740.00119 Control (Japan)/3–749: Airgram
The Acting Political Adviser in Japan (Sebald) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 14—9:15 a. m.]
A–53. Reference Mission’s despatch no. 308 of May 27, 1948.1 On February 8, 1949 the Japanese Government issued a Cabinet Order establishing the Purge Review Commission. The Commission is under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister and is empowered to review the appeals of political and economic purgees who initiate appeal within three months of the establishment of the Commission. In the case of persons purged in the future, the Commission is empowered to hear their appeals initiated within three months of their disqualification. The Japanese Government announced that the establishment of this Commission does not constitute any attempt to revise, reinterpret, or eliminate any of the existing purge categories.
The jurisdiction of the Commission is further limited by the interpretation of SCAP Headquarters, which understands that the following types of cases will not be eligible for consideration by the Commission: (1) Purgees who have previously appealed their disqualification and have been denied reinstatement; and (2) purgees disqualified from public office as a result of a Scapin or by memorandum from any section of Headquarters.
There is no way to determine at the present time how many purgees have appealed either to the old Purge Appeals Committee, which was abolished in May 1948, or to the Purge Committee in the Prime Minister’s Office, which during the interim from May 1948 to the present has heard appeals and carried on routine screening activities. In all probability a number of prominent purgees have already made appeals which were denied, therefore making them ineligible for re-appeal at this time.
According to the Japanese press, the Purge Review Commission formally begins its work on March 8 and there are more than 1000 held-over applications for reexamination and about 1000 other appeals made to the Commission since its organization was first announced. Appeals to be taken up for examination first by the New Purge Review Commission are expected to be in the following categories: naval officers, specialist officers, and graduates of the Naval Academy after July 1945; Army officers, graduates of the Military Academy after June 1945, or officers with ranks under colonel; in economic circles, presidents of organizations and companies other than those directly affiliated with the Zaibatsu; in press circles, directors and other responsible [Page 685] persons of wartime newspapers, news agencies, and publishing companies other than presidents and chief editors. It is eventually expected that the Commission will handle about 20,000 cases which may take as long as two years.