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"WILL NOT
RESIGN"
Pessimism
of Suzuki
NEW YORK, June 14
(A.A.P.).
Tokio Radio, virtually ac-
knowledging defeat in the
campaign in Okinawa, to-
day quoted Admiral Suzuki,
Japanese Prime Minister, as
saying all Japan is being
girded for an invasion of the
home islands, and that the
Japanese army is counting
on overwhelming superiority
in numbers to halt it.
Suzuki told a press confer-
ence that he would not re-
sign even if Okinawa was
lost to the Americans.
Tokio also said that the
first flights of Flying-Fort-
resses and Liberators from
Europe had arrived in the
Philippines to join the
mounting air offensive
against Japan.
Topic of the Day
Radio transmissions picked up
yesterday by the Department of
Information listening post in Mel-
bourne show that invasion con-
tinues to be the topic of the day
in Japan. Press and radio assume
that an Allied invasion is certain
sooner or later. Some commenta-
torsr expect it soon after the Oki-
nawa campaign.
Prime Minister Suzuki, in his
press conference (cabled), said
the Okinawa campaign was not on
any account to be counted the
last decisive round of the war.
The Japanese had to brace them-
selves for the possibility that the
decisive battle would be fought in
the Japanese homeland.
Suzuki said:— "Should the
enemy land in the homeland
there is only one task for us all
—to annihilate him, with the
armed forces, the Government
and the people united, on the
sea, on the beaches and on the
land."
Suzuki then sought comfort in
the great difficulties the Allies
would face, with long supply lines,
in landing in a country well pre-
pared for defence. He declared
that a landing in Japan would be
different from the landing in Nor-
mandy from a base across a nar-
row sea. He also said that, fol-
lowing early, successes, a feeling
of optimism had prevailed too
long in Japan. At last, however,
the people were really concerned
about the fate of the country.
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