Statements Concerning Matake

MATAKE, SHINCHIRO      [Marginal Note: Sugamo 2 Sep 47 ]

Statement of Matake (17 July 1947)

Worked at Officers Club Hospital of WAH from 25 February to 5 May 1945; re­turned to Headquarters early part of June as to finance matters (head of Finance Section then - Maj. Gen. Tanihata) Matake then spent most of his time at home, was in finance section 30 minutes, paid his respects to Horiuchi, whom Matake asked to contact Tanihata on his finance problem, also asked him for the transfer of 1st Lt. Jiro Iwata to the Oita Army Hospital where Matake was then stationed. Talked to Horiuchi 10-15 minutes. Also talked with Tsurumaru, Kubo, Honjo, Yoshimura, Kusumoto before going to medical section, then went to Officers Club Hospital for about one hour. Matake then suggests that this could have been the end of May or the begin­ning of June. Went to the Club Hospital about noon, visited with friends in the afternoon, went home in the evening.

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.

Rice and human liver were served. Matake was told that it was human liver when he first entered. The liver was roasted in soya bean sauce on a char­coal burner. Everyone ate the liver except Shiokawa, who he thinks left the room after she served the sake.

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

Matake states that on the day following his return to Fukuoka, he stopped in at the Officers Club Hospital about 1000 on his way to headquarters to his business (financial). While there the first time, 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 eatrlunch 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. Matake doesn’t recall whether Shiokawa was already in the room or not. Matake sat with Miyamoto at the far end of the table from the entrance— they did not sit at chairs, but on the elevated edge of the Japanese mat portion of the room fartherest from the door.

After they were seated Miyamoto said a word by way of greeting to Matake representing the others present. There was then a toast, and Matake made a speach of greeting. They then began to eat. 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.

Shiokawa passed around the sake, believes she also passed around the human

Matake -2-

liver; doesn't remember whether she ate it or not. 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 came 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. Matake recalls telling about his experience in eating snakes because there was no other meat at OITA, where he was stationed.

Statement of Miyamoto (23 July 1947) The head of OCH was Shichiro Matake, who succeeded Yoshimura of the MS in about mid March 1945. Matake left the hospital about a week before Miyamoto to join the army, and Miyamoto believes Yoshimura then did the work of hospital head. Matake left about 1-2 June. Miyamoto then recalls that Matake left shortly after the middle of May, re­turned in early June for a visit, for apperiod of about 4 days, came each day to OCH, each day ate lunch there. Either the 2nd or 3rd time a dinner was given for him. Human liver was never served at any of these meals. [Marginal Note: x ]

At the meal given for Matake, fish, tomatoes, rice and sake were served by the nurses. Present at this meal: Komori, Matake, Kanehisa, Ito, Shiokawa, Reiko, Takechi, Kishi, Shinno, Asamizu, Mahota, Tsurumaru, This was not an ordinary lunch, but a party given for Matake. [Marginal Note: x ]

Statement of Ogawa(Shiokawa) (4 June, in 420 - 12 June report) Hishiro Matake took charge as Director in March, but was drafted into the army be­tween 1 May and 10 May and there was no director at Army Officers Club Hospital after that. .Hospital had 3 Section Chiefs. [Marginal Note: In late May or early June he was present at a rice and sake (but is meat) ]  [Marginal Note: x ]

Statement of Sasaki (21 July 1947) Sasaki never returned to Kaikosha Hospital after transfer to Kokura Army Hospital except on 3 May 1945 when he was trans­ferred to Kumamoto, at a time when Matake was head of the hospital. Sasaki stayed at hospital 2 days, and Matake left with him and they rode train together as far as Tosu— Matake was going to Oita-ken to take charge of an army hospital. [Marginal Note: x ]

Statement of Kamada (23 July 1947) At the Kaikosha Hospital 1st Lt. Miyamoto was acting director of the hospital after the director was drafted in the army, which was before Kamada got there, His name was Matake— went to Oita and became a director of an army hospital there.

About one week after Kamada was assigned to work at the hospital, around 28 May, there was a special lunch for Matake, who visited the hospital at that time. Those attending: Miyamoto, Shinno, Kishi, Kanehisa, Komori, Matake, Ito, Sakai, Kamada. Oda might have been there; Kamada believes that Shiokawa served them. Kamada believes Tsurumaru came in late; does remember having a drink with him.  [Marginal Note: x ]

Believes that they ate fish; Kamada ate everything that was served, is quite evasive about human liver— states that he did not know d)out human liver, if he had known it was human liver he would not have eaten it.

MATAKE

Statement of Kamada Cont'd. At this meal Matake said that at his new station in Oita-ken, he had to send EM to catch fish so that they would have enough to eat. [Marginal Note: x ] He also heard Matake say to Komori. nWhere have you been? I have wanted to talk." Komori had just entered the room. Matake also asked Komori how that new weapon was coming along, and Komori said that it would be ready for use by next summer. [Marginal Note: x ]

Matake stayed at Kaikosha Hospital just that day; he believes that he stayed until about evening. [Marginal Note: x ]

Kamada states, "If it was human liver, then I ate it, but I don't remember what it was."

Statement of Oda (16 July 1947) At the human liver dinner: Oda, Komori, Kane­hisa, Shinno, Shiokawa, Miyamoto, Sasaki, Momota, MataJ^e, Ito, and a sgt. maj. whose name Oda doesn't recall. All of these persons ate human liver. PO Komori said that it was human liver before everyone started to eat, that it was the liver of a PW. 

Statement of Oda (18 July 1947) About 3 June 1945, Shiokawa notified Oda to attend a dinner which was to be held at the Kaikosha Hospital mess Hall, to which Oda went at 1200 that day. When Oda arrived there were present: Ito, Shinno, Komori, Matake, Miyamoto, Sasaki, Momota, Shiokawa, and an unknown sgt. maj. At the table in the room, 2 plates were placed before each person, one for rice and one for vegetables. [Marginal Note: x ] There was sake and a plate containing human liver. When everyone was seated at their assigned places, Miyamoto gave an order for everyone to rise and bow to the senior Officer, Matake. [Marginal Note: x ]A toast was then made by Matake in honor of a PO Sasaki, who had been promoted to 2nd Lt. [Marginal Note: x ]

Shiokawa passed sake, and then passed the human liver around the table to everyone— it was sliced thin and had been boiled in shoyu sauce. Oda took some and ate it. To the best of Oda's knowledge, everyone present ate some of it. During the dinner, Oda recalls Komori stating that the liver that they were eating was from a PW that had been taken to KIU.

Statement of Kanehisa (21-22 July 1947) Recalls Matake, who worked at OCH from about March until the first part of May 1945, believes he then went to Oita-ken, but came back once before the end of the war before 19 June, sometime before Komori's liver appeared, which was about 10 June. [Marginal Note: x ]

Matake first appeared at the hospital in the AM; arrangements were made by Sgt Asamizu for him to have lunch there. He left and returned at noon, at which time the people were sitting the small staff dining room of the OCH.

Kanehisa is not certain of the seating arrangement except of himself and Matake. The nurses and perhaps Oda, Asamizu, Shinno, Ito and Nakamura, the woman dentist, all sat at the table nearer to the entrance. [Marginal Note: x? ]

Miyamoto made a short speech greeting Matake, then a toast of sake, then a general discussion in which Matake described his new location. Kanehisa believes Tusurumaru may have come in later. Kanehisa knows nothing of liver being served at OCH. Kanehisa states that the dishes were simple, that there 4 was no fish at this Matake lunch. [Marginal Note: x ]

MATAKE, SHICHIRO

Statement of Matake (21 July 1947)

Statement of Matake made at Legal Section 17 July 1947 in which he admitted knowingly eating human liver at OCH in early June 1945 a true statement, voluntarily made; will testify to the truth of that statement in court. [Marginal Note: x ]