Page 96 - MaterialsTrial-JapaneseArmy-1950

In particular, I reported to Kasahara that in the event of war with the Soviet Union
bacteriological weapons should be employed in the area of the cities of Voroshilov,
Khabarovsk, Blagoveshchensk and Chita, that is, in rear districts of the Soviet Union.

Infection of these districts was to have been carried out by dropping bacteria bombs and
spraying germs from aircraft. Planes of Kwantung Army air formations were to have been
used for this purpose.

Question: But were there not supposed to be special planes for this purpose?

Answer: No, ordinary planes could be used for this purpose. To drop bacteria bombs—
ordinary bombers, and to spray germs—any plane, since the germ-spraying apparatus was
very simple and could be attached to any plane.

These views of mine, as I have already said, I voiced to Chief of Staff Kasahara, and he
endorsed them in general outline. None of these measures were included in the operations
plan, but in studying these questions I proceeded from the general situation of the operations
outlined by the operations plan.

I made this report to Kasahara after receipt of the War Ministry's instructions to increase
the production of bacteriological weapons. The point is that after receipt of the instructions to
increase the production of bacteriological weapons Kasahara commissioned me to study the
possibilities of their employment against the Soviet Union in case of necessity. I studied this
question and made a corresponding report to Kasahara, who, as I have already said, endorsed
my views.

Question: What were the basic types of bacteriological weapons adopted by the Kwantung
Army?

Answer: By 1945 the following were approved as the basic types of bacteriological
weapons: the bacteria bomb, the method of spraying germs from aircraft, and the land method
—sabotage. I think that these basic methods were approved by the Japanese General Staff.

Question: What types of bacteriological weapons were considered and approved by
Commander-in-Chief Yamada?

Answer: While Yamada was Commander-in-Chief he considered and then approved the
two basic methods which by that time had been completely perfected, as it were. I have in
mind the Ishii bacteria bomb and the method of spraying plague-infected fleas from aircraft.

Question: How, practically, was it intended to employ the bacteriological weapon?

Answer: As Chief of the Operations Division of the Kwantung Army Headquarters I know
that practical employment of the bacteriological weapon was to have been carried out through
special cadres existing in the detachments and their branches. In other words, in case of need
the detachments and branches were to detail an appropriate number of specialists at whose

96