A Life Immortal 315on in Bangkok on August 16 had been for Netaji to go to Tokyo
via Saigon and then proceed to Russia via Manchuria. If a move to
Russian- held Manchuria proved impossible, there was a general sense
that being taken into custody by the Americans in Japan was a better
option than falling into the hands of the British. In Saigon, it had been
discovered that General Shidei was departing that afternoon for Man-
churia to take charge as chief of staff of Japan’s Kwangtung Army.
Mr. Negishi, the Japanese interpreter attached to Netaji from Singa-
pore, described Shidei as an expert in Russian affairs and “a key man
for negotiations with Russia.” He also knew German and conversed
with Netaji in that language. “Although there was an element of chance
in Netaji’s travelling by the same plane as General Shidei,” the commit-
tee found, “it appears that Netaji fell in with the idea that he should go
up to Dairen [Manchuria] with General Shidei.” The plane in which
they traveled was a twin- engine heavy bomber of 97/2 (Sally) type be-
longing to Japan’s Third Air Force Army, based in Singapore.^24
Habibur Rahman came to Delhi from Pakistan to tell the Shah
Nawaz committee about his experiences on the fateful flight. Dr. Yoshimi
repeated in 1956 what he had stated to the British in 1946. In addition,
the committee heard the testimony of other medical personnel, includ-
ing Dr. Yoshimi’s assistant Dr. Tsuruta, who had treated Bose at Nan-
mon Hospital. Four of the six Japanese survivors of the plane crash—
Lieutenant Colonel Shiro Nonogaki, Major Taro Kono, Major Ihaho
Takahashi, and Captain Keikichi Arai—appeared in person before the
committee in Tokyo. A fifth—Lieutenant Colonel Tadeo Sakai, who
was away from Tokyo in 1956 on a special mission to Taiwan—submit-
ted a written statement. The sixth Japanese survivor, Sergeant Okishta,
could not be traced in 1956. The ground engineers who had ser viced
the plane and saw it come down described what had happened, as did
other ground staff.^25
The most compelling evidence came from the interpreter, Juichi Na-
kamura, who knew Bose well and had interpreted for him on four
previous occasions as he passed through Taipei on his journeys to To-
kyo in 1943 and 1944. Bose had stayed at the railway hotel in Taipei
during those transits, and Nakamura had dined with him. Upon arrival
at Nanmon Hospital on the afternoon of August 18, 1945, Nakamura