JAPANESE EXCUSE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXV, Issue 228, 25 August 1945, Page 5

JAPANESE EXCUSE

reports of typhoon, explanation" to allies. (11.10 a.m.) NEW YORK, Aug. 24. The Tokio radio broadcast a message to General MacArtliur saying that the Japanese preparations for the entry of Allied warships into Japanese waters were meeting with difficulties owing to a heavy typhoon striking the , Japanese coast. The message says: "We feel it necessary to inform you that in spite of our best, efforts the preparations required by you for the entry of the advance party are meeting with some difficulties due to a heavy 740 millimetre typhoon, which lasted from Wednesday evening until Thursday morning, considerably damaging communications and transportation in the Kanto district." The radio said the typhoon destroyed 291 houses, partly destroyed 780 and flooded 3336 in the Tokio area. The Associated Press points out that the millimetre reference is apparently a barometric reading which would be approximately 29.13 inches of mercury, ordinarily indicative of a moderate storm The Tokio radio earlier reported the tvphoon but did not mention the damage and casualties, leaving the impression that it was a small storm. A correspondent of the New York Herald-Tribune on Okinawa says that grave doubt is still held about the ability of Emperor Hirolnto to control the more fanatical of the Japanese particularly the kamikaze corps which could muster a large number of planes and pilots in one last suicidal onslaught against the American occupation forces. The coming operations could, therefore, be as dangerous as a regu'lar invasion.

"So far no peace has been signed, and all we have is the Emperors expressed wish to surrender, the correspondent says, "lhe kamikaze corps, according to the Japanese rado dropped leaflets last Sunday on Tokio declaring that they were continuing the fight regardless of what others did.

"We know so little of the enemy psychology that it would be foolish to predict the effect on the JaP«"»* 9 f a possible valiant, but insane, kanaaka"TokYoaadmits chaos, with the population giving way to frenzied ieai and despair and thus there is danger that akanukaze attack might reawakenthe determination to continue the 1 <*e,c s fight, even though the result might be "irUnSdStates Navy Department announced that a Japanese p ane: torpedoed and heavily damaged the battle shiri Pennsylvania on luesday nignt during the surrender negotiations Twenty. of the crew were alled. lhe plane, which escaped, swept an .m a ow sneak run explode. Most of the casualties occuiJ n^ar ; .ient ttho suicide torpedof Jl« rmtil the Allies destroyed aJ but Ke were tile first group in the Jfrukyus to surrender, reports t^^BOCS-. ated Press correspondent on Okinawa, iitea iim i 1 ~ Island, The surrender was matlt on aiu i . probably reject a »«eff*°» Wric.n rotation Japan money . Ins ?™, M ';| a reports, yen a eo,■re.pom 1»£ tM ■l. ■ Sia , Bis?ss.V* , T to,d with .wireless.