Q. State your full name and home address.
A. Jesse L. Stewart, my home address is McKinnon, Wyoming, and at the present time I am stationed at Corpus Christi, Texas, as a member of Marine Aviation Detachment, Ward Island.

Q. How long have you been in the United States Marine Corps?
A. I have served continuously in the Marine Corps since 19 October 1936.

Q. What is your rpesent rank in the Marine Corps?
A. Master Technical Sergeant

Q. During the past war were you confined in any Japanese prison camp?
A. Yes. Captured 23rd December 1941 at Wake Island. Was held on Wake Island until May 1942. The taken to Zentsuji, Shikoku Island, Japan. Remained there until 17 January 1943. Was taken to Tanagawa, Honshu Island and remained in the Tanagawa prisoner of war camp until May 21, 1943. Then taken to Umeda Prisoner of War Camp arriving there 21 May 1943 where I remained until 21 May 1945, at which time I was taken to Tsuruga Prisoner of War Camp where I remained until 11 Sept 1945.

Q. Did you observe the conduct of Sgt. Hiroichi Uno during this time?
A. Yes.

Q. State what you observed.
A. Sergeant Hiroichi Uno of the Imperial Japanese Army was paymaster of the Tsuruga POW Camp during the time I was there. He was also in charge of issuing supplies to the POWS, although the only actual issues were of our rations. Sgt. Uno had authority over the civilian guards at the Tsuruga Camp, and I observed him exercising this authority over them every day of the three months that I spent there before the end of the war. By the time I reached Tsuruga I was able both to speak and to understand Japanese well.

At Tsuruga in or about June, 1945, at about 5:30 in the afternoon, I saw a fellow POW, Private First Class Charles A. Cobb of the U.S. Army being beaten by one of the civilian prison guards, Ryunosuke Kimura, under the supervision of Sgt. Hiroichi Uno. Sgt Uno stood beside Cobb and Kimura watching them and Kimura was striking Cobb on the left side of his face with the heel of his right hand. [COBB, Charles Alton, PFC, 19056647, 59thCAC, Battery E]

Cobb fell unconscious to the ground two or three times. Each time Kimura rubbed salt on the wounds in Cobb's face and poured water on him until he revivied. The Sgt. Uno and Kimura would pull him to his feet and Kimura would start beating him again.

The next morning when I saw Cobb, I could not recohnize him from his face but only from his clothes and general build. His face was swollen out of all proportion, both eyes were swollen shut and were black and blue, as was the left side of his face.

I heard Cobb was beaten at the order of Lt. Namba, the Japanese Commanding Officer of Tsuruga Prisoner of War camp, because he has stolen some salt.

About 12 June, 1945, before we went to work in the morning, a shakedown inspection of our billets was held by Lt. Namba and his camp staff. I heard that they found some charcoal burners and raw beans in another section of the billets. All of the men in this section, about 50 in number, were called out and I saw them standing at attention just outside the barracks. I saw Sgt. Uno, Tsudo, Ryunosuke Kimura, Ikeda, Miyashita and all the other members of the camp staff except Lt. Namba and Sergeant Major Taya fall upon the men and commence beating them with everything from bare hands to leather belts and shovels.

The beating started at 9:30 in the morning and was still continuing when the rest of us left to go to work about an hour later. When we returned at midday for our lunch the men were still being beaten. I again saw them being beaten as I went back to work at one o'clock and, although I was in the barracks between twelve and one, could hear the beating continuing all the time and the sound of the blows being struck. When we returned from work at 6:30 in the evening the men were still being beaten by the same guards. I had to stay in my barracks after returning from work at 6:30 until the next morning but I could hear the blows falling on the 50 prisoners until the beating finally ended about nine o'clock p.m., our bedtime. I was about 50 feet from where the beating was going on outside our barracks, although some of the POWs were nearer and some farther away from me. Private First Class Cobb and Master Sergeant Gregory were in the group of men who were being beaten. [GREGORY, John P., M Sgt,6489052, 60yh CAC Hq Battery]

Bout 1st. Aug. 1945. I was coming out of one of the warehouses with the rest of the work crew when I saw Sgt. Uno beating Cpl. Robert T. Fugate, U.S. Marine Corps, on the face with both fists. [FUGATE, Robert Tabo, PFC, 280788, 4th Marines, D Company] He continued for about 5 minutes and then Sgt. Uno picked up a sword-shaped, cherry wood club and beat Fugate all over his body with it. The beating with the club kept up for aabout 15 minutes. All this time I was on the docks, going to get railway cars for loading and pushing them back to the warehouse with my crew. The beating still continued when I went back to the warehouse. I do not know the cause. Later that day I saw Fugate and he showed me the bruises on his arms and legs. His face was swollen and discolored. Uno was the only person beating Fugate on this occasion.

At evening muster, called "Tenko", in the barracks at Tsuruga, about 1st July 1945, although I am not sure of the date, at 8:30 P.M., Sgt. Uno was in charge. Uno claimed he heard a POW talking in my section. He ordered all of us out, about 42 in number, to stand in one particular part of the barracks. We were closely crowded and in 4 or 5 ranks. He passed from man to man and struck at each of us from 5 to 10 times as hard as he could on our faces with his leather belt, which was about 36" long, 2" wide, 1/8" thick, and made of cowhide. He doubled it up to hit us. There were tow Japanese army guards, privates, with him, but they did not take part in this beating, he was the only one..
When we fell out for work one morning at Tsuruga, one of the American sailors in another section of the barracks had a cigarette in his hand and was putting it out as we were not allowed to smoke outside the barracks. Sgt. Uno said, "you are trying to set the barracks on fire". Split the sailor's lip and bloodied his nose. He did knock the sailor down. I cannot remember the sailor's name.

On many occasions during the 3 months I spent at Tsuruga, I saw Sgt. Uno striking POWs with his fists, leather belt and clubs. He did this so many times, alone and in conjunction with other Japanese guards, military and civilians, that I cannot remember each one of these incidents separately. I am sure that during this period I saw Sgt. Uno beating, slapping and clubbing POWs at least 100 times. Sgt. Uno had authority over the civilian guards at the camp and many times in his presence these guards struck, beat and clubbed POWs, but he never stopped them and most of the times joined them in their assaults.

On two occasions, the last time on 13 December, 1946, I interviewed the Hiroichi Uno who is confined at Sugamo Prison, Tokyo. I recognise him as the person referred to by that name in this affidavit.

I recognize the side and front view photograph, attached hereto as Exhibit A, as the photograph of Hiroichi Uno, whose conduct is described herein

/S/ Jesse L. Stewart
Jesse L. Stewart
Master Technical Sergeant
United State Marine Corps

Subscribed and sworn to before me this
23rd day of January, 1947, at Tokyo, Japan.

/s/ C.A. Weltner
C.A. Weltner
Prosecutor, Legal Section
GHQ, SCAP