Statements Concerning Yoshinao Sato

SATO, YOSHINAO

Statement of Sato (13 July 1946)

Sato identifies Shizuko Tsutsui by sight, not by name, as Ishiyama's chief nurse, recalls that at the 3rd operation on the PWs. on the 7th or 8th of June she was threading the needle to sew up the incision, would then hand it to Ishiyama. She was present at all 3 of the operations.

Statement of Sato (17 July 1946)

In May 1945 Komori told Sato he thought the American PWs at WAH looked under-nourished and sickly, that he would like to take them to KIU Hospital; Sato said that would be alright, Sato knows of no order from higher headquarters ordering these men to be taken to KIU Hospital to be used for experimental operations; if there had been one, it would have been secret and just seen by the CG, Chief of Staff, then issued directly to the Chief Medical Officer as a secret order, (Yokoyama, Inada, Horiuchi)

Sato recalls that after the first operation Komori told him that he had the permission of Horiuchi to use the PWs in medical experiments, that "the rest of the army doctors did not have enough guts to go along with him on these experimental operations." Sato did not order Ishiyama to perform these opera­tions; if there was an order it must have been given him by Komori. When Komori came to Sato he said he had the permission of Yokoyama to use these men far experimental operations; Sato then went to Yokoyama to confirm this, and he did so. Sato is positive that Ishiyama and the hospital staff did not re­quest to perform these operations.

Sato believes most of the PWs operated on were captured in Kumamoto and Oita kens. When brought to WAH they were confined in a small cell, were not used to the food so became undernourished. Some had light wounds on their bodies; none were seriously hurt nor did they require, in Sato’s opinion, hospitaliza­tion.

Komori examined the PWs at the prison, submitted the list to Sato, who told either Komori or Aihara to submit this list to the General Affairs Section, and they handled the release of Prisoners. About 4-5 days before the 1st operation, Sato made a complete check of all PWs; Komori accompanied him and had the Prisoners strip to the waist and he then commented on their injuries. Except for very minor injuries, or wounds, Komori said that none of them were ill. Sato doesn’t know what basis Komori selected the PWs to be sent to the hospital. Sato is positive that most of the American PWs, did not need medi­cal operations. In 4-5 days there could not be 7-8 patients•needing hospitali­zation.