The daily monitor leader., 1945-09-04
GtES1 S;2!103!5 EYES -

THE TIDES OF WAR


x
Perhaps no war in history has
ever started with greater mis-
conceptions on both sides about
the nature and strength of the
enemy than the war in the Pa
cific. But no war in history
has ever seen greater changes in
the balance of power, and in
strategy and tactics. These
changes clinch victory for the
United Nations and seal the
doom of Japan.
Just before the war, Japan was
still regarded in the West as
second-class Oriental power
which had already exhausted
herself in four years. of fruit
less war in China.
The picture collapsed COM
pletely when the war began.
Japan proved herself to be
powerful and well-prepared en-
emy to whom the Chinese war
had been an excellent training
period fhe Japanese Navy and
Air Force dominated the west
ern Pacific. The very anxiety of
the Allies to avoid war as long
as possible by leaving the initia-
tive to Japan contributed to this
result. But the net effect was a
sweep of Japanese power
through Asia and Oceania un-
paralleled since the days of
Genghis Khan.
Today japanese air and naval
power is being swept from the
Pacific and the stage is being
laid for Japan's final defeat.
MILITARY POWER
STILL INTACT
Yet the major part of that job
still remains to be done For
that job cannot be completed un-
til Japan's military power has
been crushed as we'll. That
power has been scarcely touch
ed SO far, and, to parphrase
Japanese spokesman, the historic
destiny which approaches us is
to fight across China. Manchuria.
and Korea to the Tsushima
Straits, and then to launch across
them an amphibious invasion of
Japan surprising in strength
even the invasion of Normandy.
Japan chose Dec. 8 because it
had to go to war on account Of
the oil situation and because,
had Japan failed to avail herself
of this date, she would have had
to wait another month because of
the moon and tidal effects. jan
uary and February in Malaga are
the so-called monsoon season,
and the landing operation would
have been extremely difficult,
while there were still other ad-
verse conditions after March.
Viewed from various angles,
therefore, Dec. 8 was the unique
opportunity and hence the de-
claration of war" - Maj. Gen.
Kenryo Sato, Chief of the Mill
tary Affairs Section of the War
Ministry, in speech March 10,
1912.
The Roberts report said that
at $40 a. m, on Dec. 7, sus-
picious object was sighted in the
prohibited area of Pearl Harbor
by the United States armed serv-
ices. Between 6:32 and GAS a. m.
this object, which was small
submarine, was attacked and
sunk by the concerted action of a
naval patrol plane and United
States ship of war. Such facts,
presented in an official United
States document, cannot leave
the slightest doubt as to who fir
ed the first shot" Tokyo Radio,
Dec. 5, 1912.
Nothing could be more ridic-
ulous and laughable than the fact
that the American Fleet was ig-
norant of the Nippon Navy's
training maneuvers in the Paci-
fic, that it neglected the import
ant duty of naval and air patrol
when the Nippon-American rela-
tions were in so high state of
tension, and that it was thereby
forced to accept the tragic an
Inhalation of its Pacific armada. |
This disgrace sustained by the
United States Navy will for long
be remembered by the world. -
The New Order in Greater East |
Asia Japanese magazine), April,