Page 91 - MaterialsTrial-JapaneseArmy-1950

Answer: It was intended to use germs in a war against the U.S.S.R. by dropping bombs
charged with germs and by spraying germs from aircraft. I did not know of other methods of
employing bacteriological weapons in a war against the U.S.S.R.

Question: How did supervision of the activity of Detachment 731 by the Kwantung Army
Headquarters express itself?

Answer: At the interrogation on October 27, 1949, I testified that Detachment 731, headed
by Lieutenant General Ishii, was a detachment directly subordinated to the Commander of the
Kwantung Army, and that this detachment conducted all its work under the direct supervision
of the Kwantung Army Headquarters.

Commander-in-Chief Umezu, and then, beginning with July 1944, Yamada Otozoo,
supervised the activity of Detachment 731 on strategical matters through the Operations
Division, which I headed, and on scientific and technical matters through General Kajitsuka
Ryuji, Chief of the Medical Division of the Kwantung Army Headquarters, who had charge
of scientific and technical research in the sphere of bacteriology, the training ftf cadres of
bacteriologists, and also the antiepidemic service and water supply.

Question: On what matters did the Operations Division which you headed supervise the
detachment?

Answer: The Operations Division of the Kwantung Army Headquarters supervised
Detachment 731 on matters pertaining to the development and preparation of bacteriological
weapons.

Question: What reports on the activity of Detachment 731 addressed to the Commander-in-
Chief were received and what decisions did he take on these reports?

j Answer: As far as I can now recall, two such reports addressed to the Commander-in-Chief
of the Kwantung Army were received. The first report from Detachment Chief Ishii—on
methods of dropping germs from aircraft by spraying from special receptacles—was received
*in the second half of 1943.

The Commander-in-Chief—at that time General Umezu Yoshijiro—after acquainting
himself with the methods advanced by General Ishii in this report, declared them to be of
little effect, pointing out that with such a method of employing bacteriological weapons we
would suffer big losses both in man power and in materiel, inasmuch as we would not be able
to protect our troops from infection. Through Army Chief of Staff Kasahara, Commander-in-
Chief Umezu ordered Detachment Chief Ishii to work out a different and more effective
method of employing bacteriological weapons.

About a year later a report on new methods of employing bacteriological weapons was
submitted to the Commanderin-Chief. In this report Lieutenant General Ishii expounded a
method of employing bacteriological weapons by dropping special porcelain bombs charged
with epidemic germs. Commander-in-Chief Umezu made no remarks concerning the report
and kept this document in his own possession until he left the post of Commander-in-Chief,

91