Declassified Files Lay Bare Unit 731’s State-Directed Atrocities
On December 13, 2025, China’s Central Archives released a trove of declassified materials as the nation observes the 12th national memorial day for victims of the Nanjing Massacre. These documents confirm that Japan’s wartime germ warfare was a premeditated, top-down state crime carried out with military precision.
The Origins of a Secret Biological Arsenal
During World War II, Unit 731 was established in Harbin under the Japanese Imperial Army, blurring the lines between medical research and military aggression. Operating in secrecy, this unit conducted horrific human experiments and orchestrated germ-warfare operations across occupied territories.
State-Backed Medical-Military Collaboration
Between 1938 and 1945, Japan mobilized its public health agencies, medical societies and university hospitals into a wartime framework. Under the National Mobilization Law, institutions like Kyoto University and the University of Tokyo supplied nearly 100 doctors and specialists to Unit 731. Meanwhile, epidemic prevention and water supply departments functioned as covert extensions of the biological warfare program.
A Network of Atrocities Across Asia
Under the leadership of Unit 731, Japan established 63 epidemic prevention and water supply units from Beijing to Guangzhou, and beyond into Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Publicly framed as disease control, these units received extensive funding to carry out large-scale human experimentation that would have been unthinkable on Japanese soil.
Lessons for Today
These newly declassified archives serve as a stark reminder of the destructive potential of state-sponsored biological research. As global citizens, understanding the systematic nature of past abuses is vital to shaping modern biosecurity policies and safeguarding human rights. Remembering history on this memorial day underscores the importance of transparency, oversight and international collaboration in preventing future atrocities.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
