Testimony of Shumpei Hagino Related to Japanese Activities in Batangas in World War II

This page contains the testimony from one accused, Lt. Shumpei Hagino, submitted as evidence in U.S.A. v Shumpei Hagino, et al., one of the war crimes trials conducted after the conclusion of World War II in the Pacific in 1945. This document was the record of a deposition conducted at a camp in Cabuyao, Laguna where Japanese prisoners-of-war were being held captive. 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.

[p. 1]

Q What is your name, age and home address?
A HAGINO, Shumpei, 26 years old, Korea.

Q What is your rank and organization in the Japanese Army?
A 2^nd Lt., 2^nd Battalion, 17^th Infantry Regiment.

Q What were your duties in the 2^nd Battalion from January 1945 until the surrender?
A I was attached to the Battalion Headquarters, helping the Adjutant in his duties.

Q Who was the Adjutant?
A 1^st Lt. OWARI was the Adjutant till the end of March. After that, I succeeded him as Adjutant.

Q Where were you stationed from the end of 1944 until the surrender?
A Barrio Dita, Cuenca.

Q Who was your Commanding Officer?
A Captain ICHIMURA, Isao.

Q During the period I have mentioned, did you receive any orders that all anti-Japanese elements would be killed?
A Yes. I received orders from Captain ICHIMURA.

Q Were you present at this meeting?
A No.

Q Do you know who was present?
A All the Battalion Commanders: Capt. TAKAHASI, Koochichi, 1^st Bn. Commander, already killed in the front; Lt. Col. TSUTSUMI, who was in the position as Regimental Commander of all the Fishing Battalions; the rest I do not know.

Q Did you see any written orders?
A I saw a written order which said, “The 2^nd Battalion will begin the mopping up of those guerrilla bands within its jurisdiction.” That is all I remember about that order. Then, our battalion began mopping up around Taal.

Q When did the mopping up around Taal take place?
A It took us three days, sometime toward the end of February 1945.

Q What units were used in this mopping up operation?
A About 50 men from the Field Artillery Battalion under the command of WO HOSAKA; about 150 men from the 2^nd Battalion, some from the Machine Gun Company, 2^nd Bn., and one platoon of the 6^th Company under Sgt. Major SUZUKI, Masaichi; about 40 men from the Heavy Arms Battalion, equipped with battalion guns, under the command of 2^nd

[p. 2]

in addition, there were 40 men belonging to a sort of Engineering Unit and at the same time Infantry, who were trained for the purpose, under the command of Sgt. Maj. MOGAMI, Zenichiro.

Q Were any of the Fishing Battalions used in this operation?
A I believe not.

Q What procedure was followed in the mopping up of anti-Japanese elements in Taal?
A The men were divided into platoons of about 50 men each, and we made surprise attacks on civilian houses. Some of the civilians fled and those that resisted were killed right at the spot.

Q How were they killed?
A They were shot with rifles.

Q Were any of the people bayoneted?
A As far as I know, most of the soldiers shot them.

Q Were the houses in the various barrios of Taal burned?
A Yes. Only those houses where people had been shot and where we found weapons.

Q How many people were killed in the operation at Taal?
A According to the stories I heard from the other commanding officers of the mopping up units, about 200 people.

Q What platoon were you in during the mopping up of Taal?
A I was with Lt. TAKIMOTO, already killed; and Sgt. KIMURA, Keiichi.

Q What did your unit do during the mopping up at Taal?
A We directed the operations.

Q Was Capt. OWARI, Saburo, present during the mopping up operation at Taal?
A He was there, too, but he didn’t engage in the mopping up action. He only went there from time to time to see what was going on.

Q What did you do after the mopping up operation at Taal was completed?
A We returned to Cuenca, and then went to Bauan toward the end of Feb.

Q Did all the units that you have mentioned to to Bauan?
A Yes.

Q Did any other units join you at Bauan?
A Yes, the garrison stationed at Bauan under the command of 1^st Lt. OHDERA was engaged in it; also Capt. OWARI who was OO of troops that belonged to the Bn. Hq.; and 1^st Lt. TAKAHASHI, Shigeru, the Commanding Officer of the 6^th Company.

Q Describe what took place at Bauan?
A All the Filipino men, about 300, were gathered in the Bauan church. These men were then taken to a nearby house where all the doors were closed and then the house was dynamited.

[p. 3]

Q You were present at Bauan during this operation?
A Yes.

Q Did you participate in the events that you have described?
A Yes.

Q During this operation, were parts of the town of Bauan burned by the Japanese?
A Yes.

Q After the Bauan incident, where did the Japanese units go?
A OHDERA’s group remained as garrison in Bauan and the rest of the men returned to Cuenca. At Cuenca, we received news that the battalion was going to be transferred, so we stopped the mopping up operation.

Q Did Capt. SAITO accompany these expeditions?
A No, when Capt. ICHIMURA recovered in the middle of February, SAITO returned to FUJUSHIGE’s Headquarters.

Q Then, SAITO did not participate in the Taal and Bauan expeditions?
A Yes.

Q Did the units which you have mentioned engage in the mopping up of Filipinos at Cuenca?
A No. The 115^th Fishing Battalion and a Mortar Battalion, composed of about 150 men, under the command of Capt. MASAKI took part in this operation, in the beginning of March.

Q Who were the officers besides Capt. MASAKI?
A 1^st Lt. ENDO was the only other one that I know.

Q After you were interned in this prison camp, did you receive any message from Col. FUJISHIGE?
A Yes, I received a message from Col. FUJISHIGE, to keep silent on what happened.

Q Do you have anything further to add to this statement?
A No.

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES
PROVINCE OF LAGUNA
TOWN OF CABUYAO

[p. 4]

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES
PROVINCE OF LAGUNA
TOWN OF CABUYAO

C E R T I F I C A T E

Stockade #5, POW #1 Cabuyao, Laguna, P.I.

/s/ James P. Healey, Jr. /t/ JAMES P. HEALEY, JR., 1st Lt., JAGD

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

Notes and references:
¹ “Statement of Shumpei Hagino, part of the documentation in U.S.A. v Shumpei Hagino, et al.,” part of the U.S. Military Commission compilation of war crimes documentation, online at the Internet Archive.