Evening star., 1951-05-04
Toward Japanese SeH-RuIe

Today, as they pass the third anniversary
of their postwar Constitution, the japanese peo-
pie have the assurance that every effort is being
made, despite Soviet obstructionism, to restore
them to full self-rule at the earliest possible
date To that end, together with like minded
countries, the United States is speeding up ne
gotiations for a treaty designed to accord them
an equal status in the family of nations enable
them to prosper as a sovereign democracy, and
at the same time insure their security in a way
that will help to stabilize Asia and promote the
peace of the world
In token of all this Lieutenant General
Matthew B. Ridgway, General MacArthurs sue
cessor as Supreme Commander for the Allied
Powers, has authorized Premier Shigeru Yo-
shida's government to take steps that will fur
ther relax the occupation controls under which
the japanese have been living since VI day.
The most important single feature of the re-
Taxation is aimed at eliminating the so-called
purge directive under which close to 100000
big and little officials of pre-surrender Japan
have been banned from public life. With the
exception Of war criminals, top military officers
and heads of ultra -natonalistic societies, these
people-most of them associated with the Con-
servative Party-are expected to be free to re-
turn soon to political, economic, educational and
other activities bearing upon the country's
leadership.
AS General Ridgway has explained, the pur-
pose of the new relaxation policy is to prepare
for the time when the japanese will reassume
fun authority over their own national affairs.
That time is coming nearer every day, and COM
mon sense therefore dictates that action should
be taken now. before the peace treaty itself is
completed. to make sure that the transition from
an occupation status to sovereign self-rule will
be carried out as smoothly as possible In Gen.
eral Ridgway's opinion, the people of the coun-
try have displayed growing political maturity
which should safeguard and nurture the demo-
cratic tradition in japan" and insure that the
transitional problems and difficulties will be
dealt with effectively. Good evidence of that
can be found in the islands latest local cleo
tons, in which the overwhelming mass of the
voters inf1icting a staggering defeat on the
Communists have emphatically Endorsed the
kind of stability and proWestern policy that the
Conservative Party represents
Yet, although there thus can be little doubt
about the ability of the japanese to govern
themselves or about their determination to re-
main allied with the non-Soviet world, they are
a disarmed people with a Constitution under
which they have Realistically denied themselves
the sovereign right to maintain military estab-
lishment. The international realities being what
they are, this self-denial must be amended to
permit their limited rearmament Beyond that,
the peace treaty now in the making must pro-
vide-as it will and as they wish-for mutual
defense arrangements with the United States, as
well as with other cooperating powers, to counter
the threat of aggression. Given that Japan,
restored to independence, can grow in health
and vigor as one of freedoms great bulWarks
in Asia.