SATO, YOSHINAO S/D (2 Feb. 48) ATIS #37783 About 13 November FUKUSHIMA told Defendant that NISHIHARA was scheduled to attend a conference of army district commanders to he held in Tokyo, that FUKUSHIMA was to accompany him, asked Defendant to go along and regain report of death of 16 flyers which the WA submitted to the War Ministry presently in possession of PWIB. Defendant went to the PWIB, met Maj. TAKADA, told him the report was fabricated as to the 15 dying in the airraid, that the policy of concealment was cancelled and WA had sent a telegram to the War Ministry requesting that all Allied documents he burned, hut it was learned that the PWIB had them, and Defendant wanted to return them. TAKADA said that they were skeptical as to the truth of the report, thought it required investigation so kept it, and had not yet reported it to the OF, went to TAMURA’S room to discuss it with him, returned and told Defendant to see TAMURA. TAMURA told Defendant he understood perfectly, told him to speak to ONOBA (?) Chief of General Affairs Section, and have him take care of the matter. ONODA was in the adjoining room, Defendant thanked him, told Defendant to get the documents from TAKDA, who got it, said he would arrange it as though .the document had never been received by the bureau. The Wa PW Investigation Squad was to gather information re PWs as requested by the Op. YAKUMARU investigated matters re PWs in general, while Defendant handled the flyers, which facts were reported to the War Ministry. Defendant reported the 3 flyers who died in the Kyushu area, did not report the flyers executed by WAH, for it was planned to conceal the matter to the end. After the surrender YOKOYAMA established the WA policy to make every effort to conceal the facts re flyers executed by WA. FUKUSHIMA was placed in command and YAKUMARU, AIHARA and Defendant worked under his orders. At first the WA could not come to a decision on the methods of concealment. Defendant discussed the matter with YOSHIKAWA and Lt. Col. OYA at Gen. Staff Hq., and they advised to arrange it as though the deaths were causedby the Hiroshima bomb, but Defendant was unable to arrive at an agreement with 2 A. General Hqs. The Hiroshima Kempei Tai also expressed disapproval, so Defendant returned to Tokyo and again discussed it with OYA, KIKKAWA and YOSHIKAWA, who were enraged at the lack of cooperation, told Defendant not to worry, that KIKKAWA (Yoshikawa) was being transferred to the Central District A. Hq., and would do everything he could to see the WA request was met. AIHARA (Aibara) had accompanied Defendant to Tokyo, and Defendant had him stop over at Hiroshima on the way home, and Defendant went there after a couple of days at home. It seems that KIKKAWA (Yoshikawa) exerted his utmost at Hiroshima to take over the flyers who died at WA. The Central District A had already reported to the OF Investigation Corps the number of flyers who died in the Hiroshima area before KIKKAWA'S (Yoshikawa's) arrival, something less than one score, so it was impossible for Hiroshima to take care of all the flyers. KIKKAWA (Yoshikawa) and Defendant then agreed to make it 9 persons (which would be under 10), and Defendant returned to Fukuoka, sent AIHARA (Aibara) to Hiroshima for further detailed instructions. Defendant did speak to KIKKAWA (Yoshikawa) about the flyers who had been killed at KIU, probablyaround September. Names and information re transportation were reported to Hiroshima Hq at their re SATO - 2 quest. Defendant believes that the names of the 16 flyers reported to the War Ministry at the end of June were reported to be unknown because the original files kept at WA had been burned. KIKKAWA (Yoshikawa) was a staff Officer in Sec 6 of the A Gen Staff during the war, apparently dealt principally with air intelligence matters, maintained liaison with the intelligence staff Officer for WA, came to Fukuoka, at least once a month. His superior was Col. SUGITA, who was placed in Sugamo, scheduled to be sent back to Singapore. KIKKAWA (Yoshikawa) came to Fukuoka in late April or early May 1945. Prior to that time, flyers were sent to Tokyo, but he came to the Intelligence Staff Section of WA and said that henceforth it would not be necessary to send B29 flyers to Tokyo, that they shall be taken care of by the WA. The intelligence staff 0 asked that they be permitted to send them to Tokyo as in the past, for it was difficult to take care of them. KIKKAWA (Yoshikawa) then said -that in that case send only the plane captain, that if WA executes the remaining crewmembers, Tokyo will take care of (meaning ’’execute") the plane captain, too. YAMANAKA and NAKAO know the details of the KIKKAWA information. One of the two told Defendant around that time that KIKKAWA (Yoshikawa) had said that flyers were being executed in Nagoya and Osaka. Defendant is not certain what the Chief of Intelligence was SUGINOO or INAGA, but either YAMANAKA or NAKAO would naturally have reported KIKKAWA’s information to him. |