Statement Concerning Kusumoto

Statement of Goiyama (1-8 July 1947) Adjutants of WAH other than Koga and Jin were Tomonosuki Kusumoto and Haruo Minami. Kusumoto had charge of docu­ ments, and records.

The taking of the Prisoners to the Hospital was not secret, but Goiyama did not talk to anyone about it, since he thought it "best". However, he did report it to Senior Adjutant Jin and Maj. Kusumoto. [Marginal Note: no ]

The day following first experiments Komori came to the Headquarters and told Goiyama that the Prisoners had died at the University during medical experiments. Goiyama reported this to Kusumoto. [Marginal Note: no ]

Either that same day or the next day Goiyama went into Kusumoto's office to get his approval on a document pertaining to Goiyama*s section, and Komori was talking to Kusumoto, stated that he was experimenting on an anti-toxin for bed bugs, using the Prisoners blood. This was after Goiyama told Kusu­ moto what Komori had told him. [Marginal Note: no ]

Goiyama now remembers that the day after the first operation Komori told him that, after the Prisoner had stopped breathing, they had probed the heart and it was still beating. Goiyama also reported this to Kusumoto. [Margina Note: no ]

Each time a prisoner was released to Komori, Goiyama would received from Aihara a slip of paper with the names of the Prisoners who were to be re­leased written in Japanese. Goiyama believes that he did not keep the memo­randum slips from Aihara or give them to Kusumoto, but threw them away.

Goiyama thinks he heard Komori talking to Kusumoto about using the Prisoners blood in experiments for a bed bug exterminator. Kusumoto said, "If it works all right, we will give some to the 46th Regiment." [Marginal Note: no ]

At the end of October or the beginning of November 1945, at the Keigo School in Fukuoka, Gen. Fukushima called a meeting of Sato, Kusumoto, Goiyama and possible Jin for the purpose of concealing the University operations and the executions. Fukushima stated, "If we are ever asked about what happened to the Prisoners who were in WAH we will say that they were all sent to Hiro­shima." He cautioned them (Goiyama says "us") that they should all tell the same story. Kusumoto argued against this, stated that the truth would be learned anyway, that it would be worse to conceal it.

About 1 Dec. 45 another meeting was held at the Keigo School, at which Fuku­shima, Kusumoto and Goiyama attended. Fukushima stated that ”we” would not be able to say that the Prisoners were sent to Hiroshima, but that they must still hide the fact that the Prisoners were sent to the University because it would mean a lot of trouble for them and that they should say that they were executed on 20 June. This was the story as to 14-15 Prisoners, who actually were executed or killed at the University.