TO BE DOUBLED

Grey River Argus, 22 September 1945, Page 5

TO BE DOUBLED

U.S. FORCES IN JAPAN

Long Range Controls

NEW YORK, September 20. General MacArthur’s Headquarters announced that the occupation forces would be increased to 400,000 by the end of the year, before dropping to the predicted 200,000 permanent garrison. . A special emissary may soon be sent from Washington to confer with General MacArthur regarding the enforcement of long range peace controls in Japan, in view of the differing opinions concerning the occupation. (R>ac. 11.15) NEW YORK, Sept. 21 A direct liaison between the U.S. State Department and General MacArthur was arranged' .when Mr. Arthur Emmons, a Foreign Service officer and a. Far Eastern expelt, who at present is stationed in the State Department was ordered to Tokio to perform that function. Presumably, Mr.. Emmons will be entrusted with clarifying . 'messages when he reaches Tokio. Meanwhile, Mr. George Acheson will serve General MacArthur' as a political adviser for the State Department representative. He has already left for Japan. The Acting Secretary of State Mr. Dean Acheson was asxed about a possibility of the State Department sending a special. envoy to General MacArthur. He said he had mot thought of it. An Associated Press correspondent "at Tokio stated: An Australian Mr. John Holland', has been arrested on a treason charge, namely, that ne made propaganda broadcasts in English from Shanghai and Tokio radio stations. Holland was arrested in a barber’s shop at Sopporo, capital ot Hokkaido. It is reported a new policy directive for Japan’s industrial disarmament has bean sent to General MacArthur recently. The main points are,, firstly, the elimination of heavy industries except those essential to peacetime economy. Secondly, the promotion of trade unions. Thirdly, removal of all ultra-nationalists from positions of power and influence in either public or private life. Fourthly rigid controls for the Bank of Japan. Fifthly, legislation permitting freedom of speech and assembly as one of the best methods of laying a foundation for future Japanese democracy. The most revolutionary o_ the decisions is the removal of ’ultranationalists. This eventually should mean a house cleaning, not only for the Government, but also for in-dustry-breaking or sharply curtailing the economic power of Japan s famous eight families, who control the bulk of the country’s wealth, and dominate the economy. Lieut.-General Giles estimated that eight to 10 air groups with 800 planes and 40,000 personnel, would be maintained in Japan. He is seriously of the opinion that Japan should be occupied for about 100 years. If the united troops moved out soon, there would be trouble from 3,000,000 trained soldiers who had never fired a shot during the war. American occupation forces have revoked Japanese laws which for years have denied Koreans the right of free religious worship. Seven hundred Koreans have beep sworn in as provincial police, replacing the Japanese.

Japanese Women

FLEE FROM U.S. ARMY.

(Rec. 11.10). NEW YORK, Sept. 20. A New York “Times” correspondent in Tokio stated: There is no fraternisation in Japan. The American Army is being as frigid as the Japanese are reserved. You do not see local girls strolling in the street with lads in khaki. This is partly due to the fact that the Pacific, war is a “grudge fight”. Our soldiers have bj?n indoctrinated to such an extent that their sentiments towards the Japanese probably come closer to hate than love, and Ims also is partly due 1o Japan’s non-fraternisation order. The Japanese women were told that every American was a rapist. Most of the women of Yokohama have fled to the hills. They are only gradually returning. General Eichelberger said he could not have asked for an easier occupation. “We have had the minimum of friction with the Japanese authorities and people. Tojo will be- moved into the Prefectural Prison as soon as he recovers from the wound, probably within a week. I do not believe the Supreme Japanese Commander is going to object when I move him into the local calaboose to join the rest of the Pearl Harbour gang. We had a hard time at first rounding up war criminal suspects, but General MacArthur put the problem Io the Japanese Government, and all we do now is turn the key on them. They are all in gaol right now. Mv group consists of the German. Colonel Laurel Vargas, most of the Pearl Harbour Cabinet, and a choice group of colonels. contains, and sergeants who are alleged to have mistreated prisoners. I imagine this is the, world s most interesting gaol to-day.”

EFFECT OF “CO-PROSPERITY” RULE

NEW YORK, September 20. A correspondent states: Japanese after three years co-nrosperity in tne Netherlanv East Indies, left hunger, novertv, humiliation, malnutrition and disease. Thev robbed banks, looted museums, burned archives, and Hogged or shaved women of all ages for triflling offences. They did not snare invalids, nuns, or clergymen They ill-treated Monsmnor Willekens, Bishop of Batavia. They herded civilians and soldiers in concentrai’on camps, and filthv overcrowded native prisons. An Allied Air Fleet landed medical supplies. Japan’s War Effort responsibility and defeat. NEW YORK, .September 20. The atomic bomb had nothin' 7 to do w’th the end of the war. said General Lemav. in an interview after the Superfortresses’ flight from Japan. The war would have been over in a fortnight without tlm Russians or the bomb He added: The atomic bomb helned the Emnevor to convince the soldiers and sailors that the war was over. Japan was beaten solely by air power. Admiral Nomura, Japanese Ambassador tn Washington at tpe time of" Pearl Harbour, denied he was aware of the attack when he took a note to Mr Hull on December 7. 1941 “When T returned to the Embassy I was informed of 11m development by members, of the staff who listened in to the American rad : o. T was most embarrassed and worried, bul ; t bevond mv power to prevent the d.nBut mv con«ci o nco was olear. T did -oi nip” a double game in dnpjing w’l.h Mr Hulk “The war was against, my’ wishes J knew America’s great Ind”'*’* a 1 canacifv. but u V ms decided in Tokin T uro-cd the (government t.n bo most caiHmus. and told the orbies to be natien*. We had —>"a<> roanv blunders in the nast. and tlm people were beginning to understand

that our policy in China was not decent —the whole thing was a failure. Undoubtedly the military and naval authorities went beyond their domain. They ought to stick to their own services and keep out of politics. The Emperor was placed in the position of having to approve the war. He was a peace-loving man, but to rule Japan he could not always abide by his own wishes. He might say ‘no’, but eventually might, have to agree against his own will.” Admiral Nomura said the war tide turned at Midway Island, and the war was lost with the .seizure of Saipan, which was quickly built up as a Superfortress base. The Tokio paper “Mainichi” disclosed how Japan’s war effort had a fantastic cloak-and-dagger finale. Ilsaid that rebels, attempting to thwart the Emperor’s plan to issue the surrender rescript, penetrated to the Imperia] Palace grounds through faked orders. Thev cut telephone lines, locked up the Emperor’s chief aide. General Shigeru Hasunuma, murdered General Mori, commander of the Emperor’s guard, and, then sought the Marauis Koichi Kido, Lord Keeper of ihe Privy Seal, and Sotaro Ishiwatta, the Imoerial Household Minister, who escaped detection while hiding in , a room which the rebels entered with drawn guns. General Tanaka, former gendarmerie chief, waited two hours for the Palace Guard to disperse the rebels, and then went to the palace at 4 a.m. on August 15 and confronted rebel leaders. He broke them down in a three-hour battle of wills. Four of the rebels committed suicide on the spot and the gendarmerie arrested the others. General Tanaka s committed suicide on August 28 because of his feeling of responsibility for the incident. JAP CABINET CHANGES NEW YORK. Sept. 19 The New York “Times’s” Tokio correspondent says w t.hat the Foreign Minister. Shigaru Yoshita, was arrested' during the war because of his well known pro-British attitude and his espousals of peace and friendly relations with Britain and America. He was tried by a military court and being found not guilty oi subversive activity was released. This is the first of a series of expected Cabinet changes. Shigemitsu, who signed the surrender for .lauan, resigned after a stormy Cabinet meeting in which it was decided that the liaison office working with the occunation forces, should not be under the Foreign Office.