Conversation between writers and bureaucrats on tax inequity, circa 1970s

Conversation between writers and bureaucrats on tax inequity, circa 1970s

In the 1970s, after postwar reconstruction and rapid economic growth, Japan had become an economic superpower, but at the same time the lives of ordinary people were becoming increasingly difficult due to urban concentration, pollution, and inflation caused by the oil crisis. Amid a growing sense of heavy taxation and dissatisfaction with inequality, a bureaucrat from the Ministry of Finance proudly stated on a TV discussion program that "as a nation, we are investing heavily to wipe out illiteracy," with the underlying intention of "that's why you can make a living, so pay taxes. It is true that the spread of education after the war dramatically increased the literacy rate, but the reality for ordinary people was that they suffered from rising prices, housing difficulties, and the burden of educational and medical expenses. Writers felt strongly about this statement and criticized the logic of the bureaucracy, which did not understand the suffering of the people and only spo
ke of it as a benefit from above. They argued that literature was the emotional support of the common people and another foundation of life. This argument highlighted the gap between the logic of the state and the reality of daily life, and showed how literature represents the voice of the common people, which has been overlooked in the shadow of economic growth. The dialogue between the state and the common people, between the bureaucracy and cultural figures, symbolized the contradictions of postwar democracy and reaffirmed the social role of literature.