Statements Concerning Jin

Statement of Wako (25 Aug - 5 Sept 1947) The Adjutant's Section (Jin) was responsible for the maintenance of the buildings and property and for the issuiing of food and clothing of the Prisoners.

A special report concerning the acceptance of this case of 4 flyers for trial by the LS was sent to the Minister of War through the CG. Wako faintly recalls that a reply of approval was obtained by the Adjutant Section. (Jin), and then sent to the Chief of LS, Wako then turning it over to Murata, who sent it to the CO (Yokoyama). The CG’s han was on it.

Statement of Yakumaru (18 August 1947) Sato checked the adjutant section in regard to the welfare of the PCS (Jin), such as medical care, guards, etc.,

Statement of Fukushima (18-25 Aug 1947) Jin was in the Adjutant’s Section,

Statement of Kusumoto                   Jin became senior adjutant (WAH) at the end of April 1945. The senior Adjutant (Jin) was responsible for the adjutant section and internal administration affairs of headquarters, oversaw the work done in his section, was responsible for food and quarters for headquarters personnel. The.duties of internal administration: The feeding and housing of headquarters personnel, the preservation of headquarters buildings, the clean­ing of the headquarters area, charge of the headquarters automobiles, the handl­ing and guiding of persons coming for headquarters interviews, housing of headquarters guests, prevention and extinguishing of fires started in headquar­ters by air raids.

Kusumoto had no duties or responsibilities regarding PWs or captured flyers, except for aiding and advising Jin, until 26 June 1945. 1st Lt. Goiyama was responsible for handling the adjutant section duties regarding PWs, was directly responsible to Jin. After 26 June 1945 Capt. Yukino was responsible directly to Kusumoto. Jin, who had gone to Futsukaichi with part of headquarters, still held the supreme responsiblity in the adjutant section duties regarding PWs.

The adjutant Section could not release or intern Prisoners without orders from the staff section. (Jin) The Adjutant Section officer responsible for PWs and captured flyers (Goiyama, then Yukino) would receive orders regarding the PWs directly from the staff section, and he would then carry them out and then report this to the senior adjutant (Jin) or in his absence to Kusumoto.

Adjutant Section jprior to 26 June 1945:

Lt. Col., Jin; Senior Adjutant

etc.

26 June 1945, part of headquarters went to Yamaie, including Jin, Minami, Goiyama

and an unknown captain.'

The security of -the captured flyers was the responsibility of the senior adju­tant (Jin) although Kusumoto. aided and advised him; Kusumoto reported to Jin what Oguri had reported to him (that he had sent by order of Sato, a truck to KIU to take captured flyers there) in mid May on the same day, reported the other two occasions, but perhaps not on the same day. Jin said, ’’That is all right.” Appeared to know that the flyers were taken to the University.

Statement of Kusumoto Cont'd. ...... In an advisory and aiding capacity to Jin, it was' Kusumoto’s responsibility t° see that the flyers were given proper medical treatment. Kusumoto didn’t report the ether incident to Jin since it was a thing of the past, didn’t think he was interested, thought.a report was made to him since Goiyama was directly under Jin and naturally would have re­ported this matter to him. Kusumoto doesn’t recall talking to Jin about ex­perimental operations, but a day or so after Goiyama's story, Kusumoto talked to Jin about the fact that something had happened to the flyers at the University. Jin said, "Is that so?" Kusumoto didn't ask Komori in detail about the opera­tions. Kusumoto didn't talk to Jin about this, believed Komori reported this to him, because of Jin's responsibility regarding captured flyers.

On about 16 July Kusumoto reported to. Jin, stating, "There were some executions of fliers at Aburayama on 12 July 1945" Jin answered, "Is that so?"

On the evening of 15 August, Kusumoto heard from Yukino that the flyers had been executed at Aburayama,'that the officers of the staff operations section under Sato were present, that the coffins had been made in the Finance Section Hoom, that he had given them to Hashiyama. 2-3 days later Kusumoto reported to Jin, that executions of flyers had taken place at the headquarters on 15 August. Jin only answered, "Is that so?"

About a week after Yukino finally took the ashes to the temple, Kusumoto told Jin that the bodies of the flyers had been cremated at Aburayama, that Kurata had thrown most of the ashes in the ocean, but that a small part had been taken to a temple, and another small part had been buried.

Jin, who was working in the documents section of Western Demobilization Office, disliked the idea of hiding the KIU operations and the executions, did not approve of the concealment plan.

About 2-3 days before the end of the war, after the bombing of Kurume, 4 captured flyers were brought to WAH - at the time Yukino said he was instructed by staff section to prepare the jail for 5 more Prisoners, that he first went to the entrance I of the headquarters building to see the 5 flyers, then went to prepare the jail. During his absence Yukino told Kusumoto that Tomomori had ordered some flyers I standing near the entrance to beat the flyers, that they were beaten with closed fists, that they did not appear to have been beaten very severely. On his re­ turn, he saw all the Prisoners standing in the middle of a group of headquarters personnel. Yukino was told Tomomori had ordered the flyers to be beaten, so each had beer hit a few times. Yukino ordered the crowd away, received the flyers officially from the staff section and put them in jail. Kusumoto reported this matter to Jin the next day.

Statement of Honjo (25 June 1947) In the General Affairs Section were Akita, I Haba, Jin, Kusumoto, Nakatani, Negoro, Yakumaru.

Statement of Isa (30 Sept - 2 Oct 1947) Lt. Col. Jin was senior adjutant, directed I the adjutants’ section, was responsible for the personnel administration of Offi­cers and those having an equal position to an officer in the WA area. He held the seal of the CG and the Chief of Staff, would apply this seal to documents and or­ders in the name of the CG and C/S after checking the final document or order with the original rough draft of the same. He supervised military discipline within the Headquarters. Isa didn't think Jin had any duties as to PWs.