July 12, 1945; JAPANESE PRESS REPORTS SERIOUS ,MORALE CRISIS:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, JULY 12, 1945:

CARBONDALE, ILLINOIS, THURSDAY. JULY 12, 1945

BOMBERS HIT JAPAN AGAIN IN
FOLLOWUP TO CARRIERS STRIKE;
NIPPON GOADS JAPS TO RESIST

Japs Now' Say That They Cannot

Defend The Homeland Unless They
Successfully Resist Air Attacks

GUAM. July. 12—(AP)—Bombing and rocket-firing planes ripped southern Japan and its island approaches Wednesday in a fiery follow up to the big carrier and land-based air assault on Honshu..

Japanese military commentator told his people that adequate defense of the homeland from invasion required the growing challenge be met.

 

RACINE, W I S , THURSDAY AFTERNOON, JULY 12, 1945.

 Serious Crisis

Grips Empire,

Tokyo Admits

(By The Associated Press)

As the constant blasting of Allied bombs tore at Japan’s home soil, a leading Nipponese journalist accused the Suzuki cabinet of doing  nothing "while the empire is confronted by its most serious crisis," radio Tokyo reported.

Eighty-two-year-old Ichiro (Soho) Tokutomi, dean of the Japanese press, exhorted t h e cabinet to do better than hold routine meetings in the premier's residence.

Earlier Tokutomi severely criticized the government for not telling people the truth about the seriousness of military setbacks.

Deserters Fleeing.

Tokyo radio's broadcasts, today brimmed over with fear for the future. They included: Worry that Adm. William F. Halsey's 3d fleet was still on t h e prowl and soon would launch another huge carrier plane attack.

Disclosure that Japanese civilian "deserters from the defense

front " are attempting to flee bombed cities, such as Yamagata

in north central Honshu, instead of "digging-in."

A report that 210 planes from British aircraft carriers struck Sabang off the northern end of distant Sumatra yesterday.

Speculation that the British intend to land on Car Nicobar Island, 450 miles north of Sumatra, west of the Malay Peninsula.

 

JAPS FAIL IN EFFORT

TO RUN BLOCKADE

GUAM—(AP)—Japanese attempts to run two troop laden convoys of soldiers from Shanghai to bolster homeland defenses against an American invasion were apparently broken up by blockading U. S. Naval Aircraft, Rear Adm. John Dale Price reported today.