SPECIAL NEWSPAPER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26229, 13 August 1946, Page 6

SPECIAL NEWSPAPER

PRODUCTION FOR J FORCE WIDE VARIETY OF FEATURES (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Aug. 12. New Zealand soldiers and airmen serving with the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan will in future have their own weekly newspaper, stated the Minister of Defence, Mr Jones to-day, in announcing the publication of the first issue of the J Force Times this week. The paper will be printed in Wellington and flown to Japan each week by the No. 41 (Transport) Squadron of the R.N.Z.A.F. “The men in Japan already have a home news service through the Commonwealth Force’s daily newspaper, Bcon, published in Osaka,” said the Minister. “The New Zealand news for inclusion in this paper is sent from the Information' Section of the Prime Minister’s Department, but because of space limitations and printing difficulties in Japan, Bcon is able to publish only short accounts of the most important events and major sports results in/order to ensure that our men are kept fully in touch with affairs at home during their overseas service.

“ The J Force Times has been established and will publish news and news commentaries which cannot conveniently be included in Bcon. Particular attention will be devoted to sports and racing, and other features will include news, photographs, informative articles and cartoons.

“It was originally hoped that a weekly New Zealand journal could be printed in Japan, but that proved impossible because of lack of English type-setting facilities and printing machinery. Members of the editorial staff have served on newspapers for the forces during the war. No effort will be spared to meet the needs of our men, both soldiers and airmen, in Japan, and to make the J Force Times as informative and interesting a publication as were its war-time predecessors, the N.Z.E.F. Times in Italy, the Kiwi News in the Pacific, and the Southern Cross in London.”