Testimony of Mikio Taneichi in Trial for Atrocities Committed in Batangas and Laguna 1945 (Part II)

Photo taken during the war crimes trials in Manila.  Image credit:  U.S. National Archives.

(Witness indicates on the map.)

COLONEL MADDEN: May the record show he indicated approximately the same area as that indicated for the regimental headquarters.

A On the 7, we went to Tanauan.
Q Did you take your entire company to Tanauan on the 7?
A Not all of them, but the main strength. Before that, one platoon was left in Ipaan [Ibaan].

(Witness indicates on the map.)

COLONEL MADDEN: May the record show he indicated a location approximately 3 kilometers northwest of Batangas.

Q Where was the air unit of Lieutenant Yamada between the 1ˢᵗ and 15 of February, 1945?
A I believe it was in Tanauan.

(Witness indicates on the map)

COLONEL MADDEN: May the record show he indicated the poblacion of Tanauan.

Q What was his first name, that is, First Lieutenant Yamada’s first name?
A I do not know.
Q I believe you testified he is not one of the accused present in the courtroom?
A The Lieutenant Yamada who is in the courtroom is from the fishing unit.
Q Where was the fishing unit located during the period first to fifteenth of February, 1945?
A I do not know.
Q Where was the unit of the accused, Yuzo Sakata, on the dates first to fifteenth of February, 1945?
A I do not know.
Q What was his unit?
A Construction Company.
Q Was that a unit of the Corps of Engineers of the Japanese Army?
A No.
Q Of what branch of the service was it a unit?
A The construction unit belonged to the regiment.
Q What regiment?
A The 17ᵗʰ Regiment. I do not know the actions of Lieutenant Sakata, but when he was in Calamba, I don’t think his unit was there.
Q What was the unit of the accused, Bunji Kanto?
A Engineer regiment.
Q And where was this unit during the period 1^st to 15ᵗʰ of February, 1945?
A I do not know.

Q How did you go from Tanauan to Calamba on the night of the 11ᵗʰ - 12ᵗʰ, I mean the evening of the 11ᵗʰ and morning of the 12ᵗʰ?
A We went by automobile.
Q And how did you return from Calamba to Tanauan on the night of the 12ᵗʰ - 13ᵗʰ?
A By automobile.
Q Did you return with all of the men that you took with you?
A Yes. I went together with other units from Tanauan and returned with those same units.
Q Who was the senior officer in command of that movement from Tanauan to Calamba on the night of the 11ᵗʰ - 12ᵗʰ of February?
A Lieutenant Yamada.
Q Is that the Lieutenant Yamada who is present in this courtroom?
A No.
Q Do you know if Lieutenant Yamada, to whom you have just referred as commanding that column, made a report of the operations at Calamba during the day of the 12ᵗʰ of February, upon his return to Tanauan?
A To whom?
Q To anyone – any superior officer.
A I do not know.
Q Did he ask you to make a report to him of your participation and the participation of your men in that operation?
A Lieutenant Yamada of the Air Corps and myself had no command relationship.
Q Then, do I understand you proceeded independently to Calamba and Tanauan despite the fact that a senior officer was present?

A Yes.
Q Then did you make a report to any superior headquarters of your participation in the operations on the 12ᵗʰ of February at Calamba?
A I made the report to Captain Saito.
Q How soon after your return to Tanauan did you make that report?
A I made the report while I was still in Calamba.
Q What was the substance of that report?
A I received orders to gather the residents, so I reported that the mission was accomplished.
Q Did you receive orders from Captain Saito or any other officer in charge at Calamba to return to Tanauan?
A Yes.
Q From whom?
A Captain Saito.
Q About when?
A About 7:30 in the evening.
Q How soon did you comply with those orders?
A I returned immediately after receiving that order.
Q On the 10ᵗʰ of February, 1945 at Tanauan, were you personally in charge and responsible for the operations there?

INTERPRETER OGITA: Will that question be repeated, please?

COLONEL WORTMAN: Will the reporter read the last question?

(The last question read by the reporter.)

A No.

Q Who was in charge?
A Lieutenant Yamada of the Air Corps.
Q Were you under his command jurisdiction?
A No, we had no command relationships.
Q How do you explain your statement that he was in charge and you, present with another unit, had no command relation with him? Did you obey his orders whether you had [a] command relation or not?
A Lt. Yamada’s unit was the security garrison there. My unit was to fight any paratroopers which might land, so our mission was entirely different and we had no command relationship.

COLONEL MADDEN: May I have the preceding question, its answer, this question and the answer read?

COLONEL WORTMAN: Read the last question and answer back.

(The reporter read the last two questions and answer.)

Q You have not answered the second part of my last question. I will repeat it. Did you obey the orders of Lt. Yamada, whether or not you had [a] command relation with him?
A No.
Q Then who was in charge of the subjugation operations at Tanauan on the date 10 February 1945?
A It was the security garrison unit commander.
Q Did your unit cooperate or assist in any way in the subjugation operations on the 10ᵗʰ of February, 1945?
A Yes.
Q On whose orders?
A Regimental orders.
Q How were they received?
A We received it through telephone.

Q What did those orders say in respect to cooperation with the security garrison under Lt. Yamada?
A The orders stated that the portion of my unit would be assigned to the garrison unit under Lt. Yamada and have them cooperate with him.
Q Did those orders include you, yourself, as a part of the portion, among the orders of Lt. Yamada?
A I was not included in that portion.
Q Did you receive a report that a Filipino citizen, girl, was raped by a Japanese officer in Tanauan on 10 February 1945?

COLONEL WORTMAN: The Commission will recess for ten minutes.

(Short recess.)

COLONEL WORTMAN: The Commission is in session.

LIEUTENANT PHARR: The Commission is present, the defense counsel is present, the accused and prosecution are present.

COLONEL WORTMAN: You may proceed.

COLONEL MADDEN: May I have the last question read?

COLONEL WORTMAN: Read the last question, please.

(The reporter read the last question.)

Q Where were the nearest American units of your location on the 12ᵗʰ of February, 1945?
A I do not know.

COLONEL MADDEN: I have no further questions.

BY COLONEL WORTMAN:
Q Did you phone your regimental commander, Colonel Fujishige, between the 7ᵗʰ and 12ᵗʰ of February, 1945 concerning the subjugation of Tanauan?
A Yes.
Q Did Colonel Fujishige give you strict orders which included the subjugation of woman and children?
A Fujishige told me not to pity any women and children who were guerrillas.
Q Did Colonel Fujishige tell you that women and children found to be guerrillas would be subjugated?

INTERPRETER OGITA: If it please the Commission, does the word “subjugation” mean kill?

COLONEL WORTMAN: Subjugation. We have referred through the trial to subjugation activities at Tanauan. I want to know whether Fujishige’s orders required him to subjugate women and children if they were found to be guerrillas.

A I did not receive any direct orders about that.

Q Did you talk to Colonel Fujishige on the telephone between the seventh and twelfth of February 1945 with reference to subjugation activities at Tanauan?
A Yes.
Q What were Colonel Fujishige’s orders to you with reference to women and children?
A He did not issue any orders, but when I spoke to him about the matter, he said not to pity women and children who were guerrillas.

LIEUTENANT PHARR: May we have that last answer read back?

COLONEL WORTMAN: Will the reporter read the last answer?

(The reporter read the last answer.)

Q How many men were there in the main strength of your Seventh Company?
A At that time, there were approximately 60 men.
Q How many of your men did you take to Calamba for the subjugation activities there on Colonel Fujishige’s orders?
A Five or six men.
Q How many men did you bring back to Tanauan from Calamba after the subjugation activities had been completed.
A Five or six.

COLONEL WORTMAN: Any further questions?

BY COLONEL MADDEN:
Q How many men did you turn over to Lieutenant Yamada to cooperate with the subjugation of the activities in Tanauan on the tenth of February?

A Approximately twenty.

COLONEL MADDEN: That is all, Sir.

BY COLONEL WORTMAN:
Q Why did you rape Corazon A. Burgos at Tanauan, Batangas Province, on the tenth of February 1945?
A I did not rape any woman.

CAPTAIN GREER: May it please the Commission, I would like at this time to enter an objection to the last question of yours, Colonel Wortman, for the record. My objection is that it is a presumption of fact stated in your question that the witness had already denied.

COLONEL WORTMAN: Comment by the prosecution?

LIEUTENANT PHARR: I know of no rule prohibiting the type of question a Commission may ask. He may ask any question that seems relevant to the issue. I think the question is entirely proper.

COLONEL WORTMAN: Ruling by the law member?

COLONEL HAMBY: Objection overruled.

BY COLONEL CHASE:
Q If you met a woman with two children whom you believed to be guerrillas, what would you consider the regimental commander’s orders to subjugate would require you to do to them?
A I would take action according to orders.
Q According to your orders, what would you actually do if you had been ordered to subjugate them?
A I would subjugate them.
Q Describe in detail how you would subjugate them.
A I would act according to the order.

Q Your order was to subjugate them. Tell me how you would subjugate them under the orders to subjugate them.
A I cannot say because it would depend upon the present situation at the time.
Q What did you understand by the orders to subjugate?
A Do you mean the general meaning of the word subjugation?
Q I want to know what you would do under your orders to subjugate them.
A It would be according to the various situations.

COLONEL WORTMAN: The witness will answer the question as to the action he would take in the case cited by Colonel Chase in connection with his subjugation orders.

COLONEL WORTMAN: Read that back.

(The reporter read the requested portion.)

A I would investigate them again and then I would act according to orders. I would investigate them and act according to orders – the principle [principal] meaning of the word subjugation does not mean to kill them. I do not believe that is the meaning of the word.
BY COLONEL WORTMAN:
Q Did your subjugation orders require you to slap faces and rape women?
A There was no such thing.
Q Anyswer my question “yes” or “no.”
A No.

COLONEL WORTMAN: Any further questions by the prosecution?

BY LIEUTENANT PHARR:
Q Are you a graduate of the Japanese Military Academy?
A Yes.

LIEUTENANT PHARR: No further questions.

COLONEL WORTMAN: Any further questions by the defense?

CAPTAIN GREER: No further questions.

COLONEL WORTMAN: Any further questions by the Commission?

CAPTAIN GREER: At this time, I would like to have an off-record discussion between the members of the prosecution and of the Commission.

COLONEL WORTMAN: Very well.

(Off-record discussion between the prosecution, members of the Commission and the defense counsel.)

CAPTAIN GREER: May it please the Commission, at this time, the defense would like to ask for a continuance until 0830 Friday morning.

COLONEL WORTMAN: What is the purpose of the continuance?

CAPTAIN GREER: The purpose of this request is to give us such time to prepare the excerpts from the Fujishige case that we wish to introducefor the Commission’s scrutiny as well as prepare a photographic exhibit of the accused Taneichi’s teeth.

COLONEL WORTMAN: The request of the defense is granted. Is there any comment from the prosecution at this time?

LIEUTENANT PHARR: That procedure is agreeable to the prosecution, Sir.

COLONEL WORTMAN: Very well. The Commission will recess until day after tomorrow morning at 0830.

(The Commission adjourned at 1120 hours, 29 May 1946, to reconvene at 0830 hours, 31 May 1946.)

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