Evening star., 1941-12-13
laps Claim Sinking
OF Batt|eship Arizona
At Hawaii Sunday
Capture Of Hong Kong,
Under Heavy Attack,
Declared Imminent
BY the Associated Press.


TOXIC. Dec. 13 (Official Radio -
The Japanese raised TO three their
claims of United States battleshios
sunk in the initial aerial onslaught
on Hawaii last Sunday, adding to-
day the U. S. S. Arizona to the pre-
viously claimed battleships Okla
homa and West Virginia.
The naval section, of imperial
headquarters said the sinking of the =
Arizona is now confirmed.
How this was Confirmed" the
communique did not say, and
there was no verification of the
Japanese assertion in any other
quarter.
The United States has acknowl-
edged that one battleship cap
sized and destroyer was blown
up in the enemy attack on Pearl
Harbor December ~
(The Arizona was launched in
1915 and its normal complement
is about 1853 mem
Recapitulating operations in the
first six days of the new war. the
Japanese Army announced that its
air force haG downed 129 planes
over Malaga and the Philippines,
sunk one transport and two gun
boats and damaged four transports.
All this, including destruction Of
the British main air force in Malaya
during the first three DAYS" cost
the Japanese Army only II planes.
the army boasted. The Navy issued
no six-day figures.
Hong Kong's Fall Held Near.
japanese Army headquarters de-
clared the fall of Britain's crown
colony Of Hong Kong was imminent
following complete Japanese occupa-,
ton of Kowloon whose 4-mile-
long and supposedly impregnable
defenses have been battered down"
1t said the colony was under sus-
tanned Japanese aerial attack. The
mainland peninsula of Kowloon has
the British city of Kowloon on it
and faces the island part of Hong
Kong.
Headquarters said preparations
already had begun for an attack on
Hong Kong. Other japanese advices
said Britains main defense lines in
front of the island had been broken.
CAT Chungking the Chinese de-
clared that their troops had re-
captured Senchuan, strategic
point north of Hong Kong, in
hard efforts to relieve pressure
on the British Hong Kong gar
rison.
(The Chinese also said they
had reports of Japanese troop
movements in the Hankow-
Ichang area. two-thirds of the
way west from Shanghai to
Chungking, but we're unable TO
determine whether these indi-
Gated large-scale Withdrawals OF
japanese forces)
japanese sources said the British
and American fleets in the Pacific
now have lost about lac, 900 tons OF
warships sunk, damaged or captured.
List Includes Battleships.
Their list included five battleships,
one submarine, three smaller sur
face vessels and two other vessels
sunk; an aircraft carrier probably
sunk and four battleships, four
cruisers, a submarine and 10 smaller
craft damaged.
Notwithstanding the japanese as
sertions of mighty opening blows,
Premier Gen Hideki TOTO warned
a public rally against intoxication
over them and declared Japan must
be prepared for a long war and all
the hardships that it entails.
The premier again told the jap.
anese they were fighting in self
defense and in the cause Of right
eousness'
The Justice Ministry announced
that all interned foreigners of hos.
tile nations would be given all pos
sible comforts and that special at
tention" would be taken of their
health.
Report Wake Targets Hit.
Japanese imperial headquarters
said American military objectives
on Wake Island had been damaged
severely during an attack by Jap
anese naval units Thursday.
The announcement said the Jap,
anese suffered some losses" but
did not list what these were.
1t said that in the aerial action
against the Philippines naval war
planes heavily attacked the west
coast town of Iba, Clark Field, and
other objectives near Manila yes
terday.