Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, November 21, 1994 TAG: 9411220069
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: TOKYO LENGTH: Medium
Delays in the handling of the notice formally breaking off talks with Washington had been blamed on clerical mishandling by embassy staff, Misoji Yabunaka, general affairs manager of the Foreign Ministry, said Sunday.
``However, the latest review of the documents revealed that they were not the only ones responsible,'' he added. ``There also were differences of understanding between the Foreign Ministry and the Japanese Embassy there. In that sense, the entire Foreign Ministry was responsible for the problem.''
In the Dec. 7, 1941, raid against the U.S. Pacific Fleet, the Japanese killed 2,400 people and destroyed 120 U.S. planes and 19 ships. The United States entered World War II the following day.
The documents, to be made public today, are the only government record of what happened in Japan's Washington embassy in the hours before the attack, a Foreign Ministry official said.
At the time of the attack, the embassy still was trying to continue talks with Washington.
Even though most of the declaration breaking off talks had been deciphered by Dec. 6, there was no warning of urgency and all embassy officials gathered at a Chinese restaurant the night before the attack for a farewell party.
An Aug. 14, 1947, document by Foreign Ministry Counselor Shiroji Yuki said the last part of the 14-part declaration and the urgent telegram ordering its delivery to the State Department arrived early Dec. 7.
When the envoys went to work at midmorning they found the urgent notice of the deadline and the last part of the declaration.
by CNB