Statements Concerning Minoru Nakamura

NAMAKURA (LT.)  (Minoru)

Statement of Fukushima (18-25 Aug 1947) Fukushima check his report (Investiga­tion and report of disposition of PCS) with Sato, Yakumaru, Kusumoto and Yukino, Nakamura and Goiyama, but Ohno and Aihara didn’t get in until Fukushima had sent his report to CIC.

Statement of Kusumoto (                  ) 1st Lt. Nakamura - Officer in charge of headquarters soldiers (Adjutant Section officers prior to 26 June 1945)

26 June 1945 part of headquarters went to Yamaie, including Jin, Minami, Goiyama and an unknown capt. Kusunoti, Yukino, in charge of the Adjutant Section duties regarding PWs and captured flyers, Nakamura, Oguri, and 1st Lt. Nishimi, who was there a short time and supervised the clean of headquarters, remained in Fukuoka.

17-18 Aug. Murata told Kusumoto that the bodies of the flyers executed 26 (sic) June had been buried behind the headquarters grounds at Kaminohashi, that on 16 Aug. on order of Ito, these bodies and those buried at Aburayama after the 12 July execution had been dug up and cremated along with the bodies of the flyers executed on 15 Aug 1945 at Aburayama crematory, that Nakamura had tended to this, that he and Nakamura had put all of the bone ashes from the flyers exe­cuted on 20 June, 12 July and 15 August into one large box, brought them back to LS.

2-3 days later Murata said he asked Tomomori what should be done with the ashes, and he ordered him to throw them into the ocean, and he had taken some head­quarters soldiers in a truck and parried them to the ocean where had thrown them out. Before Kusumoto heard this from Murata, 1st Lt. Nakamura had brought Kusumoto a box which he said contained the ashes which he had taken from a box of ashes he and Murata had brought bkck to the LS from Aburayama, that he had been directed by Sato to bury these at Hirao. Kusumoto approved of this, suggested that a cross be mounted over the spot where the bone ashes were buried. Nakamura said the ashes would soon be the same as earth, so it would not be worthwhile placing a cross over the grave.

Statement of Yukino (13, Sep. 1947) Sato told Yukino that he went alone to bury human ashes on Mt. Hirao, but 1st Lt. Minoru Nakamura went with him; Yukino believes they were the ashes of 9 Japanese civilians.

About 17-18 Aug Yukino was ordered by Kusumoto to go to the temple (Komyoji?) to pick up ashes, which he did and turned them over to Kusumoto. These ashes were wrapped in a.white paper and put in a box about 8" square, (the ashes Yukino buried at Mt. Hirao were of Japanese civilians). Yukino took the ashes to the temple in July, got them from Nakamura.

Then, on being told that Nakamura states that he gave Yukino the ashes of Ameri­can flyers in the Adjutant Section office on 16 Aug, Yukino states that he be­lieves they were of executed flyers.

Yukino then admits Nakamura’s story that at 1500 on 15 Aug he Nakamura was called into Kusumoto’s office, that Yukino was there, heard the conversation, the Kusu­moto told hakamura that the American flyers would be executed that day at Aburayama, that Nakamura was to get some coffins, after which he was to cremate them.