Charge and Specifications vs Col Masatoshi Fujishige, et al. for Atrocities in Batangas in 1945

Before the MILITARY COMMISSION convened by the COMMANDING GENERAL United States Army Forces, Western Pacific

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA VS Masatoshi FUJISHIGE Zenichi UEHARA Hajime OHNO Gensuke TAKAHASHI

That the following members of the Imperial Japanese Army, with their then known titles:

Colonel Masatoshi FUJISHIGE
Major Zenichi UEHARA
Lieutenant Hajime OHNO
Lieutenant Gensuke TAKAHASHI

during a time of war between the United States of America, its allies and Japan, unlawfully disregarded and failed to discharge their duty while in command and control of armed forces of Japan in Batangas and Laguna Provinces, Luzon, Philippine Islands, in that they failed to control the operations of the members of those forces during the period from about 23 January 1945 to 26 March 1945, and permitted them to commit murders, robberies, willful and wanton destruction of public, private and religious buildings and other property, and that the said Masatoshi FUJISHIGE, Zenichi UEHARA, Hajime OHNO and Gensuke TAKAHASHI, at the times and places aforesaid, did willingly and wrongfully burn towns and destroy public, private and religious property within the area under their command or control, and did willingly and unlawfully kill and attempt to kill citizens and residents of the Philippine Islands, all in violation of the laws of war.

U.S.A. vs TANEICHI, et al
Commission’s Exhibit No. 1
31 May 1946

1. In that Masatoshi FUJISHIGE, Zenichi UEHARA, Hajime OHNO and Gensuke TAKAHASHI, or members of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces under their control and acting with their permission, at or near San Jose, Batangas Province, Philippine Islands, during the period from about 23 January 1945 to about 18 March 1945, did willfully and unlawfully kill Arcadio BRIONES, Simeon BRIONES, and about one hundred five (105) other Filipino civilians, in violation of the laws of war.

2. In that Masatoshi FUJISHIGE, Zenichi UEHARA, Hajime OHNO and Gensuke TAKAHASHI, or members of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces under their control and acting with their permission, at or near San Jose, Batangas Province, Philippine Islands, during the period from about 23 January 1945 to about 18 March 1945, did willfully and unlawfully attempt to kill Sofia MOOG, Rosenda MOOG and about four (4) other Filipino civilians, in violation of the laws of war.

3. In that Masatoshi FUJISHIGE, Zenichi UEHARA, Hajime OHNO and Gensuke TAKAHASHI, or members of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces under their control and acting with their permission, at or near San Jose, Batangas Province, Philippine Islands, during the period from about 23 January 1945 to about 18 March 1945, did willfully and wrongfully burn and destroy houses and other public and private property, in violation of the laws of war.

4. In that Masatoshi FUJISHIGE, Zenichi UEHARA, Hajime OHNO and Gensuke TAKAHASHI, or members of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces under their control and acting with their permission, at or near Cuenca, Batangas Province, Philippine Islands, during the period from about 3 February 1945 to about 11 March 1945, did willfully and unlawfully kill Andres AGUILA, Pedro AGUILA, and about three hundred fifteen (315) other Filipino civilians, in violation of the laws of war.

5. In that Masatoshi FUJISHIGE, Zenichi UEHARA, Hajime OHNO and Gensuke TAKAHASHI, or members of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces under their control and acting with their permission, at or near Cuenca, Batangas Province, Philippine Islands, during the period from about 3 February 1945 to about 11 March 1945, did willfully and unlawfully attempt to kill Guillermo AGUILA, Luis JOBLI, and about five (5) other Filipino civilians, in violation of the laws of war.

6. In that Masatoshi FUJISHIGE, Zenichi UEHARA, Hajime OHNO and Gensuke TAKAHASHI, or members of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces under their control and acting with their permission, at or near Cuenca, Batangas Province, Philippine Islands, during the period from about 3 February 1945 to about 11 March 1945, did willfully and wrongfully burn and destroy houses and other property, in violation of the laws of war.

7. In that Masatoshi FUJISHIGE, Zenichi UEHARA, Hajime OHNO and Gensuke TAKAHASHI, or members of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces under their control and acting with their permission, at or near Tanauan, Batangas Province, Philippine Islands, during the period from about 9 February 1945 to about 28 February 1945, did willfully and unlawfully kill Magdalena RIVERA, Lamberto BARRIENTOS, and about eight hundred twenty-four (824) other Filipino and Chinese civilians, in violation of the laws of war.

8. In that Masatoshi FUJISHIGE, Zenichi UEHARA, Hajime OHNO and Gensuke TAKAHASHI, or members of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces under their control and acting with their permission, at or near Tanauan, Batangas Province, Philippine Islands, during the period from about 9 February 1945 to about 28 February 1945, did willfully and unlawfully attempt to kill Chua BIEK, Tomas SANDOVAL, and about four (4) other Filipino and Chinese civilians, in violation of the laws of war.

9. In that Masatoshi FUJISHIGE, Zenichi UEHARA, Hajime OHNO and Gensuke TAKAHASHI, or members of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces under their control and acting with their permission, at or near Tanauan, Batangas Province, Philippine Islands, during the period from about 9 February 1945 to about 28 February 1945, did willfully and unlawfully burn and destroy houses and other property, in violation of the laws of war.

10. In that Masatoshi FUJISHIGE, Zenichi UEHARA, Hajime OHNO and Gensuke TAKAHASHI, or members of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces under their control and acting with their permission, at or near Santo Tomas, Batangas Province, Philippine Islands, during the period from about 11 February 1945, did willfully and unlawfully kill Juanity [either Juanito or Juanita) LACSON, Norma MALVECINO, and about six hundred three (603) other Filipino civilians, in violation of the laws of war.

11. In that Masatoshi FUJISHIGE, Zenichi UEHARA, Hajime OHNO and Gensuke TAKAHASHI, or members of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces under their control and acting with their permission, at or near Santo Tomas, Batangas Province, Philippine Islands, during the period from about 11 February 1945, did willfully and unlawfully attempt to kill Soledad V. LACSON, Gliceria M. MALVECINO, and about six (6) other Filipino civilians, in violation of the laws of war.

12. In that Masatoshi FUJISHIGE, Zenichi UEHARA, Hajime OHNO and Gensuke TAKAHASHI, or members of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces under their control and acting with their permission, at or near Santo Tomas, Batangas Province, Philippine Islands, during the period from about 11 February 1945, did willfully and wrongfully burn and destroy houses and other property, in violation of the laws of war.

16. In that Masatoshi FUJISHIGE, Zenichi UEHARA, Hajime OHNO and Gensuke TAKAHASHI, or members of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces under their control and acting with their permission, at or near Lipa, Batangas Province, Philippine Islands, during the period from about 15 February 1945 to about 26 March 1945, did willfully and and unlawfully kill Alredo ORTIGA, Rufino REYES, and about two thousand two hundred ninety-six (2,296) other Filipino civilians, in violation of the laws of war.

17. In that Masatoshi FUJISHIGE, Zenichi UEHARA, Hajime OHNO and Gensuke TAKAHASHI, or members of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces under their control and acting with their permission, at or near Lipa, Batangas Province, Philippine Islands, during the period from about 15 February 1945 to about 26 March 1945, did willfully and and unlawfully attempt to kill Geronimo BISCOCHO, Briccio MABILING, and about nine (9) other Filipino civilians, in violation of the laws of war.

18. In that Masatoshi FUJISHIGE, Zenichi UEHARA, Hajime OHNO and Gensuke TAKAHASHI, or members of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces under their control and acting with their permission, at or near Lipa, Batangas Province, Philippine Islands, during the period from about 15 February 1945 to about 26 March 1945, did willfully and and wrongfully burn and destroy the said town of Lipa, in violation of the laws of war.

19. In that Masatoshi FUJISHIGE, Zenichi UEHARA, Hajime OHNO and Gensuke TAKAHASHI, or members of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces under their control and acting with their permission, at or near Taal, Batangas Province, Philippine Islands, during the period from about 16 February 1945 to about 18 February 1945, did willfully and and unlawfully kill Irinea ALMANZOR, Eusebia NAVARRO, and about two hundred forty-four (244) other Filipino civilians, in violation of the laws of war.

20. In that Masatoshi FUJISHIGE, Zenichi UEHARA, Hajime OHNO and Gensuke TAKAHASHI, or members of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces under their control and acting with their permission, at or near Taal, Batangas Province, Philippine Islands, during the period from about 16 February 1945 to about 18 February 1945, did willfully and and unlawfully attempt to kill Eufemia BANAAG, Hilario LARGO, and about ten (10) other Filipino civilians, in violation of the laws of war.

21. In that Masatoshi FUJISHIGE, Zenichi UEHARA, Hajime OHNO and Gensuke TAKAHASHI, or members of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces under their control and acting with their permission, at or near Taal, Batangas Province, Philippine Islands, during the period from about 16 February 1945 to about 18 February 1945, did willfully and and wrongfully burn and destroy houses and other property, in violation of the laws of war.

25. In that Masatoshi FUJISHIGE, Zenichi UEHARA, Hajime OHNO and Gensuke TAKAHASHI, or members of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces under their control and acting with their permission, at or near Bauan, Batangas Province, Philippine Islands, during the period from about 28 February 1945, did willfully and and unlawfully kill Sixto GUERRA, Juanito LIM, and about two hundred two (202) other Filipino civilians, in violation of the laws of war.

26. In that Masatoshi FUJISHIGE, Zenichi UEHARA, Hajime OHNO and Gensuke TAKAHASHI, or members of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces under their control and acting with their permission, at or near Bauan, Batangas Province, Philippine Islands, during the period from about 28 February 1945, did willfully and and unlawfully attempt to kill Francisco MANIGBAS and about one hundred (100) other Filipino civilians, in violation of the laws of war.

27. In that Masatoshi FUJISHIGE, Zenichi UEHARA, Hajime OHNO and Gensuke TAKAHASHI, or members of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces under their control and acting with their permission, at or near Bauan, Batangas Province, Philippine Islands, during the period from about 28 February 1945, did willfully and and wrongfully destroy private and religious property, in violation of the laws of war.

28. In that Masatoshi FUJISHIGE, Zenichi UEHARA, Hajime OHNO and Gensuke TAKAHASHI, or members of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces under their control and acting with their permission, at or near Sulac, Batangas Province, Philippine Islands, during the period from about 5 March 1945 to about 12 March 1945, did willfully and and unlawfully kill Margarita MARAVE, Maximo MANGUBAT, and about one thousand (1,000) other Filipino civilians, in violation of the laws of war.

29. In that Masatoshi FUJISHIGE, Zenichi UEHARA, Hajime OHNO and Gensuke TAKAHASHI, or members of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces under their control and acting with their permission, at or near Sulac [more correctly, Barrio Sulok or Santa Cruz, Santo Tomas], Batangas Province, Philippine Islands, during the period from about 5 March 1945 to about

32. In that Masatoshi FUJISHIGE, Zenichi UEHARA, Hajime OHNO and Gensuke TAKAHASHI, or members of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces under their control and acting with their permission, at or near Rosario, Batangas Province, Philippine Islands, on or about 13 March 1945, did willfully and and unlawfully kill Lorenzo MASILUNGAN, Sakeo TOLENTINO and about thirty-seven (37) other Filipino civilians, in violation of the laws of war.

33. In that Masatoshi FUJISHIGE, Zenichi UEHARA, Hajime OHNO and Gensuke TAKAHASHI, or members of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces under their control and acting with their permission, during the period from about 23 January 1945 to about 26 March 1945, did undertake and put into execution a plan to kill a large portion of the civilian population of Laguna and Batangas Provinces in the Philippine Islands, systematically to rob and pilfer from, private persons and religious and public institutions, and to devastate and destroy public, private, and religious property, as a result of which more than twenty-five thousand (25,000) men, women and children, all unarmed, non-combatant civilians were mistreated, wounded or killed and settlements were partially or entirely destroyed without military necessity, all in violation of the laws of war.

/s/ Alva C. Carpenter
/t/ ALVA C. CARPENTER

Before me personally appeared the above-named accuser this 10^th day of January, 1946, and made oath that he is a person subject to military law and that he personally signed the foregoing charge, and further that he has investigated the matters set forth in the charge, and that it is true in fact, to the best of his knowledge and belief.

/s/ Manning D. Webster

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