Japan begins to prepare for a last ditch stand on the home islands that will make use of every man, woman and child. The new cabinet decided to arm virtually the entire nation and have all subjects begin military training with bamboo spears in work place and schools throughout the country. Hirohito, the emperor, formerly confirmed the new preparations for defense against the forthcoming enemy offensives at his imperial conference two weeks later. In herbert p bix's hirohito, suggest that he's going to die fighting. Emphasis was to be placed on air defence, fighting the enemy in the interior, rather than at the water's edge,. A large production of so called body smashing or