§ 28. Mr. Rees-Williamsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what steps he is taking, through our representative on the Allied Council, to assist the new Japanese Ministry in putting into practice the announcement by Mr. Chozaburo Mizutani, Minister of Commerce, that the policies of the British Labour Party will form the basis of his own party's political philosophy.
§ Mr. BevinThe function of the Allied Council is to advise the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, not the 1055 Japanese Government. It is the responsibility of the Supreme Commander to ensure that Japan fulfils her obligations under the Terms of Surrender, but not to intervene in matters of Japanese internal politics except in so far as intervention may be necessary in order to secure the objectives of the occupation.
I am not, therefore, contemplating taking action on the lines envisaged by my hon. Friend. However, it is the policy of His Majesty's Government always to make information available to progressive forces in other Countries who look towards this country for an example. The Head of the United Kingdom Liaison Mission in Tokyo is kept fully supplied with material illustrating the trends and policies of social development in this country. He is able to make effective use of this material through his information officers.
§ Mr. Rees-WilliamsIn view of the fact that the Supreme Commander in Japan is an Allied Commander and not an American Commander, and in view of the fact that we are responsible for what is happening in Japan, would it not be a good thing for our representative there to make the feelings of the people of this country quite clearly known to the Japanese Government?