Despite the control of food distribution, illegal operations are 
widespread, and it is reported that most people who have the means and 
the opportunity supplement their rations by buying in the black market. 
Fish enters into the black market in considerabTe amounts; undoubtedly 
fishermen have been withholding their catch in sufficient quantities to 
give or sell to their friends. Underlying the large diversion of marine 
products is the basic difficulty of policing a large number of small- 
scale fishermen. 
Distribution has been a major problem not only because of control 
difficulties but also because transportation services have been irregular. 
The regular fish trains which served the large cities in prewar years 
were discontinued at least much of the time. 
Wartime Price Control 
In August 1940 a cabinet ordinance provided for several price 
controls for perishable food including fish and shellfish. Wholesale 
and retail prices under this ordinance were fixed by the prefectural 
governments with the advice of a price fixing committee, the whole system 
being administered by the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce. The prices 
of all fish except the poorer varieties were controlled. When these prices 
were set they were reduced below the free market price prevailing at the 
time and only minor revisions have been made up to April 1943. Eecause 
the prices of most fish were held down by the government, some of the 
poorer varieties which were not under control became more abundant in 
the markets and sold at relatively high prices. One of the complaints 
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16-031 P235 
