Evening star., 1945-03-09
BY WILLIAM J. WHEATLEY.

Japan's merchant fleet has been
whitfield down by America to the
point where Tokyo no longer can
undertake an offensive overseas
campaign, but the Japanese Army
remains large and tough, Fleet Ad-
miral Chester w. Nimitz told a press
conference late yesterday. He added
that the Japanese fighting fleet,
while greatly weakened, still re-
manned a threat to Allied opera
tions.
The commander of Americas S
forces in the Pacific, here for con-
| ference with Admiral Ernest J..
King, commander in chief of the
United States Fleet, declared that
this country's naval might now
enabled it to strike at will in the
Far East. He challenged what re-
mains of Japan's feet to come out
and fight because I feel that we
are fully prepared to meet the
threat"
On the negative side, however, the
admiral emphasized that only 10 per
cent of Japans army has been COM
mitted to defense of the islands the
United States has captured. He fore
cast fanatical defense of the Jap
anese homeland if we attempted
landings there. While the United
States can land troops where it
pleases. he said, the problem was
what these forces would be able
to do after landing.
Recalling that Admiral Nimitz is
in command of the Pacific Ocean
areas and Gen. Douglas Macarthur
is commander in the Southwest Pa
cif1c, reporter asked in whose zone
the mainland of Japan lies.
THE Japanese islands are in the
Pacific Ocean area" he replied
But they are large land masses
and conduct operations in large land
masses is properly function of the
Army"
Jap Plane Plants Hit Hard.
He pictured the recent heavy
bombings of the japanese mainland
as dealing heavy blows against
Japan's aircraft industry, which has
been able to manufacture planes
faster than the, Americans could
destroy them. Also, he said, Japan's
loss of the Philippines will restrict
its training of pilots, many of whom
were schooled there.
Detailing Japan's losses at sea, the
admiral said the enemy had sacri-
feed SO far about half of its heavy
and medium warships about three
fourths of its destroyers, many sub
marines and large part of its naval
air force. He declined to reveal the
number and type of ships the enemy
still has in service.
The foes loss of merchant ships,
he said, has been even more serious
about rs per cent of their pre-
war shipping to submarines alone.
Others have been sunk by American
planes and surface ships. 1t was
this factor which made him doubt
that Japan could begin new over
seas operation.
Jap Subs Ineffective.
Japan'S own submarines, he said.
have been used largely to supply its
bases by-passed in the Southwest
Pacific. Their operations against
United States surface ships, he said,
have been active but Intellectual. He
forecast, however, that the enemy
would use subs in greater volume
when American operations ap-
preached Japan's home islands.
Asked about the prospect of an
American attack on Japan proper,
Admiral Nimitz outlined the diff
culties. Japan, he pointed out, is
adjacent to the continent of Asia.
and SO long as she can keep. sea
lanes open to draw food, fuel, clothes
and raw materials from there, could
offer formidable resistance. It was
here, he pointed out, that only
10 per cent of the japanese Army