Page 63 - MaterialsTrial-JapaneseArmy-1950

EXCERPT FROM RECORD OF INTERROGATION
OF YAMADA OTOZOO

November 5, 1949 City of Khabarovsk

Question: When did you visit Detachment 731?

Answer: I visited Detachment 731 only once. After taking over the post of Commander-in-
Chief of the Kwantung Army I inspected all the units and sub-divisions under my command,
including Detachment 731. This was in August 1944.

I was accompanied on my inspection of the detachment by staff officer of the Kwantung
Army Lieutenant Colonel Hara. I left Harbin for the detachment's headquarters not in the
evening, as I stated before, but at 12 noon, and stayed in the detachment about an hour and a
half. I made an entry in my diary about this visit.

At the entrance to the detachment's premises I was met by Chief of Detachment 731 Major
General Kitano and all the officers. After the welcome ceremony I proceeded to Major
General Kitano's office where he informed me that the detachment consisted of seven
divisions: General, Clinical, Materials, Production, Research and Training. I have forgotten
the name of the seventh division.

In reporting on the detachment's objects and functions, Kitano said that the detachment had
two functions, one of which was connected with the antiepidemic service and water supply of
the Kwantung Army, while the other was to study various problems connected with preparing
means for conducting bacteriological warfare. Furthermore, General Kitano informed me in
broad outline of the detachment's numerical strength, but I do not remember the figures now.

Dealing with the character of the activities of each division he said that the Research
Division studied forms and methods of employing bacteriological weapons. I understood that
in the event of it being necessary to employ bacteria for sabotage purposes, they would be
used on land, and for the extensive employment of bacteriological weapons, they would be
used with the aid of aircraft.

Concerning the Production Division, General Kitano informed me that it was engaged in
preparing special bacteria substances in large quantities, sufficient for conducting offensive
operations.

Later, after I had fully acquainted myself with the activities of Detachment 731, I was
convinced that its output capacity was sufficient for the employment of bacteriological
weapons on an extensive scale, concerning which I gave evidence at the previous
interrogation.

According to what General Kitano said, the Training Division of Detachment 731 trained

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