Created by imperial mandate the Unité 731 was a military unit of bacteriological research of the Armée imperial Japanese woman. Officially, this unit directed by Shiro Ishii was devoted “to the prevention of the epidemics and the purification of water”, but it carried out actually research on various diseases like the Peste, the Typhus and the Choléra in order to use them as bacteriological weapons.

A secret project of bacteriological armament

Established in 1931 in Beiyinhe then as from 1936 with Pingfang, two localities close to the town of Harbin in Mandchourie (China), this unit carried out experiments in practice on prisoners, in majority Korean, Chinese and Russian, of which women and children, provided in great majority by the Kempeitai , the military police force. With the expansion of the empire, other units were in particular added in cities conquered like Nankin (unit 1644), Beijing (unit 1855), Qiqihar (unit 516), Xinjing, Guangzhou (unit 8604) and Singapore (unit 9420).

The experiments consisted inter alia injecting bacteria with the prisoners, following the development of the disease and to proceed finally to a Vivisection of the victim. Other experiments consisting inter alia testing cold resistance or with the atmospheric pressure were also practiced on alive subjects.

The activities of the unit were known with the more high level of the government and of films on the experiments or the convoys of prisoners inter alia summer showed with Hideki Tōjō and the prince Takahito Mikasa, the youngest brother of Hirohito, which refers in its personal newspaper there. The prince Tsuneyoshi Takeda, cousin of the emperor, also visited the installations in the capacity as officer of the Armée with Guandong.

Bacteriological weapons produced by this unit inter alia summer used on order express train of Hirohito against the Soviets in 1939 and the Chinese of 1940 to 1945.

Dismantling

At the conclusion of the war, between the 9 and on August 14th, 1945, Shiro Ishii accepted the order to destroy the whole of the buildings before the arrival of the Russians. A terrible epidemic of plague followed the departure of the Japanese, causing approximately 20  000 dead.

Because of a pact concluded in 1946 between the general Douglas Mac Arthur and Hirohito, the officers of the unit did not appear in front of the Tribunal of Tōkyō. In exchange the United States received Shiro Ishii the whole of the results of the tests led to unit 731, results which it had preserved in its escape; it thus profited from a total impunity. Members of the unit however were condemned by Soviet at the time of a lawsuit held with Khabarovsk in 1949.

The participants in this company were summoned to occult any mention concerning this production and the experimental knowledges acquired during the Après-guerre, kind of invitation to the lapse of memory. The public opinion thus does not know anything of it.

End of screening

In 1981, its existence became known world by the publication of a scientific report/ratio followed by a best-seller entitled Akuma No hosyoku writes by Seichi Morimura.

The recognition of the crimes of unit 731 is still very partial in Japan. Chapter forgotten in the school handbooks, and denied by the historians of extreme right-hand side, unit 731 remains unknown Japanese general public. However, of the sensitive projections took place since the years 1990.

The August 27th 2002, a Japanese court officially recognized the existence of this unit, but not the real nature of its activities. Japan also implicitly recognized the use of chemical weapons at the time of the war, while taking part in the dismantling of old stocks of bombs always hidden in China and Korea. Some of these bombs were manufactured by unit 731.

Following this declaration, the Japanese State currently finances and contributes to mineclearing operations of the sites of storage of Mandchourie, most important having remained sixty years lasting in the open air in the area of Harbin, moved away from the old industrial complex of production.

In 2006, 84 years the army medical officer Akira Makino, admitted having proceeded between December 44 and February 45 to amputations and Vivisection S on Filipino prisoners and in particular of the children whereas it was in station with Mindanao.

“I could not refuse to obey the orders and I did something of cruel. ” confessed the veteran of unit 33 of the imperial navy. “I would have been carried out if I had refused to obey the orders. It was the rule at the time. We should not remake these horrors. I have the responsibility to reveal the truth on the war. ”

According to Makino, the Vivisection S could last between 10 minutes and 3 hours. The members were initially cut, then the bodies were withdrawn one by one. The operations were carried out every three days and ceased at the time of the unloading of the American soldiers.

In 2007, Ken Yuasa, doctor having practiced of 1942 to 1945 of vivisections in a military hospital of the Shanxi, affirmed that at least 1.000 Japanese, including doctors, took part in Vivisection S in China.

See too

Documentary televised

• the documentary series " My No 731 butai" which sought testimonys of Japanese former servicemen was diffused on chain TBS in 1975 and 1976.

• documentary of Serge Viallet, " Kizu, phantoms of the unit 731" , was carried out in 2004 * An investigation in Japan, showing testimonys of Japanese former servicemen, was diffused into France 2 on July 29th, 2005.
• the Film of horror " Men behind the sun" realized in 1988 by Tun Fei Mou carries on the experiments of the unit of Shiro Ishii
• Russian film " Philosophy off has knife" from one duration of 4:00 recalling the experiments and tortures inflicted by the unit 731

Note

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