I am indeed overcome with awe and trepidation that I, unworthy as I am, have been given the heavy responsibility of being Navy Minister at this time when the war situation is becoming still more serious.
I think that you already know the situation until today through the communiqués of the Imperial Headquarters and also because there will be opportunities during the session for further explanations, I will confine my remarks to the general situtaion [sic] since the last Diet session.
First, in the central Pacific area, since a corner of the Marshalls went into enemy hands in the beginning of February, powerful enemy task forces had been attacking the Marianas and Carolines, as well as Minamitorishima and other islands. Then toward the middle of June, the enemy finally occupied Sapian [sic] covered by a huge task force built around more than ten aircraft-carriers and similar number of battleships. Following that, the enemy landed on Ohmiyajima and Tenian, but our forces are still fighting them furiously.
In pace with these operations in the central Pacific, the enemy, in the New Guinea area too, has gradually advanced his air bases westward. After coming through Hollandia and Eitape, they enemy [sic] finally invaded Wiak Island toward the end of May. Further, in the early part of August he advanced to the Sansapor area in northwestern New Guinea.
Throughout these operations, our Army and Navy units, including the land-based air forces stationed in these areas, though small in number, of course fought with all their power effectively and courageously and dealt the enemy serious losses. The damage sustained by our side too, however, must not be made light of. The unparalleled stubbornness with which the Japanese forces fought in the operations in the Marianas, and the passionate loyalty of the Japanese residents there were truly action which would make even the demons weep. In co-ordination with this, surface units of the Combined Fleet moved into Mariana waters, and with its smashing attacks, the enemy was about to be destroyed. Regrettably, however, the sending of follow-up air power did not go as well as desired. It is truly a matter of regret that we were unable to annihilate the enemy task force and regain air control in the Marianas and further destroy the enemy troops which had landed.
In the operations just mentioned, the enemy gained powerful air base groups in the Mariana area and in the northwestern region of New Guinea. In pace with the activity of his task forces, his operational air range too has gradually expanded. His raids against the Ogasawara-Yiojima area, the Halmahera area south of the Philippines, the Carolines and other areas are becoming gradually intense. Further active enemy efforts must naturally be expected.
In the northern Pacific also, the enemy air raids have been carried out in increasing numbers, while the enemy fleet have bombarded our important
points in the northern Chishima group. Moreoner [sic], signs of nemy [sic] emovements [sic] for attacks on Sumatra and Java from the direction of the Indian Ocean have been noticeable.
The activities of enemy submarines have been highly aggressive during the period under review and the problem of their annihilation by us is one of our urgent needs. The Imperial Navy in co-operation with the Imperial Army and other forces has succeeded in sinking with certainty 103 enemy submarines and in seriously damaging 42. But we feel this is not sufficient and we shall make further efforts in order to obtain epoch-making war results.
On the other hand, our submarine forces have been engaged in their divergent duties over a vast expanse of waters and under extremely difficult conditions have succeeded in sinking two enemy aircraft-carriers, one battleship, one cruiser and in damaging enemy war vessels twice as many and in sinking 24 enemy vessels of an aggregate tonnage of 180,000.
To summarize: a general view of the war situation since the beginning of this year has revealed that, although we have obtained considerable war results partially, we regret to state that on the whole the war development has been unfavourable for us, and so we are in a position where we must expect a more difficult situation in the future.
The strained condition reveals an unbalanced placing of power between our forces and the enemy's. As you have been frequently informed by the communiqués of the Imperial Headquarters and by newspaper reports, our gallant officers and men at the foremost fighting front have succeeded in inflicting severe casualities [sic] both material and spiritual upon the enemy who has been depending on the power of vast materials. As the enemy has approached deeper into our defence line, he has come to expose his numerous difficult and weak points.
To defeat a numerically superior enemy with a small force has been the cardinal point of Japanese military tactics from olden times and the Japanese Navy has for years been making efforts to apply it successfully. If we consider calmly the advantages and disadvantages of the enemy and to us in the material and spiritual aspects, and if at the same time we have an eye on the difficulties of the enemy and his weaknesses, we, as the Japanese Navy, become firmly convinced that there are various means of making sure of ultimate victory by means of the operations to come.
There is a thing I wish to speak of with special emphasis here. As must be known, acquirement of command of the air is an essential condition for effecting successful operations at the present stage of the war situations [sic] no matter whether the operations are on sea or land. As the daily war communiqués show clearly, without mastery of the air we cannot expect anything by way of activity not only of the planes themselves but likewise of battleships, however powerful the battleships and mechanized and superior the units are.
This is the reason why there should be demands for a quick repletion of new and crack planes.
As is already universally known, the naval air force, night and day, is
continually engaged in heroic fighting in order to smash the enemy completely.
In consequence of the noticeable increase in the severity of the war situation which came about lately, the proportion of planes rendered ineffectual by wear and tear is growing rapidly. As for the damaged planes, there are more of them than was anticipated.
My heart is full of the desire to see the first-line units getting quickly the sort of planes desired by them through the co-operation of the 100,000,000 people.
Under the Imperial guidance, together with the entire people of Japan, I pledge that all essential military preparations will be swiftly brought into order in ardent sincerity and it is my sincere hope that our military forces on the foremost line of battle, firmly united as one, will hurl themselves against the enemy's vulnerable point and deal the enemy a crushing blow. At the same time, I harbour not the slightest doubt that on the home front the 100,000,000 people of Japan, firm in their conviction of ultimate victory, will manifest to the very last a fighting spirit, indomitable, enduring, tenacious and unyielding, and perform their assigned tasks to the utmost of their ability.
The morale of the Combined Fleet, under the command of Admiral Soyému Toyoda, runs high and faith in the sure destruction of the enemy burns in blazing heat. This I feel most forcibly.
In conclusion, recalling the unparalleled loyalty of the officers and men in the Mariana Islands and at other firing lines far away from Japan and the heroic deaths of our fellow-countrymen who shared the fate of our fighting men, we should like to pay our heartfelt tribute to the Japanese Army and Navy forces which are now fighting in the islands over which the enemy has gained superiority of the air, thus manifesting the essence of the fighting morale of the Imperial Japanese forces. Simultaneously, we pray for the success in their struggles against the enemy.