The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-11-20
World Front
BY HARRY CANNES -
Traffic" Crisis in Japan
The Emperor or the Nation
Figures on the U. S. S. r.

= press correspondents in
Tokyo the Japanese cabinet is
in a severe crisis because a
traffic cop at Kiryu directed
Emperor Hirohito's car down
the wrong street last Friday.
So great is the crisis, the cable fairy
story goes on to relate, that Police
Inspector Juhel Honda attempted
to commit suicide, and Minister Of
Home Affairs Fumio Goto is ex-
pected to resign.
Now we do not doubt that the
emperor was shunted down the
wrong alley, and that in Japan is a
grave offense. But with sufficient
kow-towing and expiation the mat
ter could be Strengthened out with
out a cabinet crisis or worse.
But the real cause of the crisis isl
that the whole Japanese empire is
being directed down the wrong
traffic lane and is heading full
speed toward the red light of war.
IT SEEMS rather strange that the
cabinet sort of greeted the En-
perorIs run-around as a convenient
occasion to stop all discussion on
the budget before the japanese
Diet today.
The budget provides for the
greatest war expenditure in the
whole history of Japan. More than
rs per cent of all expenditures are
allocated for war purposes. Now,
with Japan entering a severe finan-
ciel crisis, with the yen dropping
heavily in the world market, with
japanese foreign trade being cur
tailed, there is plenty of reasons for
a cabinet crisis.
Besides mass starvation is grow
ing Strikes are increasing. Over
10000 Japanese girls have been sold
into prostitution because the peas
ants have nothing to eat. The army
is preparing outright fascism, and
has made its position public. To
divert the attention of the masses
from the real crisis, and to jack up
interest in the omnipotence of the
emperor, the misdirected traffic in
cident is seized upon to conceal
the basic questions in Japan.
BETWEEN the United States and
~ Japan there is the sharpest ri
valry over naval ornaments. The
Roosevelt government has been
spending billions for naval arma-
ments to dominate the Chinese and
ether Far Eastern markets. In re-
ply, japanese Imperialism is de-
handing naval parity, and not
waiting. But the cost is tremendous.
What with typhoons. strikes, peas
ant struggles, world clashes over
markets. dumping and so on, the
difficulties are mounting.
japanese imperialisrns major OBJ
ject is war against the Soviet
Union, in order to insure its plum
der of Manchuria and seize the
rich Siberian plains as a base for
domination of the whole of the
Far East.
Ac the n,.icie rvrou,c not tt,e troF
flc incident one-the Japanese war
lords call for it's solution by inn
mediate war against the Soviet
Union. This, they feel, will tempo
rarily solve the growing conflict
with the United States, and would
meet with approval of the domi-
nant section of American finance
capital.
! Hence, as conditions grow sharp
er in Japan, we will not see a few
isolated incidents of hara-kari, but
rapid development toward fas-
cism, in an effort to crush the
growing class struggle at home, and
attempt to direct the whole con-
flict into war against the US.S.R.
| MEANWHILE, in the Soviet
W Union, Socialist construction
speeds on apace. Fighting for
peace on all world fronts, the Sec
ond Five Year Plan goes from VIC
tory to victory, improving the
standard of living of the masses
and strengthening the defense
against any war adventures, either
from Japan or Fascist Germany,
or anywhere else. Latest informa-
ton shows the following gains over
last year in heavy industry in the
Soviet Union: Electric current, 80
per cent; coal, Is per cent; mineral
oil, Is per cent; peat, % per cent;
coke, 40 per cent; iron ore, 40 per
cent; pig iron, 40 per cent; copper
ore, 26 per cent; lead, 80 per cent;
aluminium, 277 per cent; motor
| trucks, IS per cent; automobiles,
104 per cent; railway cars, 81 per
cent.
NJ INV 90 1OOO PlONuSu1Oi 40
~ concerned, we want to quote
from a few English experts who re-
Gently visited the Soviet Union: Sir
John Russell, director of the larg-
est experimental farm, the greatest
agrarian authority in England:
collective farms are capable Of
producing all the grain and vege-
tables necessary" Man h est e
Guardian, Sept. IL. 1934.) Sir Jo-
seDh B. Robinson, Bart, WE'LL
known conservative: There is no
unemployment or starvation in
Russia South Africa, Sept 8,
1934) A. E. Lauder, writer hostile
ito the Soviet Union: THE problem
of finding enough subsistence food
appears to have been solved"
There are many others, but we