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KOZUKI, Yoshio S/D 27 April 1948 63, in mid December 1945, vice Minister of 1st Demob. and since October 1947 when name changed to Welfare Ministry. Chief of Demobilization of this unit. Was Lt. Gen., on return from Chosen in November 1945; spent 2 weeks in Fukuoka; then went to Tokyo and stayed on and succeeded Gen. HARA at his recommendation. In Fukuoka Defendant had met NISHIHARA, INADA and FUKUSHIMA, heard unofficially, a Prisoner investigation was being made. In January 1946 Defendant saw a report as to killing of flyers by natives of Aso-gun, Kumamoto-ken in Spring of 1945 also a report which may have arrived in December 1945 from WA correcting a previous report which Defendant doesn’t think was accepted. This report stated 31 flyers had been killed there. About January 1946 there was a Tokyo meeting of General Affairs Chiefs of the Demob. Bureaus, including KAWAMURA of Chukoku Demobilization and INADA of W. Demob. The WA report stated the 9 flyers had been sent from WA to Chukoku A where killed in the atomic bombing, didn’t know it was false until about April 1947, at which time KIKKAWA of Chukoku Demobilization came to Tokyo and reported this falsehood to TAKETOME of the Legal Affairs Bureau of the 1st Demob and TAKETOME reported this to OYAMA, Chief of Legal Affairs Bureau, then reported to to Defendant. YOSHIZUMI might have been present. Formal reports were then received from both armies and sent to the OF. Defendant was a member of the Central POW Investigating Committee; attended 3 - 4 meetings. |