Statements Concerning Komori

Statement of Ogawa (Shiokawa) (16-18 July 1947) Ogawa recollects that there was a special lunch in late May or early June when either Miyamoto or Matake came back from the army for a visit. Ogawa helped serve at that lunch. Pre­sent: Komori, Kanehisa, Kishi, Ito, Shinno, Oda, Sasaki and Ogawa believes either Miyamoto or Matake.

Komori had brought a bottle of sake for the occasion. Each person was seated in a chair at the table, and a bowl of rice was placed at each place.

Ogawa recalls no meat served.

Statement of Manabe (Oki) 2nd series of operations;- After the Prisoners arrived they were prepared for the operations in a room near the class room. In a few minutes, 2 Prisoners were led into the room by about 5-6 soldiers including an interpreter who seemed to be a staff Officer, and an army doctor whose name Manabe learned was Komori. While the Prisoners were on the tables, Komori washed his hands.

Manabe assisted Komori, who performed a complete stomach resection. Komori was very careful in his work, the operation was performed in the usual manner. Komori instructed Mori, who stood across from him. This stomach resection was performed on the Prisoner at the far end of the room, whose head was toward the east. Manabe stood at the Prisoner's head to the right of Komori. The opera­ting instruments were on a small stand to the right of Manabe. Manabe handed the instruments to Komori with her right hand. The incision was made from just below the ribs straight down to the umbilicus. Mori held the clamps which held back the skin to the left side of the incision; he had to reach across the body to do this. Hirao, who stood to the right of Mori, held the clamps which retracted the skin to the right of the incision, and Komori performed the re­-section.

After the operations, Manabe was standing by the entrance of the Surgical Clinic and asked someone of the assistant professors whether the Prisoners had died or not. This person said they both died. At that time Manabe noticed that Komori had a metal tray in his hands containing the stomach which had been removed from the Prisoner.

3rd series - As before there were 5-6 guards(with the PWs when they arrived), including Komori on the truck.

Manabe left the Autopsy Section and went back to the Surgical Clinic for an extra length of cord for the operating lamp. When Manabe returned, all 3 PWs were on dissecting tables.

At this time one operation was in progress. Ishiyama and Komori were perform­ing this operation on a PW on a dissecting table in about the middle of the room and a little to the South. Manabe didn't see this operation or the others, since she made 2-3 trips back to the Surgical Clinic for various things which were needed, and is thus somewhat confused. Manabe later heard that this opera­tion she mentions above was a liver operation, that the whole liver was removed. Sometime while this operation was in progress Komori said that as it was late he would start the next operation.

Statement of Manabe Cont'd. Komori and 2-3 assistant professors proceeded to a 2nd Prisoner who was on a dissecting table parallel to the length of the room and to the North of the table where Ishiyama was continuing with the first operation. Manabe didn't see this operation, but heard one of the teachers mention on the way back to the Surgical Clinic, later, that this was a stomach operation.

Komori helped Ishiyama in the heart operation. After the heart operation was over Komori proceeded on the 3rd PW and cut out a large blood vessel in his leg; Komori at this time shouted at Yayama to bring him something. Later Yayama laughingly commented on what a loud voice Komori had.

The 3rd PW was on a dissecting table in the far, or eastern, part of the room; the table was parallel with the length of the room and the Prisoners head was toward the east. Komori cut out a large blood vessel in the Prisoner’s right leg and proceeded to drain the blood out of the body. At this same time Senba was injecting a fluid into the same Prisoner's left arm blood vessel. He told her that it was seawater. He was using a container with about 1000 cc capacity, and he filled this many times while Komori continued to drain the blood out of the Prisoner's leg. This Prisoner died, Manabe heard from Senba, before they left the room.

After the 3rd series, Komori asked for the blood which he had drained from the 3rd Prisoner— he said that he was going to make a poison from (sic) some kind of a bug, either bedbugs or fleas.

Once Komori said that the Prisoners were B-29 flyers who had fled into the hills around Kashi and had been picked up there.

Statement of Yayama (30 July 1947) 1st series - Komori came with the truck; there were 3 PWs aboard, blindfolded and handcuffed; 3-4 guards escorted the PWs to a room next to the Autopsy Room. They then went into the operating room and prepared for the operations.

Persons present during, these 3 operations on this date; Torisu, Komori, Suyama, Manabe, Tsutsui, Hirao, Miki, Ishiyama, Senba, Yayama.

The first PW was operated on in the abdomen; his stomach was removed. Ishiyama operated on the first PW; Komori stood to his right and assisted. Torisu stood opposite Ishiyama and helped by holding the incision open and kept the general area of the operation clean by frequently wiping it with gauze. Komori did the same as Torisu.

First, Komori and Torisu painted the stomach of the PW with iodine and cleaned it with alcohol. Ishiyama then made the incision about 12 centimeters from the bottom of the sternum to the umbilicus. The incision was made vertically. Komori and Torisu began stopping the bleeding by applying hemostats to the blood vessels. They also held the incision opened so that Ishiyama could open ate. Ishiyama cut the entire stomach and placed it in a metal container, then sutured the intestine to the trachea, (Ed note— does this actually refer to esophagus?) then went to another operation. At this time Komori walked away and went to another dissecting table where the 2nd Prisoner was lying.

Statement of Yayama Cont'd. At the 2nd table - Hirao painted the area (upper part of the left leg) with iodine, cleaned with alcohbli. Hirao then made a vertical incision on the upper part of the left leg. No tourniquet was applied. Hirao then cut the artery and it began bleeding. No attempt was made to stop the bleeding. Instead, Komori and Hirao attached a thin rubber hose to the artery and let the blood flow into a flask, which contained 1000 cc of blood when the operation was complete.

Senba injected sea water into the Prisoner’s left arm, stood next to Hirao and Komori stood on the other side of Hirao. All the doctors stood on the left side of the Prisoner.

Komori - assisted at 2 operations performed on the first and second PWs. Held incision opened, stopped bleeding by applying hemostats to blood vessels on first Prisoner. At 2nd operation, assisted Hirao cut artery on leg, inserted thin rubber hose into the arter so that blood from the Prisoner could flow into a glass container.

Komori was the only Japanese Officer present during these operations that Yayama recalls.

After the operations, Miki, Manabe and Yayama returned to the first Surgery Clinic Remaining in the Autopsy Room at that time: Ishiyama, Komori, Hirao, Senba, Mori, Morimoto, Suyama.

Statement of Nogawa (2-25 June 1947) 1st operation - Nogawa went by himself to the Autopsy Section about 1500, where there were present: Ishiyama, Komori, and Sato, standing near the rear wall on the left side of the room, and nearer to the hall and also on the left side of the room were Hirao, Torisu, Senba, and head nurse Tsutsui.

Komori went to a position on the left side of the Prisoner; Ishiyama took a position on the Prisoner’s right next to these 2 men (?) and at the Prisoner's feet were Torisu and Hirao. Komori proceeded to cut off the bandage from the Prisoner’s right shoulder, and an operating sheet was then placed over the body.

......

When the lung was nearly removed, Ishiyama and Komori became excited because the vein or the artery to this section of the lung began to bleed badly. Komori asked Senba, "Isn't the pulse rate bad?" Senba replied that it was.

After sea water was injected in Prisoners arm by Senba, the pleura was then put back in place, the ribs replaced, and the gauze placed over the incision. During the next 10-15 minutes, everyone stood around and watched the patient’s condition. Komori then once again retracted the ribs and the plura (sic). Komori then cut a large blood vessel in the Prisoner's chest, and allowed the Prisoner to bleed to death, the Prisoner dying shortly after this. Nogawa did not notice whether or not the ribs were replaced and the incision sewed up.

The Prisoner died as a direct result of the action of Komori in cutting the blood vessel. Soon after the blood vessel was cut, the Prisoner's face turned pale blue, and he died. From what Nogawa saw of the Prisoner's bullet wounds it did not appear that the bullets had penetrated to the lung; therefore the operation was unnecessary.

Statement of Nogawa Cont'd. Shortly after or during the first operation, Nogawa heard Komori tell Hirako that the Prisoner was one taken from a B-29 plane.

2nd series - At the right table on the right hand side of the Prisoner near his stomach was Ishiyama; Komori was on the Prisoner's left and near his head. Near the instrument table stood either Manabe or Miki. Senba was landing at the Prisoner's left hand shoulder just beyond Komori.

When Nogawa enters, he believes that one part of the Prisoner's lung had been removed and had been placed in a tray behind Ishiyama's back. Nogawa could not see the chest area operated on since it was covered with a sheet. Ishiyama and Komori were proceeding to perform a liver operation on the Prisoner; the in­cision had been made and retracted from just below the ribs down to the navel. Torisu and Hirao were holding the clamps which retracted the skin around the incision. Ishiyama was cutting off the left side of the liver. Komori was attempting to stop the flow of blood. After the left side was cut out a great deal of time was spent stopping the flow of blood from the surface of the liver from which the left side had been cut. After the flow of blood had suf­ficiently stopped, the incision was sutured with clamps.

Before this liver operation was completed, Komori and either Torism or Hirao left this operation and proceeded to the Prisoner who was lying on the dissect­ing table to the left. Nogawa believes Komori took his position on the right side of the Prisoner, the other doctor across from him. Nogawa thinks Manabe passed the instruments in this 2nd operation. This was a stomach operation, Nogawa believes. Shortly after Komori left the first Prisoner, Ishiyama finished . up and followed to the 2nd Prisoner; with him went whoever was left— Torisu or Hirao. Komori was in charge of this operation.

After operation, while the instruments were being assembled, Komori said to Ishiyama that he was going to put some poisonous medicine in this blood and make a poison for bedbugs.

27 May 1945 there was a meeting of the Fukuoka Surgical Assembly, at which meeting Ishiyama made the statement, following Tomoda's lecture on his experi­ments with AA, that AA is comparatively difficult to extract, while sea water is plentiful and should be used. Following this statement Komori stated that sea water could also be used when injected into the veins to relieve nervous trouble and pain resulting from open wounds.

3rd series of operations. About 1500 a truck appeared with soldiers; Nogawa went into the Autopsy class room to announce the arrival of the Prisoners. Ishiyama and Hirako who had gone back into the building previously came outside again. Nogawa followed them out near the truck. Ishiyama and the army doc­tor, Komori, were talking.

Nogawa stood near the rear entrance of the Autopsy Section for a few minutes, then went into the Autopsy class room where the operations were held via the rear entrance. One Prisoner was already covered with an operating sheet. In the room were Ishiyama, Hirako, Komori, Mori, Hirao, Morimoto, Senba, Tsutsui and 2-3 other nurses, including, perhaps, Miki.

Statement of Nogawa Cont’d. ....Nogawa returned briefly to the Surgery Clinic to give treatment to some patients, returned shortly before 1600 to the Autopsy Room, where there were 2 PWs on dissecting tables, arranged the same as at the 2nd- series of operations.

The operation on the right hand side of the room had been finished.

Soon after, Ishiyama told Mori to perform a stomach operation on the PW who was lying on the table on the left. Mori stood on the Prisoner’s right, Hirao on his left. Miki was standing at the far side of the instrument table from where the operation was going on. Komori stood across from Hirao and Mori. Nogawa left the room, relaxed out on the grass behind the Autopsy Section.

40-50 minutes later Nogawa reentered. Ishiyama was performing a heart opera­tion on a PW at the right hand table. Ishiyama was standing on the Prisoner’s right, Komori on his left.

After the incision had been made in the heart and then sutured - 2-3 minutes after the heart operation was completed, the Prisoner died. "I guess he died as a result of the operation." Nogawa thinks either Ishiyama or Komori said the Prisoner died.

Statement of Suyama (20 July - 1 August 1947) Miki and Suyama did not know how the room was to be arranged (1st operation) but made few preparations. Ishiyama then came in the room with Torisu, Hirao, Mori, Senba, Nogawa and Komori.

Komori told Ishiyama that the Prisoner had already been drugged, but when the Prisoner was brought in, it did not appear to Suyama that he was drugged.

Ishiyama, Komori, Hirao, and Torisu and Mori came in and scrubbed their hands, put on operating gowns.

Ishiyama did the main part of the operating, with Komori as his main assistant. Komori was directly across the table from Ishiyama. Suyama is not sure whether Mori or Torisu was next to Ishiyama, whether Hirao was next to Komori.

The Prisoner (lung operation) was alive when Ishiyama was sewing the incision; must have died when Komori scooped out the blood.

5-10 minutes after the incision was sewed Komori went over to the Prisoner, removed the stitches, took out a glass cup and scooped blood out of the chest cavity.

Immediately after Ishiyama had sewed the incision, he took off his gown and started washing his hands. The nurses were washing instruments. Komori talked to Ishiyama, then went over to the Prisoner and started to scoop blood, put it in a glass jar, and Suyama imagines that he took it home with him. Ishiyama, not Komori, cut the stitches and Komori took out the blood. Miki saw this.

When they returned to the Surgery Clinic Miki said she would clean the instru­ments, Ishiyama called Suyama to ask if his bath was ready, mentioned that the Prisoner had been a B-29 flyer, asked Suyama if she had been afraid. Later Komori came in, had some specimen, probably the lung.

Statement of Suyama Cont’d . 2nd series - Ishiyama performed the brain operation assisted by either Torisu or Morimoto. Komori performed the other operation.

Ishiyama, Komori, Mori, Totisu, Morimoto, and Hirao scrubbed for the operation.

Before Suyama went after the thread (to Surgery Clinic) she stopped near Manabe, who was helping at the stomach operation. Komori was doing the operating, helped by Mori and Hirao; Komori made an incision in the abdomen from the chest to about the navel, and Mori and Hirao were putting in retractors to pull back the flesh and open the incision. When Suyama returned from getting the thread, Komori, Mori and Hirao were cutting the membrane and blood vessels leading to the stomach. Each blood vessel had to be tied off to keep it from bleeding, which takes quite a while.

Manabe passed instruments to Komori and his assistants. Suyama watched the 2nd operation (2nd series) for a short time, saw Komori cut out the stomach. At the table involving the stomach operation (when brain operation was finished), Komori Mori and Hirao were looking inside the incision, pointing at something and talk­ing.

3rd series - Liver - Ishiyama and Komori were the chief surgeons. Komori was across the table from Ishiyama, Hirao was next to Komori. Ishiyama made the incision. Komori, his main assistant, helped in making the incision, held the clamps that stretched the flesh so that the incision could be made properly.

Stomach and Heart operation - Ishiyama performed this operation, Komori was his assistant. Hirao was on Ishiyama’s left, Miki on his right, Komori was across the table. Suyama believes Morimoto assisted on Komori's side.

About the time the incision had been made, Ishiyama said someone would hare to start on the other Prisoner. Komori and Hirao left and went to the 2nd table.

Komori made an incision about 2 inches long in the Prisoner’s leg, clamped the artery and then cut it. Hirao helped him make the incision, put on the clamps. The artery was lifted up slightly. Komori cut the artery between the clamps and inserted a rubber tube in the end of the artery that was closest to the heart.

Several times Komori stopped the flow of blood because it was coming out faster than the sea water was going in.

Cutting the artery is no treatment for anything Suyama knows about. It seemed to her that Komori and Hirao just cut the artery and let the Prisoner bleed to death. They did nothing to keep him alive.

Komori and Hirao came back to the 1st operating table. (Heart operation then performed) Suyama is not sure whether Komori or Ishiyama made the incision in the heart. The same person who made it, sewed the incision up— this was done almost as soon as the cut had been made.

Suyama, Miki, Manabe, Yayama, Komori, Ishiyama, Hirao, and the person with the watch, watched the heart incision.

Statement of Suyama Cont'd . About 1800 Suyama saw Ishiyama and Komori in Ishiyama Surgery laughing and talking together, Komori had a pan in his hands with a liver in it.

4th series - Suyama believes the same people were present at this operation. (Ishiyama, Torisu, Hirao, Mori, Senba, Nogawa, Komori, Tashiro, Lin, Sha,;Tei', Sato, Morimoto, Tsutsui ??)

Statement of Tanaka (23 May 1947) 1st operation - Tanaka went to Autopsy Train­ing Room. Present there were Ishiyama, Komori, Hirao, Mori, and about 5 doctors from probably Surgery Section, the head nurse, 3 regular nurses, and Makino.

Ishiyama was performing the operation. Directly across from him was Komori. Ishiyama, Hirao, Komori and Mori wore operating robes and caps, doesn!t believe they wore gloves, not sure as to masks. A doctor on inquiry told Tanaka the lung was being removed. An incision had been made in the chest; Ishiyama had his hands inside the opening, was tying up the blood vessels. Komori was aiding would occasionally advise him(Ishiyama) or call for implements in a loud voice. Hirao and Mori wohld receive implements from the nurses and pass them on to Ishiyama or Komori as requested. Ishiyama did the actual cutting while Komori, acting as 1st assistant, stopped the flow of the blood vessels.

2nd series - liver operation - Komori was across from Ishiyama. Makino and Tanaka both went to the dissecting room to look on a few minutes. As Tanaka entered he heard Komori say loudly, "Kocher," a German word for the instrument used to stop the bleeding of large blood vessels. A nurse, seemingly excited, handed it to him. Ishiyama had his finger on the spot from which the blood was flowing, and blood was squirting out from around his finger, said to Komori, "Here it is," and Komori applied the "kocher."

Ishiyama was trying to remove a part of the Prisoner^ liver. They were having a great deal of trouble because each time they would cut a little in the liver a new flow of blood would start. Ishiyama and Komori then attempted to stop the flow. Torisu was still passing instruments to Komori and Ishiyama; the head nurse (Tsutsui ?) was looking on.

17-18 July 1945 Tanaka was called to SCAP Legal Section, went to the University 22 July 1946, told Ishizawa about his experiences at Legal Section. Yoshisada Nakajima then came in and Tanaka told him. Nakajima said at that time, "Before Komori came and asked Ishiyama to permit him to perform the operations at the University he had asked permission at many hospitals, including the Sada Hospi­tal. Being refused at these places, Komori finally requested the use of the University facilities from Ishiyama."