Charge and Specifications vs Japanese Officers for Atrocities Committed in Batangas and Laguna in 1945 - Batangas History, Culture and Folklore Charge and Specifications vs Japanese Officers for Atrocities Committed in Batangas and Laguna in 1945 - Batangas History, Culture and Folklore

Charge and Specifications vs Japanese Officers for Atrocities Committed in Batangas and Laguna in 1945

Batangas History
1 Dec, 2017

[TRANSCRIPTION]

Apart from trying the top brass of the Japanese Imperial Army for war crimes committed in the Philippines, with special interest on those in Batangas, the US Military Commission also tried officers for an assortment of charges. This particular documentation contains the charge and specifications against Japanese Imperial Army officers Mikio Taneichi, Yuzo Sakata, Taichi Yamada, and Bunji Kanto, the basis for their trial before the military commission. The pages contained herein are now declassified and were part of compiled documentation1 of war crimes trials conducted by the United States Military Commission after the conclusion of World War II. This transcription has been corrected for grammar where necessary by Batangas History, Culture and Folklore. The pagination is as it was contained in the original document for citation purposes.

Manila War Crimes Trial US Army
Photo taken during the war crimes trials in Manila.  Image credit:  U.S. National Archives.

[p. 9]

GENERAL HEADQUARTERS
SUPREME COMMANDER OF THE ALLIED POWERS

Before the
MILITARY COMMISSION
convened by the
COMMANDING GENERAL
United States Army Forces,
Western Pacific 		UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
VS
Mikio TANEICHI
Yuzo SAKATA
Taichi YAMADA
Bunji KANTO

CHARGE

That the following members of the Imperial Japanese Army, with their then known titles:
Mikio TANEICHI, ISN 51J-84218, First Lieutenant
Yuzo SAKATA, ISN 51J-24213, First Lieutenant
Taichi YAMADA, ISN 51J-84175, First Lieutenant
Bunji KANTO, ISN 51J-97902, Second Lieutenant

during a time of war between the United States of America,

[p. 10]

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 under their commands during the period from 9 February 1945 to about 28 February 1945, and permitted such forces wrongfully to kill and attempt to kill unarmed, non-combatant Filipino and Chinese civilians; and that the said Mikio TANEICHI, Yuzo SAKATA, Taichi YAMADA and Bunji KANTO, at the times and places aforesaid, did unlawfully kill and did unlawfully order the forces under their commands to kill unarmed, non-combatant Filipino and Chinese civilians, which orders were duly executed at the times and places aforesaid; and the said Mikio TANEICHI did, at or near Tanauan, Batangas Province, Luzon, Philippine Islands, on or about 10 February 1945, unlawfully rape a female person, all in violation of the laws of war.

SPECIFICATIONS

1. In that Mikio TANEICHI or members of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces under his control and acting with his permission, at or near Tanauan, Batangas Province, Philippine Islands, during the period from 9 February 1945 to about 28 February 1945, did willfully and unlawfully kill Magdalena DE VERA and Anunciacion A. BURGOS and about eight hundred twenty-four (824) other unarmed, non-combatant Filipino and Chinese civilians, in violation of the laws of war.

2. In that Mikieo TANEICHI or members of the Imperial

[p. 11]

Japanese Armed Forces under his control and acting with his 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 Tomas SANDOVAL, Aurea GONZALES and about four (4) other unarmed, non-combatant Filipino and Chinese civilians, in violation of the laws of war.

3. In that Mikio TANEICHI did, on or about 10 February 1945, at Tanauan, Batangas Province, Philippine Islands, rape Corazon A. BURGOS, a female person.

4. In that Mikio TANEICHI, Yuzo SAKATA, Taichi YAMADA and Bunji KANTO, or members of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces under their control and acting with their permission, at or near Calamba, Laguna Province, Philippine Islands, during the period from about 11 February 1945 to about 24 February 1945, did unlawfully and wrongfully kill Horacio HABANA, Jacinta MAYBITUIN and about one thousand (1,000) other unarmed, non-combatant Filipino civilians, in violation of the laws of war.

5. In that Mikio TANEICHI, Taichi YAMADA and Bunji KANTO, or members of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces under their control and acting with their permission, at or near Calamba, Laguna Province, Philippine Islands, during the period from about 11 February 1945 to about 24 February 1945, did unlawfully and wrongfully attempt to kill Victoriana Douenos, Jose HABANA and about thirty-five (35) other unarmed, non-combatant Filipino civilians, in violation of the laws of war.

[p. 12]

Dated: 3 May 1946 /s/ Alva C. Carpenter
/t/ ALVA C. CARPENTER
Colonel, JAGD
United States Army

AFFIDAVIT

Before me personally appeared the above-named accuser this 3rd day of May 1946, and made oath that he is a person subject to military law and that he has 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/ Edmund H. Sweeney
1st Lt. JAGD, AUS

GENERAL HEADQUARTERS
UNITED STATES ARMY FORCES, WESTERN PACIFIC
APO 707

24 May 1946
Referred for trial to 2nd Lt. Ernest G. Pharr, INF, Chief Prosecutor of the Military Commission appointed by Paragraph 26, special Orders No. 119, this Headquarters, 24 May 1946.

By command of Lieutenant General STYER:

/s/ J.J. GERHARDT
Colonel, AGD
Adjutant General
I hereby certify that I have served a copy hereof, together with a true and complete translation thereof into

[p. 13]

Japanese, on the above-named accused this 25th day of May, 1946.
/s/ AGUSTIN R. BANZON
/t/ AGUSTIN R. BANZON
1stLt., JAGD
Notes and references:
1 “Charge and Specifications in U.S.A. v Mikio Taneichi, Yuzo Sakata, Taichi Yamada, and Bunji Kanto,” part of the U.S. Military Commission compilation of war crimes documentation, online at the Internet Archive.
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