EXECUTIONS WERE CARRIED OUT IN EXTREME SECRECY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26963, 24 December 1948, Page 7

EXECUTIONS WERE CARRIED OUT IN EXTREME SECRECY

Reuter's correspondent says that the American army attempt to conduct the execution secretly was completely successful. The first word that the hangings had been carried otit was from General MacArthur’s headquarters Watchers outside the prison received no indication that General Tojo and his fellow-conspirators had gone to the gallows. Newspaper men were not allowed to attend, and only a small unidentified group of military officials witnessed the hangings. Army headquarters previously announced that the bodies will be cremated. To prevent enshrinement of the war criminals their families will be denied their ashes. A Buddhist priest and two American chaplains were in the prison for the executions. The only details of the hangings, except for the official announcement, came from the Buddhist priest, Nobukatsu Hanayama, who gave the last rites of their faith to the executed men. Hanayama said they went to their deaths "with minds as pure and cleansed of worldly cares as that of Buddha.” Hanayama added; “They were utterly indifferent toward religion while they were in power, but their attitudes recently underwent a transformation.'’ , ■ . A few hours before General Tojo died his wife’s last letter to him was published in Tokio. Mrs Tojo said she was pleased to hear that her husband was in such mental condition that he did not care whether he remained any longer in the world. She added, that no matter how hard times would be, she would remember how happy they had been. Watchers outside the prison reported that witnesses for the execution arrived at Sugamo at 11.50 p.m. yesterday and left at 1.10 this morning. No other traffic entered or left Sugamo between these hours. Two large canvas-covered army trucks, escorted by jeeps loaded with military police, left Sugamo soon after 2 a.m., carrying the bodies of the executed men. Scores of Japanese photographers rushed to take pictures as the trucks sped out. Two Japanese newspapermen who approached the gate of Sugamo when the convoy was leaving were arrested by military police. The trucks reached Yokohama about an hour after leaving Sugamo. They went to the crematorium by a circuitous route. Another Appeal Lodged A few minutes before word was received in Washington from Tokio that Tojo and the six others had been hanged, a petition was filed asking the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision that it had no power over the International Military Tribunal. The petition for rehearing was lodged by Mr John Brannon, one of the attorneys who argued the appeals for some of the war lords before the Supreme Court last week. The petition said the court had failed to consider the vital issue involved: That was whether the executive of the United States and military authorities under it had exceeded their lawful authority, or acted in contravention of the expressed terms of the United States Constitution.

The appeals which the United Stales Supreme Court heard and rejected concerned General Doihara and Koki Hirota, sentenced to death; Koichi Kido. adviser to the Emperor; Takasumi Oka, Chief of Naval Affairs; Kenryo Sato, chief of the Military Affairs Bureau; Skigeturo Shimada the Navy Minister in General To jo’s Cabinet, all of whom were sentenced to life imprisonment; and Admiral Skigenoi Togo, former Foreign Minis ter, who was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment. No appeal was filed for General Tojo. A United States Army eye-witness report on the executions said Tojo died on the gallows clothed as an American Army salvage worker in a uniform devoid of any insignia- The official witnesses were Mr Patrick Shaw, British Commonwealth representative on the Allied Council, Mr William Sebald, American member of the council, Colonel Shan Chen, of China, Lieutenant-general Derevyanko, of Russia, the prison doctor, and the essential prison authoritiesThe condemned men were hanged in two groups—Doihara, Matsui, Tojo, and Muto in the first, and Itagaki, Hirota, and Nimura in the second. They died with black hoods over their heads, and the executions were swift. Within 90 seconds of having entered the death chamber Tojo and his fellow conspirators had been executed. No Emotion Shown

The condemned men died in the same unemotional way as they heard the sentences passed by the international tribunal. They walked to the gallows without assistance, some quietly repeating Buddhist prayers. They were notified of the hour of their execution at a minute past midnight yesterday, when they were taken into the prison chaplain’s office- After having heard that their final plea to the Supreme Court had failed and that the sentences were to be executed, each of the accused asked for an hour alone with the Buddhist priest, Nobukatsu Hanayama. At this audience only one request was made. Tojo asked to be served Japanese food instead of the normal American Army rations on his final day- His request was granted.

In their last hours the condemned men wrote final letters to their wives and families and made their own final

NZPA—Copyright TOKIO, Dec. 23. General Hideki Tojo, Japan’s war-time Premier, and six other Japanese war criminals were hanged at Sugamo prison this morning. The text of the official United States Army announcement said: “Between midnight and 0.35 a.m. to-day (Tokio time) all seven of the war criminals that were condemned by the International Military Tribunal of the Far East were hanged.” The executed men were:— General Hideki Tojo, former Prime Minister and War Minister. Koki Hirota, former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. General Seishiro Itagaki, former War Minister. General Heitaro Kimura, commander in Burma. General Kenji Doihara, leader in the Manchurian fighting. General Iwane Matsui, Commander-in-Chief until 1938. Akira Muto, who formed the Imperial Rule Association to stifle political opposition.

' condemned made any attempt to commit suicide, and an official release said: "At no time during their incarceration did any of the condemned men commit any acts of violence.” Twenty minutgs before the time set for the first hanging the condemned men were escorted trom their cells to the Buddhist chapel. After the service, and heavily guarded, they walked out into the night air for the last time. The prison officer of the day led the way to the death house, followed by the United States Army chaplain and the Buddhist priest. Each condemned man was flanked by two armed American guards. In spite of his plea to be permitted to attend the execution, the Buddhist priest was ordered to step aside at the death house- f A doctor hanged men., When he determined that a man was dead he summoned the senior medical officer, who after further examination, pronounced the man dead. Emperor’s Abdication Unlikely News of the hanging of the Japanese war lords was announced while most of Tokio was asleep. The Japanese press reported that the Emperor had oeen notified, but his reaction was not available. Official occupation circles do not expect the Emperor’s abdication to follow. A high occupation official told Reuter that General MacArthur personally directed the Emperor not to abdicate. The average Japanese felt shock and certain bitterness when told of the hangings. All looked solemn. There was no expression of relief that the executions were over. Typical comments were: “It wasn’t the responsibility of those people alone,” and “they deserve it for causing us hardship, but' I feel sorry for them anyway as fellow countrymen.”