Evening star., 1946-05-05
Macarthur Reports
Encouraging Signs
Of Jap Democracy
BY the kssocjoted py.,.

BY the Associated pr.xs
TOKYO, Sunday, May 5.-Gen
Macarthur, in the latest of his
periodic reports on the progress
OF the occupation, said today he
saw encouraging signs" of sue
cess for the Allied campaign to
establish democracy amid the
ruins OF a feudalistic Japan.
Publication of the report came
scarcely "a hours after Macarthur
intervened in Japans cabinet crisis
to prevent the appointment of an
allegedly pro-Axis premier, and
after he had reprimanded the out
going Shidehara government for its
failure to disqualify the man-Lib-
eral Party Leader Ichiro Hatoyama
without waiting for the supreme
commander to act.
There is reason to believe" Gen.
Macarthur reported, that the Japa-
nese are becoming more cognizant
Of the fundamental issues involved
In their political revolution"
Cites New Constitution.
The revolution revealed itself, he
said. In the proposed new japanese
constitution, which he called
epoch-making," in the recent gen.
eral election-Japan's first free cleo
ton in II years; in the new un-
shackled japanese press, and in the
spirit of the people themselves.
Gen. Macarthur added that al
though the proposed constitution
drastically curtailed the authority
Of the emperor the japanese seem
to accept the new constitutional
limitation imposed on their ruler"
He termed the clause renouncing
war as a sovereign right of the ma
tion the foremost provision" of the
new constitution, and said it had
met wide approval.
Newspapers Improving.
Gen. Macarthur noted that there
were some who questioned whether
Japan was ready for rapid de-
mocratization after centuries of reg
imentation and control. The Japa-
nese press, for instance, he said, had
expressed concern over the gap be-
tween "enlightened provisions" and
the level of political education of
the masses.
He added, however, that the news
papers almost solidly backed the
new constitution and urged their
readers to study and discuss its
terms to learn the mechanics of de-
mocracy.
The newspapers were improving
In their treatment of news, he said,
and were showing increasingly the
characteristics of free and demo-
cratic press" He added:
Editorials are becoming more
soundly based, both sides of con-
troversial issues are presented, and
reporting is showing greater re-
sponsibility. The mixing of edi-
torial and news material has di-
unfinished"
Gen. Macarthur said the general
election was noteworthy for the in
terest shown by women voting for
the first time in Japan's history, for
the democratic manner of the bal
loting, and for.fthe campaigning of
small new political groups which
sprang up after. the surrender.
He noted, however, that while
most of these new parties con-
demned the old regime. their slogans
were almost identical with those
used by the totalitarians to destroy
the parliamentary system during the
1885"
Among evidences of economic
progress, Gen. Macarthur listed the
governments program for agrarian
reform, the resumption of silk ex-
poets to the United States. and the
reinstatement of legal prewar stand
ards of labor protection.
Cut-rate convict labor in private
industry has been eliminated, he
said, the government has relaxed
loan regulations for smaller busi-
nesses. crime is decreasing and rela-
tions between occupation forces and
the people remain good.
New Premier Sought.
Meanwhile, japanese political
leaders began all over again the
task of trying to form a new cab
met, following Gen. MacArthur's
disqualification of Hatoyama as
premier
While the Social Democratic
Secretary General Tetsu Katayama
and outgoing Premier Kijuro
Shidehara conferred there were in
dications it would be some time
before new cabinet could be
agreed on.
The Allied headquarters memo
randum banishing Hatoyama from
public Office because of pro-Axis
sympathies was read to him yes
terday afternoon by Shidehara
Hatoyama indicated today he hopes
to continue as dominant figure in
the Liberal party he now heads