Two Officers on Trial in Rabaul For Vile Crime

Japs Massacre Ocean Islanders After

Surrender

'J'HE full story of the Japanese

massacre of six Europeans and 200 natives on Ocean Island in August , 1945, was told in the War Crimes Court in Rabaul in April.

Two Jap officers, Lieut. - Com mander Naaomi Suzuki and his quartermaster, Lieut. Yoshio Nara, are charged with the crime.

They admit that, knowing that Japan had surrendered, they yet deliberately massacred the natives to “inflict damage on the Allies .” Chief evidence against the officers is the sworn declaration of a native, Kabunare, sole survivor of the massacre.

In the following report, reprinted

from the Melbourne “Herald,” Suzuki stated that between August 16 and 20, 1945, he flew to Tarawa to consult with Rear-Admiral Shibazaki. It will be remembered, however, that Tarawa was recaptured by the Americans in

November, 1943.

KABUNARE said he was employed as a fisherman by the Jans. The Europeans he remembered on the island were Mr. Cartwright, who died of malnutrition, Mr. Cole, Mr, Third. Mr.

Mercer, the Rev. Father J. Pujebet. and a mission brother.

He did not know where Mr. Cartwright was buried. He heard that Mr. Cole was killed by stabbing with a knife while he was asleep in his house. He was also told that Mr. Mercer died of sick ness, Father Pujebet went into hospital for an abdominal operation, and Mr.

Third and the brother were injected by “the No. 2 doctor.”

One day all the natives in the area were assembled on parade, and a Jan officer addressed them through an inter preter.

“He told us that the war was over but we must still work for a while, and then the Japs would go away and leave us here.

“We were too scared to show our hap piness, so we just bowed our heads and went back to our houses. Then wo laughed and talked of the good news.”

Next day the natives were again as sembled and were told they would be divided and sent to new sections. Thev were led away in groups and witness found himself in the last group of eight men. They marched to the police lines, where they were confronted by Jap sol diers. armed with rifles and bayonets The hands of all the natives were tightly bound, and they were led down a wind ing track to the cliffs below Tabiang village.

“When we reached the cliff our eyes were tied up with cloth,” said Kabunare.

“Falailiva was the first to be tied and was on my left. He said to me, ‘Are you ready to die?’ and I replied, ‘Yes.’

“Everything was quiet for a moment, and then I fell over the cliff. I did not try to, but just fell. Almost at the same time, I heard a scream, and someone fell oh top of me. I think it was Falailiva.

I heard others fall, but no more screams.

Then I heard a lot) of shots fired.

“Falailiva was still on top of me, and some of the bullets were close to me.

This was about 3 o’clock in the after noon.

“Water kept breaking over us, but I could breathe as the water receded each time. I stayed there without moving till I thought the Japanese had gone.

“I bit Falailiva’s shoulder to see if he was still alive. He was still lying partly on top of me. Falailiva did not cry out, so I knew he was dead.”

Kabunare said he stayed in the water for an hour, and then rose to his feet.

The Japanese had gone, and all his com panions were dead.

That night and the following day he hid in a cave, and late the following night he went into the jungle, where he hid in a hole. For four months he stayed hidden.

One dav he climbed a tree and saw many ships at anchorage, but thought they were Japanese ships. He also saw a Union Jack flying from police lines, but thought it was a Japanese trick.

On December 2 he met two natives from the Gilbert Islands who had landed with the Allied occupation force. He went with them to the police lines.

CAPTAIN ACKLAND, the prosecuting officer, then presented a transcript of answers supplied by both Jap offi cers during their interrogation in Feb ruary.

During bis interrogation. Suzuki said that when he gave orders for the execu tion of the natives all his officers were present except Engineer Lieut. Kigana.

Lieut. Nara was not present when the natives were shot.

Suzuki said he was in command at Ocean Island from August, 1943. until the end of the war. and he did not receive orders that the war was over until August 24 or 25. 1945. when Truk radio came on the air. Before that date they had heard many rumours, but this was the first reliable information.

The Japanese Commander-in-Chief snoke from Truk and ordered the Ocean Island garrison to fight to the finish.

Suzuki said he gave the order to ex terminate the 200 natives on the island to four of his company commanders about August 18. “It was a very brief order,” he said. “As far as I remember it was: ‘Shoot all the natives on the island’.”

Asked why he had given the order, Suzuki said: “We had heard rumours about Japan going down. We had decided to kill them. The most important rea son was an order I had received from Rear-Admiral Keiji Shibazaki, who was at Tarawa (? Truk).

“This order was to fight to the finish and. as the natives were likely to cause trouble, to execute them all.”

To confirm this order, which he re ceived between August 15 and 20, he flew to Tarawa (? Truk) to confer with Rear- Admiral Shibazaki.

The admiral said that as the Jap gar rison on Ocean Island only numbered 500 men, the 200 natives might be a danger in an Allied landing. He, therefore, re commended their execution.

Suzuki concluded: “These executions will be before the War Crimes Court.

The other officers acted on my orders and the responsibility is mine, not theirs.

“I ordered the executions, believing it was the best thing to be done, as far as I was concerned as Jap commander.”

DURING a_ similar interrogation, Lieut.

Nara claimed that when he divided the natives into seven groups he knew they would be shot, but did not

know when. Two hours later, while he was sitting in his office, he heard shots being fired and he realised the natives were being killed.

When Suzuki ordered the executions, he (Nara) was distressed, because he con sidered his commander’s attitude was not humane. He advised Suzuki that he would rather not carry out his instruc tions, but, seeing it was an order, he would do so.