Yamashita may not even have known that these contradictory orders had been issued by Yokoyama; there are indications that he did not even know that a Japanese force remained in the capital. But when President José P. Laurel of the collaborationist regime begged Yamashita to declare Manila an open city, as MacArthur had done in 1941, Yamashita refused. He explained that it would reflect poorly on the fighting reputation of Japanese forces.29 It appears that Admiral Iwabuchi never intended to leave Manila, whatever his orders. He had been captain of the battleship Kirishima when she was sunk at
...more
