Japs Had Plan To Conauer, Stole N. Z.

Northern Advocate, 16 July 1948, Page 2

Japs Had Plan To Conauer, Stole N. Z.

WELLINGTON, Fri, (Sp.).—When the Japanese invasion forces struck down into the Pacific in 1942 what did they have m mind for New Zealand? . United States Army intelligence teams operating m Japan have discovered documentary evidence that the Japanese did intend to invade and occupy New Zealand and t.nat they did have a plan for the subjection oi the New Zealand people.

The evidence does not come from J; yr.nese official war records, since the bulk of these were destroyed before the entry of the Allied occupation forces into Japan.

ment, “and that a national defence state of high degree be built up, the development of the available natural resources of those various regions by their inhabitants under our leadership is a thing to be obtained. “Plans must quickly be made for the industrial reorganisation of the whole co-prosperity sphere, and also, in particular, a counter-plan is necessary for a cut in production of such natural resources as are considered to be overproduction to the demand of the coprosperity sphere.” PERMANENT DEPENDENCY

The questioning of Japanese officers revealed that operations were contemplated in Fiji. New Zealand, Samoa

! and New Caledonia, j Flans for the management of these j territories were compiled and pubjlished by the Kojusaku Kenkyu Kai (National Policy Research Institute) as I early as December 1941. I This institute was an unofficial j agency of the Japanese Government. ! supported by contributions from large j banking and industrial firms and the i Japanese Army and Navy. COPY OF DOCUMENT j Its supporters were the real rulers of j Japan at that time. ! The Kokusaku Kenkyu Kai published its recommendations under the | somewhat laborious title “Fundamental i Principles of the Remedial Measures I for -Southern Regions to be Occupied | as the Result of the Great East Asia ! War.” ! A copy of this document, supplied j by the U.S. Army Intelligence, was reI leased today by the Prime Minister’s ; Department. | The programme contemplated total |Japanese rule over every aspect of | New Zealand life, says the Kokusaku I Kenkyu Kai's document. SYSTEM OF GAULEITERS i “When Japan completely occupies ! the great southern regions as the result of the present great East Asia war, : Japan will be in a position to decide | all matters concerning the type of ! sovereignty, politics, culture and j economy for those regions, ‘according i to her own desire." ! A system of “gauleiters" on the Gerj man model for conquered countries j was envisaged, says the document. “There shall be established in these occupied regions special agents to be j in charge of matters concerning poli- ! tics, culture and economy, so that we ! may set up an all-round plan as soon J as possible, in order to establish the greater Asiatic co-prosperity sphere. I which is the aim of the present holy ! war." the document states. TO SERVE JAP. EMPIRE | New Zealand's resources were to be j devoted to the service of the Japanese I Empire, and her economy was to be tailored to suit Japan. I “In order to ensure the existence of i the- Japanese Empirfe," says the docu-

In other words, the Japanese intended to take from New Zealand what they needed and to force the abandonment of the production of commodities they did not need.

Kokusaku Kenkyu Kai envisaged New Zealand as a permanent dependency of Japan. “Although self-government for internal affairs will be gradually granted to each country which has achieved its independence (by being conquered by Japan?) Japan shall exercise control through some special organisation so far as defence and foreign affairs are concerned, so as to secure the stability of East Asia,” the document added.

That was the prospect for New*Zealand, had not the campaigns of the American and New Zealand forces in the Solomons and the American and Australian forces in New Guinea and the British and American forces elsewhere in the Pacific shattered Japan's dream of conquest.