Popular Front Incident - People's Front Incident

After the start of the Sino-Japanese War, the Japan Proletarian Party, the National Council of Japanese Trade Unions (Zenhyo), and the Labor-Farmer faction were subjected to a crackdown under the Peace Preservation Law. 446 people were arrested on December 15, 1937 (Showa 12) (first round), and 38 people were arrested on February 1 the following year (second round), for a total of 484 people. Furthermore, on December 22, 1937, the Japan Proletarian Party and Zenhyo were banned from associating under the Peace Preservation Police Law. Those arrested included 265 people related to the Japan Proletarian Party, 174 people related to Zenyo, 34 people from the labor-farmer group, and 11 people from the labor-farmer professors group, with the main suspects being Kato Kanju, Suzuki Mosaburo, Takano Minoru, Shimagami Zengoro, Kuroda Hisao, Okada Soji, Yamakawa Hitoshi, Arahata Kanson, Inomata Tsunao, Mukaizaka Itsuro, Omori Yoshitaro (all in the first round), Eda Saburo, Sasaki Kozo, Ouchi Hyoe, Arisawa Hiromi, Minobe Ryokichi, and Uno Kozo (in the second round). The reason for the arrests was that the Labor-Farmer faction was twins born from the Japanese Communist Party, and that the Japan Proletarian Party and Zenhyo were plotting to form a People's Front in response to the policy of the 7th Congress of Comintern. This incident showed that after the start of the Sino-Japanese War, the targets of the suppression of the Peace Preservation Law were expanded from the Communists to include the Labor-Farmer faction and Social Democrats, who had previously been legal entities, and that it was no longer possible to legally carry out anti-war and anti-fascist activities. At the trial, the prosecution was unable to prove any criminal facts against the professors, and many were found not guilty at the second hearing. Kato, Suzuki, Yamakawa and others were found guilty at both the first and second hearings, but after Japan's defeat, the Peace Preservation Law was abolished, and they were acquitted in November 1945 (Showa 20).

[Shoji Arakawa]

"The People's Front Incident" by Satoshi Oda (included in "Records of Japanese Political Trials: Showa and Later", 1970, Daiichi Hoki Publishing) " "A Brief History of the Peace Preservation Law" by Yasuhiro Okudaira (1977, Chikuma Shobo)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

日中戦争開始後、日本無産党、日本労働組合全国評議会（全評）、労農派の関係者に対し治安維持法を適用した弾圧事件。1937年（昭和12）12月15日446名（第一次検挙）、翌年2月1日38名（第二次検挙）、計484名が検挙された。また、1937年12月22日には、日本無産党と全評が治安警察法により結社禁止となった。被検挙者の内訳は日本無産党関係265名、全評関係174名、労農派グループ34名、労農派教授グループ11名で、おもな者は加藤勘十(かんじゅう)、鈴木茂三郎(もさぶろう)、高野実、島上善五郎、黒田寿男(ひさお)、岡田宗司(そうじ)、山川均(ひとし)、荒畑寒村(あらはたかんそん)、猪俣津南雄(いのまたつなお)、向坂逸郎(さきさかいつろう)、大森義太郎(よしたろう)（以上第一次）、江田三郎、佐々木更三(こうぞう)、大内兵衛(ひょうえ)、有沢広巳(ひろみ)、美濃部亮吉(みのべりょうきち)、宇野弘蔵(こうぞう)（第二次）らである。検挙理由は、労農派が日本共産党から出生した双生児であり、また日本無産党と全評がコミンテルン第7回大会の方針に呼応して人民戦線の結成を企てたというものであった。この事件は、日中戦争開始後、共産主義者に続いて、これまでは合法的存在であった労農派、社会民主主義者にまで治安維持法の弾圧対象が拡大し、反戦・反ファッショ活動を合法的に展開することはもはや不可能となったことを示していた。裁判では、教授グループについては検察側が犯罪事実を立証できず、多くは第二審で無罪が確定。加藤・鈴木・山川らは第一審、第二審とも有罪であったが、敗戦後治安維持法が廃止されたので、1945年（昭和20）11月免訴となった。

［荒川章二］

『小田中聡樹著『人民戦線事件』（『日本政治裁判史録　昭和・後』所収・1970・第一法規出版）』▽『奥平康弘著『治安維持法小史』（1977・筑摩書房）』

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