 108,000 of these squads already exist, vowing sacrifices— especially of youth—in service of Shin Taisei, or the New Structure. Returning to Japan since these foices ’took definite form is somewhat bewildering. The nation seems to be cast adrift from its recent moorings, and grappling in all directions to lay hold on some tangible hope of economic recovery. After three years of warfare that still engages 1,500,000 soldiers thousands of miles from Japan, thg. “China incident remains unsolved. Belts are drawn tighter in Japan, and the' prospect of further Anglo-American economic penalties is growing rather than diminishing.

Emphasis on Sacrifice Young in ways of modern industrialism, over-reaching itself and puzzled by the breakdown of seemingly invincible expedients in China, Japan is resorting to traditions of its nostalgic past. The ancient plays that steadily have filled large theatres night after night in Tokyo are becoming daily actuality as the Samurai-warrior codes again permeate Japanese thinking, with main emphasis upon sacrifice. ' Shin Taisei has been propagandised so excitedly that it is taking the limelight from the formerly popular ‘New Order in East Asia.” Designed to be permanent, the New Structure is shot through with questionable factors that cause impartial observers to doubt whether it can attain the stability sought by its promoters. The great merit of the new structure movement” is that in certain of its aspects it is geared to the times in Japan singularly well. The great demerits include nebulosity of its wider concepts and a sort of perverseness in its minor, more specific applications. In view of failure to win a quick victory in China, it was logical that there should be an urge for some sort of “new deal” under a trusted leader. He turned out to be Prince Fummaro Konoye—a man of ancient and respected family, appealing to the family concept on which the Japanese nation is based and one with the confidence of both the business and the military elements.

The politicians have been increasingly discredited in Japan as corrupt, impractical, foolishly argumentative and generally decadent, so Prince Konoye’s successive advocacies of a one-

,P o b, W .„d tor arrangement wUh the "Cl.rM.n Science Monitor.")

party system and a no-party system have been well received. There has been no doubt but that totalitarianism was not merely on ita way, but pretty much here already, and Prince Konoye had ways of sugarcoating the pill. His 1938 plan for a China settlement, while never adopted officially is not entirely displeasing either to the army or to anyone else, so it has been hoped that he might ' somehow suit both the Japanese and the Chinese with a formula settling what is still called the “China incident ” Finally he is a good phrasemaker and in evolving the thought of a “new structure” he gave the novelty, loving Japanese a fresh craze—in other words the bread having run a bit short he set up another circus. Specifically lacking thus far are certain vital ties to make the organism of the new structure of really effective utility. It appears that at the base of this organism there are to be small groups, almost on the order of t the Russian Soviets. The 108,000 ‘neighhours'- squads” are reported m Tokyo, Osaka Kyoto, and other cities which are to’introduce municipal regulation* to systematise them. Certain Ties Lacking The rural areas and the city intelligentsia are said to be showing inter, est But then there must be effectlvi means of conveying the people’s will up through intervening organs to the top and orders back down from the top’ to the people; and precisely what relation will this top have to the actual business of government? Whafabout the seemingly anomalous position of the Diet, where the parties formerly expressed (at least in theory) the will of the people? What really is going to happen to the parties after all since although theoretically out of business they seem still to be Micawbering around waiting for a possibla something to turn up? . There is evident a continuing hesitancy about plunging into too direct • programme. Prince Konoye, as Premier, is the logical man to be president of the group, and so he is, with an indication that the job may be his well Into the future, whether he remains Premier or not. Fpr the ume being there will be no vice-piesident. t A “youth movement” angle is being provided through the establishment of a “Seinen Teishin-Tai” or' Young Men’s Sacrifice Corps” consisting of youths who will realise and practise the principle of the new structure movement.” But it is not yet quite clear what they are to realise and practise, or how they are to sacrifice themselves. The presence of certain rather sinister reactionary figures in the forefront of the organising group causes wonderment in certain quarters as to how these youths, and the movement as a whole, will turn out.