Statements Concerning Makino

MAKINO, Reiichiro  [Marginal Note: Sugamo 2 Sep 47 ]

Statement of Makino (18 June 1947)

31, professor in anatomy department of Yonago Medical College since 1 July- 1945; before that a special research student in the Third Research Labora­tory of the Anatomy Section at KIU from 1 October 1943 until 27 June 1945, under Masao Ishisawa. Goichi Hirako was director of the anatomy section when Makino left. Katsumi Tanaka was an assistant professor in the anatomy section.

When Makino left KIU in June 1945, he made up a list of specimens of the human anatomy which he wanted to take with him, showed it to Tanaka, Ishi­sawa, and Hirako, and they all said it was all right, so he went to the Finance Section to make arrangements to borrow them. In addition Makino took specimens of the brain, kidney, heart, small intestines, stomach, duodenum, tongue, pharynx, lawynx, lung, thyroid gland, trachea, pancreas, spleen, sternum, appendix, colon, urinal bladder, penis.

These specimens were in the Anatomy Section room, selected them from those that were plentiful; they were getting ready to evacuate because of the bomb­ings at the time. Makino told Tanaka that he was taking these, too. (These are evidently in addition to the list that he requested.) This was in the latter part of May or the first part of June. He did not have to clear through the Finance Section because these specimens belonged to the anatomy section. He had previously asked Hirako and Ishisawa about taking these specimens.

All the specimens Makino took from KIU are on the list that Makino submitted or in the jars that Makino showed the investigator.

Differences between organ of white and yellow race; size might be different; pigment of skin and eyes different; doesn’t know about the color.

Makino never took any specimens from flyers after the KIU operations.

Statement of Makino (26 June_____ 1947)

Makino never took any specimens or touched the bodies of the Prisoners during or after the operations. He saw 2 operations for just a little while.

About 12 May 1945 Tanaka told Makino that Hirako had said; Ishiyama was going to do an operation on an American PW who was hurt, and that the operation was to be held in the Autopsy Room of the Anatomy department. (Makino went to Yonago 20 May and it was about a week before that Tanaka told him of the operation.)

1-2 days later, at Lunch, Tanaka told Makino that the operation would be held that day. After lunch Makino heard some noise in the hall, went out and looked, saw 2-3 persons walking down the hall talking in loud voices. One person was pushing a cart, which he saw later in the Autopsy Room with sur­gical instruments on it.

Tanaka arrived, said, "It is about time for the Prisoners to arrive. Let’s

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go and see." This was about 1330 or 1400. As they got there, they were taking the Prisoners off the truck. The Japanese guards had to support him under each arm. His right shoulder seemed to be a stained dark with blood, Makino could see what looked like a bandage under his collar. The prisoner was not unconscious but he had to be helped along.

There was an army Officer, a major or lt. colonel, and an army doctor on the truck. Ishiyama, Hirao, and some others, dressed in white, were stand­ing at the head of the truck. The military men got off the truck, all walked into the building. Makino then went back to his room, left Tanaka watching the doorway, who joined him in Makino* s room a few minutes later. Makino stayed in the laboratory for about 30-40 minutes. Tanaka was in and Makino then went to the Autopsy Room; the operation was already in progress. The Prisoner was stretched on a dissecting table. Across the table from where Makino entered, from the students* practice room, stood Ishiyama. On his left, near the Prisoner?^ head, was the army doctor. Hirao was standing behind Ishiyama, near the instrument table, was passing instruments to Ishiyama. There were 6-7 members of the Ishiyama Clinic standing on this side of the table in front of Makino. The army staff Officer (Sato?) was standing behind the army doctor. Tanaka was standing behind the members of the Ishiyama clinic. Makino saw about 3 nurses standing at the foot of the table on Makino's left. Makino walked to the head of the table and stood near the army staff officer nnd watched the operation for about 5 minutes.

When Makino first looked, the incision had already been made, and Ishiyama and Komori were applying gauze trying to stop the flow of blood. Ishiyama and later Komori both said to the army staff Officer (Sato?), "The operation is very difficult." They were still using the "Koeher" to stop the flow of blood when Makino left. Just before Makino left, he saw Tanaka walk around and stand behind Ishiyama. Makino then went back to the laboratory, began gathering instruments to take with him to Yonago.

Makino stayed in the laboratory about an hour, went to the latrine, which is just past the autopsy room. On the way back he stopped in the autopsy room again and stood at the foot of the operating table. Ishiyama and Komori were still working on the Prisoner's chest. Ishiyama then turned his head and said, "Someone tell someone to bring a coffin." Makino then walked out; some dressed in white followed him. Makino went to the servants' quarters told them what Ishiyama had said. Takagi, Takada and several other unknown persons were in the room.

Makino then went back to his lab and continued his preparations for Yonago, around 1700.

Makino did not see Tanaka after the first time he was in the operating room. Tanaka had also told Makino that Hirako had told him that if the Prisoners died he wanted the brain.

Before Makino went home, he went to the servants quarters to get hot water to wash his hands. On the way back, he heard voices from the Autopsy Room, started walking that way, saw Goshima, Ryu and Hirako in the autopsy room.

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Makino believes that it was Hirako who had a large glass jar in his hands coming out of the room; Makino could not see what was in the jar.

Makino then adds the following; About 1630 Tanaka came back to the lab from seeing his wife in the maternity hospital, and said that Hirako had told him that the Prisoner had died from the operation and that if Makino wanted any specimens from the body for histology research to take them. Tanaka then took small bottles for specimens and made up some Zenker solu­tion; placed all the bottles on a tray and walked out. Before this Makino had filled 3 small bottles, of 50 cc each, with formaldehyde and placed them in the tray that Tanaka was carrying, followed Tanaka out of the lab.

As they came out of the door they met Ishiyama and the army doctor coming down the hall. The army doctor was carrying two jars, with what looked like a lung in one, a liver in the other. Makino is quite sure that this is what it was.

Tanaka and Makino went directly to the Autopsy room to get their histology specimens. Goshima and Ryu were already there. The dead body of the Pri­soner was on the dissecting table, and there was an incision from his ster­num to about 3 inches below his navel, which was still open. Goshima and Ryu had already started work. Tanaka took parts from the small intestines, large intestines, stomach, supra renal gland, and kidney. There was a small part of the liver left; Makino believes he also took that.

Makino states "I knew then that the army physician (Komori ?) must have taken the rest." In taking these parts, he would use pincers and snip off a small section of the organ with scissors, would then cut small pieces from the specimen and place it into a bottle of Zenker solution. The lar­ger pieces left over were put in the formaldehyde after Makino made tags for each specimen. The small specimens were then placed in Zenker solution, were about l/3 of an inch in size.

(Makino states that this account is as to the first operation that h e .saw and he believes that it was the first time a Prisoner had been operated on in the autopsy room.)

The organ would be lifted out of the stomach cavity and the specimen cut off.

Goshima took the gauze from the Prisoner’s right shoulder, and then Makino noticed that the right lung had been removed. This is the lung that the army doctor (Komori ?) must have taken. Goshima put his hand in the open­ing and cut the percardium and moved the heart over, into the incision in the shoulder with his hand. Goshima asked Makino what the various parts were around the heart and Makino explained. After looking over the heart he placed it back in the chest cavity.

Goshima then cut a part from the lower part of the heart with his scissors and held it in his hand. He then cut it in smaller peices and put half of them in Tanaka’s bottle of formaldehyde solution. The balance he placed in a bottle he had which contained a yellowish solution.

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Ryu then asked Tanaka if he were finished, and Tanaka stated, "Can you take part of the lung out?", turning to Goshima, who thereupon reached into the chest incision with his pincers and probed toward the left lung. He got hold on something and then reached in with his scissors and snipped off a specimen and gave it to Tanaka who held out his bottle of formaldhyde solu­tion. This must have been a specimen from the left lung.

RYU then cut an incision in the Prisoner's neck on the right side, exposing the artery; he then began to inject Mueller’s solution into the artery. Goshima helped by holding the container of solution while it drained into the artery. Ryu had tied a string ground the artery, so the solution would flow into the brain. After a while Goshima said that enough solution had been injected, so the needle was pulled out and Ryu tied another string on the artery above the hole made by the needle. They injected Mueller’s Solution to preserve the brain.

Tanaka then said, "We've finished; let’s go." So they left. Tanaka walked down the hall toward his lab with the tray of specimens; Makino went to the servants' quarters to get hot water to wash his hands.

Tanaka had held a part of the small intestines with one pair of pincers; Makino took another pair and held down the other small intestines so Tanaka could cut off the specimen.

Makino states he took no specimen out of the Prisoner’s body. When Tanaka came and told Makino that Hirako had said the Prisoner was dead from the operation so they could take what specimens they wanted. Makino told Tanaka that he wanted some also. It was then that they made their preparations. Makino told Tanaka that he wanted specimens, but he didn’t carry any bottles of solution to the Autopsy room, didn’t take any specimens from the body himself because he knew that he could ask Tanaka for any specimens needed. Makino did not take any specimens.

When Goshima took the specimens from the heart and lung, he first gave them to Makino, and Makino gave them to Tanaka. It was when Makino was explain­ing the parts of the heart that Tanaka asked for a specimen and Goshima then cut it off.

Makino then remembers that when Tanaka took the specimen from the stomach Makino helped him by pulling out the stomach with the pincers while he cut the specimen. That when Tanaka cut out the supra renal gland and the kid­ney, Mgdcino held back the opening of the incision and pushed the intestines away so Tanaka could get at tit. He cut off 1/2 the supr-renal gland and a small part of the kidney.

On the way back to Makino’s lab with the hot water, Makino heard voices in the Autopsy Room, went in, say Hirako, Goshima and Ryu talking, saw that the body was not on the table, but in gin open coffin, alongside of the dis­secting table. Makino walked over as far as the dissecting table and saw that Hirako was holding a large round container in which was a brain. Hirako was talking to Goshima and Ryu in a soft voice and pointing to the coffin. They were standing in front of the coffin and Makino could not see at the

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time what the body looked like. It must have been the Prisoner*s brain because Goshima and Ryu had started to remove the brain when Tanaka And Makino left.

Makino could not see the head because the head wasn't there. Ryu had an object almost as big as a head wrapped in white cloth. After a few minutes Hirako left, and Makino followed him, at which time, in the hallway lead­ing to the servants quarters, Hirako told Makino to tell the servants to have the body cremated, and he then continued to his office and told Takada and Takagi that Hirako had said to cremate the body.

Makino then went to his lab, found a bottle of formaldehyde with the larger tagged specimens which Tanaka had taken from the Prisoner's body on his table. The smaller specimens in Zenker Solution were also there. Makino went home.

About 2-3 days later, on 19 May, Makino went to the Rail Road Station, to make reservations for Yonago; that was the day of the 2nd operation. About 1300 Makino was in his room in the Anatomy Section on 19 May when he heard people walking down the hall making a lot of noise. About 1400 Tanaka came in, said, "It seems as though Ishiyama will perform another operation today." He then asked Makino if he were going to see it, suggested that they look in. Makino asked him where it would take place; he said that it would be in the same room as the first.

Tanaka left and inaabout 20 minutes (later) Makino decided to go, noticed a soldier standing guard at the door to a dressing room on the right side of the hall just before one gets to the autopsy training room. As Makino entered the room he saw one dissecting table in the right center part of the room placed with the long way parallel to the room. Perpendiuclar to that table, on the other side, was another table on which were surgical instruments. The Prisoner was already on the table and the operation in progress.

The army doctor (Komori ?) was standing on this side of the table and directly opposite him on the other side of the table stood Ishiyama. To the left of Ishiyama stood Hirao and behind them several nurses. There was someone sitting at the head of the Prisoner, giving him an anaesthetic. There were about 3 persons in white standing to the right of the army doctor, and about 4 in white on his left at the end of the table. The same major or It. colonel (Yakumaru or Sato ?) who was at the first operation was stand­ing about 5 1 from the head of the operating table.

Makino walked to where Tanaka was standing— about 4-5 feet from the foot of the table. The Prisoner had a white cloth covering him from his neck to his thighs, and there was an opening in his stomach. Tanaka told Makino this was to be a liver operation. Makino noticed, as he stood on tiptoes, that both Ishiyama and Komori were using gause and "Kocher" trying to stop the blow of blood from an opening in the Prisoner's stomach. The blood must have been flowing freely because they were both applying new gauze often, and each time they took their hands back from the opening in the Prisoner"s stomach the gauze and their hands would be dripping with blood.

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Komori then changed his gloves. Ishiyama and Komori were working very fast and talking to each other. Another doctor during all this time was holding the Prisoner arm outstretched taking his pulse, was on Komori's side of the table. About the time that Ishiyama and Komori changed their gloves this doctor raised his head, said something to Ishiyama, who then said something to him, whereupon either the one taking the pulse or the one standing behind him sent and brought a glass container containing about 1000 cc of clear liquid, like water, from where it was standing on an instrument table.

Someone brought a stand to the table on Komori's side, which had a container at the top and a small rubber hose leading from the bottom. The end of the rubber hose was wrapped in gauze. The clear liquid was then poured into the container and the gauze taken off the end of the rubber hose, exposing an injection needle. Someone placed a rubber band tightly around the Prisoner's left biceps, and the needle at the end of the rubber hose was inserted into a blood vein just above the forearm by the man who had been taking the Pri­soner's pulse.

Tanaka then asked the man who was making the injection if it were Ringers Solution, and he replied that it was not, but was seawater. Tanaka seemed surprised, asked how it was made, and the man replied "We filtrate the sea water," then said that it was diluted with water. Tanaka then asked him if they had been using this before, and he replied, "We have been doing this in our laboratory."

While this conversation was going on, the rubber band on the left biceps had been loosened, and the sea water was being injected into the Prisoner*s arm. After about 1/5 of the sea water was injected, the band was again placed on the biceps and his blood pressure taken; this was repeated 3-4 times. The man who was making the injection was constantly raising his head and saying something to Ishiyama. The man who was taking the Prisoner's pulse and blood pressure during the injection was the same man and seemed to be in charge of the injection. After about the 4th time, the Prisoner's blood pressure was taken. The man who was taking the pulse and pressure said "It’s all right now." At this time Makino noticed that about l/3 of the sea water was left in the container.

Makino was then shown a picture of Yoshitaka Senaba- (Senba ?), and Makino identified him as the one who was taking the Prisoner's pulse and blood pres­sure and who seemed to be in charge of the injection of sea water.

Makino then identified a picture of Torisu, answered the one who helped Senba. He brought the glass jar of sea water from the instrument table and poured it into the container with the rubber hose attached.

They then moved the transfusion apparatus aside, and Makino noticed that Komori and Ishiyama were still working in the incision of the Prisoner’s stomach. About this time Ishiyama brought out a flat red-brownish object out of the Prisoner's stomach and held it in his hand, held it out to the army staff Officer, the same one at the first operation, and said, "It was well done." This was a part of the liver as big as a man’s hand. Hirao held out a flat metal tray and Ishiyama placed the part of the liver on it.

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Komori and Ishiyama continued to work in the opening of the Prisoner's stomach with gauze and "Kocher." This all took place within 15-20 minutes. Makino then left, telling Tanaka that he was going to the Rail Road station. As Makino passed the dressing room with the Japanese guard at the door, he glanced in and saw another Prisoner lying on the floor on his back. Makino thought then that they were going to have another operation.

Tanaka must have followed Makino to his room since he stuck his head in the door, said he was going home.

As Makino left the Autopsy Room after watching the liver operation, he no­ticed, in the far right corner, another table with 4-5 people around it and someone lying on the table. Makino met Tanaka in the students' autopsy training room next to where the operation was going on. Tanaka had some small glass bottles on a tray, said ,"We will get some more specimens so bring a bottle of formaldehyde." Makino returned with the bottle, and they walked into the other autopsy room, noticed the liver operation was still going on.

Makino believes that Hirao was at the table in the far right corner with 2-3 other men dressed in white. Makino believes he also saw Hirao at the liver operation.

On being shown a picture of Yoshio Mori, Makino states that he first saw him standing near Komori at the liver operation, but he was at the table in the far right corner of the autopsy room across the table from Hirao when Tanaka and Makino reentered the room.

On being shown picture of Kenji Morimoto, Makino states that he saw him near the table where the liver operation was performed, didn't notice his doing anything but observe.

When Tanaka and Makino arrived at the table in the far right corner, Mori and Hirao were operating on another Prisoner. There was an incision from below the sternum to a little below the navel. The incision was held open with retractors by Dr. Mori. The lower 1/3 of the stomach had been cut and sutured. Hirao pulled out a part of the small intestines and then cut a small incision in the upper part of the stomach just above where it had been sewed together, and in the small intestines; and he then sutured the intes­tine to this small incision in the stomach.

Hirao then finished suturing and said, "It is finished." Mori then said, "Let's go on to the next one.” The stomach incision was not sutured. The Army Medical Officer, Komori, walked over to the table. (Ed. - while Makino previously speaks of "Komori" and "the army doctor," this is the first time he so describes Komori as to suggest that he is talking about the same individual.)

Mori made an incision over the heart and the ribs were retracted by Hirao and the heart exposed. Someone across from Mori— it might have been either Komori or Hirao, used forceps and clamped the artery leading from the heart. Mori cut the heart sac, and, Makino believes, made a small incision in the heart itself, and Mori, Hirao and the other doctor, who Makino believes was

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Komori, all bent over close to the incision, talking in low voices. Either Komori or Hirao reached into the incision and took the heart in his hand and lifted it up to the incision. It was not beating.

No one was then taking the Prisoners pulse. The doctors were picking up their own instruments; no one was administering anaesthetics. Makino believes the Prisoner was dead when they started on his heart because no one was then taking his pulse; he didn't seem to be breathing. When Komori came over to the table, before they started on the heart operation, he asked, "Is he dead?" Either Mori or Hirao said "Yes, he is" It was at this moment that the person stopped taking the Prisoner's pulse.

After the heart operation the incision was not sutured, but the incision was "layed" back together and gauze was put over it. Then Komori said, "Now I will take out the liver." He retracted the incision with one hand and pulled the intestines aside with the other. He held the intestines back with his left hand and with a pair of scissors cut out the liver and lifted it out of the incision, said ”This is easily done” and placed it in a glass jar about 8" high and 12" indiameter. He then said "This is the liver I am going to take home."

Makino doesn't know whether the liver operation was still going on at the other table, but Ishiyama and the other doctors were still around the table. Komori came back to the table, and, after looking inside the incision, looked at Tanaka and Makino and said "If you guys (??) want more specimens, it's all right to take them. He then started to make a parallel incision on the Prisoner's neck, from just above the Adam*s apple to the beginning of the sternum.

Makino then thus changes his story: After the first operation, after Ishiyama showed the liver to the army staff Officer, he noticed 3-4 men standing around another table in the far right corner of the autopsy room. Instead of leaving the room, as he has previously said, Makino walked over to the table, and it was then that he saw Hirao and Mori performing the operation on the stomach and intestines. Shortly after Makino arrived at this table, Makino saw Tanaka walking out. Makino doesn't know whether he was at the 2nd table with him or not. Makino stayed there until Mori made the incision in the chest over the heart, then walked out. He then met Tanaka in the ad­joining autopsy room, when Tanaka told him to get the formaldehyde. When Makino arrived back where he had left Tanaka, they walked to the operating room together. Tanaka placed his tray on the edge of the clean up tank and walked toward the exit to the hall. Makino placed his bottle of formaldehyde in his tray and returned to the operating table in time to see the chest incision, the ribs retracted, and the heart exposed. The rest is as previously stated.

Makino did not see Hirako at this 2nd series of operations.

While Komori had the liver in his hand, Tanaka came to the table. Komori be­gan retracting the neck incision himself, and then Tanaka again walked away. Makino doesn't know whether he went to where Ishiyama was operating or not. He came back again and said that there were certain specimens they did not get the last time— the trachea, larynz, tongue and thyroid gland, that they'd

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like to have them. Komori asked if they wanted them for the students' histology class. Tanaka said yes, walked away again. Komori then said, "Well, if that is the case, bring your jar of formaldehyde and I will take out the specimens for you. 

Makino brought the jar of formaldehyde and Komori took small specimens, about the size of the head of the little finger, from the trachea, larynx, and the thyroid gland, and placed them in the bottle of formaldehyde. Makino did not tag them. Komori asked if Makino wanted the tongue also, Makino said no since he would have to help open his mouth to do it.

Tanaka then came to the table, said that he would now take some specimens also. Komori had left just before Tanaka arrived at the table. Tanaka then started to take his specimens, also took parts of the thyroid gland and trachea. He then made an incision in the testicle sack over the left testicle, exposing the testicle. He cut off the bottom half of the specimen, and then he cut that piece in half again. He placed half in his bottle of Zenker solution and the rest in Makino's bottle of formaldehyde which Makino brought him. Makino then left; Tanaka stayed in the autopsy room. 

In the other part of the autopsy room at that time, everyone was gathered around the other table where Ishiyama was performing the liver operation. As Makino walked down the hall to his room, he noticed that the Japanese guard was standing at the door to the dressing room and the Prisoner was still lying on the mat.

Statement of Goshima (14-15 July 1947) About 15 May 1945, between 1300-1400, Goshima had to go to the servants’ room and saw a Japanese soldier standing guard near the door of a side room off the hall. When Goshima returned to his lab, which he shared with Ryu, either Ryu or Makino was there and told Goshima "By permission of the army authorities, the operation on American PWs is going to take place."

Goshima had to make several trips to the autopsy room from his lab to bring equipment to take brain specimen from PW, and by the time he had brought A t all, Makino had joined Tanaka, and they were busy working and talking, and Goshima went back to his lab to prepare some Meuller’s Solution. Tanaka and Makino were still removing specimens from the stomach and chest cavities, seemed to be working together.

After Ryu and Goshima had made the injection of Meuller's Solution, Makino and Tanaka left.

Goshima did not help Tanaka or Makino take any of their specimens, did not reach into incision with Makino and take the Prisoner’s heart in his hand, did not cut specimens. Makino did not explain the parts to him.

Statement of Ryu At about 1700, Ryu heard the doctors leaving, (lung operation) and a few minutes later Goshima left the lab taking surgery knives, scissors, a saw, and injection equipment with him. Ryu followed a few seconds later and went to the autopsy room, saw the body of the Prisoner from whom Ishiyama had removed the lung still on the dissecting table, with no clothes. Tanaka, Makino, and Goshima were at the table. Makino was putting tags on

Makino

Statement of Ryu Cont'd. ..... specimens and helping Tanaka.

Ryu believes Makino and Tanaka had left after Goshima and Ryu started to inject the Meuller's Solution.

Statement of Nakamura (25 July 1947) Usually either Niizuma or Makino told servants of anatomy section and servants from pathology section when to take bodies to the crematory.

On Nakamura's return in early May after the recent deaths of his sons in the war, he was talking to Takata who told him about the operations on American Prisoners. A few days after he returned to work, Nakamura was in the servants quarters when Makino came in and told him to bring 2 coffins to the entrance of the anatomy section room.

2-3 days after 2 prisoners were operatedion, Makino came to the servants* room and took Yamami and Nakamura to the anauomy dissection room. He pointed out two coffins near the entrance and told them the bodies were to fee taken to the crematory for cremation. These were the same coffins that Nakamura had seen when he looked in the autopsy room when no one was around the day before. However, they took out only the 2 ( Nakamura saw 3) that Makino told them to take out.