<Begin Segment 24>

MU: Okay. Was there any other case that comes to your mind when you were involved with the B criminals?

GK: Yes. One other case that I tried was a trial of the certain number of people who were on (a) hospital ship called Tachibana-Maru. Which was a hospital ship with the red cross clearly marked on deck to be distinguished from (...) other battleships. But this battleship -- in addition to some of the sick people evacuating from Guadalcanal and those South Pacific Islands -- (it was) stopped by the American vessels and inspected. (It was) found (that) all the people aboard were bandaged and in hospital robes. (...) The hospital ship -- at that moment -- was transporting an entire regiment (of combat soldiers), aboard the ship. And they were disguised as (patients).

MU: Patients?

GK: Patients. And there were patients, too. Because they were (sick and) half starved (...), and they were picked up from the islands (to be) transported back to Japan. They were not in shape -- but not in healthy shape. However, they were organized regimental combat team. So when this was found out, the ship was taken to Manila, and then entire ship commander, ship personnel, were tried as war criminals. And they were all convicted. But then, the ship commander, captain, was given only about seven years. And others, seven, five, three years. And there were some acquittals (...).

MU: Well, that's something... we haven't heard about that kind of case.

GK: Interesting sideline: this Tachibana-Maru, after the war, served as a commercial vessel, or tourist vessel, shuttling between Tokyo and Manila. I took a trip, vacation trip to Manila, well, I happened to ride Tachibana-Maru to go down to Manila, and it was same captain, it was still the same captain. He was tried and released and he went back to the boat. He recognized me aboard the ship...

MU: Yeah. I was going to ask you if you ever bumped into any of these people that...

GK: Yeah, they were very kind, nice to me. Of course, I was on the defense side, and I was nice to them while they were in confinement and during the trial. So I had, I was given royal treatment aboard the ship.

MU: Was that name still Tachibana-Maru?

GK: (Yes,) it was (still called) Tachibana-Maru. (...) Tachibana-Maru, subsequent to that, was (moored) at the Yamashita Park in Yokohama, as a restaurant, floating restaurant so I went there to eat one time. It was the same boat, same dining room where we ate before it was a restaurant.

MU: [Laughs] Did you meet any other...?

GK: No, at that time I didn't see anyone that I knew.

MU: No, at other times, have you bumped into somebody that you might have helped?

GK: Some of the criminals, war criminals, I ran into them here and there. And they remembered and the families remembered my name. And they all appreciated it.

MU: Your help, huh?

GK: Uh-huh. When I went to Osaka one time on a trip, yjrm some people from Osaka -- (...) they knew, they heard that I was coming, so they invited me to a restaurant for a special dinner.

<End Segment 24> - Copyright © 1997 Densho. All Rights Reserved.