Statements Concerning Sato

Statement of Tashiro, Jiro. (9-24 Oct 47). At an operation in May, several days after the sake party, Sato came.

Statement of Kubo (8 Oct 47), Kubo was present only at the first series of operations. Someone said the name of the Officer Who was present, was Lt. Col. Sato.

Statement of Suzuki (18 Nov 47). In late Jan 46, Suzuki was sent by order of the Demob Min to investigate WAH case, remained about 12 days, A report from WAH had been received giving the names of Sato, Wako, Fukushima, Tomomori and Ito, as war ranting war crimes investigation as to murder of captured enemy airmen.

On Suzuki's second trip, in late March, Inada told him he had ordered Oki to tell him everything about the case, was sorry he was angry. He had planned to interview Sato in Tokyo, since he appeared to be hiding from.the other Officers in Fukuoka, could never be located, but he did not come up. Suzuki believes Sato was under suspicion since, it was known he had reported at the Beppu CIC,

Suzuki, on his second Fukuoka trip, was there from early to late March 1946, returned because he could not straighten out the stories of Yokoyama and Sato.

Statement of Toji (2 Jan 48). After the 19 June airraid, Toji learned his mother had been killed. On 20 June Toji saw a number of men running to the SW area of the compound by the creek, hestopped one and learned there was an execution of American Prisoners, so he went there. Saw Sato and Gen Ito standing with others, 4 Prisoners about 30 meters from place of execution, blindfolded with hands tied, 3 or 4 bodies were in the pit about 3 yds long, 2 yds wide, probably 4' deep.

Sato and Ito Were standing several yards from the pit. Since they were the highest ranking Officers present Toji went to the, saluted and asked to execute the flyers, it being fitting since his mother had been killed. Sato agreed and Toji borrowed a sword from a P.O.

Ito was highest ranking Officer present, stood with Sato about 6' from pit.

After the War Sato told Toji to find a place to hide if necessary.

Statement of Kikkawa (1-6 Nov 47). On 20-21 Aug 45, Sato came to Tokyo, told Kikkawa what Aihara had previously told him (about the rpt Watkins might give about his crew) and Kikkawa snaswered as he had Aihara, Sato said about 40 flyers had been executed.

On 25-26 Aug, Aihara. returned, told him that 2nd A had refused assistance to Sato, pleaded with Kikkawa to assist in a cover-up. Kikkawa had already reed transfer orders to the Staff Section of the Chu-koku area A at Hiro­shima, so he told Aihara he would give s&me thought to his problems.

Sato felt he must give assistance to the neighboring unit, was transferred 30 Aug. On 5 or 6 Sept, Sato came to Hiroshima and Kikkawa took him to see

Statement of Kikkawa contd . . . Sr Staff Officer, Col. Kitano (Sato and he knew one another). Kitano told him he was to have to discuss it with C/S Lt. Gen. Saburo Kawamura and the CG Lt. Gen. Hisao Tani of the Chukoku Area A. 4 or 5 days later, Sato went with Kitano to Kawamura and the 3 then went to Tani, who said that they must assist the neighboring army. Kikkawa later heard that Tani was a good friend of Inada. Sato wanted them to accept all 40 as killed in the atomic bombing, but Kitano and Kikkawa refused to accept this many. Sato then said that a pilot named Watkins had been sent to Tokyo, that his plane crashed near Mt Aso and his captured crew of 6 had been killed at WAH, that as soon as Watkins reported his crew at WAH, there would be trouble, so asked Hiroshima to accept these 6 and perhaps a few more so that it would not look suspicious. They decided on 9, at the time. This was told to Tani who said 9 would be alright.

A messenger was sent to WAH with a verbal message of acceptance of the 9 flyers, in middle Sept 45. He returned with the ashes of 9 flyers. Said that Sato told him that these were the ashes of the flyers. All the ashes were wrapped together in paper, making a pkg about 8" x 3".

The Tokyo report Kikkawa saw, stated that there were 3 executions, one on the day following the Fukuoka bombing in June, of eight. The second on the day following the Nagasaki bombing in Aug, of eight. The third on 15 or 16 Aug, of about 15. The report used the names of Sato, head of LS (Ito), Idezono (as to the second series), Tomomori (as present with Idezono).

Sato came to Hiroshima in response to Kikkawa's telegram with a copy of the June 45 report to the PWIB, that some flyers had been killed in the Fukuoka bombing, and he gave Kikkawa 6 names of persons from the Watkins plane.

Sato checked off the 6 names, wrote them on a piece of paper, kept the report and Kikkawa threw this paper away as soon as he got the official report of names from WAH.

Statement of Nakamura (20 Oct 47). On Aug 15, Maj Kusumoto called Nakamura to his office, told Nakamura to bring along a few soldiers and coffins for the bodies to cremate the bodies of those killed that day.

After the executions, about 1600, Nakamura reported his orders from Kusumoto to Sato, who told him to proceed with the cremation. 

Statement of Oki (9-13 Nov 47). On 16 Jan, Oki prepared a report for the Min of the 1st Demob, from Chief of Demob Bur, which Inada, Akita, Nishihara saw. This stated that the report that 31 flyers were not killed at WAH but were placed on a suicide plane disguised as a plane from Gen Staff Hq was false, that about 8 of these were killed at WAH on 20 June, 8 on about 10 Aug. 5 on 15 Aug. That Sato, Ito, Wako, Idezono, Tomomori, Fukushima, and Kusumoto were related to this case.

These notes of Oki's also contained the statement by Sato that Yokoyama had given permission for the executions. 

Statement of Oki contd . . . Inada told Oki not to report this Sato state­ment, since it was not true, he also told him to leave out any reference to Lt. Gen, Isa, who was Acting CG at Fukuoka when Yokoyama moved to Yamae.

The last change: In the first report, Oki reported that Sato ordered Kusumoto to have the remaining flyers executed by the young officers in the operations section. Since Kusumoto was used only to relay the orders of Sato, Oki left his name out in the second report.

Statement of Nakao (10 Sept 47), Plane survivors were brought to WAH by the KT, turned over to the Ad j Sec under Lt, Col Jin and Capt Goiyama of the Adj Sec usually received the Prisoners and placed them in Prison, would then notify Intell Sec and Inenage would then schedule the survivors for questioning which was usually done by Col, Sato, Maj Inenage and 2nd Lt Yamanaka with Nakao as interpreter.

Nakao recalls that Sato, on one occasion pushed a PW in the chest.

On 17 Aug 45, Nakao was called to Hirao Hq, where Sato, Kusumoto, Aihara, Tomomori and Yakumaru were talking. When they finished, Sato told Nakao that all the Prisoners had.been killed., that if anyone asked Nakao what happened he should say they had been sent to Tokyo on an Imperial Staff Hq plane.

Sato told Nakao, at Hirao, that some of the PWs were killed at the hospital.

When a flyer v/as captured, Aihara received notification by telephone, and the Air Defense Operation Sec would receive notification of the crash and number of survivors. This information would be received by Sato and the Intell Sec,

Yamanaka would arrange for the interrogation, would notify Lt. Col. Sugino of the plans and Sato of the intention. Sugino had never attended interrogation but sometimes Sato, ilihara and Enatsu would. Interrogations were carried out according to rank and importance of positions. Yamanaka would write notes during the interrogation, give verbal reports to Sugino and to Sato, if Sato did not attend. 

In middle May, P.O. Komori came to see Nakao, led him out into the hall, said "we are going to take the flyer who is wounded in the leg, to the U. hospital to perform and experimental operation and would like your help in interpreting." Then led Nakao to a neighboring room where Sato, Aihara and Enatsu were talking. [Marginal Note: no ]

Nakao then recalls that Aihara and Yakumaru went along the tire he went to the U. (see Sept 47 statement). Didn’t come back on the truck, but with Sato, the 3 arriving later. Nakao also recalls guiding the 2 blindfolded Prisoners in the building.

Statement of Yukino (18 June 46). About 29 July, Sato told Yukino the Prisoners were to be turned over to the Staff Officer's Section, and to order a truck,

Statement of Yukino contd . . . In early Dec, Sato and Fukushima ordered Yukino to report to WAH, whereupon he was told some Prisoners had been killed. Sato and. Fukushima asked questions. as to how many Prisoners on certain dates, food and shelter.

Statement of Yukino (3 Jul 47). From Sept or Oct 44, to 10 Jul 45, Yukino was assigned to the WAH Staff Sec under Sato, as a Capt. His duties to tour the Army Air bases in So. Kyushu and to inspect the fuel and ammunition storage facilities.

Statement of Yukino (13 Sept 46). Sato told Yukino to state that he went alone to bury human ashes on Mt. Hirao, but 1st Lt. Minoru Nakamura went with him. Yukino believes they were the ashes of 9 Jap civilians.

The ashes of the Jap civilians that Yukino buried at Hirao were obtained from the Aburayama crematory. Sato ordered Yukino to get the ashes of 9 civilians, told him to bury them at Hirao without telling anyone.

In early Sept, about 10 days after Yukino buried -the ashes at Hirao, Sato came to Hirao Hq and ordered Yukino to get the ashes of 8 Jap persons at the Aburayama crematory, since there were ashes of 8 persons missing after the Hiroshima, bombing, to take along an MCO from Hiroshima who was there (2nd A Hq). Yukino and the NCO wrapped the Jap ashes in 3 pkgs, then into one, and Yukino then g ave them to Kusumoto and Sato being present, and told Yukino to give them to the NCO.

Statement of Odashima (14 Nov 47), Odashima met Col. Sato in Tokyo once after the War. Sato came up to the PWIB to see-the Chief of the Bureau (Tamura) and Odashima talked to him immedlately after.

Odashima believes Sato then went by himself into the Inform and Intell Sec, Odashima’ recalls that Sato told him that he came to discuss matters re captured enemy flyers with the PWIB Chief.

Statement of Yamamoto (3 Oct 46). Yamamoto was an investigator under Sato for about a month with Western Demob.

In May 1946, Sato told Yamamoto of 3 executions at WAH, the first involving 8, about 19 June, the second about 11 Aug involving 8, and the third eh out 15 Aug, at Aburayama involving 15. Yamamoto believes Sato was investigating crash survivors. About 16 or 17 May 1946, heard from Maj Harasaki that Fukushima, Akita and Sato were conferring regarding a report they were going to submit to SCAP.

Yamamoto saw a paper on which was written the names and ranks of 9 Prisoners had by Sato, who said that these men had sent to Hiroshima.

Statement of Toji (15 Apr 46). Toji then made the following statement to the group "my mother was killed in the air raid on Fukuoka City this morning, and I believe it' fitting that I be the one uho kills these American flyers."

Sato then gave Toji permission, he borrowed a sword from an officer candidate.

Statement of Toji contd . . . Of about 15 witnessing the executions, Toji remembers Ito, Sato, Wako, 1st Lt Murata, and Cpl Kenichiro Kawai, Air Corps Intell CO.

Statement of Nakayama (8 Jul 47). On 15 Aug 45, was stationed at WAH, heard that the Japs were to surrender, then went to the office of the Adjutant, Kusumoto, who with Sato were discussing the execution of American Prisoners.

About 1430, Sato ordered Nakayama to accompany him to the place of execution, where he saw 2 Prisoners lying in tall grass, dead, beheaded, with 3 or 4 alive,

Sato ordered the corpses to be buried and he and Nakayama left for WAH.

Statement of Nishihara (14-19 Jul 47). Inada, Nishihara's C/S, advised Nishihara in the last of November or 1st of Dec, that Sato, Ito and Fukushima had something to do with atrocities, that between June and iiug 45, 31 PWs were killed.

Statement of Yrmanaka (18-27 Sept 46). In Yamanaka's opinion, the sending of the Prisoners to the Hospital was with the approval of the CG, the C/S or the Asst C/S because before Sato could have released the PW for the purpose he would have had to have had the approval of Ito.

30 Nov, 45, Sato called Yamanaka to Western Demob, told him to compile a list of names of the captured American flyers, but he didn't know. At the time Maeda, Hashiyama and Akamine. were there, were angry because Sato told them to state, they said, that they beheaded the Prisoners of their free will and reed no orders, if questioned by the OF, and that they were to farther assume the responsibility for the 15 Aug executions. Sato told Yamanaka to state that if he were ever questioned about the executions, he was to say that he knew nothing.

Yamanaka overheard Nakao, and Sakura say that Sato beat PWs

Statement of Enatsu (23 Sept -31 Oct 47). Yakumaru had complete authority over the Prisoners. In about June 45, Sato took over these duties from Yakumaru.

Enatsu was present when a total of 6 American flyers were questioned by Sato and Yamanaka.

Upon the capture of Prisoners, Sato would immediately be notified. A report as to names and number of Prisoners, would go to the TD,-circulate thru Yakamaru Sato, Fukushima, Inada, possibly the CG (Yokoyama) and S+aff Section and Civ Air Defense and Guard Section.

Enatsu attended 4 interrogations of 7 flyers. The first was about 8 May, he was invited by Sato. Also present were Sato, Yamanaka, Nakao, 2 or 3 NCOs.

About-middle May, Ito told Enatsu that Sato had recommended to him that PWs be executed without trial, that such was impossible, that they should be tried by a Mil Comm, that he was going to order the KT to conduct an investigation.