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43, a staff Officer of 16 A in November 1941; in August 1942 administrative Officer in Military affairs Section, WD; in Aril 1945, C/S 201 Div. in Tokyo, highest rank col.; demobilized November 1946; Served with PWIB from 1 September to mid-October 1945. PWIB was directly under Minister of War SHIMOMURA; Lt. Gen. Hiroshi TAMURA was director of PWIB, the ex Officer Karoru OTAJIMA. Defendant's main duty was to make contact with Minister of War, who established an Investigation Committee early in October 1945 to investigate Allied PW treatment and war criminal suspects, hoping to keep trial of war criminals under Jap control. The vic-Minister was appointed chairman of a central committee with sub-committees to handle areas, all committees in Tokyo, then a committee in 1 and 2 A Hq. Lt. Gen. WAKAMATSU, Vice Min. of War was chairman; Lt. Gen. YOSHIZUMI vice-chairman, with Lt. Gen. TSUBOSHIMA, Chief PW Investigation Division; Lt. Gen. OYAMA Chief of Legal Affairs Bureau; (replaced, Lt. Gen. TAMURA, director of PWIB, Maj. Gen. KONUMA, Ex. O PW Inves. Division and Maj. Gen. NASU of the Military Service Bureau. NASU served only a short time. By 1 January 1946 the Committee was composed of Lt. Gen. KOZUKI, Lt. Gen. YOSHIZUMI, Lt. Gen. TSUBOSHIMA, Lt. Gen. OYAMA, Lt. Gen. HARA, Lt. Gen. KONUMA, dropping WAKAMATSU, TAMURA and NASU, adding KOSUKI (vice Min. of war), and HARA, ex Vice Minister of War. YOSHIZUMI had 4 assistants, Col YOSHIMOTO, Col. ARAO and LT. Colonels TAKAKURA and SHIMANUKI. The administration unit was composed of Col. TAKAHASHI with Lt. Colonels THIMANUKI, TAKAKURA, INOUE and KAJIWARA. After 1 November the Administration Unit was handled by the PW investigation Division with TSUBOSHIMA a Chief, KONUMA as Executive Officer and OGOSHI and TAKAHASHI. Col. ODAJMA of the PWIB was chairman of the Committee investigating POW camps in Japan proper. KOZUKI, Yoshio, was a Lt. Gen., and had been CG of the Jap army in Korea, and replaced HARA as vice Minister of War in December 1945. Shigeyoshi SUZUKI never submitted a report to the committee. A careful account of the personnel, organization, and duties is given. WAH was slow in reporting, and their reports seemed inadequate and inconclusive. Chairman of the Committee: WAKAMATSU from surrender to October 30, 1945 HARA- to 19 December 1945 KOZUKI- still serving. The Committee directed reports from the C/S of each army by 10 December 1945 (ATIS 37255 a copy of that order). The report, he thinks, did not list airmen killed at KIU, WA, or Aburayama in the WA report. Lt. Gen. OYAMA was sent to WAH in November 1945, by the Minister of War, Defendant thinks, Defendant went with TAMUARA on 1 December for liaison purposes at the time the Demob. Bureau was established. Defendant talked to INADA about a report in response to the 20 September order, also met FUKUSHIMA, YAKUMURU. TSUBOSHIMA went to WA in December 1945, but not officially, Defendant thinks. OYAMA and OKI went there about 3 January 1946, OKI to replace Gen. ITO, OYAMA on TDY to begin investigation as to American airmen. WA had submitted a report listing flyers, some sent to Tokyo, some to Hiroshima, the balance of 31 flown to Tokyo. About 13 December 1945 WA Demob reported the location of remains of Allied personnel. Except for 4 airmen, all the other listed had died in the rural area where the plane crashed, nothing as to KIU or executions. INADA submitted a report of 15 December 1945 to the vice Min. of War, admitting that the report that 31 airmen had been flown to Tokyo at the end of the war was false. TSUBOSHIMA sent Defendant to Fukuoka from 8 to 12 January to check on the 31 men, who checked with INADA and OKI. INADA told Defendant it was useless to see FUKUSHIMA and SATO, the implication being he didn't want him to see them. INADA said that he and the army commander (NISHIHARA?) had nothing to do with the report, but FUKUSHIMIA and SATO said they did, that OKI tried to favor the LS, that INANDA was therefore watching him, that he would soon submit a report disclosing 31 had been killed. The OKI Investigation report was dated 16 January 1946, received the 18th or 19th, stated 31 flyers were executed at 3 executions. There was no report that 9 flyers were sent to Hiroshima. As to that report there was a special meeting, as to which TSUBOSHIMA told Defendant (at the time of this statement) that KAWAMURA, KIKKAWA, KOZUKI, YOSHIZUM, OYAMA, TSUBOSHIMA, KONUMA and HARA attended, that it was decided to stand by the false report. Defendant heard a rumor in April 1946 that the Hiroshima 9 were killed, had been told not to investigate until an official report was made. All reports except for WA had been submitted to SCAP. The WA report was approved in final form 23 January, based on the 16 January report, the names of those mentioned deleted, was submitted about mid-January. On submission of the WA report TSUBOSHIMA, KONUMA and Defendant talked to TOMOMORI as to the execution. About this time INADA came in, was asked if the CG ordered the executions, and INADA replied that there was no such order out, but that from time to time the CG (YOKOYAMA) had stated that when the enemy lands on the mainland we will have to kill all the Prisoners, that possibly the order was misunderstood by SATO, who apparently arranged the first execution. As to the 2nd execution (10 August) INADA said that SATO claimed that he had permission from TOMOMORI, but that TOMOMORI denied this. INADA stated that SATO claimed that FUKUSHIMA had given permission to execute the remaining flyers (15 August), but FUKUSHIMA denied this. Defendant did not believe that SATO was of sufficient authority and responsibility to be responsible for the executions. Defendant then returns to Demob., finds that the 23 January 1946 report re WA executions was not sent to SCAP but was redrawn dated 20 February 1946, which was sent to Central Liaison Office and then submitted to SCAP. A report of 5 February from Western Demobilization asked that previous report be destroyed and instant report substituted, in which the names of ITO, TOMOMORI and FUKUSHIMA were omitted. A report frim Chugoku A Demob (of 31 Jan 1946?) was received containing the 9 flyers (their names). The committee received a report made by Western Demob. to CIC in Feb. 1946. Defendant was replaced by Col. KANEKO about 20 Apr. 1946, at which time all files were intact. TAKETOMI took charge of the files re WA, NAKADAI as to Chubu A. Defendant believes all the files re WA are still present except the 1st list of Allied dead (10 Nov.). A report from Lt. Gen. UCHIYAMA as to Chubu A is missing; he telephoned and asked that certain corrections be made.
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