Japanese Rioting Held Not Unusual

May Day riots in Japan do not reflect the general consensus of Japanese opinion, Edwin O. Reischauer, professor of Far Eastern Languages, asserted last night.

The riots, he said, are not unusual, but have occurred every May Day since the war. "This year's riots were bigger and better because the Communists felt they had to make a strong protest against Japan's achievement of equal status."

On Monday, the Japanese treaties with nine nations went into effect, formally ending the Pacific war. Wednesday's demonstrations, inspired by Communist agitators, were in protest of the action.

Japanese police apparently made little effort to stop the mobs. Reischauer said that this may have been a move by the Yoshida government to influence the passage of new anti-riot legislation: "It is possible that the government made little effort to stop the demonstrations because they saw how the riots would boost their law-making efforts."

Japan has a Communist population of ten percent, the Far East expert said. They are a strongly militant minority, taking advantage of every opportunity to cause trouble for the government. "The peace treaty and the riots are as natural together as a full moon and a spring dance."