Security for Japan

The Japanese used to say that Russian Vladivostok was "a dagger" pointed at their islands (the Siberian port lies 680 airline miles northwest of Tokyo). Since World War II's end, another Russian dagger has been poised, even closer to Japan: the island of Sakhalin (600 miles long, 75 miles wide), separated by only 26 miles of sea from the northernmost main Japanese island, Hokkaido. The lower half of Sakhalin once belonged to Japan; it was turned over to the Russians by one ot Yalta's secret deals.

When the Chinese Communist armies in Korea began to run into trouble a few weeks ago, rumors got around that the Russians were building up troop concentrations on Sakhalin. Whether based on fact or not, the rumors made the U.S. high command sharply conscious that Japan's occupation garrison had been shipped to Korea, leaving the islands virtually defenseless on the ground. A Russian invasion of Japan from Sakhalin could outflank and trap U.N. forces in Korea.

Last week the Pentagon took steps to dispel this strategists' nightmare. It announced that two U.S. National Guard divisions will begin moving next month to Japan. The 40th (California) now at Camp Cooke, and the 45th (Oklahoma), at Camp Polk (La.), will finish their training at Japanese bases. While stationed in Japan they will "provide additional security" for that country.

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