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Statement Concerning Takagi

Statement Title Statement of Takagi
Record Type Statement
Subject of Statement Mozo Takagi
Statement Provided By Mozo Takagi

71, servant in anatomy section of KIU medical college since 1944, sweeps floors, helps put bodies in vats, take them out for classes, to the crematory for burning, runs errands.

Shortly before the air raid (19 June 1945), in May or June, carried bodies of Americans to the crematory. Makino came out of the autopsy room, told Takagi to bring 2 coffins and leave them just outside the door of the autopsy room, then told him to leave the area. At that time he noticed quite a few people inside the autopsy room standing around 2 dissecting tables, but nothing was on the tables. More people were coming into the room. There were 3-4 Japanese soldiers standing just outside the autopsy room; they had 2 blindfolded American prisoners with them.

The next day someone told Takagi to go to the Autopsy room and take some bodies to the crematory. There were 2 coffins on the floor by the dissecting tables. Takagi raised the lid of bone, saw an American body, but the head had been cut off, the head being on the floor beside the coffin. The body wasn't very large, but it probably wouldn't have fit in the coffin if the head had been on the body. The face was broad and the hair had a reddish color to it. The body was on its back, clothed; Takagi noticed no wounds.

Takagi looked at the 2nd body of another American with reddish hair. The body was not as large as the first, just barely fit in the coffin, was clothed, face up; Takagi saw no wounds or incisions. Takagi doesn't remember whether he was alone, whether he or someone else nailed the lids down. 

One of the Pathology Section servants, he believes Yayami, helped him carry the bodies to the crematory, using the small cart, making a trip for each body. Takagi didn't see Igarashi so they put the bodies in 2 ovens and left. 

10-15 days later Takagi saw a truck with several Japanese soldiers and 2 PWs, blindfolded, in the back of the anatomy building. Takagi then went back and told the other servants- Takata, Yano, Nakamura and Yayami, he believes, that they were bringing more PWs. This was just a little while after dinner. Someone came in the servants room and told them to stay away from the autopsy room. Takagi then saw Ishiyama and 4-5 other professors and a couple of nurses walking in the hallway toward the autopsy room.

Takagi doesn't remember taking any more boxes to the crematory. About 2-3 weeks later, Takata told Takagi not to talk about having seen the Americans, that this was orders from "the professor." Other servants were there too.

Takagi now states that there might have been 3 rather than 2 Prisoners the 2nd time. These Prisoners were much larger than Japanese, had fair skin, light hair, looked like Americans he had seen before.