Evening star., 1948-12-23
Jap War Lords Shout
'Banzai' in Going TO
Death on GaIIows
BY the Asseeiatsd Press

BY the Associated Press
TOKYO, Dec. 23.-Hideki Toto
and three of his six war-maker
companions gave lusty "Banzai"
shouts before they were hanged
in Sugamo Prison today.
The last act of defiance by the
four of the seven old condemned
men came in the little Buddhist
temple near the death house, Shinso
Hanayama, the priest who attended
them, said.
The Banzai cry-the traditional
Jacanese cheer which translates
into ten thousand years"-featured
tie last charges of many japanese
soldiers in World War II. TOTO and
his companions also shouted for a
greater Nippon before going to the
gallows, the priest said.
TOTO Gets Weak Wine, No Sake.
TOTO. whose military clique plotted
and ordered the Pearl Harbor attack
and plunged half the world into its
greatest war, asked for a drink of
sake before he went to his death.
But he had to be content with a
glass of weak wine, the priest said.
The priest described TOTO and
the other three of the first four
hanged shortly after midnight as
almost jaunty.
TOTO, said the priest, left a mes
sage for the world which he was
forbidden by occupation authorities
to- make public.
The former Premier also left a
poem which the priest translated
roughly:
1T is goodbye
cover the mountains I 60 today
ITO the bosom of Buddha
so happy am l."
All Drink Heartily.
All seven of the Japanese war
leaders graSped wine glasses in their
handcuffed hands and drank heart
lily before marching to the gallows,
the priest said in a press conference
after the executions.
Gen. Seisjiro Itagaki, who was
hanged for aggression against
China, told the priest that he
prayed "for the rise and prosperity
Of China and Korea"
Another of the doomed men.
Koki Hirota. 10, the only civilian.
asked the priest to tell his family
that Il died silently and calmly"
Hanayama said TOTO raised his
Buddha rosary in his left hand
above his head in gesture of
prayer when he was informed in
the office of the Sugamo COM
mandant yesterday that he would
die this morning. Then, said the
priest, TOTO mumbled to the COM
mandant in English:
"Okay, okay."
Thanks Prison Officials.
TOTO asked the priest to thank
prison officials for his treatment.
He ordered a last meal of rice, soy
bean soup. broiled fish, coffee, meat
and jam. the priest said.
Hanayama said he had been for
hidden to make public anything
that happened in the prison except
religious subjects.
But the priest revealed that TOTO
had asked him specifically to thank
prison officials for giving him "a
hours notice before his death.
II thought they might get me sud-
denly. like out of bed" he quoted
TOTO.
As news of the hangings spread
through Japan, temple bells tolled
for world peace in village and town.
Peace prayers were offered by mil
lions in Buddhist and Shinto tenn
Piles The japanese people acted on
the hint of Gen. Macarthur. The
general had expressed the wish that
peace prayers be offered the day OF
the executions.
Die With TOTO.
The traps were sprung .on TOTO
and three others at 12:0l12 am.
u0:0l1a am. Wednesday, EST.
Those who died with the 64-year-
old TOTO were Gen. Kenji Doihara,
"a, creator of the puppet regime in
China and Singapores 1945 COM
mander; Gen. Iwane Matsui, 10.
whose troops raped Nanking. and
Gen. Akira Muto, 66, war ministry
planning brain.
The second group, Gen. Itagaki,
instigator of the Manchurian con-
quest; Gen. Jeitaro Kimura, so,
Tojo's friend and Vice War Min
lister, and Hirota, Premier in 1896, |
entered the death chamber at 1919