Statements Concerning Komori

Statement of Makino (18 June 1947) First operation: Makino went to the Autopsy Room, the operation was already in progress. When Makino first looked, the incision had already been made, and Ishiyama and Komori were applying gauze trying to stop the flow of blood. Ishiyama and later Komori both said to the army staff Officer, (Sato?), "The operation is very diffi­cult."

Makino went to the latrine, on way back he stopped in the autopsy room again and stood at the foot of the operating table. Ishiyama and Komori were still working on the Prisoner's chest.

As Tanaka and Makino came out of the door of their lab, they met Ishiyama and the army doctor coming down the hall. The army doctor (Komori ?) was carrying two jars, with what looked like a lung in one, a liver in the other. Makino is quite sure that this is what it was.

After the operation Tanaka, and Makino took specimens for histology research and after they had taken them - Makino states "I knew then that the army physician (Komori ?) must have taken the rest.”

Goshima (after operation) took the gauze from the Prisoner*s right shoulder, and Makino then noticed that the right lung had been removed. This is the lung that the army doctor (Komori ?) must have taken.

About 2-3 days later, on 19 May - 2nd operation. Makino went to Autopsy Room. The army doctor (Komori ?) was standing on this side of the table and directly opposite him on the other side of the table stood Ishiyama.

Makino noticed, as he stood on tiptoes, that both Ishiyama and Komori were using gauze and "Kocher" trying to stop the flow of blood from an opening in the Prisoner’s stomach. The blood must have been flowing freely because they were both applying new gauze often, and each time they took their hands back from the opening in the Prisoner's stomach the gauze and their hands would be dripping with blood.

Komori then changed his gloves. Ishiyama and Komori were working vary fast and talking to each other. Another doctor during all this time was holding the Prisoner*s arm outstretched taking his pulse, was on Komori's side of the table. About the time that Ishiyama and Komori changed their gloves this doctor raised his head, said something to Ishiyama, who then said some­thing to him, whereupon either the one taking the pulse or the one standing behind him sent and brought a glass container containing about 1000 cc of clear liquid, like water, from where it was standing on an instrument table.

After the injection of sea water, they then moved the transfusion apparatus aside, and Makino noticed that Komori and Ishiyama were still working in the incision of the Prisoner*s stomach.

After Ishiyama had removed the liver, he and Komori continued to work in the opening of the Prisoner's stomach with gauze and "Kocher."

Statement of Makino Cont’d . On being shown a picture of Yoshio Mori, Makino states that he first saw him standing near IKomori at the liver operation, but he was at the table in the far right corner of the autopsy room across the table from Hirao when Tanaka and Makino reentered the room. Stomach operation:

The operation performed on the same day as Liver operation by Mori and Hirao. Hirao then finished suturing and said, "It is finished." Mori then said, "Let,s go on to the next one." The stomach incision was not sutured. The Army Medical Officer, Komori, walked over to the table. (Ed. - While Makino previously speaks of "Komori" and "the army doctor,” this is the first time he so describes Komori so as to suggest that he is talking about the same individual.)

Mori made an incision over the heart and the ribs were retracted by Hirao and the heart exposed. Someone across from Mori— it might have been either Komori or Hirao, used forceps and clamped the artery leading from the heart. Mori cut the heart sac, and, Makino believes, made a small incision in the heart itself, and Mori, Hirao and the other doctor, who Makino believes was Komori, all bent over close to the incision, talking in low voices. Either Komori or Hirao reached into the incision and took the heart in his hand and lifted it up to the incision. It was not beating. 

When Komori came over to the table, before they started on the heart opera­tion, he asked, "Is he dead?" Either Mori or Hirao said "Yes, he is." It was at this moment that the person stopped taking the Prisoner’s pulse.

After the heart operation the incision was not sutured, but the incision was "layed" back together and gauze was put over it. Then Komori said ”Now I will take out the liver.” He retracted the incision with one hand and pulled the intestines aside with the other. He held the intestines back with,his left hand and with a pair of scissors cut out the liver and lifted it out of the incision, said, "This is easily done” and placed it in a glass jar about 8" high and 12" in diameter. He then said "This is the liver I am going to take home."

Makino doesn’t know whether the liver operation was still going on at the other table, but Ishiyama and the other doctors were still around the table. Komori came back to the table, and, after looking inside the incision, looked at Tanaka and Makino and said "If you guys (??) want more specimens, it’s all right to take them."

While Komori had the liver in his hand, Tanaka came to the table. Komori be­gan retracting the neck incision himself, and then Tanaka again walked away. Makino doesn’t know whether he went to where Ishiyama was operating or not. Tanaka came back again and said that there were certain specimens they did not get the last time that they’d like to have them. Komori asked if they wanted them for the students’ histology class. Tanaka said yes, walked away again. Komori then said, "well, if that is the case, bring your jar of formaldehyde and I will take out the specimens for you.

Makino brought the jar of formaldehyde and Komori took small specimens, about the size of the head of a little finger, from the trachea, larynx and the thyroid gland, and placed them in the bottle of formaldehyde. Makino did not tag them.

Statement of Makino Cont’d . Komori asked if Makino wanted the tongue also, Makino said no since he would have to help open his mouth to do it.

Tanaka then came to the table, said that he would now take some specimens also. Komori had left just before Tanaka arrived at the table.

Statement of Matake (17 July 1947) Matake ate noon meal at Officers Club Hospital; Miyamoto made a toast to Matake, the former hospital head. Re­calls that there were present Miyamoto, Komori, Shinno, Ito, Shiokawa (she poured the drinks), Kanehisa, Kishi, and M/Sgt. Asamizu, Tsurumaru may have come in at the end of the meal; Momoda and Sasaki may have been there.

Tsurumaru came in later, ate some of the human liver; Matake believes Komori told him what it was.

Matake states that while at the Officers Club Hospital on his way to tend to his financial business, he heard Head Nurse Shiokawa telling someone in a loud voice, "PO Komori brought back a big ugly liver; oh, how horrid," At the hospital, Matake talked with Miyamoto, Ito, Komori, Kanehisa, Shiokawa and "with about everyone.” Matake stayed at the hospital about 10 minutes arranged with Miyamoto to have lunch there.

Matake returned about 1200. Already seated were Ito, Komori, Kanehisa, Shinno, Miyamoto, Oda, M/Sgt. Asamizu of the Headquarters Finance Section, who worked mostly at the hospital.

Shortly after they started, Komori told them that the meat on the table was human liver taken from an American PW during operations at KIU. After he finished saying this, they continued to eat the human liver.

Tsurumaru entered the dining room during the latter part of the meal, and Komori told him that they were eating human liver, and Tsurumaru ate some of it, "guesses" that he already knew where the liver cans from.

Komori stated that if the 6th air force were beaten, Japan would be beaten, that he had heard in staff section that when all the young flyers were killed they would have to go up in planes and fight at the front.