1.
LV POLICE HEADQUARTERS, TOKYO
0.03

2.
SLV JOURNALIST HEAR NEWS OF ARRESTS
0.06

3.
TCU..DITTO
0.10

4.
STV POLICE OFFICER ANNOUNCES NEWS OF ARRESTS
0.14

5.
CU DITTO
0.20

6.
SV JOURNALISTS WRITE
0.22

7.
SV PAN..JOURNALISTS
0.28

8.
SV TO CU..EX-MAJOR GEN. TOKUTARO SAKURAI DOWN STEPS FROM PLANE, ACCOMPANIED BY POLICEMEN
0.36

9.
SV TOKUTARO INTO CAR
0.42

10.
SCU TOKUTARO'S CAR AWAY TO LV.. POLICE HEADQUARTERS
0.49

11.
LTV TOKUTARO ARRIVES
0.53

12.
SCU TOKUTARO
0.54

13.
SV TO CU..TOKUTARO ACCOMPANIED BY POLICE INTO HEADQUARTERS
1.05

14.
GV JAPANESE SIGN, PAN ROOM, JOURNALISTS EXAMINE ARMS, CONFISCATED BY POLICE
1.09

15.
SV JOURNALISTS EXAMINE ARMS
1.14

16.
SCU RIFLES, OTHER SMALL ARMS (2 SHOTS)
1.25

17.
CU SAMURAI SWORD
1.28

18.
SCU HAND GRENADE
1.30



Initials JRG/S/MGT/ES



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: A PLOT TO ASSASSINATE JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER HAYATO IKEDA, SEIZE CONTROL OF THE GOVERNMENT AND DISSOLVE ALL LEFTIST AND SOCIALIST ORGANISATIONS IN JAPAN COLLAPSED WITH THE ARREST OF 13 MEN DEC 11, ALLEGED TO BE RINGLEADERS IN THE PLANNED COUP D'ETAT, JAPANESE POLICE, IN A SERIES OF DAWN RAIDS, ALSO CONFISCATED 300 HELMETS, 150 GAS MASKS AND SIX SWORDS.

ONE OF THE ARRESTED WAS TOKUTAKO SAKURAI, A FORMER MAJOR GENERAL IN THE IMPERIAL ARMY, WHO TOOK PART IN THE BURMA CAMPAIGN DURING WORLD WAR II.

POLICE SAID THE PLOTTERS HAD THREE OBJECTIVES. FIRSTLY, THEY INTENDED TO KILL PRIME MINISTER IKEDA, WHOM THEY FELT WAS NOT DEALING FIRMLY ENOUGH WITH COMMUNISTS, SECONDLY, THEY WERE GOING TO SEIZE THE GOVERNMENT AND ESTABLISH A RIGHTIST REGIME. THIRDLY, THEY WERE GOING TO ABOLISH THE MILITANTLY-LEFTIST FEDERATION OF JAPAN LABOR UNIONS (SOHYO), THE POLICE SAID THEY HAD KNOWN OF THE PLOT SINCE SEPTEMBER WHEN THE PLOTTERS CONTACTED HIGH-RANKING OFFICERS OF THE DEFENCE FORCE IN AN UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT TO ENLIST THEIR SUPPORT.