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Announcer Ulric Williams introduces greetings from New Zealand members of J Force who were in Tokyo as part of the official Tokyo Guard Battalion, which had just taken over that role from Australian forces, outside the Imperial Palace and British Embassy.
Greetings are heard from the following men, who tell families how they have been spending their leave in Tokyo [military service numbers have been added where verified]: John Forrest of Lower Hutt [622597] describes shopping for cameras in the Ginza district, Charles Taite of Taihape [62572] describes the trip from Mizuba in the south of Japan, to Tokyo by train.
Charles Taite says he is highly honoured to be the Guard Commander today taking over from the Palace guards. He ends by sending a greeting in te reo Māori. Peter Hedges of Christchurch [642464] describes the bomb damage in Tokyo, which he says is not as bad as Hiroshima, although almost every large building shows damage. Noel Coleman of Blockhouse Bay, Auckland [636065] describes visiting an American theatre in Tokyo and going for a rickshaw ride. Ted Emery [801789] sends a greeting in te reo Māori and English to Waitaruke, Kaeo, including greetings on behalf of several other Māori men.
This recording is one of a series made by the New Zealand Broadcasting Service unit stationed with J Force troops in Japan, 1946-1948. The recordings were sent back for playing on radio in New Zealand as part of the series 'With the Kiwis in Japan'.