JAPAN PLANS TO CURB RADICALS

Evening Post, Volume XCVIII, Issue 136, 6 December 1919, Page 19

JAPAN PLANS TO CURB RADICALS

MENACE TO NATIONAL SECURITY.

In the midst of expansion plans and the Imperialistic, designs, the Government of Japan is to create machinery to "combat dangerous thought," _ and to suppress what i 3 termed Socialist and Bolshevist propaganda. The spread of Socialistic doctrines has for some time past given tho authorities at Tokio serious concern, particularly as these doctrines clashed^ violently with some of the internal policies of tho island Empire. A report received in Washington recently outlines the plans adopted to fight the movement as follows:

.' "The central gendarmerie headquarters wishes to enlarge the gendarmerie force for next year to carry out a more rigorous control over the spread of 'dangerous thoughts' and tho recent growth of propaganda by Socialistic advocates. "Major-General Ishimitsu, gendarmerie commander, has presented a representation to tho Government urging the increase of the gendarmerie for this purpose Major - General Ishimitsu is quoted as saying that •' hardly a night passes without meetings of Socialists of other dangerous elements, and the situation does not allow of taking optimistic views about the outcome of such an undesirable tendency. "The gendarmerie authorities are taking measures for the control of tho 'dangerous thought' propagandists jointly with tho police authorities, but in viow of the grave consequences of the spread of such ideas, which it is said, are calculated to prejudice the national status ot the country, a more drastic and rigorous control is necessary. "The Kokumino reports that in connection with tho recent epidemic-like epreart of the wage-increase movement and frequent outbreaks of Labour unrest, tho authorities arc keeping a sharp watcii on tho movements of certain scholars possessing the degreo of "hakushi,' and the members of a body of Bolsheviks from a certain country who have established their headquarters in Tokio."