Statement Concerning Minami

Statement of Minami (2 July 1947)

30, a farmer, assigned to WAH 24 February 1945, stayed until 31 November, made captain 15 August. Was 3rd in command of adjutant section. Duties: general affairs of headquarters. Arranged interviews for visitors, decide whether their business important, was administration Officer of the Adjutant Section Message Center, in charge of Motor Pool, responsible for filing the Emperor's picture and the Imperial rescripts.

Most important secret documents Minami handled were related to the formation of troops and tactical orders. The section from which the documents origi­nated would designate whether the documents would go through Message Center or not. If it did not go through Message Center, the responsible person would take it straight to its destination. Ordinary documents concerning medical matters would originate in the Medical Section and through the Message Center to the CG if they were designated for the CG.

Kusumoto was direct above Minami in rank. His superior was the senior Adju­tant - Koga - until he went to Infantry School in early April 1945 and Kusumoto held this position until Jin arrived in late April 1945. Koga returned to the headquarters for about 10 days in late April 1945, but at that time Jin was serving as senior adjutant.

Medical documents which passed through Message Center designated for the CG would not pass through Koga or Jin, but would go straight to CG. Except for matters of top secret nature, orders from higher headquarters for the CG would pass through message center. Top secret would go through the staff section to the CG. 1st Lt. Utsunomita was in charge of the message center of staff section.

In late April or early May 1945, Minami sent out a truck to pick up some PWs by order of Koga. Minami believes Goiyama went along on this truck. Minami did not send out any trucks for PWs etfter that time. Actually, he was not in charge of the Motor Pool at that time, since a 2nd Lt. Oguri took his place in mid March 1945. Oguri must not have been there this time in late April or early May when Minami dispatched a truck to Hakata Station to pick up PWs.

Responsibility of Adjutant Section to feed, imprison, and provide medical care for the PWs. However, Minami knew nothing of the operations.

2-3 days after the bombing of Fukuoka on 19 June 1945, Kusumoto told Minami that PWs at the headquarters had been executed. After the war, he heard exe­cutions were conducted at Aburayama.