Arrival At Manila

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23283, 20 August 1945, Page 5

Arrival At Manila

Japanese Surrender Emissaries Conference Opens To-day By Telegraph—N.Z. Press Assn.— Copyright (Received 1 a.m.) MANILA, August 19. THE Japanese envoys landed at Nichols Field, * Manila, shortly before 5 p.m. and were taken in cars to their quarters. The envoys numbered 16 and were headed by Lieutenant-General Kawabe Takashiro, Vice-Chief of the General Staff. Radio dispatches from Eishima identified Lieutenant-General Kawabe Takashiro, RearAdmiral Shiro Yokugawa, Major-General Morkugo Amamato, and the chief of Research in Foreign Affairs, Tasuro Okuzaki, among the surrender envoys. It was evening when the envoys arrived at Manila and General MacArthur will not see them until to-morrow. The envoys include high-ranking officers of the Army, Navy and Air Force and representatives of the Japanese Foreign Office. Representatives of Great Britain, the United States, Australia and China were present as the envoys filed from the plane in order of seniority. The Russian representatives have not yet arrived. The first to alight was Lieutenant-General Takashiro, a diminutive figure in a green braided uniform. His boots were not polished. He saluted an American colonel and held out his hand. The colonel took it. He then saluted Brigadier-General Charles A. Willoughby (General MacArthur’s spokesman) and held out his hand, which was ignored. The envoys were then taken to their quarters, a small building with barred windows, and placed under heavy guard.

The emissaries left Kisarazu aerodrome at 7.18 a.m. to-day, Japanese time, and later landed on tiny Eishima Island, west of Okinawa in two greencrossed white planes escorted by Mitchells and Lightnings. Thirteen Japanese stepped out, some in civilian clothes and others in uniform wearing service decorations and gold braid. Forty-five minutes later the envoys departed for Manila aboard an American transport plane. General MacArthur’s curt message informing Toklo that his directions must be complied with without delay has ended the Japanese quibbling and delays, but the world must still wait 48 hours before the date of entry of Allied troops to Japanese soil can be ascertained, says the Manila correspondent of the “New York Times.” Plans for the movement of troops have been virtually completed. General MacArthur will probably move swiftly once he is assured that Japanese aerodrome and harbour facilities are ready to handle troops. A military expert" just returned from the Pacific said the Americans would probably make occupation landings on a wide front on Honshu and Kyushu and possibly simultaneously in Korea. It is pointed out that many obstacles and difficulties may hamper the occupation, including mined coastal waters, damaged docks and airfields and communications systems, also the lack of adequate camp sites and buildings for the storage of supplies and the billeting of troops. Transport is expected to be difficult because of the narrow and poorly built roads and narrow gauge railways. In addition water supply and sanitary facilities are probably inadequate. Food shortages may require the importing of supplies for civilians as well as troops. Thirty stalwart six-footers from General MacArthur’s guard of honour will protect the hall where the Japanese envoys meet the Allied Commander-in-Chief, states the Associated Press. Four hundred military police will guard the route from an undisclosed airport to the conference room. . nominators flying reconnaissance missions over Southern Japan accompanied by Lightnings encountered flak and interceptor opposition again on Saturday. Several American planes were reported pierced by flak and bullets.

A correspondent says that 14 Japanese fighters attacked the nominators over Tokio, killed a photographer and wounded four of the crew severely. The Americans shot down two Japanese planes. The Allied occupation forces will land in Japan soon. The people are required to extend all accommodations, says a Domei News Agency Broadcast. The Allies are not landing as combat troops. Therefore, they will not directly commandeer food supplies and living quarters or seize bank funds. It is needless to hold misgivings on these points. The period between the con-

elusion of an armistice and the conclusion of the peace treaty which will follow the withdrawal of the occupation army will be a time calling for the utmost trust and self-respect by the Japanese people. During this time Japan's sovereignty will be limited by the headquarters of the occupation army. Only the peace treaty will completely restore sovereignty. Dilatory Tactics The “Christian Science Monitor,” in a leading article, says that those who have seen in Japan's dilatory surrender tactics evidence of Oriental guile overlook the much more obvious explanation. Japanese confusion at the top is probably greater than among the forces in the field. Japan has not only suffered a crushing military defeat but her whole system of beliefs and values has been shattered. We are now probably witnessing the disintegration of the whole war mach'ne more chaotic than Germany, because the Japanese never Would believe it possible. The Tckio radio says the “Asahi Shimbun’’ reported serious unrest among the people throughout the nation owing to wild rumours that 60,000 American troops had landed at Yokohama and were freely engaged in looting and that Chungking troops had entered Osaka. The paper discounted the rumours and informed its readers of the procedure to be adopted for the Allied occupation. The newspaper “Mainichi Shimbun’’ repeated the instructions to refrain from rash actions and to maintain discipline. The Associated American Press points out that the Japanese radio quoted Emperor Hirohito as ordering on August 16, all Japanese to cease hostilities, but Japan has not replied to General MacArthur’s instructions that he be notified of the effective date and hour.