The Wilmington morning star., 1945-08-17
Interpreting
The War
BY JAMES D. WHITE

ASSOCIATED Press Staff Writer)
SAN FRANCISCO. Aug. 1s.-(R
Why the sail in Tokyo?
The suggested answers thus tar
fall into two categories:
l. Japanese cussedness.
2. Tokyo is having trouble, or
fears trouble with the military.
There may be still another reason,
but first, taking up the business
of Japanese perve-sity and stub.
borness, it simply is not the Jap.
anese way to agree to anything
promptly and implement that
agreement promptly-particularly
when it involves something un-
pleasant.
It's just something we shall have
to become used to.
Tokyo, that wellspring Of sim
certify (?), just doesn't understand
General MacArthur's surrender
instructions. It doesn't recognize
his designation of one Of their own
planes which Japanese ENJOYS are
to travel in-implying that he
doesn't know the right designation.
He sends a message to the EN-.
peror, and Tokyo answers with q
request to address all future mes.
sages to General Headquarters.
Even though we are surrende-ing
to you, you can't address our EN-.
peror directly" is the stubborn at
titude.
The appointment Of Prince Hi.
gashi-Kuni as the new premier and
the decision to send members of
the imperial family junketing
around Osia telling Japanese field
commanders that the surrender
order is the real Mccoy is the key
to the second front-trouble with
The military.
Higashi-Kuni has done this sort
of thing before. The Army knows
him well, as his record shows. If
my memory is right he is the mem
Der of the Imperial family who
had to fly to Marking in 1887 to
stop the Japanese A-my's orgy
of rapine-probably the worst the
world has even seen-in the help
less Chinese capitol.
Prince Chichibu had to call the
Kwantung army off in 1899 when
it was too proud to stop fighting
the Russians (and losing) at No
monhan.
There have been other instances
where only by brandishing the
authority of the throne could I'm
perial Headquarters control will
full field commanders.
And a former APP Southwest
Pacific correspondent, Fred Hamp.
son, reminds us that Japanese Of
ficers captured in that region early
in the war declared they had
specific instructions not to obey
any Imperial orders to surrender
if such ever came-that such
orders would be forced.
Hence the necessity Of making
messenger boys out of Tokye's
Princes of the blood today.
So Tokyo may be stalling partly
out of habit, partly out of frantic
desire to keep the military in line.
To these two suggestions would
add a third which daily becomes
more apparent-Tokyo is making
hay while the sun shines, before
the rising sun SEES in the twilight
Of an occupied nation.
Between the surrender announcR
ment and the actual occupation II
is doing everything possible to
strengthen the influence of the
throne and perpetuate its prestige
in the minds Of the Japanese peo-
pie while it can still monopolize
. their attention, and Domei adj
5 nitted today that the people have
) not been prepared for the realities
of occupation.
Nothing that Tokyo has said
, since the surrender decision con-
: tradicts this appearance in the
slightest way.
: One even can find evidence that
this campaign was planned months
ago.
Tokyo is talking now about
abolishing the Political Associa-
ton of Great Japan" the single
totalitarian party which was form
ed March 30.
Why it was formed now becomes
palmer At that time, it was OBJ
vious that Germany was going to
be defeated and that American
forces would land soon at another
important point (they hit OkinaWa
beaches the next day..
At the same time the Japanese
junked the old Imperial Rule
Assistance" Association and So
ciety, the two wings of creaking
political organization dating from
before Pearl Harbor.
1t now seems plausible that the
japanese realized that "disadvan-
tageous" things were about to hap
pen to the Empire, and that they
had no in ention of allowing con-
sequent discredit to reflect upon
| the throne
Anyway, it worked out that way.
The Imperial Rule Assistance"
organizations cannot now be blam-
ed directly for defeat. Instead, an
organization with no overt associa-
ton with the throne is the one that
will bear part of the stigma.
Prince Konoye, a non-military
noble, headed the old groups. A