Statement Concerning Onishi

Statement of Onishi (24 Nov 47). 33, lawyer, inducted in Army in March 1944, transferred.to WAH Legal Section about 15 Jan, until 31 Aug 1945. As a Legal PO, Onishi was an assistant to the prosecutors and helped prosecutors of 5th Air Force at Fukuoka, in investigating, drawing up charges, submitting them to Ito, who decided whether the cases would be tried. Onishi studied the results of investigations of captured airmen conducted by Murata. Onishi listened in to a Murata interrogation of 3 flyers, with PO Saito of Legal Section. (Saito had lived in Sari Francisco).

When the Staff Section interrogated the flyers (thru Sato, Aihara and some­ times Yakumaru) Enatsu of the Kempei Tai, was present. Such interrogations took place in late May or ealy June 1945. Onishi listened in, went with Murata, heard that all 8 flyers were from the same B 29. Murata interrog­ated 3, determined they-had performed indiscriminate bombing. At one time there were 8 Prisoners interrogated.

In early Lay 1945, Onishi saw an order from the WD Legal Section, in the flare of the Min of War, that authority to try captured flyers henceforth was passed to the various armies. The order came thry the Adjutant Section then distributed. It could not be interpreted to mean that flyers were to be killed without trial. About the same time he saw an order that punish­ment to be given to captured airmen was.to be severe.

No official trial of captured enemy airmen was had at WAH, but Onishi believes that it was decided, as a result of the investigation conducted, that the flyers would be' executed if put to trial, so the flyers were executed after ibis decision was'reached. Onishi doesn’t know for certain but thinks Wako, Ito, Sato and perhaps 1st Lts Murata and Yoshida, discussed the results of .the investigation and decided that the flyers should be executed without';a trial and then got orders from Yokoyama,

Onishi knows of no proof aside from the flyers’ statements. Ono can be punished on his own statement only by Japanese court martial rules. Nakayama at Sugamo told Onishi that Ito once told Sato that a flyer should be considered guilty of indisciminate. bombing and punished by a court merely if he was proved to be a B 29 crew member, that Wako opposed this.

Even tho a court found the flyers not guilty, the CG could pronounce them guilty and order execution, so no necessity to try the flyers, according to a directive shortly after the Doolittle trial. Onishi feels certain the 20 June executions were ordered by Yokoyama, but doesn't actually know.

On 20 June, after lunch, Onishi and Saito went out behind the kitchen and slept. About 1500, .Saito awakened Onishi, said that Wako was going to execute the flyers and that Onishi was to go along to execute a flyer. Onishi said he didn't care to go, Saito told him that he should go with him to refuse Wako. They went to the prison, where a crowd of Legal Section personnel was standing about Wako, with the Prisoners beyond the crowd, blindfolded and stripped except for underpants and trousers. Wako told Onishi, "Onishi, the executions are about to start, you all help perform the executions". Onishi didn't want to do it, Wako said that he heard that Onishi was good at kendo, that what he just said was unpatriotic.

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Onishi then asked 1st Lt Shimazaki of the Legal Section whether it was alright to execute the flyers, and he stated that the flyers killed after the China trials were so killed end that the court martial for flyers was much simpler than normal court martial for the Army, that the executions were "correct", not to worry. Onishi and Shimazaki then followed the crowd and saw Wako cut off the head of two flyers (ordinarily a soldier and not an Officer does the beheading).

Sgt. Ikeda of the Staff Section, Onishi thinks, beheaded the third flyer. Since no one was prepared, Onishi drew and washed his sword and beheaded the fourth flyer with one stroke. Onishi feels quite Certain that Shimazaki came to the pit and performed the fifth execution, cutting the head off cleanly in one stroke, then washed his sword,

An Officer from another unit ran up to Wako, Onishi guessed he asked per­mission to execute which Wako approved, art. he beheaded the remaining. 3 flyers. The head of the first flyer flew about 3* from the body, was executed with great vigor. (Toji). The bodies were then covered with dirt. Onishi later "learned the last executioner was 1st Lt. Toji of the Finance Section, of the Intelligence'Unit, attached to WAH,

Also present at 20 June execution: 1st Lt. Murata, astaff Officer Colonel, Onishi; guesses Sato, and Gen Shoshin Ito, whom Onishi noticed after the executions were over standing 20 o r .30 meters from the pit.

When Onishi executed the flyer,.he. thought a short trial had been held on 20 June, sentencing all 0 to death, thought all 8 were to be tried. Onishi heard 2 or 3 days later that WAH .sent n. report to Gen Staff Hw, that the 8 flyers were killed in the airraid.

About the time of the ..atomic bombing of Hiroshima (6 Aug), Onishi was read­ing in the Legal. Section office, when Chizuko Hiroso, a servant, asked if he weren’t going to the executions; that eveiryone was preparing to go to perform some executions. At that time Murata was fixing up his office. Shimazaki was in another office working, Wako, Yoahida., Ono and 4 or 5 NCOs went to Aburayama to attend the executions of a 5th Air Force Jap. Shimomitsu and Soda had been placed under Itezono and 2nd Lt Nakamura, and vent along with the truck carrying the flyers. Onishi also heard karate and bow and arrow are used.

Onishi was at Hirao at the time of the 15 Aug executions. Heard about 15 flyers were killed.' Onishi didn’t hear about the KIU incident until he arrived at Sugamo.

In early July 1945, Onishi saw in the flyers' Prison (under the jurisdic­tion of the Adjutant Section,Jin, Kusumoto) a badly wounded Prisoner, his right shoulder cut badly from the top of the shoulder to the arm pit in front. Onishi went immediately to get Yukino, who was in charge of the Prisoners, could not locate him, then went to the Medical Section told Sgt. Aoki, who said he would look for an Army doctor. Onishi then got a doctor, went to the prison, where Yukino was, the doctor attending.

In early May, Onishi cautioned a guard not to give the flyers dirty water, told

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him where to get clean water, personally got some. Onishi thinks the guard told.him that his superiors had said that this dirty water was OK for tie flyers. On other occasions Onishi got water for them because the guards disliked to do it.

Before the bombing on 19 June, Onishi expounded to Saito, PO Seno, and another that the way to avoid war was by international love, that he extend it to flyers. Onishi hoard the*the third party, a finance section PO had at great personal risk, led the flyers from the prison at the time of the bombing.

After the War, Wako assembled his subordinates and said the greater responsibility for the executions rested with the Staff Section, that he would accept some.