CENTRAL JAPAN

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 5 January 1945, Page 3

CENTRAL JAPAN

VULNERABLE TO BOMBING RANGE DISTANCE DIMINISHING Until recently the cities of the main Japanese island, Honshu, were practically free from Allied bombing. In the past few weeks, however. that immunity was broken by the dramatic attacks of America’s Super-Fortresses, and it is to be expected that from now on Japan will increasingly feel the weight of the Allied air offensive. Apart from the distance which has to be covered by the bombers operating from bases in the southwest Pacific, says a writer in the Melbourne “Age,” the systematic destruction of Japanese war industries from the air will present fewer problems than the bombing of Germany. because the former is highly concentrated. Not only are all of Japan’s large cities situated on the island of Honshu or the adjoining part of neighbouring Kyushu, but they are clustered in certain areas around (he coast. There are few cities in the interior, and shipping plays a far more important part in transporting goods and persons than do the railways. THE HOME ISLANDS Honshu, the heart of the Japanese empire and largest among the “home” islands, is roughly arc-shap-ed, the concave side of the arc enclosing the Sea of Japan, across which are situated the Korean Peninsula and Russia’s naval base s)f Vladivostok. It is an interesting fact that there are no large cities*on this western coast of Honshu; all the big towns face outward—toward the east and the south—turning their backs to that Asiatic mainland which jis so vital to the “co-prosperity sphere” The explanation of this ! fact is the different nature of the I coastline on the two sides of the island, the inner or west coast being j much straighter and less well--1 endowed with natural harbours than the broken outer coast. About twenty miles south of the capital, but on the shore of Tokio Bay, is situated an important target. Yokohama, Japan’s largest international port. Yokohama suffered from the great earthquake of 1923, the I epi-centre of which was on the peninI sula separating the bay from the 1 open sea. Both Yokohama and the nearby sister port of Yokosuka were small fishing villages only 80 years ago, but are now endowed with many miles of docks, wharfs, shipyards and naval arsenals; in fact, the Tokio Bay area includes within its boundaries the greatest agglomeration of Japanese naval as well as military establishments. The next large city along the south-east coast of Japan is Nagoya. This city has developed tremendously over the last quarter of a century, and now has some 910,000 inhabitants. This rapid growth is attributable mainly to the establishment of a number of war industries around the city. Nagoya is situated on a river, at some distance from the large horn-shaped bay which permits shipping to approach the town ; to within a few miles. It is best known outside Japan as the centre of pottery, lacquer and Cloisonne industry, which before the war sent its wares to all corners of the world. THE FORMER CAPITAL Not very far from Nagoya is the country’ s only large inland town— Kyoto, the only one which from the point of view of Western taste possesses a claim to artistic fame. Until three-quarters of a century ago Kyoto was Japan’s capital and the residence of the court, and the royal palace, as well as a number ol shrines and temples, are really interesting and colourful examples of Japanese architecture. In addition tc its enamel and porcelain ware. Kjoto was famed for the craftsmanship of its damasks, embroideries and silks. To-day, with about 750,-» 00C inhabitants, Kyoto is comparatively insignificant among Japan’s j great cities, although its picturesque situation amid pleasant hills, not far from the shore of the large Biwa Lake, gives it a good name among travellers. The next cluster of War industries is fojnd south of Kyoto, on the shore of the Bay of Osaka; here the two large cities of Osaka and Kobe account for about three and a half million people—the second-greatest agglomeration in the empire after Greater Tokio. Metropolitan Osaka itself has nearly two and a half million inhabitants, and is the centre of Japanese heavy industry, in particular the iron and steel and the shipbuilding industries; it also has a number of other establishments, such as cotton mills, glass factories and sugar refineries. Osaka is rather different in cnaracter from other Japanese cities. Situated on the winding Yodogawa River and intersected by numerous canals and waterways, it is somewhat reminiscent of the cities of Holland or, to find a Far Eastern similarity,’ of Shanghai. It is, with the possible exception of Kyoto, the most strongly fortified town in Japan. Its castle, built in 1583 by the great General Hideyoshi, is surrounded by a strong, high wall and a deep moat, and includes within its precincts a fine palace, which is remarkable for its artistic decorations. Under Hideyoshi, Osaka was for a few years the capital of the Japanese empire, and we can trace back to that era the beginnings of the feudal system of government, which w r as rendered more powerful under Hideyoshi’s son and his descendants, who retained the Shogunate until 1868. It was in Osaka Castle that tHe first foreign amoassadors were received three-quarters of a century ago; to-day the castle serves as an arsenal. KOBE AND THE ISLANDS The south-western end of Honshu I is reputed to be immune from major ! earthquakes, a fact which has unj doubtedly contributed to the rapid development of the Osaka-Kobe region. Kobe in particular has profited a great deal from the destruction of Yokohama in the earthquake of 1923; it was then that Kobe attracted the huge trade which still flows through its docks and warehouses. To-day, with some OOQ.OOO inhabitants, it is nearly half as large again as its rival, Yokohama, and it takes care of practically all the trade of the Osaka factories and mills, since the port of the latter city can accommodate only small vessels. The hilly background of the Osaka-Kobe shoreline is an attractive setting for the industrial area. The most picturesque views of the hills can be obtained not from the land, but from the sea. The coastline from Kobe to the tip of Honshu, at the Strait of Shimonoseki, is dotted b-»- numerous islands, large and small, as well as some bays and inlets. These waters enclosed by Honshu, and the neighbouring island of Hikoku, have often been compared with the Aegean Sea. The country to the north of Kobe and west of Kyoto has many interesting remains of early art. One of the most impressive is a vast bronze image of Buddha, over 50 feet high, and said to have been cast in the

12th century, which stands in the park of the small town of Nara. Another similar image, nearly as high, and considered the finest sculpture in Japan, stands in a grove near Kamakura, within sight of the majestic Fujiyama, in the Tokio district.