Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Monday 17 September 1945, page 1


Japanese "Warn" Allies

On War Criminals

From Our War Correspondent, Jack Percival, and A.A.P.

TOKYO, Sept. 16.-"The Allies, if they are aiming at preventing another war, would be well advised to consider very carefully before meting out many severe punishments to so-called war criminals," said the Tokyo newspaper, "Nippon Times," to-day.

Some Tokyo circles say the i censor banned the publication of General MacArthur's list of war criminals "to discourage unrest among extremists," while others say publication would "make the listed men appear war

criminals."

Only one of the 11 members of General Tojo's war-making Cabinet, whose arrests were ordered-ViceAdmiral Ken Terajima (Railways and Communications)-Is now un-

accounted for.

General Hideki Tojo (Premier) is still dangerously ill, after his attempt at suicide; Shigenori Togo. (Foreign Minister) is ill in Tokyo, under the care of American and German doc-tors; Lieut.-Gencral Chlkahiko Koi-zumi (Welfare) and Kunihiko Haslda (Education) have committed suicide; Okinobu Kaya (Finance), Michlyo Iwamura (Justice), Hirayasu Ino (Agriculture), Shigetaro Shimada (Navy), and Lieut.-General Suzuki (Minister without portfolio) are in Allied hands; and Nobosuke Kishi (Commerce and Industry) is expected in Tokyo from southern Honshu to-night to give himself up.

Arrogant Honuna

Lieut.-General Homma, former Commander-in-Chief in the" Philip-pines, walked into the arms of M.P.s when he stepped off the train at Tokyo after voluntarily returning from Sado

Island.

Pig-Jowled and arrogant, he was dressed in European style, and laughed when correspondents asked him about atrocities in the Philippines.

"I am ready to take the responsi-bility for any act of my subordinates."

he said.

When - questioned about the "death march" from Bataan and asked why he condoned conditions at Camp O'Donnell, Luzon, in which 4,000 Americans and Filipinos died in four months, he shrugged his shoulders and smiled. He said he had not seen any indications that the Americans were abused. They had been forced to

march from Bataan because of lack of conveyances.

Lieut.-General Kuroda. Hommia's successor as Commander-in-Chief in the Philippines, was also arrested, and accompanied Homma by car to Yoko-

hama.

Many Jn Custody

Others turned over to the Eighth Army by the Japanese Government

and now in custody include: Surgeon-j Captain Tokuda (or Kouda), alleged to be responsible for medical experi-ments on prisoners of war tit Shinagawa Hospital, Tokyo; Colonel Suzuki, commandant at Shlnagawa, allegedly responsible for the atrocities com-mitted at the camp: James S. Sakaki. chief civilian interpreter at Ofuna camp, commandant in the absence of the commanding officer, and said to be responsible for maltreatment of the prisoners; Sergeant Tokio Tabata, guard at Shinagawa, alleged to have personally beaten up prisoners with clubs.

Josias van Dienst, charged with broadcasting anti-British propaganda in Dutch over Tokyo Radio; Dr. Maung, puppet Burmese Ambassador to Japan; Aung Than, military at-tache to the puppet Burmese Embassy and organiser of the "Burma Inde-pendence Corps": Pratap Mahendra, President of the "Aryan Army"-the Indian Quisling movement in Japan.

Shozo Murata, former Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines.

Jose Laurel, puppet President of the Philippines, and two members of his staff, Jose Laurel, third, comman-der of the Presidsntial Guard: and Benigno S. Aquino, Speaker of the puppet Philippines Assembly.

Mark Lewis Streeter, an American from Wake Island; John Holland (alias David Lester), who claims to be an Australian, and is alleged to have broadcast Japanese propaganda over Shanghai Radio; Heinrich Stahmer, German Ambassador to Japan; Lieut. -General Stretchmer, military attache to the German Embassy; Colonel J. A Meisinger, "butcher of Warsaw"; Iva Toguiri (alias Tokyo Annie, alias Tokyo Rose); and Jorge B. Vargas, former puppet Ambassador from the Philippines to Japan, and his two sons.

To prevent suppuration of General Tojo's self-inflicted bullet wound, peni-cillin is being injected into him every three hours

It is leaint that Tojo before shootinp himself, left a statement which lead "Rathei than expose my shame to the woild by hung in death 1 'hall become a guardian of my nation '

The Associated Pi ess of America comments "The statement, described as a masterpiece of caligiaphy, was intended to become part of philosophi-cal 'last woids' oMMapan's famed men, which is the Wckbone of the

Bushido code"