Opening remarks are given by Hiroyuki Fukao for a memorial ceremony honoring 42 extrajudicially executed World War II American POWs at Aburayama Kannon Temple, Fukuoka, Japan, June 20, 2025.

Buddhist priest Kounen Ujida pays his respects to 42 extrajudicially executed World War II American POWs during the opening of a memorial ceremony in their memory at Aburayama Kannon Temple, Fukuoka, Japan, June 20, 2025.

Katsuya Toji, son of Lt. Kentaro Toji, who executed four of the American POWs, pays his respects during a memorial ceremony honoring 42 extrajudicially executed World War II American POWs at Aburayama Kannon Temple, Fukuoka, Japan, June 20, 2025.

Col. Chris Wallace, U.S. Army Japan Chaplain, offers incense while praying for fallen American POWs during a memorial ceremony honoring 42 extrajudicially executed World War II American POWs at Aburayama Kannon Temple, Fukuoka, Japan, June 20, 2025.

Col. Chris Wallace, U.S. Army Japan Chaplain, pays his respects to fallen American POWs during a memorial ceremony honoring 42 extrajudicially executed World War II American POWs at Aburayama Kannon Temple, Fukuoka, Japan, June 20, 2025.

Timothy Lang Francis (attending virtually, shown center-right on TV), shares the story of his uncle, Cpl. Frederick Allen Stearns, an American Airman POW who was executed extrajudicially on Aug. 10 or 15, 1945, during a memorial ceremony honoring 42 extrajudicially executed World War II American POWs at Aburayama Kannon Temple, Fukuoka, Japan, June 20, 2025.

Buddhist priest Kounen Ujida recites a Buddhist chant during a memorial ceremony honoring extrajudicially executed World War II American POWs held at Aburayama Kannon Temple, Fukuoka, Japan, June 20, 2025.

Wataru Satano (attending virtually, shown on TV), son of Probationary Officer Osamu Satano, who executed one of the American POWs, shares the story of his father during a memorial ceremony honoring 42 extrajudicially executed World War II American POWs at Aburayama Kannon Temple, Fukuoka, Japan, June 20, 2025.

Katsuya Toji, son of Lt. Kentaro Toji, who executed four of the American POWs, prays for the souls of the executed POWs at Jizo Buddhist statues donated by his father in their memory during the closing of a memorial ceremony honoring 42 extrajudicially executed World War II American POWs held at Aburayama Kannon Temple, Fukuoka, Japan, June 20, 2025. Katsuya Toji explained that his father set up four Jizo statues in their garden - one for each POW he had executed, and an additional smaller one so that he could pray for the health of the POWs' children.

Col. Chris Wallace, U.S. Army Japan Chaplain, gives the closing remarks to attendees of a memorial ceremony honoring 42 extrajudicially executed World War II American POWs at Aburayama Kannon Temple, Fukuoka, Japan, June 20, 2025.

Group photo of the in-person attendees of a memorial ceremony honoring 42 extrajudicially executed World War II American POWs at Aburayama Kannon Temple, Fukuoka, Japan, June 20, 2025. Attendees included Family members of the executed Airmen POWs, Family members of two Japanese soldiers who participated in the executions, Soldiers from U.S. Army Japan, U.S. Forces Japan, U.S. Consulate Japan, Buddhist priests of Aburayama Kannon Temple, and a local Japanese resident who worked in the intelligence corps of the Western District Headquarters and who had met the American POWs.

FUKUOKA, Japan - “Eighty years ago today, (my father, Lt. Kentaro Toji) was one of the executioners in an incident involving captured Airmen,” said Katsuya Toji. “Although he was following orders, he was later tried as a war criminal and sentenced to death. While in prison, he composed many short poems, and among them was the following line. ‘Will my children ever meet the children of the Airmen I had to execute?’”

42 American POWs were remembered during the sixth annual memorial service held to remember and pray for their souls at Aburayama Kannon Temple in Fukuoka. Held more than 80 years after many of these Airmens’ deaths, the memorial was attended by American and Japanese service members, dignitaries, historians, and Family members of both the fallen and their executioners.

“(My father’s poem) was a heartfelt wish for peace in the next generation,” said Katsuya Toji. “That poem has become a reality… Since last year, bereaved Family members in the U.S. have joined us remotely, and we are honored to welcome many participants from the U.S. Consulate and U.S. Forces Japan. It has become the largest gathering so far.”

Over 20 people from the U.S. and Japan attended the service, both online and in-person, dedicated to the 42 Airmen POWs executed without trial - eight Airmen during the ‘Vivisection Incidents;’ eight Airmen on June 20, 1945; and 25 Airmen in the ‘Aburayama Incident.’

Timothy Lang Francis, who served as a historian at the Naval Historical Center, spoke about sharing the story of his uncle, Cpl. Frederick Allen Stearns, with a room of young Sailors. ‘Uncle Allen’ was drafted at age 18, trained as a B-29 Superfortress bomber crewmember, and was stationed on Tinian in the Marianas Islands in June of 1945, serving as a B-29 tailgunner with 314th Wing’s 19th Bombardment Group.

“I told them of the strategic bombing missions, where B-29 bombers rained fire upon the cities and people of Japan, and Allen’s mixed emotions,” Lang said, “he wrote home how the crew talked about what they were were ordered to accomplish, and how he hoped the war would end quickly.”

World War II ended with the surrender of the Empire of Japan, through an Imperial Rescript announced by Emperor Hirohito over the nation’s radios at noon on Aug. 15, 1945. However, for ‘Uncle Allen,’ that announcement was either a week too late, or four hours too soon.

“I told (the Sailors) how unlucky his plane was, the sole loss over Omuta out of 130, how he bailed out into the fire and darkness, and his capture and imprisonment at Western Army Headquarters,” continued Lang. “And I told them of the vast destruction of the bombing campaign, the horror of the atomic bombs, and his execution by Japanese soldiers on Aug. 10 or 15.”

Cpl. Stearns was one of 25 Airmen held as POWs at Western Army Headquarters and executed in the ‘Aburayama Incident.’ Through investigations and interviews by the Eighth Army Staff Judge Advocate, and trials recorded by the U.S. War Department’s War Crimes Branch, it was determined that eight Airmen were executed on Aug. 10 at the Aburayama execution grounds; the investigation determined these executions were carried out extrajudicially as a response the atomic bombing of Hiroshima (Aug. 6) and Nagasaki (Aug. 9) days prior, and widespread firebombing of Kyushu. The interviews with Japanese soldiers present for the execution indicated an officer of the Legal Section was present and the executions had followed due process, while others were told no ‘sentences of death’ had been made; regardless, all soldiers present were ordered to keep the executions a secret.

During the memorial, Wataru Satano spoke about his father, Probationary Officer Osamu Satano, who executed one of the Airmen during Aug. 10’s ‘Aburayama Incident.’ Wataru Satano said he was deeply shocked to learn his father was involved in the incident, and that his father had been advised to flee before he was arrested as a war criminal, as “in the early days after the end of the war, Class B and C war criminals were executed by hanging one by one.” Wataru Satano said his father was later imprisoned for three and a half years before returning to the world; however, during their time on the run, his father’s family was detained by the Japanese police and, “interrogated in a manner that was close to torture. He told me that some of his sisters died because of this.” Osamu Satano was the last Class B and C war criminal to be arrested in Japan, and the last to be sentenced at the Yokohama trials.

“My father was ordered by his superior to carry out the execution, and was angry at the absurdity of the military giving unpleasant work to subordinates,” continued Wataru Satano. “I found it strange that, even though he hated his superior officer, he tried to avoid his superior officer’s crime being found serious at trial and him being hanged.”

However, the ‘Aburayama Incident’ did not end on Aug. 10. Following Emperor Hirohito’s surrender proclamation at noon on Aug. 15, commanders of the Air Defense Section at Western Army Headquarters decided that the extrajudicial executions of Aug. 10 needed to be covered up; due to conflicting testimony it is unknown who issued the order. Despite being in violation of the Imperial Rescript of surrender, documents were destroyed, and the remaining 17 Airmen were taken to the Aburayama execution grounds. About four hours after Emperor Hirohito’s formal decree, all 17 Airmen were executed. Due to the destruction of documentation and conflicting statements during the investigation, it is unclear which execution each of the 25 Airmen were executed during, including Pfc. Stearns.

When speaking to those ‘young Sailors,’ Lang said that, “…this was the price we might someday have to pay if our country went to war.” Lang said that during his two deployments to Iraq, he had seen the cost, “…in wrecked vehicles, the burned bodies, the mutilated survivors…”

“And I told them that’s why we remember… those who went before us,” Lang continued. “Those who sacrificed everything; for their shipmates, their Families, and their country. Because we too might have to make that call. Just as our shipmates in the Red Sea risk all even as we speak today.”

“The Earth is currently filled with tension over the possibility of a third world war,” said Wataru Satano. “The nightmare of 80 years ago is rearing its head again. We must not forget the tragedies of our fathers who suffered in the ‘Pacific War’, or the American POWs who lost their lives and hopes in a foreign land - we must pass these memories to future generations and prevent another tragedy from happening.”

The records collected by Osamu Satano and left to his son upon his passing were among the few remaining documents related to the ‘Aburayama Incident’ that were not destroyed, and Wataru Satano described them as ‘clearly structured for publication.’ Wataru Satano said he ‘felt it was my duty as a descendant to convey the horrific memories of the ‘Aburayama Incident’ to future generations.’

“Allen died at the end of a terrible war, in which millions of other people died,” said Lang. “Untold numbers of tragedies that echo down to us even today… I thank you all for remembering this crew, for remembering Allen, and all those young men who died in service to their country. And just as important, remembering the civilians, old men, women, and children who died in war then and who die in wars now.”

“War leaves deep scars, not only on the defeated, but also on the victors,” said Katsuya Toji. “We must do our part to ensure that the friendship between our two nations continues and leads to lasting peace. To do that, we must practice agape - selfless love.”

Kentaro Toji’s sentence for his participation in the June 20, 1945 executions was later commuted, but Katsuya Toji said his father always kept the memory of the executions with him. Katsuya placed four Jizo Buddhist statues and one small statue in his garden at home, ‘four to honor the memory of the Airmen he had executed, and the small one to pray for the healthy growth of their children.’ Katsuya Toji also worked with others to create a large statue in front of Tokyo Station - ‘The Statue of Agape,’ which was dedicated to selfless love and peace. At the end of the memorial ceremony, the participants prayed for the souls of the 42 POWs at the Jizo statues, which were donated to Aburayama Kannon temple in their honor.

“I hold no anger or resentment in my heart for what happened to Allen, only sadness,” Lang said at the closing of his speech. “He, like so many others, was but one candle in an unimaginable inferno. Indeed, Japan suffered far more than my country, for which I also feel great sadness. I am glad we are friends now, that we can remember our dead together in peace, and I very much hope we can avoid any more wars that will get our young men and women killed in the future.”