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7 Critical Review of the Opinions of Respectable Japanese Scholars : Part II Revised Accounting by Mr. Shiro Tajima (Professor , Komazaw a University) , published b y Kunimoto Shobo , 4th ed., June 15 , 1977 Under th e heading "Th e Principle s of Regular Bookkeeping/' Ta jima take s th e stan d tha t thes e principle s ar e th e one s tha t hav e been expressed thus : "Corporate Accountin g should mak e correc t books o f accoun t regardin g al l th e transaction s mad e i n accor dance with the principles of regular bookkeeping/' He quotes, just as i t is , th e ver y wordin g o f th e provision s fro m Paragrap h 2 , General Principle 1 of Corporate Accounting Principles.1 I think, however, that Tajima' s explanatio n doe s not constitut e an explanation o f this matter logically , because there is a term i n his explanation tha t ha s t o be explained. At the same time , ther e is no evidence t o support Tajima' s theor y tha t "th e principle s of regular bookkeeping," which have been indicated in the Corporate Accounting Principle s o f thi s country , ar e a concep t base d o n a n illusion. Tajima concludes , however, that "there is no such kind of bookkeeping known by the name of 'regular bookkeeping.' " Article 29 of the Guidelines , which i s the authoritativ e regula tion regarding "th e principles of regular bookkeeping" prescribe d by Article 5 of the Hessian Income Tax Law, has a provision wit h the title "Regular Bookkeeping," whereby the variety of bookkeeping is specifically limited . I wonder ho w Tajim a view s this poin t 73 74 Opinion s of Respectable Japanes e Scholars : Part I I in particular. Moreover, he concludes that "it does not necessaril y mean double-entry bookkeeping/' From the theoretical viewpoin t of evolutionar y history , thi s provisio n di d no t mandat e double entry bookkeeping; however, the judicial precedent of the Germa n Taxation Cour t ha s no w establishe d tha t i t mean s th e principle s of double-entr y bookkeepin g includin g th e "mixe d method." 2 I cannot hel p bu t say , therefore , tha t Tajim a ha s als o faile d t o notice this fact . Finally, the author has tried to position the term "the principles of regular bookkeeping" as the Japanese equivalent of the German term "Grundsatz e ordnungsma/Sige r Buchfuhrung " ("regula r ac counting principles"). He asserts that this is not only the principle regarding entrie s i n book s of account bu t als o th e principl e tha t constitutes th e ver y basi s fo r th e preparatio n o f financial state ments . I f thi s i s so , I fee l th e autho r shoul d follo w th e rightfu l method o f usin g th e correspondin g ter m i n German . I hav e no t noticed any indication of this, however. Tajima seem s t o have faile d t o notice , moreover , th e fac t tha t the principle s o f regula r bookkeepin g hav e a threefol d structur e and that thes e principles are subject t o the strict limitation of the outline o f principle s b y th e positiv e law . I t ca n safel y b e said , therefore, tha t th e las t sentenc e i n Tajima' s boo k i s onl y barel y correct: "In this sense, it can safely be said that regular bookkeeping is a 'compound principle' instead of a simple principle." A Textbook of Accounting by Dr. Yoshio Numata (Professor , Komazaw a University) , 8th rev. ed., 1978 , 10th ptg., published b y Dobun Ka n Under the heading "Principle s of Regular Bookkeeping," Numat a states tha t "th e principles o f regular bookkeeping" is a term tha t has bee n newl y coine d b y th e Corporat e Accountin g Principles , and tha t "th e sai d principle s hav e bee n created , t o a certai n ex tent , b y th e advocat e fo r th e Corporat e Accountin...

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