Noel Croucher is defiant in the aftermath of yesterday's bombing:
The next day, Colonel Nomura ((see note)) ordered a few of us to parade, and he called me out, told me he wanted me to answer some questions, and warned me to speak the truth. He asked, 'Was that an American plane which dropped the bomb on your roof?' I answered 'No,' and he asked me why. I told him that it must have been a Japanese plane because the Japanese had vowed that no American bomber would ever reach Hong Kong.
Source:
Vaudine England, The Quest of Noel Croucher, 1998, 150
Note:
In George Wright-Nooth's telling of this story, the Japanese Colonel is Noma.
Noma Kennosuke was the head of the Kempeitai (Gendarmes) in Hong Kong until February 1945 when he was replaced by Kanazawa Asao - according to Philip Snow, Noma was 'recalled', which suggests he left Hong Kong.