JAPAN’S NEW LEADER

Southland Times, Issue 25797, 8 October 1945, Page 5

JAPAN’S NEW LEADER

LIBERAL CABINET TO BE FORMED AIM OF CO-OPERATION WITH ALLIES (Rec. 7 p.m.) TOKYO, October 6. Baron‘Kijuro Shidehara, aged 73, has been appointed Prime Minister of Japan. One of Japan’s best-known Liberals, Baron Shidehara was Ambassador to Washington from 1919 to 1922. He has been in political eclipse sines the Manchuria incident. Baron Shidehara announced that his prime objective was to form a liberal-minded cabinet capable of co-operating to the fullest extent with the Allied occupation authorities.

The new Prime Minister told the Press: “The Emperor at his investiture yesterday merely told me to do my best to form a new Cabinet. The interview was brief and I assured him I would do my best. This is entirely new for me. I hope you will not press me for definite statements on policies, because, frankly, I have not had time to think them over yet.” Baron Shidehara expressed the hope that the new Cabinet could be chosen in two or three days, but he could not say whether members of the Cabinet who had resigned would be invited to rejoin. Japanese sources said that Lieuten-ant-General Richard Sutherland, General MacArthur’s Chief of Staff, previously told the Foreign Ministry that General MacArthur did not object ‘to Baron Shidehara. Some well-informed circles have speculated how the Government might be short-lived. Baron Shidehara, it is reported, accepted only because he also believed this. Allied headquarters sources said it was likely that the Japanese at present were avoiding the selection, of the strongest possible Prime Minister because the life of the incoming Government appeared to be foreshortened and added that they believe Japan is holding the strongest man for a future Cabinet. The appointment ended a day of confusion, in which many high official sources predicted that the Foreign Minister, Yoshida, would be Prime Minister. Even Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni, the former Prime Minister, let slip this belief when telling the Press that the new Prime Minister must be one who understands the United States. Baron Shidehara is reported to have urged Yoshida to accept the Prime Ministership, but Yoshida declined because of a lack of confidence in his ability to cope with the food and fuel shortage and other problems. He then urged Baron Shidehara to accept. The Domei News Agency stated that Yoshida had been reappointed Foreign Minister.

Prince Higashikuni recommended the i lowering of the male voting age, the ! granting of a women’s suffrage, the simplification of the present complicated ; voting procedure and the overhauling of | the present method of appointing members to the House of Peers at a farcI well Press conference. He bitterly crit- ■ icized the current administrative ma- ; chinery as too complicated for effectiveness and advocated civil service reformation and retrenchment. Acknowi ledging that his Government made little progress in attempts to improve the people’s livelihood, Prince Higashikuni said he earnestly hoped the new Cabinet ould do its best to solve problems and achieve the objectives of his policies. Asahi Shimbun says that Baron Shidehara has appointed the veteran Parliamentarian, Yadanji Nakajima, as Home Minister. The Ministry immediately suspended the secret police, freed 25 political prisoners, including 16 Communists and dissolved the special higher police censor department which pried into the lives of dissenters. The paper added ’ that prefectural police chiefs and others were involved. Thought control would be removed after the Cabinet was formed. RUTHLESS-ACTIVITIES OF SECRET POLICE Prisoners Tortured To Death (Rec. 9 p.m.) NEW YORK, Oct. 6. The Tokyo correspondent of the Associated Press condemns the Japanese secret police. “They tortured prisoners to death in a bloody trial. Ruthless activities have been perpetrated since the system was created and the Japanese people have- lived in utter dread of the name itself for many year.” SURRENDER~OF 18,000 JAPANESE Ceremony At Tientsin (Rec. 10 p.m.) TIENTSIN, Oct. 6. Major-General Keller Rockey, of the Marine Corps, has accepted the surrender of 18,000 Japanese in the Tientsin area for Generalissimo Chiang Kaishek. The Japanese, who were undefeated on the battlefield, were obviously resentful because they were compelled to walk half a block to the surrender table. A Naval attache committed hara-kiri.

DEREVYANKO LEAVES TOKYO Move 6 ‘Has Absolutely No Significance” (Rec. 9 p.m.) TOKYO, October 7. A headquarters spokesman announced that the Russian military representative in Tokyo, . Lieutenant-General Kuzma Derevyanko, returned to Moscow last week. He added that the move had “absolutely no significance.” There was no foundation for reports that friction caused the departure of LieutenantGeneral Derevyanko, who was merely taking a short vacation. “We expect him back within a fortnight,” he said. Moscow radio earlier reported that Lieutenant-General Derevyanko had been summoned home, and the Associated Press points out that the action came-at a time when Russia was demanding the four-power control of Japan.