'The pre-election strategy of the Cabinet faces grave difficulties. When the falled to control the Diet, the Premier set about the creation' of system of boards and bureaux through which he might govern and effectual-circumvent both Diet_ and Constitution in large degree. tu so doing. the has, however, encountered a foe worthy' of his steel and one which is certain to cause his downfall if suflelently aroused, This is the Privy Composed of 24 members (there are! four vacancies at the moment), most Jot whom are retired statesman, diplomats, educators and a few military' land naval officers, the Privy Council fs extremely conservative but that very conservatism 1s apparently to] operate for the preservation of an appreciable strain of liberalism, democracy and of the parliamentary form of government in Japan. The Privy Council "is" charged, among, other important duties, with the me {terpretation of the Constitution, and {tis watchfully jealous of this task, will tolerate no tampering with tie Constitution as understood and ex~ pounded first by Prince Ito and later by the successive Privy Councillors. 1 will not permit the parties. to against the Constitution, but neither will it permit the pro-Fascists to do
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.