VOX POPULI: Leadership skills of the past are missing in the politics of today
U.S. economist Joseph Dodge (1890-1964) arrived in occupied Japan in 1949 as the financial adviser to the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers.
Tasked with implementing postwar economic stabilization programs, which came to be known as the Dodge Line, he stated during a news conference on March 7 of 75 years ago that Japan’s economy had been standing on stilts.
Noting that the pair of stilts consisted of U.S. aid and Japanese government subsidies, Dodge called for a super-balanced budget policy.
In the immediate postwar era, Japan was supported by massive amounts of U.S. aid that far exceeded its own annual budget.
And Japanese government subsidies were used to pay the difference generated by export import controls.
Dodge insisted that the only way to curb Japan’s hyperinflation was to lop off those “stilts.”
This seriously alarmed the then-Democratic Liberal Party (Minshu Jiyu-to) Cabinet of Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida (1878-1967), who had just won the general election of January 1949 by a landslide after pledging massive tax cuts.
Implementing an austerity policy would constitute an outright breach of the party’s election pledge.
His finance minister, Hayato Ikeda (1899-1965), was in a bind.
He held repeated negotiations with Dodge, hoping, at least, to carry out partial tax cuts.
But the budget outlook could not have been more different from what the party had pledged, and intraparty dissatisfaction erupted.
At one point, Ikeda was said to have been prepared to step down.
Ultimately, Yoshida basically “shut everyone up and got the budget approved,” recalled former Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa (1919-2007) in his memoir.
Miyazawa was Ikeda’s policy aide at the time.
The drastic budget-balancing “remedy” served to bring the nation’s hyperinflation under control, but it also caused severe side effects.
A great number of small and midsize enterprises went belly-up, and many workers were let go around the nation in what came to be called the “Dodge recession.”
In July 1950, the stock average plummeted to 85.25, the lowest level ever.
And on March 4 this year, the Nikkei stock average topped 40,000 for the first time.
The nation’s “stilts” economy is a thing of a long-past era, but I feel uneasy.
Perhaps that’s because I don’t see any politician today agonizing over the weight of their election pledge or asserting leadership to forge party unity.
--The Asahi Shimbun, March 5
* *
*Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
Related articles
- Mark Wahlberg's latest film will be flying into theaters this fall, with Lionsgate setting an Octobe2024-05-21
Taylor Swift's new single Fortnight breaks record for Spotify's most streamed song in a single day
Taylor Swift's latest release, The Tortured Poets Department, is continuing to make waves amid its a2024-05-21Never too late: Struff beats Fritz in Munich final for his first title at age 33
MUNICH (AP) — Jan-Lennard Struff won his first title at the age of 33 with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over T2024-05-21Luis Gil gets 1st big league win in 3 years, pitches Yankees over Rays 5
NEW YORK (AP) — Luis Gil struck out a career-high nine over 5 2/3 innings for his first major league2024-05-21Sports betting roundup: Xander Schauffele's final putt pays off for bettors
Xander Schauffele entered the PGA Championship with +1400 odds to win at BetMGM Sportsbook.That turn2024-05-21Facebook billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, 39, stuns the internet with his WILD 'glow up'
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is no stranger to disrupting the internet - but this week, he's don2024-05-21
atest comment