The Dilemma of Japanese Politics:
NISHIO, SUEHIRO
Socialists are caught between violence and pacifism THE DILEMMA OF JAPANESE POLITICS By Suehiro Nishio ON JANUARY 24, 1960, the Inaugurating Conference of the newly formed Japanese Democratic...
...Unfortunately, the extreme leftist group, fellow travelers of the Communists who receive support for themselves and other leftist groups from SOHYO [General Council of Trade Unions] tried to dominate the party, while moving further to the left...
...The party must recognize this reality and take a stand on the side of the democratic camp...
...The party was formed only in January, and I will frankly confess the surprise I felt at the overwhelming welcome accorded it by the people...
...From the leftist point of view, the class struggle is absolute and paramount...
...Since the establishment of the party in 1945, my own beliefs and demands have been based on the following points: 1. Marxism, advocated by the leftist Japanese Socialists, is out of date and must be eliminated...
...At this time, the party should have realized its deficiencies and thoughtfully examined and reconstructed its program with an eye to the future...
...Another element in the general dissatisfaction has been the people's disappointment in the Socialist party, the only strong opposition force...
...It is important that the Party refrain from assigning too much importance to ideology when making policy...
...The party has nearly achieved the organizational aim of being a "popular party" as opposed to a "class party...
...The new party was formed as a result of serious conflicts within the Japanese Socialist party...
...Peace today is, indeed, maintained by world public opinion, but it also depends on the balance of armed strength in the East and the West...
...In the postwar Socialist movement in Japan, there has always been an ideological struggle between those who advocate democratic socialism and those who advocate Marxism...
...Socialists are caught between violence and pacifism THE DILEMMA OF JAPANESE POLITICS By Suehiro Nishio ON JANUARY 24, 1960, the Inaugurating Conference of the newly formed Japanese Democratic Socialist party unanimously elected me chairman of the party...
...The Japanese Socialist party should base its program on democratic parliamentarianism and adhere to democratic socialism rather than a class party theory...
...In 1959, the leftist-dominated party did badly in three successive general elections—local elections in April, Lower House elections in May and Upper House elections in June—and the Socialists faced a destructive setback...
...Policies for promoting the social and economic welfare of the working masses must be taken up boldly, and we give first place to providing the masses a middle-class living standard...
...Needless to say, we reject the idea of nationalization for nationalization's sake, but in order to remedy the situation, we believe that a planned economy and socialization or public control of industry should be carried out to the degree found necessary...
...Any compromise or parley is regarded as betrayal of Socialist principles...
...Within five months of the establishment of the new Japanese Democratic Socialist party, we have nearly completed our immediate task of laying a sound foundation for party organizations...
...In the age of the moon rocket and significant world economic advances creating a new middle class among the workers, the theory of class struggle can no longer be considered realistic...
...The differences have bearing on both domestic and foreign policy...
...Such an attitude toward foreign policy and the security issue is completely opposed to the pro-Communist tendency evidenced in a statement by Inejiro Asanuma, General Secretary of the Japanese Socialist party, in Peking in 1959: "American imperialism is the common enemy of Japan and China...
...Further, our policy is contrary to the absolute pacifist ideology of some of the left-wing Socialists...
...In this spirit they tried to expel me for my opposition to any pro-Communist orientation...
...2. The present world is divided in two camps, democratic and totalitarian...
...That cemented my belief that the new party had been born out of the deeply felt hopes of the masses...
...Under conservative rule, the dissatisfaction of the masses has grown to the point where explosion has been possible at any time...
...They began to fear both the growing tendency of the leftist Socialists to emphasize Marxist theories of class warfare, and their implied denial of the parliamentary system...
...1960—IFS...
...The majority of the people feel, therefore, that Socialist accession to power SUEHIRO NISHIO, long-time leader in trade union and socialist movements, was the founder this year of the new Japanese Democratic Socialist party...
...Local party chapters are being set up all over the country through the efforts of people in all walks of life: workers, farmers, fishermen, small businessmen, technicians, management, professionals, and also women, youth and intellectuals...
...They strongly advocated class struggle as the means of achieving socialism and felt that radicalism and a pro-Communist policy were indispensable for reconstructing the party...
...Although, as Democratic Socialists, we were a minority group, I was firmly convinced that we were supported by the masses...
...it will endeavor to realize democratic socialism through revolutionary measures...
...It should endeavor to develop democratic institutions in our country and to foster these institutions in the rest of the world...
...Our party will adhere to parliamentarianism by repudiating violence or class dictatorship...
...Specifically, we are going to bring the individual worker's monthly income of $100 up to $150...
...Furthermore, as concerns Japan, the farmers became landholders as a result of the land reform and are not attracted by 19th-century revolutionary socialism...
...I believe that these conditions will bring about the eventual suffocation of the socialist movement in Japan...
...My colleagues in the party and I struggled for years to implement these tenets as the party program...
...As regards Japan's foreign policy, our basic principle should be establishing peace based on justice and order...
...Disruption of this balance could induce war...
...We must also pay serious attention to and take a realistic view of the present world situation...
...From this point of view, Japanese Socialists must confront Communism...
...During the 15 years since the end of World War II, the conservatives have been almost continuously in power in Japan...
...It must be a popular party supported by different social strata...
...Moreover, at the present time in Japan, there are five million unemployed among various types of workers and more than 10 million living in misery...
...Of course, we welcome moves toward mutual disarmament accompanied by an inspection system, as well as abolition of nuclear weapons, but I firmly believe that it is a natural task of our people to protect the safety of the state from foreign invasion and to take certain minimum defense measures...
...would destroy all the progress made during the postwar period...
...The expectations the people have for the new party can be considered a natural phenomenon...
...3. The party must seek bi-partisan diplomacy in order to protect national interests and to better the nation...
...In the future, the party must boldly carry out its realistic and tangible policies for protecting and promoting the people's interests, thus fulfilling the expectations of the Japanese masses...
...The parliamentary system is considered a stage for propaganda and workers' general strikes and mass demonstrations outside Parliament are mainly relied upon for achieving socialism...
...We must tackle such serious problems...
...With the rule of the conservatives on the one hand and the unpopular pro-Communist policy of the Socialists on the other, the Japanese Democratic Socialist party fills a need and, as is demonstrated by the party platform, aims to realize a new society in which democratic socialism prevails through parliamentary procedure and through rejection of totalitarianism of either right or left...
...The situation is partly due to the people's living standard, which is very low in terms of Japan's rapid, almost miraculous, economic recovery in the postwar period, but also the people have increasingly resented a conservative power which knows only how to dominate but not how to govern...
Vol. 43 • June 1960 • No. 23
