In a groundbreaking discovery, Seiya Matsuno, a distinguished Japanese scholar, has unveiled a newly found 267-page document detailing the activities of Japanese germ-warfare detachments during World War II in Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang Province in northeast China.
The comprehensive document profiles 100 technicians who served from February 1944 to August 1945, with over half affiliated with the infamous Unit 731. It includes detailed information such as appointment dates, promotion records, educational backgrounds, and individual achievements, offering a rare glimpse into the personnel behind these covert operations.
Matsuno, a researcher at the International Peace Research Institute of Meiji Gakuin University and a distinguished professor at Heilongjiang International University, discovered the document in Japan's National Archives. He explains that the technicians were technical officials and key researchers involved in specialized technical roles within the army. Many held leadership positions in various research departments, primarily conducting bacterial experiments and medical research.
Jin Shicheng, a researcher with the Exhibition Hall of Evidences of Crime Committed by Unit 731 of the Japanese Imperial Army, highlighted that Unit 731 maintained a stringent evaluation system for their technicians, categorizing their human experiments with ratings such as \"excellent\" and \"good.\" The newly uncovered material is poised to provide deeper insights into the organizational structure and composition of Unit 731 and related detachments.
Unit 731, established in Harbin, was a top-secret base for biological and chemical warfare research, serving as the hub for Japanese efforts in biological warfare across China and Southeast Asia during the war. The release of these archives is considered pivotal for advancing research into the activities of Japanese germ-warfare units and is crucial for uncovering the extent of their war crimes, according to Jin Chengmin, curator of the Exhibition Hall of Evidences of Crime Committed by Unit 731.
The atrocities committed by Unit 731 remain among the most heinous crimes during the Japanese invasion of China in World War II. This week also marks the 93rd anniversary of the September 18 Incident in 1931, the event that signaled the beginning of the Japanese military’s brutal invasion of China, setting the stage for the global conflict and positioning China as one of the first nations to resist fascism.
Reference(s):
Scholar unveils new document on Japan's germ-warfare crimes in China
cgtn.com
