Statements Concerning Ishisawa

Statement of Tanaka (23 May 1947) Tanaka's immediate superior was Dr. Ishisawa; Hirako was head of the Anatomy Section; directly under him was Ishisawa, then Tanaka. Tanaka and post graduate Reiichiro Makino worked under Ishisawa. Only Hirako, Ishisawa and Tanaka taught classes.

Hirako told Tanaka about the experimental operations that Ishiyama was to per­form. 1100-1200 the same day Tanaka told Ishisawa about it, who said, "Is that so?", did not appear to be surprised.

In March or April 1946 Ishisawa called Tanaka to his office regarding the operations, his wife having heard about them from somebody in a street car, and he had heard that some persons claimed that he had a part. Tanaka was surprised that the operations were held in the autopsy training room; he thought that they were held in the Pathology Section dissecting room. Ishisawa asked what kind of operations, Tanaka answered that he saw, lung, liver and brain operations.

Ishisawa then asked him if he or Makino helped; Tanaka replied that they just looked on, upon which Ishisawa said that that was alright. Ishisawa then atated that Ishiyama and his junior doctors were telling many people about these opera­tions, and because of this the rumors have spread. Ishisawa said many times that he was not involved in this affair, stressed it so much it was almost funny to Tanaka.

17-18 July 1945 Tanaka was called to SCAP Legal Section, went to the University 22 July 1946, told Ishisawa about his experiences at Legal Section.

In November 1946 Ishisawa came and told Tanaka he had refused to sign the appeal which had been written because it spoke ill of the deceased Ishiyama.

Statement of Tanaka (6 June 1947)

When Tanaka talked to Ishisawa, he said, "Since Dr. Hirako has ordered it, in the event that the Prisoner should die I am going to take out some parts of the body for practice purposes in histology classes." Ishisawa answered, "Is that so?"

In March or April 1946 Ishisawa asked whether any of the Autopsy Section had helped the doctors from the Surgical Clinic in their operations. Tanaka answered that they only watched, and following the operations when the PWs had died, they took parts from the bodies for use in histology, but that they had not helped the Surgery Clinic doctors, that the Surgery Clinic doctors had nothing to do with the work which they did, that it would have been better if they had done their work in a room other than that used for the operations, but since the Surgery Clinic had used the Autopsy Training Room they did their work there.

Ishisawa answered, "Is that so? Well then that is alright; that is the way I thought it was. Hirako has told someone that I had taken part in this affair of the bodies of PWs. I wonder why Hirako has said these untrue things to others; I don’t understand his reason for this. Because of this I wanted to hear from you the true facts." Ishisawa was quite irritated.