How Japs Peacefully Occupied

New Caledonia

Extraordinary Story of Enemy Penetration Prior to Pearl Harbour

BY H. E. L. FRIDAY, OF NOUMEA

THE story of the Japanese penetration of New Caledonia should be more widely known.

The first Japanese arrivals, in 1901, were a thousand straw-shod, grass-over coated coolies of the poorest class, under contract to the Nickel Company, and replacing white convict labour.

The coolies were paid 80 centimes per day, and were accompanied by a Japan ese colonel, an ex-military attache from Paris, who rapidly became friendly with influential French business men and eventually died in the Colony, being buried in the Japanese portion of Nou mea cemetery. The coolies were sent to the great Thio (east coast) mining area, where they later went on strike, for vari ous reasons—one reason being lack of hot-water bathing facilities, which had been specified in their contract. They marched to Noumea across the Central Chain mountains, shepherded by gen darmes and carrying just sufficient money to avoid being arrested as vagrants.

Many, later, found work at other mines, and at other jobs; and so a peace ful penetration of the entire Colony set in, starting at Noumea. Signboards show ing the names of Nakamura, Okada.

Tsutsui, Mikado. Nowa, Yamamoto, Naka gawa, Oshiro, Fusimoto, etc., soon made their appearance in every street of every township and native village in the Col ony. until barbers, laundrymen, coffee stall proprietors and storekeepers were mainly Nippons.

At first, these Japanese barber-shops had a back room which was fitted with long, six-feet-wide shelves, built at an incline, three feet from the ground, upon which wharf-lumping and other coolies slept; and, presently, all coolies became prosperous bourgeois, and highly con tented with New Caledonia.

Penetration Of Industry

THE Japanese quickly monopolised the market-gardening enterprises in all the towns; and it is interesting to note that when the island’s 1,200 Japan ese were interned, after Pearl Harbour, Jap gardeners were allowed a week’s liberty, until the towns’ supplies were assured by other hands.

Fishing next became a virtual Japan ese monopoly—especially the profitable trochus shell for the button industry, and the Beche-de-mer (sea-slug) trade with China. The sole restriction on this trade was that, conforming to French law, a French subject—usually a native or a half-caste—was nominated as the fishing vessel’s captain.

Natives received Japanese cotton loin cloths and trade goods in exchange for their diving operations.

Almost invariably, the Japanese store keepers found mistresses among the Javanese women, who came in with the Javanese indentured labourers. These mistresses aided them in their stores.

But some Japanese actually married white women.

Japanese expansion was facilitated by the vessels of Japanese lines bringing in every Japanese product, from cement to matches and perfume; but the cement •was eventually limited by the French quota system. These ships unloaded at

Noumea when en route for Sydney. In Sydney they loaded; and, with the upper decks loaded with sheep, they returned direct to Noumea, where they unloaded coke (for the smelters) and took on New Caledonian nickel ore.

Jap Chain Stores

THUS, there grew up throughout the island, in the space of a few years, a huge ring of chain stores, which sold nothing but Japanese goods—some times these stores were the only com mercial establishments in the village— with a uniform price policy, and employ ing in common a transport system based on Noumea, making daily rounds. These Japanese dealt in a big way with Nou mea’s two leading French stores, and could get credit where it was denied to small, individual French stores.

Japanese coffee-shops were licensed to sell liquor also, and were open day and night—their principal night-time sources of gain being gambling, with some illicit opium traffic. The largest profits were made from the simple Javanese coolies, who are inveterate gamblers—especially following each pay-day. Even when they are broke, the Javanese had no objection to selling their women-folk. so that they might continue to play. Their favourite game is called Toupie—m English, Tee totum —which is spun on a dinner plate, under a kitchen basin, with money placed around. Bands of professional Japanese gamblers are known to have followed the Javanese pay-days around the countryside. These games were occa sionally raided by gendarmes, although the police generally complained against their inability to raid the gambling houses, owing to the Japs being fore warned.

Japanese eating-houses were also pat ronised by the simple Melanesian natives, and the poorly-paid garrison troops, who could not afford to eat at European res taurants. The original Japanese coolies were not acquainted with strong drink; but, later, with growing prosperity, they deserted sobriety and took to drink and debauchery.

The Japanese also quickly monopolised the tailoring business, and the charcoal burning and other industries.

They entered the lumber industry, working for French companies, and they were beginning to get a real hold on rice-growing and coffee-growing gener ally, by working for half shares for lazy French and native proprietors.

With the firm establishment of Japan ese, in all the trades, there naturally fol lowed an invasion of Japanese mining men, who were interested in the pur chase and exploitation of minerals needed for war—iron, nickel, chrome, etc.

THEIR largest iron ore concession was obtained at Gorcr, in the south, from which, with mechanical equipment installed and regular shipping arranged, was expected by 1943 to have an annual output of 500,000 tons of 50 per cent. ore.

The Japanese also bought an iron ore island off the north coast, and their nickel mines employed several hundred Javanese coolies, while Goro alone em ployed six hundred.

Since Pearl Harbour, many of these Javanese coolies have been employed in assisting the American constructors to build the island’s largest airport.

Fortunately, the New Caledonian ad ministration had firmly blocked an attempt to bring in several hundred Japanese coolies; and, when Goro started in 1938, only Japanese engineers and key-men were admitted. Some of these proved to be failures, until a French (New Caledonian) mining organiser was brought in.

As usual, the prettiest Javanese women employees at Goro became the mistresses of the Japanese engineers and Japanese staff, and I personally have seen several letters which these Javanese have received from their Japanese “husbands” since the latter have been interned in Australia.

“Dummies” And Fees

BECAUSE French law will not permit foreign corporations to operate in New Caledonia, the foreigners dodge the law by forming dummy French com panies. The Japanese chose the direc tors of their dummy companies from among the most influential and wealth iest Frenchmen, including many of the Colony’s General and Privy Councillors — the very men upon whose advice the Governors of New Caledonia have relied.

For the not-inconsiderable directors’ fees, these men smoothed the legal path of Japanese industrial penetration of their country.

The local population became suspicious of these “directors,” following the col lapse of France, believing that they were behind pro-Vichy Governor Pelicier’s desire to accept the tempting Japanese offers of business in the export and import fields, in essential wartime min erals, such business to be paid for in United States dollars. The population had also a foreshadowing dread that what had happened in Indo-China might hap pen here. So they ousted Monsieur Peli cier and the councillors—this bloodless revolution being due, not only to their attachment to Fighting France, but also because of a desire to oust the parasitical Japanese and establish defence and trade relations with Australia and USA.

It may be remembered that, on the day that they were welcoming the new United States Consul, Mr. MacVitty, the Noumea people were deliberately and completely boycotting Noumea’s war memorial ceremony, which had been staged by the top-hatted Japanese Con sul. Incidentally, the leading Japanese Consul here, in recent years, was later appointed to a key position in Saigon (French Indo-China).

During the last world war, some twenty local Japanese left for France with the New Caledonian volunteers, intending to join the Foreign Legion. But the Jap anese Government stepped in, and re patriated them to Japan.

Five years ago, in a bush drama, a New Caledonian gendarme was shot by a Jap anese miner. But the miner was acquitted when it was proved that the gendarme had committed adultery with the Jap’s half-caste Tonkinese wife— what a mix-up this French island is!

Spies And Poachers

JUST as was the case around the Solo mons, Northern Australia and New Guinea in 1935-39, Japanese poach ing and spying activities were noted here.

The first Japanese poacher to be cap tured in New Caledonian waters Was a tiny schooner, of whose activities Dan

ish settler gave the authorities warning.

In July, 1936, Captain Houssard—who later became a Free French naval volun teer—but who then was owner-skipper of the locally-built ketch “Caledonien,” manned by six Loyalty Islands boys, chased the Japanese sampan “Giokatu Maru” through the southern reefs and boarded it at the point of a shotgun.

The crew were Formosans, and lived in an appalling stench and on a diet of dried seasnakes. They were afterwards repatriated to Japan—for which repatria tion Tokk) still owes a bill.

The four tons of live trochus, and the sampan itself, were auctioned —the sam pan being bought by her captor, Monsieur Houssard, who renamed her the “Ou vea.” This sampan made history. In September, 1940, Houssard sailed her to Port Vila, charged by the de Gaulle com mittee to invite Henri Sautot to come to New Caledonia as Free French Governor.

I recall another poaching sampan, which was arrested by a French plane off the east coast. Unfortunately, the plane nose-dived into the sea and the occupants were rescued by the Japanese only after they had promised to let the Japs leave the country unmolested.

I recall also a visit by a so-called Jap anese mystery ship, manned by officers, and which remained a few days in Noumea.

Potential Fifth Column

A FLAMBOYANT and attractive Jap anese agent here was Madame Kita zawa Fouques, daughter of a French captain and a Japanese mother, and who entertained lavishly, as well as dabbling in mining and real estate and frequently drinking the Mikado’s health. She had a big collection of photographs covering the whole Colony. She bought property in the Rue Austerlitz for the Japanese Club, which was then surrounded by a barbed-wire fence 15 feet high, through which only Japanese were allowed.

The Japanese admiral who was here with the Japanese squadron in 1917, spent whole days there. The Consul frequently called meetings of Noumea’s 350 Japanese there, but these never gave any hint of what transpired.

One such meeting took place just prior to Pearl Harbour and, about this time, the Japanese Consul went on tour and made contact with Japanese throughout the whole countryside. There was much evidence of Japanese spy activities about this time.

When the Pacific war came, the Jap anese formed 80 per cent, of-the foreign population of New Caledonia. They were businesslike and patriotic, never failing to shut up shop on the Mikado’s birthday, and the Mikado’s portrait was seen everywhere. But, though hard-working, they never were in harmony with the local population, and they gave much more satisfaction when they worked by contract than when they worked by the day. The heads of their mining and business concerns were disliked, and were found to be less honest than those of lower social standing. Individual French miners preferred to pay brokerage rather than deal with them direct. The Japan ese knew the country better than did the French themselves. The richer they grew the more they were disliked, because they monopolised whatever they engaged in.

New Caledonian hatred against the Asiatic invader increased with the grow ing wealth of the Japanese. As they grew wealthy, they openly displayed inso lence and arrogance, including threats of what they would do when New Caledonia was invaded.

Japanese arrogance was certainly one of the major causes of the enthusiastic way in which the people rallied to de Gaulle. When the general internment of the Japs was ordered, some of them boastfully told the French: “We’ll be back within three months.”

Several of them were found to be mil lionaires (in French francs) and much money was found hidden in their shops and homes, and on their persons.

They were more humane in their treat ment of their European shopgirls than were French employers, providing chairs and seeing that they did not stand unnecessarily; some Japs, individually, were not unpopular. Personally clean, these Japanese had no idea of general hygiene, and would leave piles of ordure

festering alongside their doors.

Here were all the elements of a dan gerous Fifth Column. But, immediately after Pearl Harbour, they were quickly rounded up and interned.

For a few days, Noumea seemed strange without its daily spectacle of the Japanese, squatting on benches, with their knees tucked up and fingering their toes, and commenting the while—perhaps sarcastically—on the passers-by.

To-day, nearly a year later, there is not a recognisable Jap in the Colony.

Where once the men of Nippon swarmed, and waited for “the day,” there now are the smart, trim figures of American and New Zealand soldiers.