Japanese Forces

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 61, 10 September 1945, Page 5

Japanese Forces

KEY THEATRES

LONDON, September 9. z The official surrender of the Japanese armed forces in China has been followed by news of more Japanese surrenders in keytheatres spread over the Pacific.

This afternoon, all the Japanese forces in the Netherlands East Indies, east of Lombok, an island near Bali, and in Borneo were surrendered to General Blarney. Australian Coniinaiider-m-Chief.

The Japanese Governor-General of southern Korea today signed the surrender of the Japanese forces in that area.

Earlier today the Japanese surrendered the naval base of Ominato, on the northern tip of Honshu, 400 miles from Tokio.

Admiral Mountbatten left his headquarters today for Singapore to receive the complete instrument of surrender of all the Japanese forces in South-east Asia. The surrender, which is expected to be signed some time on Wednesday, will be made by Field-Marshal Terauchi, supreme sommander of the Japanese southern armies. In Korea Admiral Kincaid and Lieuten ant-Ganerai Hodges signed for the United States. The Japanese flag was lowered on the Governor-General's palace and the Stars and Stripes was loisted in its place. A correspondent vvho landed with the Americans gives a picture of the defeated and surrendered Japanese troops leading hunireds of pack horses and man-handling leavy loaded barrows through the city >i Maiyu and plodding on miserably into the dark mountains which encircle it. The Koreans who were vatching the Japanese in silence broke Into cheers as American trucks appeared, driving in the opposite direction. The h&tred of the Koreans for the Japanese is the reason, he says, why the United States authorities have allowed Japanese civil police to retain sffice and their arms. An officer told the correspondent that when Singapore fell British prisoners ' were brought to Maiyu and the Japanese paraded them through the streets and arged the Koreans to humiliate them; but the only . answer of the Koreans was silence. Japan surrendered the Ominato naval base to Vice-Admiral F. J. J Fletcher, commander of the North I Pacific Fleet. No ground forces were j put ashore from the 60-odd warships:, aone will go ashore for several days. Vice-Admiral Fletcher sternly warned the Japanese that he. expected the occupation to proceed with the same discipline • and ease that had been shown elsewhere. He wanted no incidents which would increase the sufferings of the Japanese people. The surrender document was signed by ViceAdmiral Kenji Ugaki, commandant of the base. A correspondent at SEAC Headquarters tells oi the forthright way in which Admiral Mountbatten dealt with Japanese hesitation and evasion. The Japanese commander asked for, and was granted, leave to send his chief of' staff to Rangoon to discuss local arrangements, and then declined to accept the conditions which Admiral Mountbatten laid down as necessary to effect the settlement without delay. The SEAC reply was a signal to the Japanese commander telling him to obey instructions at once and absolutely. The Japanese commander submitted, and his chief of staff arrived at Rangoon the next day Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser left Tokio Bay today for Hong Kong in the Duke of York. British troops are due to arrive in Hong Kong on Thursday. Rear-Admiral C. S. Holland accepted the surrender of Japanese naval forces consisting of two, cruisers of the Mikado class, several destroyers, and two submarines at Singapore naval base, says the special correspondent of the Australian Associated Press in Malaya. The first British ship into the base was the destroyer Rotherham, which is well known to New Zealand sailors who served with the East Indies Fleet.