Correspondent t% Jape 'Tokyo, Feb. 1 BOLD speech demanding that any changes to' be made in Japan's national system shall be done constitutionally, that is, with the consent of the Diet, was delivered in the House of Representatives. just before it passed the general 1939-40 budget for ¥. 3,694,000,000, by Mr. Shogo Suzuki of the Kokumin Domei, one of the smaller political parties, yesterday.
He also demanded that the new Prime Minister, Dr. Baron Hiranuma, should administer the government as its real head, that is, constitutionally and on own responsibility, or else, if he is acting at the behest of some other clement, he should resign to make way for that clement actually to take charge of the government, che War Minister. (Lieut.-General Magakid has stated that now when East Asia is in process of long-term reconstruction, there Is) need 10. carry out renovation of the various Gomestie systems (in Japan)," said Mr. Suzuki, "and "the question Issue Is the extent to which they should be renovated.
"The War Minister fas announced that he has no intention whatever of effecting any. radical or sudden re~ forms, The Navy Minister (Admiral Yonai) has stated that there is room for reform of the existing economic structure of our country, but. that) any reforms to be undertaken must seessarily be evolutionary', not revolutionary', in character.
"Whether such reforms are in fact radical, or revolutionary, or evolu tionary, is a matter which wilt be viewed' from "different angles by different people according to how they appraise the situation and their: own "elreumstances. And different People will ix differently the divide Ing line. separating evolutionary reform from revolutionary. reform.
Mobilization Law "The only political method for determining that dividing line is to conduct all affairs of state through the medium of the Imperial Diet, Under the system of constitutional polities, all reforms which are carried Out with the approval of the Diet, regardless of how radical they seem outwardly, are not revolutionary reality, Looking at the matter in the spirit of constitutional polities, "arbitrary ets by bureaucrats, 1 have no doubt, constitute revolutionary acts. Herein Hes the cause for scathing public criticism now being made of bureaus eats as being arbitrary in action. The view prevails in some circles that the aims of national reform can, be attained by general Invocation of the" Nala" General "Mobitzation "But it must be urged that all Legislative measures for national reform and renovation must in every presented to the Diet and forecast only after ils consent has obtained—though some. aialrs of @ nature inappropriate For presentation to the Diet may be. considered proper exceptions.
Emergency Sessions believe that for this purpose the government can convoke emergency Sessions of the Diet however fre~ quently. To carry out national reform through general. invocation of the eneral_ mobilization law is easy, but the enforcement of such reforms with the Diets sanction might be a different story. the status quo, have come to advance the rather surprising opinion of favouring non-holding of any specie reserve. Thus, the political parties, fas well as the times, have changed greatly. T earnestly hope that Baron. Hiranuma, "not minding "outward symptoms of the Diet. will courageously forge ahead toward realization of what he has in view regarding Fpotties in his task' to assist the Emperor.
"A movement for general national spiritual mobilization cannot achieve anything "merely by lectures or pamphlets. "As Boron Hiranuma is the central gute. in the movement, what is most essential Is, not to try' to teach the public, but to ensure Strict official discipline on the part fof the government. Tsay this, not fon account of Individual violations or Regligence of discipline, but because rectification of official discipline wil, make clearly manifest the pivot of the nation.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.