DISBANDING ARMY

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXV, Issue 237, 5 September 1945, Page 6

DISBANDING ARMY

JAPAN TO DEMOBILISE. GEN. MACARTHUR'S ORDERS. (Rec. 1.45 p.m.) TOKIO, Sept. 4. General MacArthur has ordered the Japanese immediately to demobilise and disband the 'army, says the Columbia Broadcasting System's correspondent. His directive aiso ordered the Japanese to clear mines and other obstructions from tne harbours and to supply oil. labour,. housing and airncids for the occupation forces. Vice-Admiral Masao Kanazawa, commandant of the Kure naval base, greeted correspondents with tlie words, '-it's all finished, it's good. New we can play tennis together again." He said the Japanese went into the war on orders and stopped fighting on orders, 'ihe reason for the Jattei orders was something he did not understand, itwas a matter of higher policy. The Bomei .News Agency acknowledged tlie comparatively strict military discipline among tlie occupation forces, but charged the Americans with six cases of brutality and 38 cases of looting or other uinawmi conduct. Domci suggested that the. people of Jaiian should take the following precautions in an effort to minimise incidents: . (1) Lock .all doors. (2) Women to wear then- clothing conservatively. (3) Avoid travelling at night —women particularly. (4) If someone is breaking into your home, scream. (5) If anyone attacks you, bite, scratch, and tear off insignia for evidence. (6) JDc not display watches or fountain ! pens. i

AUSTRALIA'S ESCAPE. Vice-Admiral Tamas Kanabewa told the Mutual Broadcasting System's correspondent that the Japanese fleet was heading for Port Moresby and was then going to Australia when the Coral Sea battle occurred in 1942.

Kanabewa said the Japanese did not invade Pearl Harbour after the 1941 attack because they feared they would not be able to keep supplies moving to the. troops. "When we lost Guadalcanal we knew we had overtaxed our supply lines," he said. , A split between the army and the navy probably kept the Japanese from going to war with Russia as Germany hoped, said the German. Ambassador to Japan (Heinrich Stahmer) in an interview with the Tokio correspondent of the New York Times. The Japanese army wanted to attack, but the navy opposed, so, instead, thev attacked the United States. The Germans did not know until a day or two after events what the Japanese were going to do. Stahmer said he was never instructed to prepare for the arrival of Hitler or any other German wjien Germany collapsed. The- correspondent says he found 50 Italian, German, Thai and IndoChinese diplomats living in a luxury hotel at Mizanoshita, 22 miles from Fujiyama. There were fountains filled with schools of trained goldfish two feet long, suites containing exquisite lacquered cabinets and prints and supplies of local delicacies.