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S/D (ATIS Translation) taken by Oki 2 October 46. Defendant, a 2nd Class Private in the WAH operations department code section from 15 June to 9 September 1945. At about 1000 in August prior to surrender went on fatigue duty to the headquarter Prisoners where some American PWs were placed on a truck. There were Officers and PWs in the vicinity. One Officer said that they committed atrocities and it was OK to kill them. They all got on a truck, stopped at a hill near the cremation grounds, and Defendant dug a hole about 2 meters by 3 meters, about 1 meter deep and then at a spot about 100 meters from the hole made the PWs strip to their shorts. The PWs were taken one by one to the "holes". Defendant saw a PW beheaded. The "holes” containing the corpses were covered up and Defenant got on a vehicle and returned. While guarding Defendant heard someone say the army was experiementing with the use of karate and the bow and arrow on the PWs. Present with Defendant at the place of execution (about 10 August) were PFCs MATSUKAWA and SAMESHIMA and Pvts 2nd Class KAWAGUCHI and SUETSUGU. About 1600 on 15 August, Defendant and others placed wood boxes on a truck, went to same place (Aburayama), where Defendant placed the corpses of the American PWs who had been beheaded at various places into the containers and loaded them on the truck, and with others took them close to the cremation grounds, piled some bricks on the ground (l meter high), placed the bodies on the bars, put firewood under them, poured oil on the bodies and set them afire. There were about 37-38 bodies. 2nd Lt. NAKAMURA, Minoru, was present while the bodies burned. On the 1st occasion (about 10 August) Noboru SUETSUGU said to Defendant (I have beheaded a PW." |