Also see shimamura takashi, sanzennin no seitai jikken. Names of 3,607 members of imperial japanese armys notorious. Supply unit, as the expanded togo unit had become formally known was formed by command of the emperor of japan hirohito. Kyoto the national archives of japan has disclosed the names of 3,607 members of the imperial japanese armys notorious unit 731, which conducted germ. The kwantung army or guandong army group, the japanese army unit stationed in manchuria, was created to maintain japanese economic interests in the region. It was responsible for some of the most notorious war crimes carried out by imperial japan.
Complete news and information about books, publishers, booksellers, and authors for readers, researchers, and collectors of books about the second world war. Unit 731 was part of a japanese biological and chemical warfare research department with the. The emperors command was printed and copies of it were sent to all units of the japanese army for the information. Shiro ishii, and others received immunity from prosecution by the international military tribunal for the far east after giving the united states the data collected by the unit on germ warfare.
These secret files are invaluable to unveiling details of the japanese invasion and colonization of northeast china. The book is divided into pages of documentary proof, testimony by the accused and. Nanasanichi butai was a covert biological and chemical warfare research and development unit of the imperial japanese army that undertook lethal human. From a scholarly standpoint, it is going to be interesting to watch how war memories of unit 731 are parsed out hereafter. Unit 731 also referred to as detachment 731, the 731 regiment, manshu detachment 731, the. This was a sly way of hiding the fact that their main goal was to spread epidemics throughout china while poisoning its water.
The ishii network unit 731 was the common name of a secret unit of japans manchuriabased kwantung army whose official name was the epidemic prevention and water supply department. The khabarovsk war crime trials were hearings held between 2531 december 1949, in the soviet unions industrial city of khabarovsk. Since the japanese army used poison gas during the war, one of the unit 731 s mission was to develop a more potent poison gas, thus prisoners were subjected to poisoning. Later, the unit began to massproduce diseases such as plague, cholera and anthrax. Imperial japans human experiments before and during world. Jan 27, 2019 however, about 100 kilometers to the south, he and his troops cleared out a local village and had chinese laborers build a military complex. In total 1,463 individuals were sent to unit 731 by kwantung army military police, mostly chinese, korean, soviet and mongolian underground agents, soldiers with the chinese communist eighth route army or antijapanese fighters. Located in rural manchuria, at that time a puppet state of japan, and known by the codename the epidemic prevention and water purif. Unit 731 and the japanese imperial armys biological warfare. In addition to inaugurating unit 731, this memo also laid the foundation for establishing two other units.
The bulk of military equipment artillery, tanks, aircraft was developed in the 1930s, and very few of the soldiers had sufficient training or any real experience. Department of justice official releases letter admitting u. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that. Jin said unit 731s human experiments were based on special transfer order no. It was divided at the same time into the ishii unit and wakamatsu unit with a base in hsinking. American thrash metal band slayers 2009 album world painted blood contains a song entitled unit 731 describing the events and atrocities that occurred at unit 731. It was operated by the kempeitai, the japanese military police.
The epidemic prevention and water purification department of the kwantung army, more commonly known as unit 731, was a covert biological and chemical warfare research unit of the imperial japanese army that practiced lethal experimentation on humans, including infection of prisoners of war with diseases, exposure of prisoners of war to chemical weapons, and vivisection. In 1984, a graduate student at keio medical university in tokyo found records of human experiments in a bookstore. It was officially known as the epidemic prevention and water purification department of the kwantung army kantogun bdeki kyu suibu honbu. Unit 731 was known as a covert chemical and biological warfare research and development section of the imperial japanese army that commenced lethal human experimentation during the world war 2. The lab was based at the epidemic prevention research laboratory in japanese army military medical school in tokyo. Unit 731 and the japanese imperial armys biological. It called for the establishment of an additional biological weapons development unit, independent of ishiis unit, which was called the kwantung army military horse.
Unit 731 was based at the pingfang district of harbin, the largest city in the japanese puppet state of manchukuo now northeast china. Unit 731 is the commonly used name for the epidemic prevention and water purification department of the kwantung army. There, twelve members of the japanese kwantung army were tried as war criminals for manufacturing and using biological weapons during world war ii. Some of the cruelest deeds of japans war in asia did not occur on the battlefield, but in quiet, antiseptic medical wards in obscure parts of the continent. The kwantung army had also bacteriological weapons, prepared for use against soviet troops see unit 731. From august 1940, all these units were known collectively as the epidemic prevention and water purification department of the kwantung army. Originally set up under the kempeitai military police of the empire of japan, unit 731 was taken over and commanded until the end of the war by general shiro ishii, an officer in the kwantung army.
Kwantung army academic dictionaries and encyclopedias. Testimony, author hal gold draws upon a painstakingly accumulated. With the kwantung army administering all aspects of the politics and economic development of the new state, this made the kwantung army commander equivalent to a resident general, with the authority to approve or countermand any command from the nominal emperor of manchukuo, puyi. Army intelligence unit 441st cic reported about thirty members. The document lists members of the kwantung armys epidemic prevention and water purification department the units official name and is. Until the early 1990s, only one or two books were ever written on the topic of japanese. The total strength of the kwantung army and the troops under its command was 37 infantry and seven cavalry divisions. The kwantung army also had bacteriological weapons to be used against the soviet armed forces. Not wanting prying eyes looking into the camp, the ija shut the camp down and shiros operation was upgraded to a swank new site in pingfang, china. Kwantung army quarantine stables and with the ishii unit at harbin jwc 258 series. See more ideas about unit 731, war crime, the unit.
Unit 731 and the american coverup brandi altheide faculty sponsor. The other was the wakamatsu unit after the name of its commander yujiro wakamatsu, later changed to unit 100 to be built at mengchiatun, near changchun. It was responsible for some of the most notorious war crimes carried out by japanese personnel. Trial before the military tribunal of the primorye military area. Chemical and biological warfare facilities such as unit 731, unit 100, and unit 516 are not included in this order of battle kwantung army 10th, 14th, 28th, 51st divisions hunchun garrison unit 9th border garrison unit mudanjiang heavy artillery regiment 8 x type 45 240mm howitzer.
Materials on the trial of former servicemen of the japanese army. Ishii shiro, a fierce nationalist and mastermind behind unit 731. Given alternative names like lumber yard and epidemic prevention and water purification department of the kwantung army, the name unit 731 was made formal in 1941. What was the unit 731 of the imperial japanese army. The inhumane crimes committed by the kwantung army s special secret unit 731, nitchu, dec. From a scholarly standpoint, it is going to be interesting to watch how war memories of. The history of imperial japans human experiments was one in which ishii and unit 731 was the principal actor, but unit 731 operated in a much larger context. Unit 731 was the administrative center of the top secret biological warfare project of the imperial japanese army. Apr 16, 2018 kyoto the national archives of japan has disclosed the names of 3,607 members of the imperial japanese armys notorious unit 731, which conducted germ warfare and other biological experiments. Unit 731 s formal name was the epidemic prevention and water purification department of the kwantung army of japan. Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from wikipedia or other free sources online. Race war white supremacy and the japanese attack on the. Jul 5, 2015 explore clairetheslaves board unit 731warning, horrific pictures.
Apr 03, 2018 the project unit 731 aka epidemic prevention and water supply unit of the kwantung army, was initially established in harbin. Nanasanichi butai, also referred to as detac hment 73 1, t he 731 regiment, manshu d etach ment 731, the kamo detachment. Background of unit 731 pacific atrocities education. Manchukuo, mengjiang, puyi, kwantung army, rehe province, pacification of manchukuo, sovietjapanese war, unit 731, battles of khalkhin gol, soviet invasion of manchuria, economy of manchukuo, jewish settlement in imperial japan, actions in inner. This program was responsible for some of the most horrific war crimes that were carried out by the imperial japanese army. The kwantung army was part of the imperial japanese army stationed in northeastern china, which was under japanese control. It was officially known as the epidemic prevention and water purification department of the kwantung army, kantgun beki kysuibu honbu. Unit 731 was the common name of a secret unit of japans manchuriabased kwantung army whose official name was the. Japans secret biological warfare in world war ii peter williams, david. The network in which 731 operated consisted of unit 731 and all its. Apr 21, 2018 unit 731 was known as a covert chemical and biological warfare research and development section of the imperial japanese army that commenced lethal human experimentation during the world war 2. Unit 731s formal name was the epidemic prevention and water purification department of the kwantung army of japan. Nov 12, 2005 the other was the wakamatsu unit after the name of its commander yujiro wakamatsu, later changed to unit 100 to be built at mengchiatun, near changchun. Unit 731 history is now magazine, podcasts, blog and books.
There was the notorious nami unit in kwangtung that did human experiments on water borne illnesses and was also the rat farm for producing the bubonic plague that was then used in. The japanese called this place the epidemic prevention and. Organization, weapons, and equipment of the japanese. For instance, infected fleas were bred by the kilograms to be dropped in allied countries. Contents 1 officers attached to kwantung army hq 2 kwantung army railroad service commanders. As a cover to the public, the site was officially called the epidemic prevention and water purification department of the kwantung army. The atrocities continued throughout the war, but were mild, in many ways, compared to what went on at unit 731, located at pingfan, manchuria, just outside the city of harbin. The xfiles episode 731 was a reference to unit 731, in which former members secretly continue their experiments on humans under control of a covert u. The medical research unit 731 was opened in pingfan, china prior to wwii to develop vaccines for various diseases. This program was responsible for some of the most hor. Japans wartime human experimentation program by hal gold is a disturbing account of a top secret project named unit 731, which conducted some of the most unethical and brutal human experiments during world war ii many people know about the battles and bombs dropped during the second world war, but almost no one has heard of the cruel deeds. In june 1938, unit 731 moved to its new location at pingfang occupying an area of 32 sq. This was later to be blown up by prisoners and they had to look for a new location. The document lists members of the kwantung army s epidemic prevention and water purification department the unit s official name and is dated 1 january 1945.
The facility itself was built between 1934 and 1939 and officially adopted the name unit 731 in 1941. Due to the kind of experiments being conducted, secrecy was a priority. But to the kenpeitai and shiro ishii, it was unit 731. In 1936, they allowed ishii to take over the operations at unit 731, a cluster of nearly 150 buildings extending over two square miles outside the city of harbin. Building on the site of the harbin bioweapon facility of unit 731.
Japan discloses details of notorious chemical warfare. Kwantung army article about kwantung army by the free. Building from the ashes, literally, of a previous program, the epidemic prevention and water purification department of the kwantung army unit 731 for short was authorized in 1936. The soviets, stymied in their attempt to get the matter brought up at the tokyo trials the u. The documents on unit 731 are only a fragment of the 100, 000 volumes discovered in the headquarters of the kwantung military police, which worked under the command of the japanese kwantung army. Unit 731 and associated units were organized formally under the kwantung army, and various kwantung officers, including kawashima, and kwantung army commanderinchief yamada otozoo, were put on. Far from front lines and prying eyes, japanese doctors and their assistants subjected human guinea pigs to gruesome medical experiments. It was a secret unit of the japanese imperial army that carried out experiments in biological and chemical warfare using human test subjects. Nanasanichi butai was a covert biological and chemical warfare research and development unit of the imperial japanese army that undertook lethal human experimentation during the second sinojapanese war 19371945 of world war ii. Nanasanichi butai, also referred to as detachment 731, the 731 regiment, manshu detachment 731, the kamo detachment. Full text of us human experimentation ultimate collection. In addition to the establishment of unit 731, the decree also called for the establishment of an additional biological warfare development unit called the kwantung army military horse epidemic prevention workshop later referred to as manchuria unit 100 and a chemical warfare development unit called the kwantung army technical testing department. Unit 731 was a covert biological and chemical warfare research and development wing of the imperial japanese army that undertook lethal human experimentation during the second sinojapanese war. Organization of the kwantung army of japan the following are commanders and units of the japanese army which was stationed in the kwantung peninsula of manchuria from 1910 to 1945.
May 14, 2017 unit 731 and associated units were organized formally under the kwantung army, and various kwantung officers, including kawashima, and kwantung army commanderinchief yamada otozoo, were put on. Kajitsuka, who had served as chief of medical administration of the kwantung army, noted. However, about 100 kilometers to the south, he and his troops cleared out a local village and had chinese laborers build a military complex. Originally set up under the kempeitai military police of the empire of japan, unit 731 was taken over and commanded until the end of the war by general shiro ishii, a combat medic officer in the kwantung army. The epidemic prevention and water purification department of kwantany army in japan 977 words 4 pages august 1940, a year from the beginning of world war ii and the date of which marks the beginning of unit 731, a shorten name for epidemic prevention and water purification department of the kwantung army. It called for the establishment of an additional biological weapons development unit, independent of ishiis unit, which. The japanese called this place the epidemic prevention and water supply unit of the kwantung army. Imperial japans human experiments before and during. It was officially known as the epidemic prevention and water purification department of the kwantung army, but later adopted the name unit 731. Their book focused almost exclusively on ishii shiro and unit 731, and the cover up. August 1940, a year from the beginning of world war ii and the date of which marks the beginning of unit 731, a shorten name for epidemic prevention and water purification department of the kwantung army. Kwantung army epidemic prevention and water supply unit, was inaugurated with.