GENERAL MACARTHUR'S INSTRUCTIONS TO JAPANESE ON OCCUPATION LANDINGS

August 23, 1945

New York Times.

(1) Weather permitting, air-borne forces accompanying the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers will land at Atsugi Airdrome, in the vicinity of Tokyo, and naval and marine forces will land in the vicinity of Yokosuka Naval Base on Aug. 28, 1945. The instrument of surrender will be signed in the Tokyo area on Aug. 31.

(2) Requirements of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers presented to Japanese representatives at Manila, Philippine Islands, Aug. 20, 1945:

Requirements for entry of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers and his accompanying forces.

(1) The Japanese Imperial Government and Japanese Imperial General Headquarters will require execution of the following requirements effective 1800 hours [6 P.M.] Aug. 24, 1945:

(a) Japanese armed forces and civilian aviation authorities will insure that all Japanese military, naval and civil aircraft in Japan remain on ground, on water or aboard ship until further notification of disposition to be made of them.

(b) Japanese or Japanese-controlled military, naval or merchant vessels of all types in Japanese waters will be maintained without damage and will undertake no movement beyond voyages in progress pending instructions of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers. Vessels at sea will immediately render harmless and throw overboard explosives of all types. Vessels not at sea will immediately remove explosives of all types to safe storage ashore.

(c) Merchant vessels under 100 gross tons engaged in civilian supply activities in Japanese waters are excepted from foregoing instructions. Vessels in Tokyo Bay engaged in evacuation of personnel from Yokosuka Naval Base are also excepted.

(d) Japanese or Japanese-controlled ships at sea, wherever located, will report their positions in plain language immediately to the nearest United States, British or Soviet radio station. They will proceed to the nearest Allied port or such port as the Commander in Chief, United States Pacific Fleet, may direct and will await further orders. Ships will burn navigational lights at night and will display searchlights with beams held vertically.

(e) Japanese or Japanese-controlled submarines, wherever located, will remain on the surface, fly a black flag or pennant and show lights at night. They will report their positions in accordance with the next preceding paragraph and will proceed on the surface to the nearest of the following ports: Agana, Guam; Midway Island or Subic Bay, Philippine Islands. Upon arrival at a point ten miles from entrance to port, communicate with port and lie to until boarded by Allied naval forces.

Safety and well-being of all United Nations prisoners of war and civilian internees will be scrupulously preserved to include the administrative and supply services essential to provide adequate food, shelter, clothing and medical care until such responsibility is undertaken by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers. Local delivery of supplies dropped for United Nations prisoners of war and internees will be insured.

Each camp or place of detention of United Nations prisoners of war and civilian internees will be marked with letters PW twenty feet in height in yellow on black background, reading south to north.

(2) The Japanese Imperial Government and Japanese Imperial Headquarters will require execution of the following requirements effective 1800 hours Aug. 25:

(a) All mines, mine fields and other obstacles to safe movement by land, sea and air into the Tokyo Bay area will be removed and, pending such action, all safety lanes will be kept open and clearly marked.

(b) All aids to navigation will be re-established and, pending the accomplishment of this task, the existing war system of navigational lighting will be maintained except that all dimmed lights will be shown at full brilliancy.

(c) Piloting services will continue to operate in the Tokyo Bay area and all pilots will be held in their normal stations ready for service and equipped with charts.

(d) Japanese naval and other personnel concerned with operation of ports will remain at their stations and continue to carry out their normal duties.

(e) Immobilize all vessels and craft, of whatever type, in Tokyo Bay and approaches thereto.

(f) Remove breechlocks from and fully depress and render inoperative all coast-defense anti-aircraft and other fixed and mobile artillery of all calibers within the Tokyo Bay area.

(g) Completely disarm all craft in Tokyo Bay area and render inoperative all weapons, of whatever type, which may exist in the area of initial evacuations, in addition to those specifically set forth herein.

(3) The Japanese Imperial Government and Japanese Imperial Headquarters will require execution of the following requirements effective 1800 hours Aug. 27, 1945:

(a) Prepare Yokosuka Naval Base for occupation and possible operation by United States naval units.

(b) Evacuate all combatant units of Japanese armed forces from the area of initial evacuation and confine them to limits of their assigned bivouacs. There is excepted all civil police and gendarmerie, which will be maintained as necessary to prevent outbreaks, sniper fire and other overt acts and to prohibit and prevent any substantial gathering of the populace. There are also excepted such unarmed military personnel as are necessary for normal caretaking functions. Firearms employed by civil police and gendarmerie will be limited to small arms. On Oshima the personnel may remain but will be disarmed.

(c) Provide accommodations, billets and camp area facilities and utilities for the Supreme Commander.

(4) The Japanese Imperial Government and Japanese Imperial Headquarters will require execution of the following requirements effective 0600 hours [6 A.M.] Aug. 28, 1945:

(a) Make available members of the Imperial General Staff for conference with representatives of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers at Atsugi Airdrome immediately upon arrival and at such times and places thereafter as may be directed for prompt settlement of all matters requiring attention.

(b) Make available 125 local guides and interpreters familiar with "initial evacuations."

(5) To insure safe entry into Tokyo Bay area, a Japanese ship will, as soon as practicable and not later than 0800 hours [8 A.M.] Aug. 26, 1945, meet United States naval forces twenty miles bearing 135 degrees from Oshima and will lead those forces into Sagami Wan [Bay] and will supply twelve pilots to conduct certain forces into Tokyo Bay when and as directed by the senior United States naval commander present. These pilots will be equipped with complete charts showing the location of all underwater defenses, mine fields and other obstructions, and also all aids to navigation.

(6) The following general measures are being taken by 0600 hours Aug. 25, 1945, by forces of the Allied Powers within their several areas of action:

(a) United Nations aircraft will conduct daylight and night surveillance flights over Japan and Japanese-controlled areas.

(b) United Nations air forces will drop supplies to United Nations prisoner-of-war and internee camps and places of detention.

(c) United Nations naval forces will occupy the coastal waters of Japan and Japanese-controlled areas.

(d) United Nations naval forces may start mine-sweeping operations at any of the following ports: Osaka, Sasebo, Nagasaki, Takasu (Kagoshima Wan), Jinsen (Chemulpo), Tsingtao, Shanghai, Canton, Hong Kong and Singapore.

In the above duties they will be unmolested.


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