DISARMING JAPAN

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 89, Issue 213, 8 September 1945, Page 5

DISARMING JAPAN

BIG TASK TO GET MEN BACK HOME Recd. 9 p.m. New York, Sept. 6. The indications at present are that the Japanese Government is co-oper-ating to the utmost to meet General MacArthur’s schedule lor the world’s greatest demobilisation, says the New York Times Tokio correspondent. How 4,000,000 Japanese overseas will be returned to Japan is still undecided, but the present inclination is to place that responsibility on the Japanese Government and shipping resources. Railway stations in the Tokio metropolitan area at present are crowded witn hundreds of unarmed troops night and day, waiting to return to their homes. The New York Herald-Tribune’s Tokio correspondent says that since the occupation of Tokio a new headquarters information section of 50 men will operate. The section, which includes former Office of War information employees, experienced in psycholotical warfare, will reflect Allied policy and also draw up programmes enabling tne Japanese Press, radio, film industry, libraries and schools to know the truth about everything. Counter intelligence will see that the general line of conduct to be laid down is obeyed. Japanese communications will be controlled by the Signal Corps, although the actual operation will be left to Japanese personnel. The intelligence section will watch for subversive movements. The military Government section will be responsible tor law and order, including finance, public safety, health utilities, and transportation. Japanese civil servants will be retained in jobs wherever possible, subject to overriding orders from General MacArthur through the Emperor.