ARRESTS IN JAPAN

Greymouth Evening Star, 7 December 1945, Page 7

ARRESTS IN JAPAN

NOTABLESJNCLUDED KONOYE'S REVELATIONS TOKIO, December 6. General MacArthur has ordered the arrest of Prince Konoye, Marquis Kido, Vice-Admiral Takuo Godo, a former member of the Cabinet and an unofficial envoy to Germany to present Japan’s side of the “China Incident,” Shigeo Ogata, Vice-President of the “Asahi Shimbun,” Viscount Masatoshi Okoshi, an industrialist, Lieutenant-General Hiroshi Oshima, Ambassador to Berlin since 1938, who arrived in Japan only to-day, Count Tadamasu Sakai, a member of the House of Peers, and Tarichiro Suma, a diplomat and a former counsellor at the Japanese Embassy in -Washington. According to a reliable source, Konoye told American Army officers that the Japanese army and navy drew up plans to launch a wan against America in September, 1941, but were halted by the Emperor, and the Government war plan was presented by the late Field-Marshal Sugiyama, then Chief of the Army General Staff, at a secret conference at Hirohito s palace on September 6, 1941. The militarists supported the plan, but Konoye, who was then Premier, still felt there was a possibility of negotiation. The militarists were then prevailed on to revise their plans, so that preparations would be made for hostilities. Instead, hostilities themselves were begun m the middle of October. Hirohito strongly emphasised the need lor continuing negotiations with America, but did not attempt during the meeting to determine the militarists’ plans or the prospects of victory. A meeting of the militarists was later held at Konoye’s residence, with the Emperor absent. Konoye reported that he still believed there was a chance of negotiation, but Tojo, then Minister of War, said that war was inevitable, even if Japan bowed to the American demands and withdrew all her troops from China. Konoye was forced to resign as a result of the clash of opinions. Tojo succeeded him and led Japan to war. COMMUNISTS’ LIST. TOKIO, December 6. The Japanese Communists announced their own list of 1090 alleged war criminals, including the Emperor and Empress. TRIALS IN BORNEO. SYDNEY,’ December 6. Seventy Japanese accused of war crimes will appear before an Australian military court at Labuan, Borneo, next week, in the first mass trial of war criminals in the Pacific. The Japanese will be charged jointly with having ill-treated pn-soners-of-war at the Kuching internment camp. The commandant of trie camp (Colonel Suga) committed suicide last month in Labuan prison by cutting his throat with a blunt tableknife. His officers are among those listed for trial. War crimes officers of the 9th Australian Division fiave more than 300 cases ready for trial. U.S.A. AND CHINA. MR. HURLEY’S CHARGES. WASHINGTON, December 6. Mr. Hurley, who recently resigned from the post of United States Ambassador' in China, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that an American diplomat, Mr. John Sei - vice, who was assigned to Lieuten-ant-General Stilwell in China, had proposed in October, 1944. that Chiang Kai-shek’s Government be allowed to collapse. Mr. Service’s report was circulated among the Chinese Communists. Mr. Hurley added that Mr. George Atcheson, Counsellor at the American Embassy in Chungking, had. sought to destroy the Chinese Government by getting lend-lease arms for the Chinese Communists. The arms were not given to the Communists and Mr. Atcheson was later recalled from China. Mr. Atcheson claimed in a letter to the Secretary of State that he had the support of every official at the American Embassy in his recommendation. Mr. Hurley added that Lieutenant-Gen-eral Stilwell and Chiang Kai-shek were incompatiblcs. The Associated Press says that Mr. Service and Mr. Atcheson are nt present acting as General MacArthur’s political advisers in Tokio. INDO-CHINA SAIGON, December 6. The French High Commissioner, Admiral d’Argenlieu, said arrangements were made at a conference in Saigon last week between Admiral Mountbatten and the French and British service chiefs for the withdrawal of British and Indian troops from Indo-China and 4he handing over of control to the French. A communique announces that French troops in the Tanan sector of Cochin-China have cleaned out two extremist strongpoints, inflicting heavy casualties.