Page 223 - MaterialsTrial-JapaneseArmy-1950

enlargement of the Ishii Detachment generally.

One day Ishii said that it was expected that the final and decisive battle would take place in
1945, between June and September, when America was expected to effect a landing operation
on the territory of Japan proper, and he said that we must make most thorough preparation for
action against America and the Soviet Union.

Question: I want to cite the testimony you gave, contained in Vol. 10, on page 157. You
quoted Ishii as saying the following:

"The military situation at the fronts is going from

bad to worse ... by the end of the spring, or in the summer of 1945, we shall have to employ
our last means,

among them the bacteriological weapon, in order to turn

the tide in Japan's favour."

Do you confirm this testimony?

Answer: I do.

Question: Under what circumstances did Detachment 731's branch at Sunyu terminate its
existence? Who gave the order for the destruction of the branch?

Answer: On August 9, 1945, war broke out. Late that night I received a coded telegram
from headquarters. There was no doubt that it was from the Chief of the detachment, but I
could not decipher it. I left it undeciphered, and proceeded together with the detachment to
the positions in the Sunyu area. I ordered a group of five or six men, including Sub-
Lieutenant Inoue, to remain behind and to proceed to the positions after the branch had been
burned down.

Question: Consequently, it was you who gave the order for the destruction of the branch?

Answer: That is so.

Question: And what happened next?

Answer: I issued a dose of potassium cyanide to each member of the branch and said that if
they should by any chance be taken prisoner by the Soviet Army, they were to swallow it.
After that, I left for the positions. This was done because it never occurred to us that Japan
might surrender, and we therefore decided to retire to the hills and there commit collective
suicide.

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