The Washington herald., 1920-12-26
JAPAN NCHRlSTMAS
SPENT IN SESSION
OF NATIONAL DIET
Criticism of Regime and
Radical Bills to Fea-
ture Meetings.
By GLENN BABB.

Ths washiastsn Herald.
TOKYO, Dec 2s.lToday Christ
mas Day for almost every other
civilized people. is no holiday for
Japan. the only non-christian great
power. 1t is. however, q day marked
In red ink on the political calendar
Of Japan. for today win be held the
opening ceremonies of the forty
fourth session of the japanese i'm
perial diet.
by an overwhelming majority OF the
Seiyukai. or government party In the
house of representatives. can aford
sion with confidence
Seldom has q government entered
upon q diet session with such strong
support In the elective branch of the
legislature
To BE stormy Session
The session is sure to be stormy
that Is the normal condition Of the
Japanese diet-yotes of lack Of con-
fidence are sure to be pressed time
and again by the opposition, which
Is going to make the most Of the
governments mistakes In foreign
policy and the economic depression
at home. but the chances that any
Developments in the diet can shake
the position of the Hara ministry
are very small.
From the American point of view,
however. this promises to be one OF
the most interesting sittings OF
Japan's legislative body in recent
years. The japanese public had
been stirred to the point OF look
ing upon the framing OF a new
treaty or some agreement with the
United States as the most vital
diplomatic undertaking since the
signing of the peace treaty. Amer
lea looms large in Japanese poll
tical discussions and no doubt much
criticism by the Opposition" will be
heard in the Diet.
To Hit Siberian Policy.
The policy Japan has followed In
Siberia will be another target for
the attack of the opposition. The
Nikolaievsk massacre, IN whicn
about 700 Japanese were killed last
spring, is sure to be revived and
the government blamed for the af-
fair. A strong attack, moreover, is
promised against the general 81
berian policy Of the government,
which is-charged with having spent
$500, 900, 900 and wasted the lives OF
thousands of the empires soldiers
in q futile expedition into Russia's
Asiatic possessions. The support
given by the japanese government
Of such white" Russian leaders as
KoIchak and Seminov in Siberia also
will draw attacks.
The opposition may further at
tempt to show the-weakness of the
cabinet foreign policy by. pointing
to the withdrawal of the reserva-
tions regarding Manchuria and
Mongolia by the Japanese banking
group in entering the new Chinese
consortium-
Liberal Bills Ready.
The forty-fourth session of the
Diet should be notable, moreover,
for the large number of bills OF
liberal character for the ameliora-
tion of social and industrial condi-
tions. gChief among these Is a bill
which the government has framed
for the introduction Of the Jury
system into Japan. This country
now follows the model Of the Ma
poleonic code, which does not allow
a man to be tried by his peers, but
by Judges and a procurator. Con-
seryative opinion in Japan is dp-
posed to a change and there is little
chance that the jury system as 1t
IS known in England and America
will be written into the Japanese
procedure for several years at least.
There also will be bills, prepared
both by the government and the
opposition, providing for greater
freedom for laborers' organizations.
for the revision Of the press laws
giving greater freedom to the
press; for the reform OF the local
government system; for the estab-
lishment of great central govern
ment rice granaries to store up the
staple crop of Japan in years of
plenty to provide against years OF
want.
To Urge Universal Suffrage.
The agitation for universal suf-
frage probably will be revived with
the opening of the Diet session.
The coming Of hard times to japan,
bringing in its wake unemploy-
ment, low wages and other eco
nomic hardships, with retail prices
Sill AT almost Lnelr nlBneSI teNel,
win add strength to the demand for
the vote for every adult male. The
riotous scenes which occurred in
Toxic during the forty-second ses-
sion last winter and the extraordf-
nary session of last spring probably
may be seen again, and with great
er violence. shortly after the Diet
really begins work.
The party lineup in the house of
representatives. the only elective
branch Of the legislature. will be as
follows: Seiyukai, supporting the
Hara ministry, 271 seats; Kensei-
kai, 10s seats; Kokyminto, % seats;
Independents. 4s votes. More than
half Of the so-called Independents
are really members of the govern
ment representation although they
refuse to be called members of the
seiyukai.
scepyrisht, ls9o, By Public Ledger Far
Eastern ssrviee.)