Between Four and Five Hundred for Hearing Next Year Tokyo, Oct. 20, More than seven months have now gone by since the police carried out their sudden round-up of alleged communists in March this year. Though exact figures are unobtainable, it seems that about 1,000 per~ sons in all were arrested on that occasion, though a number of additional arrests have been effected since then, Of the total number about four or five hundred have been committed for trial, all the remainder having been ' released after examination, The trials will probably be held' carly next year four or five main centres.
The majority of those who are to he tried are said to be youthful "intellectuals," social theorists of the student class, while men of the labouring classes are only few in number. The authorities appear to regard the whole affair in a serious ight, but the country at large, now that the first excitement is over, is inclined to adopt a more lenient view and to look on it as bei mainly the outcome of youthful in The vernacular press, which appears to reflect the general trend Of public opinion in this matter, naturally regrets the existence of unhealthy social tendencies amongst certain sections of the youth of the nation, but is inclined to the view that @ sound admonition rather than severe punishment is required in the majority of cases, though (the press thinks) there are probably a certain number of older: men who deserve harsher treatment,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.