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TOJO ATTEMPTS
SUICIDE
"Fifty-Fifty" Chance of
Recovery
PISTOL USED TO END
HIS LIFE
"The Age" Special Correspondent in Tokio and A.A.P..
Ex-Prime Minister of Japan Hideki Tojo attempted
to kill himself with a pistol to-day when United States
counter-intelligence corps officers went to arrest him.
Toio shot himself at 4.15 p.m. Tokio time. An American
doctor who attended him considers he has a 'fifty-fifty"
chance of recovery.
General MacArthur had ordered the arrest of Tojo in a round-up of
war criminals and suspects.
Associated Press says that when a doctor and a nurse arrived 55
minutes after the shooting Tojo is reported to have saidj "I want to
die." .
. Tojo is regarded as Japan's
arch war criminal. He was
Japan's noisiest sabre rattler at
the height of her military suc
cesses, and Prime Minister when
Pearl Harbor, Hong Kong, Manila
and Singapore were attacked.
He viislted Manila and Singa
pore after the entry of Japanese
troops, and condoned the noto
rious death march from Bataan to
Cabanatuan, and also conditions
at Camp O'Donnel, Luzon, in
which 4000 Americans and 20,000
Filipinos died in the iirst three
months.
Before intelligence officers visi
ted Tojo to-day he boasted to
British and American war corres-
podents that he was awaiting
trial with full confidence.
"I Am Tojo"
Before he shot himself Toio
twice opened a big sliding ..win
dow and smiled at the American
officers. He then slammed down
the window so hard that he
nearly broke it.
One officer tried to display his
credentials through' the window,
but Tojo ignored ; this, except- jto
' exefaim, "I ani Tojo:"
As . Tojo stood glowering
through the window a press
photographer snapped him. Then
the officers anu correspondents
moved to the front door, intend
ing to go in. Suddenly ' a shot
was fired. Officers kicked in the
door, which had a flimsy lock.
Entering the hall, they broke
down a second locked door, and
found Tojo sprawled in a chair
with a bullet wound just under
his heart.
Tojo was dressed in an open-
neck white shirt, olive green
trousers, brown boots and tiny
spurs. There were powder burns
around the bullet hole, which was
bleeding profusely. Nearby on a
table lay two sharp knives
wrapped in snow-white hara-kiri
cloth. Apparently he iad no time
to use this traditional form of
suicide, near nis open nana was
a holder, in which a cigarette
still smouldered. Tojo lay in his
chair groaning. His eyes were
half closed and his slight figure
shook. He muttered in Japanese,
and apparently attempted to say
he had written out a statement.
However, a search failed to. dis
close it.
Tojo was moved into bed, and
he continued to mutter until he
was placed facing a large oil
painting of himself with his staff
overlooking a battlefield.
The Domel News Agency re
ported T«V). as , saving after the
shooting: "I am sorry ; for the
peoples of Greater East Asia. I
shoulder the whole responsibility.
I hope they will not go amiss
in dealing with the situation. The
Greater East Asia war was just
a war. With all our strength
gone, we finally fell. I did not
want to stand before the vic
tor to he tried as the vanquished.
This is my own case. 1 wanceu
to kill myself at one stroke. I
first thought of using my sword
to kill myself, but instead I used
a revolver, for fear I might fail
and revive."
When he had finished speaking
Tojo asked for water, and with
the glass , at ' his lips murmured,
"I feel fine."
A .32 calibre bullet passed en
tirely through Tojo's body.
Sifting Crimes
Representatives of the United
States on the War Crimes Com
mission began sifting was crimes
evidence in Tokio to-day. Rescued
prisoners are filling in forms de
scribing killings, tortures, beat
ings and cruelties, including star
vation.
A glance at forms filled in by
British, Australian and Canadian
ex-prisoners to-day revealed as
tonishing evidence of maltreat-
ment. Medical reports show that
many rescued prisoners were suf
fering from fractured jaws, limbs
and shoulders through beatings.
Three forms made direct charges
including the. names of ex-com
mandants of camps and guards.
Intelligence inquiries about the
head of the notorious Black
Dragon Society indicate that he
died two, years ago. But U.S. offi
cers are taking no risks, and they
will check his grave.
So far- more than 15,000' res
cued prisoners have been checked
into Yokohama under Eighth
Army Supervision. The Sixth
Army has assumed responsibility
for prisoners on Kyushu. The
evacuation of 3000 prisoners in
northern Honshu is proceeding,
and 1600 will be brought from
Hokkaido by air. More than 300
prisoners, most of whom are
British and Australians, have
been rescued at Jinsen and Keijo,
in Korea.
GENERAL TOJO. Help
GENERAL TOJO.
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