ABSTRACT
On May Day 1952, the first of a series of violent confrontations between demonstrators and the police erupted, touched off by labor union antagonism toward the Yoshida government and cultural and intellectual leaders' strident opposition to the projected law on the prevention of subversive activities. Political agitators as well as radical leaders of the National Student Federation organized mass demonstrations against Kishi. Sato was succeeded by Tanaka Kakuei, who had served as minister of finance in the Sato and Ikeda cabinets. The Socialists organized the Japan Socialist Party in November 1945, and with the support of labor leaders, they emerged as a force ready to challenge the conservative political parties that were being organized by prewar political leaders. In the realm of regulatory authority, the bureaucracy has the power to grant official approval and licenses.
