Fukudome Shigeru and others

Case Summary

In January 1945, an Allied B-29 aircraft was shot down in Singapore and its crew taken prisoner. In July 1945, the Japanese destroyer "Kamikaze" brought more POWs by shooting down another aircraft. These said POWs were imprisoned at Seletar Naval Base.

Between February and August 1945 the crew of the B-29 aircraft were executed. Between July and August 1945, 8 Allied POWs, the crew of the PBY aircraft, were also executed. These executions happened at Nee Soon Rifle Range. Although it could not be established from whom the execution orders emanated, the POWs came under the direct jurisdiction of Vice-Admiral Imamura Osamu and his subordinates, Captains Matsuda Gengo and Saiko Yakichi.

Vice-Admiral Fukudome Shigeru, Rear-Admiral Asakura Bunji and Commander Ino Eiichi were accessories after the fact becuase they attempted to suppress and destroy all evidence of the execution. After the Japanese surrender, it was decided that the bodies of the POWs were to be dug up and burnt.

For more information, see:

http://www.legal-tools.org/doc/af2030/

http://www.legal-tools.org/doc/412496/

http://www.legal-tools.org/doc/3de932/

http://www.legal-tools.org/doc/2f3481/

The trial was adjourned from 9 to 12 February because of the Chinese New Year and for the defence lawyer Abe Taro to shift house.
 
The trial was adjourned again from 12 to 17 February because the defence lawyer Abe was living in horse stables and sleeping on concrete floors with leaky roofs (Bukit Timah Camp). The Court ordered the prosecutor Wait to look into the living conditions of the defence lawyers.