Page 270 - MaterialsTrial-JapaneseArmy-1950
P. 270

Question: And what about grey rats and mice?


                  Answer: Altogether up to 200 field rodents were despatched every month.


                  Question: What was Lieutenant Kamiyama doing in the branch?


                  Answer: As far as I can remember Kamiyama first reported for service in the branch in
               March 1945. He was appointed Chief of the branch's office and also of its 1st Division. When
               he arrived at the branch he told me that the Mutankiang Branch was making great headway in
               the trapping of rodents and asked me to give him the assignment.


                  Question: Was he given the assignment?


                  Answer: No, I did not charge him exclusively with the job. But he was in charge together
               with Sub-Lieutenant Kamio.


                  Question: Was the number of rat trappers increased after Lieutenant Kamiyama reported to
               the branch of the detachment?


                  Answer: Yes, it was.


                  Question: Up to how many?


                  Answer: Approximately up to 30 persons.


                  Question: Do you know how many rodents were kept in the Hailar Branch at one time?


                  Answer: Yes, about 13,000 field rodents.


                  Question: Will you now please tell us the nature of your talk with Takahashi, Chief of the
               office of the General Division of Detachment 731.


                  Answer: I do not recall the exact date of my talk with Major Takahashi, Chief of the office
               of the General Division of Detachment 731. But the substance of his talk was information
               about the experiments on living people, and also about the research on plague and the work
               on  fleas  in  Detachment  731.  He  told  me  that  experiments  on  living  people  were  being
               performed on a special proving ground by dropping bacteria bombs from aircraft from an
               altitude of from 1,000 to 100 metres.


                  There was also another Takahashi in Detachment 731 who told me that plague was being
               tested in the detachment. This Takahashi was also a major.


                  Question: Was your branch given the assignment of breeding parasites on a mass scale?


                  Answer: Yes.


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