Evening star., 1960-07-18
japanese Premier Faces
Leftist Mine Strike Crisis

TOKYO, July ls (AP).-
Tough, outspoken Hayato
Ikeda was elected Prime Min
lister of Japan today and imme-
diately faced an explosive left
wing crisis at a strife-torn
KyuShu coal mine.
The 60-year-old financial ex-
pert won overwhelming ap-
proval over two Socialist OPP
ponents in both houses of Par
lament to succeed Nobusuke
Kishi, who stepped out after
three and one-half years in
office. Mr.. Kishi is recovering
from leg stab wounds inflicted
by a rightist assailant July IA.
A continuation of pro-
western policies through alli-
ance with America is assured,
although the government is ex-
pected to be short-lived. New
nation wide parliamentary
elections are planned this fall.
Mr.. Ikeda'S election never
was in doubt. The Liberal
Democratic Party, which has
siZable majoritieS in both
houses of parliament, chose
him last week to succeed Kishi
as party president. The party
president traditionally heads
the government.
The vote in the lower house
was 275 for Mr.. Ikeda TO l59
for his two Socialist opponents.
The vote in the upper house
was 143-84.
Mr.. Ikeda, trade and indus
try minister in the Kishi cabi-
net, has pledged to restore
Japan's international prestige
damaged by leftwing riots in
May and June, and to rursue
a soft" policy of negotiation
with the Socialist Party.
baTDeu wire
But battle lines are already
drawn for a bloody clash
possibly tomorrow - between |
10000 police and 10000 to
100000 striking workers. Com
munists and radical students
entrenched behind barbed wire
at the Mike coal mine in
Kyushu.
A showdown appeared to be .
shaping up between the au-
thority of police, trying to en-
force a court injunction to
clear out the strikers, and the
same rebellious forces that
kept Japan in turmoil with
violent demonstrations against
the United States-Japan-Se-
curity treaty.
An all-out fight to remove
the strikers would plunge Mr..
Ikeda'S government into a
crisis. The giant leftist labor
federation Sohyo, with Social
ist and Communist Party back
ing, has poured in thousands
of reinforcements to help the
miners.
The outcome is expected to
indicate whether Mr.. Ikeda's
government will do any better
than Mr.. Kishis at controlling
the leftwing mobs that forced
cancellation of President Eisen-
hower's Tokyo visit although
they did not prevent ratifica-
ton of the military treaty with
the United States.
The strikers have been dis
putting for two years with the
Mitsui Mining Co., which
wanted to cut 5000 miners
from its payroll and reduce
wages because of losses due to
increasing use of petroleum for
fuel.
Police Drill
Last March $500 of the Is, 900
Mike miners broke with the
striking union, formed a new
union and returned to work on
company terms. The two un-
ions have fought repeated, vio-
lent battles since as the non-
strikers attempted to enter and
leave the pits.
The dispute at first was eco
nomic. 1t has since become
largely political. with the So
cialists and Communists taking
a leading part to harass the
government.
The strikers have dug a 6h-
foot wide trench before their
position with sandbagS piled in
front. They have been organ
lied into regiments and COM
panies, repeatedly have de-
veloped a rocket" gun that
shoots rocks and iron scrap,
and have pistol fire exiting
uishers loaded with solution
to blind attackers.
Helmeted police have been
pouring into the area for two
days. Many have drilled in
riot tactics, using wooden
shields as protection against
simulated rock throwing as