JAPAN

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 63, Issue 4490, 15 October 1941, Page 3

JAPAN

MUST BE CAREFUL. “It is not to be supposed that thr Japanese naval and military staffs are unmindful of the risks of committing themselves to large-scale naval and military operations—for such an attack upon Singapore would involve —more than 2000 miles distant from their main bases, while a strong American fleet remained concentrated at Hawaii. The presence of that fleet at Hawaii, even if it did not move westward, athwart the direct steamship route from South America would mean that from the moment hostilities started Japan would impose g complete blockade upon herself from the Pacific Coast to the Indian Ocean. Her shipping would be cut off from all communication except with China and Siberia. Unless she could dispose immediately of the units of the United States fleet stationed at Cavite, and occupy the Philippines, it would be a hazardous venture to move a single transport or merchant vessel south of Formosa without strong naval convoys, and these would not dispose of the risk of bombing from American planes in the narrow waters between the island of Luzon and Hong Kong.”—“Oriental Affairs,” the well-known Shanghai magazine.