Evening star., 1945-10-13
'Japs TakeFirs
Steps TO Revan1p
Cabinet Acts to Give
Vote oWomen; Gusts
Thought Police
Ey the Associated Press

In the face of rank skepticism of
Japanese liberals, the cabinet in its
second extraordinary session in two
days, approved for submission to the
Diet measures granting votes to
women and lowering the voting age
from Is to 20 years.
In a move to comply with the
Allied commanders order for free
dom of speech and thought. the
cabinet dismissed 4,800 political
tthought controD police and abol-
ished, effective Monday, the l3-
year-old law under which they had
arrested about $4,000 political Of
tenders, mostly left wing liberals.
One Draft Reported Finished. =,
On Thursday Gen. Macarthur
gave his directive to Premier Shide-
hara for sweeping social and poll
tical reforms-changes necessitating
revision of Japan's constitution for
! the first time in more than half a
century-and already one draft of
revisions was reported to have been
finished
The newspaper Asahi said Prince
Fumimaro Konoye, royal career
statesman and a recent addition to
Emperor Hirohito's innermost circle
of advisers, had presented a draft of
proposed revisions to the Emperor.
Sources close to Konoye said his
efforts would strengthen the power
of the Diet without markedly de-
creasing the position of the Emperor
or altering his current status under
the constitution.
These sources quoted Konoye as
saying Hirohito has been seriously
considering" the possibility of abdi-
cation, which hes been repeatedly
rumored here.
21,600, 900 Women Eligible.
The enfranchisement of women
was one of five major points which
Gen. Macarthur stressed in his di-
rectiye for social reform, but no
mention OF lowering the voting age
was made then.
The newspaper Mainichi said that
according to a 1912 census 81 500 900
women would be eligible to vote
after the Diet approved the two
measures, a process necessary to
their becoming law. =
Asahi estimated the lowered yot-
ing age would increase the number
OF male voters from 2l,23o,O to
42, ,92o. 600.
Newspapers predicted that the
cabinets proposed constitutional
changes would be completed and
submitted to the Privy Council for
approval in time to be presented to
the special Diet session scheduled
for December.
Allies to Aid i'm Occupation.
While Premier Shidehara's gov
ernment wrestled with the reform
problem, an Allied headquarters
spokesman said that Russian. Brit
ish and Chinese troops will partici-
pate with the Americans in the oc-
upation of Japan.
Word OF details of the combined
occupation is awaited from Wash
ington, said the spokesman for 1t
Gen. Robert K. Sutherland, Gen
MacArthur's chief of staff.
I'VE expect each country will send
one division, and after we know the
size the supreme commander for the
Allied powers will designate the re-
spective zones of occupation" he
said.
japanese liberals, commenting on
the cabinets deliberations over the
constitutional changes, said they
believed it unlikely that aristocrats
like Konoye and Shidehara would
dare or care to assume responsibility
Tor stripping the Emperor of his
prerogatives.
Neither would the aristocrats care
to advise Hirohito to relinquish any
OF the ancient privileges, the liberals
said, since 1t would automatically
mean the elimination of their own
long-held rights.
Sasaki Arrives in Tokyo.
DR.. Soichf Sasaki, a leading au-
thority on japanese constitutional
law, arrived in Tokyo today to un-
dertake, with Konoye, advisory
duties to Marquis Koichi KIDD, En-
peror Hirohito's highest ranking
consultant in state matters.
Domei news agency reported that
Dr.. Casaka Takagi, Japanese au-
thority on the American Constitu-
ton. might join Konoye and Sasaki
on Kido's advisory staff.
Asahi said Konoye presented his
own constitutional revision proposals
to Hirohito on orders from the En-
peror. Konoye had been summoned
to the imperial palace and had as
sured the Emperor that revision was
necessary, the paper said.
The princes draft proposed prin-
cipally revision of certain articles
which gave the Emperor supreme
command of army and navy forces
and the right to declare war, make
peace and conclude treaties, Asahi
reported.
These would be basic revisions, be-
cause OF Allied elimination of the
Japanese army and navy and the