The increasing freedom of the criticism indulged in by the political parties in the Diet has attracted much Attention from observers of Japanese affairs lately. Now the politicians appear to have judged the moment ripe to strike a further blow for democratic principles, They have chosen to stand on the Electoral Bill which is-desiged to mitigate police interference in the conduct of elections. The power exercised by the police in Japan has been the subject of much underground criticism and Fesentment. 'The measures taken by the Hirota' Government to meet the wishes of the War Offce in limiting the independence of trade union organizations included provision for enhancing police authority over the electorate. "In affect the politicians have declared that unless the revise fon ary Bill ig given a quick passage—clearly they doubt the "sincerity" of the Government on that. point—they Will blookc all Government legislation. This is an ordinary parliamentary manoeuvre, but the riposte may give the politicians more than they ex-ceted. The general election which now follows the Dissolution of the Diet. will be fought under the obnoxious conditions and, worse still, the politicians may find that they are eatting on a poor wicket, for it is easy to imagine that the military propagandists will make plenty of capital out of what they will describe perversely unpatriotic refusal to provide for national security. Cynics evidently believe that the Diet, hav-Ing passed the defence appropriations, was doomed to go anyway, so the pretext, in that view, small
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