Statements Concerning Ishiyama

ISHIYAMA, Fukujiro (604).

Ishiyama hanged himself on 18 July 1946, at Dotemachi Prison, Kyushu. His will is as follows:

"For the crimes that I have committed I will have to die 10,000 times; but please forgive me for this one death. Please continue the research forever.

"To all of the professors - I do not know how to excuse myself.

"----the former members of the Japanese Army in the neighboring cells are discussing how to escape punishment. Oh how unbearable."

Written note found in cell: "Everything was ordered by the Army. I have the entire responsibility - Torisu, Morimoto, Senba, Mori, Tsutsui, were ordered by me to perform the operations - I am very sorry for Hirako."

Yoshinaro Sato, who occupied the next cell, stated after the suicide that Ishiyama had told him that he had not performed the operation of his own will, but was ordered to do so by the Army.

Statement of Ishiyama (604 - 31 July). (Not in file). According to the report of this statement Ishiyama related that these experimental operations were known to the Kyushu University students. One operation was for "wound in lung", but the lung had no injury. Sate and a second officer were present in the room where the operations were performed.

Assistants to Ishiyama were Komori, Torisu and Hirao, the nurses were Tsutsui and Miki; Hirako was an observer. Major Yakumaru and Col. Sato were witnesses. Captain Alhara was a witness of the second experiment.

Statement of Ishiyama (604 - 16 July) "Tosu and Senba experimented on animals in their research on sea water. Senba also treated a large number of patients with excellent results according to Ishiyama who claims responsibility for this research.

Of the patients so treated, 70 were laparotomy (abdominal wall cases), in addition, there were cases of cancer of the bone, caries (decay of animal tissue - bone), cholotithiasis (gall stone), and a large number of persons burned in the Fukuoka air raid. Of these patients treated from the air raid, 90% were cured and 10% died, the latter deaths being the result of severe b u m s and not any discernible effect of the sea water."

About the 16th or 17th of June 1945 Ishiyama received a telephone call from Komori to come for consultation on injection of wounded "foreign soldier". Ishiyama did go and gave Instructions as to the sea water injection with which "I was then experimenting". The patient died three hours later. Surgery was not performed since it was useless. While the patient was dead evidently a second injection was given. [Marginal Note: cholilithiasis ]

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Statement of Hirako (399). The accused was a participant in the experimental operation. He gave special lectures at the Army hospital. He asked Hirako for use of the dissecting room,despite the fact there were two operating rooms in his own building. Further, he told Hirako to dis­pose of the ashes so that kn there would be no traces left of any corpus delecti - evidently this was in March 1946. Ishiyama was a friend of Hirako. Hirako states that he knows operations of this type would not help mankind.

Manuscript of Hirako (604). The accused telephones Hirako about 10 May and asked for the use of his laboratory roon the next day. On about 20 May Ishiyama used it without requesting Hirako, telling Hirako sub­sequently that there was no time since the POWs had been transported to the hospital unexpectedly. This same situation took place three more times. Ishiyama was the Chief Surgeon of the lung, heart and brain operations. Hirako did not observe the fourth operation.so he doesn't know what Ishiyama's part was. In the brain operation Hirako advised Ishiyama. Evidently Ishiyama was present at the banquet given by the military in appre­ciation of the operating personnel. After the war Ishiyama consulted with Hirako and Sate with reference to keeping these experiments secret. He also fired the younger nurses. Ishiyama was "in charge of the military".

Mori interview (39l). On 21 or 22 May, Ishiyama told Mori that the POWs were to be operated on and directed Mori as to the injection. Ishiyama was one of the leading persons.

Statement of Tsutsui (399). Ishiyama kept a diary which was destroyed after surrender. He was present at the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th operations. Ishiyama was consulted by Sato after the war.

Statement of Morimoto. Ishiyama operated on a B-29 crewman with a bullet in his shoulder, with Komori and Morimoto, in the anatomy room. Ishiyama told Morimote about other operations. Ishiyama, in May or June 1945, operated in the autopsy room on a B-29 flier. This was a chest operation, the purpose being supposedly to remove a bullet, but it was experimental.

Statement of Senba (399). Ishiyama was the main participant in these operations. There were six operations. The first operation was a chest or a lung operation. The second was a brain operation. As to the second, the brain operation, Ishiyama stated that we should have used Bovie-electro surgical units. The third operation was a stomach operation, but Ishiyama did not participate. The fourth was a liver, the fifth a brain and the sixth a gall bladder operation. [Marginal Note: a diathermic current which can be used for... ]

Statement of Torigu (399). Ishiyama was a participant in the second lung operation. In discussing the operation with Sato, Ishiyama stated how difficult it was to remove a lung, but, nevertheless, he would do it. Two or three days later, when Sato thanked Ishiyama, the reply was "you are welcome". Torisu heard there were three more operations performed, This information coming from Ishiyama.

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Statement of Mori (399). Ishiyama told Mori about the first operation that was performed 21 and 22 May 1945, at 1600, in the dissecting room, which was in the Anatomy Section, it being a lobectomy. Ishiyama made an incision in the chest of the first POW,and the lung was taken out* There was nothing wrong with the lung. Secondly, he went to the other operating table to perform a partial liver resection which was an experiment.

Statement of Yakamoru (not in file - 604). Ishiyama, participant in the liver experimental operation.

Statement of Hirao (604 - not in file). Ishiyama was a participant in the lung experimental operation in the middle of May and in the brain operation. These operations were exploratory and experimental.

Statement of Aihara (604 - 2 July). Ishiyama was in the operating room in early June or late July, Kyushu Hospital, when an operation took place on the back of a POW's head.

Statement of Sato (604 - 2 July). Sato was told by Komori that Ishiyama was experimenting with a salt water drug. On 27 May Ishiyama operated on a lung and said that the operation was a success. Sato replies that Ishiyama was the chief participant in all of the three series that Sato saw. After the war ended Sato had several conferences with Ishiyama with the purpose of concealing these experiments.

[Marginal Note: pneumonectomy - removal of an entire lung / lobectomy - removal of one lobe of a lung ]

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