JAPANESE IN THE PACIFIC

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 29, 30 November 1943, Page 4

JAPANESE IN THE PACIFIC

THE tenacity of the Japanese soldier and his suicidal tactics in open warfare have again been demonstrated in the Island fighting which is now going on in Bougainville, Tarawa and in New Guinea. Obviously the launching of the new American campaign for cleansing the South Pacific of the Japanese invaders has been carefully timed and planned but it is doubtful whether the Allied High Command in this theatre bargained for the same fanatical courage which makes the Japanese fight to the last man, in eveiy coiner or point in the vast array of occupied islands which must now be attacked. Washington uncompromisingly announces that the American losses at Tarawa 'were heavy,' but gives no figures, contenting itself with the statement that the A 1 lied losses were not as great as the Japanese which were thought to exceed 4000. Such a statement may mean anything! It does mean one thing however which is inescapable and that is that the final eradication of Japan from the Islands of the Pacific is going to be. a slow and costly business, unless it can be waged in a much greater scale than at present. If for instance the American conquest of such a small island as Tarawa is going to cost the attackers anything; approaching the Japanese figures, the recapture of Timor, Java, the Dutch Indies, French Indo-Chma, tiie Pnillipines and the whole gamut of the Jap. island sweep will be something to occupy the full attention of the Allied sea, land and air forces, let alone the conquest of Burma, Thailand, the Malay States and finally China each of which will require major military operations backed by all the weight of sea and air support. Thus we have the picture of Japan astride the main countries of the Pacific with the prospect of rolling her forces back and ultimately defeating them appearing as a long and painful task which must be faced and undertaken by the. forces of Democracy long after the collapse of the European Axis partners, and occupying the whole of our united strength in doing so.