What was the unit 731 of the imperial japanese army. It was a secret unit of the japanese imperial army that carried out experiments in biological and chemical warfare using human test subjects. The document lists members of the kwantung armys epidemic prevention and water purification department the units official name and is dated 1 january 1945. The central office of unit 691 was unit 731, infamous for its secret commitment to chemical and biological weapons and performing human experimentation. Unit 516 qiqihar, a chemical weapons division, operated secretly underneath unit 731. 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. Unit 731 conducted biological weapons research on human subjects with a variety of bacterial cultures and viruses during world war ii. Much of the atrocities committed by the japanese are now. Jan 12, 2020 unit 731 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. 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. Jul 18, 2017 the japanese dissembled unit 731 as the epidemic prevention and water purification department of the kwantung army the imperial japanese army of that wwii era, which was set up on secret decree from japanese emperor hirohito. It was responsible for some of the most notorious war crimes carried out by japanese personnel.
The first recorded instance of a planned effort to wipe out enemy forces in warfare with infectious disease occurred in colonial american during the french and indian wars, the plan included as its goal the. Imperial japans human experiments before and during world war two alan vanderbrook university of central florida. And although unit 731s mastermind, that european traveller and student of wwi, ishii shiro, tried to have the whole immense facility razed before. 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. The kwantung army was responsible for many of the worst japanese war crimes during world war ii, including the sponsorship of unit 731 which performed biological warfare and human experimentation on civilians and prisoners of war. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that. Apr 17, 2018 the document lists members of the kwantung armys epidemic prevention and water purification department the units official name and is dated 1 january 1945. Japans legacy of war crimes in china global research.
Unit 731 was based at the pingfang district of harbin, the largest city in the japanese puppet state of manchukuo now northeast china. I was under the thoughts only germany was the only country that had been doing atrocities against mankind. The activities and experiments carried out are now known. Unit 731 was located at pingfan, manchuria at a 6 square kilometer facility that was known by the public as the epidemic prevention and water purification department of the kwantung army. It was responsible for some of the most notorious war crimes carried out by. The real names of almost all 3,607 members of unit 731, the japanese imperial armys biologicalwarfare. Jin said unit 731s human experiments were based on special transfer order no. The leading scholar of unit 731 in japan, keiichi tsuneishi, is skeptical of such numbers.
Far from front lines and prying eyes, japanese doctors and their assistants subjected human guinea pigs to gruesome medical experiments. The document lists members of the kwantung armys epidemic prevention and water purification department the units official name and is. As anyone who has read sheldon harris essential book factories of death can tell you, the actions of the japanese kwantung armys water purification unit 731 based outside of harbin were ghastly and inhumane in the extreme. Here is a very brief list of what became of some of unit 731s major players during the postwar years. The facility itself was built between 1934 and 1939 and officially adopted the name unit 731 in 1941. 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.
Each persons wartime research specialty andor unit affiliation is indicated in parentheses. The kwantung army or guandong army group, the japanese army unit stationed in manchuria, was created to maintain japanese economic interests in. The inauguration of unit 731 unit 731 was officially established in 1936. Hams author ofa book on unit 731, factories of death also says that plagueinfected animals were released as the war was ending and caused outbreaks of the plague that killed at least 30,000 people in the harbin area from 1946 through 1948. From a scholarly standpoint, it is going to be interesting to watch how war memories of unit 731 are parsed out hereafter. Kwantung army a grouping of japanese troops formed for aggression against china, the ussr, and the mongolian peoples republic mpr.
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 the common name of a secret unit of japans manchuriabased kwantung army whose official name was the. Nanasanichi butai, also referred to as detachment 731, the 731 regiment, manshu detachment 731, the kamo detachment. Ishii japan japanese khabarovsk kitano known kwantung army laboratory later. Until the early 1990s, only one or two books were ever written on the topic of japanese.
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. Trial before the military tribunal of the primorye military area. The khabarovsk war crime trials were hearings held between 2531 december 1949, in the soviet unions industrial city of khabarovsk. Japan discloses details of notorious chemical warfare. Unit 731 was a covert biological and chemical warfare research and development unit of the imperial japanese army that undertook lethal human experimentation during the second sino. 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.
Unprecedented ways of unit 731 it wasnt until 1984 that japan finally acknowledged unit 731 as a real, existing incident in their history. Ishii shiro, a fierce nationalist and mastermind behind unit 731. It called for the establishment of an additional biological weapons development unit, independent of ishiis unit, which was called the kwantung army military horse. This program was responsible for some of the most hor. The book unit 731 was a shocking view how the japanese were able to conduct experiments with live prisoners and war prisoners. Tsuneyoshi takeda march 9, 1909 may 11, 1992, japanese. In 1984, a graduate student at keio medical university in tokyo found records of human experiments in a bookstore. Google books is to be congratulated for shining a light on one of the most heinous.
Their book focused almost exclusively on ishii shiro and unit 731, and the cover up. Japans secret biological warfare in world war ii peter williams, david. 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 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 unit was commanded by general shiro ishii, a combat medic officer in the kwantung army. The first part retells the story of japans history and involvement in wwii and how japanese doctors went from fighting biowarfare to running experiments on humans in their own unit 731 testing labs.
Many of our articles have direct quotes from sources you can cite, within the wikipedia article. 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. Materials on the trial of former servicemen of the japanese army.
It was responsible for some of the most notorious war crimes carried out by imperial japan. Til that some members of japans unit 731, infamous. Originally set up by the kempeitai military police arm of the imperial japanese army, unit 731 was taken over and commanded until the end of the war by general shiro ishii, a combat medic officer of the kwantung army. Unit 731 and the japanese imperial armys biological warfare. The secret genocide of axis japans germ warfare operation, 2004. A discussion group goodreads meet your next favorite book. Biological and chemical warfare in japan during wwii. I asked the bus driver to inform me when we reached the stop for the unit 731 museum, founded on the site where many japanese war crimes took place. There, twelve members of the japanese kwantung army were tried as war criminals for manufacturing and using biological weapons during world. The kwantung army was formed in 1931 on the basis of troops stationed in the province of kwantung southwest tip of the liaotung peninsula to the gulf of kwantung. Jul 5, 2015 explore clairetheslaves board unit 731warning, horrific pictures. See more ideas about unit 731, war crime, the unit.
The leader of the unit was ishii shiro, who held the rank of lieutenant general at the end of world war ii. Unit 731 was the administrative center of the top secret biological warfare project of the imperial japanese 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. Its establishment is reflected in a memo dated april 23, 1936, entitled opinion regarding the reinforcement of military forces in manchuria, from the chief of staff of the. 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 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. Prince takeda held executive responsibilities over unit 731 in his role as chief financial officer of the kwantung army. Testimony, author hal gold draws upon a painstakingly accumulated. Unit 731 modern international and american history. In addition to inaugurating unit 731, this memo also laid the foundation for establishing two other units. Based in japaneseoccupied manchuria, unit 731 operated under the cover name epidemic prevention and water purification department of the kwantung army. The japanese invasion of china during the second sinojapanese war has left a strong legacy of hate and disgust among many chinese today. Contents 1 officers attached to kwantung army hq 2 kwantung army railroad service commanders. Kwantung army academic dictionaries and encyclopedias.
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. 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. An asterisk indicates that the person supported the work of unit 731 as a civilian employee, receiving payment through the army laboratory in tokyo. The second half of the book involves interviews with actual former unit 731 members themselves, who recount memories of cutting. 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. 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. Department of justice official releases letter admitting u.
Unit 731 and the american coverup brandi altheide faculty sponsor. Kwantung army quarantine stables and with the ishii unit at harbin jwc 258 series. It was divided at the same time into the ishii unit and wakamatsu unit with a base in hsinking. Unit 731 is the commonly used name for the epidemic prevention and water purification department of the kwantung army. Army intelligence unit 441st cic reported about thirty members. From august 1940, all these units were known collectively as the epidemic prevention and water purification department of the kwantung army.
Jul 14, 2019 the unit was commanded by general shiro ishii, a combat medic officer in the kwantung army. Jan 04, 2014 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. Kwantung army article about kwantung army by the free. The kwantung army surrendered to the soviets the day after the surrender of japan and was subsequently dissolved.
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. Imperial japans human experiments before and during world. Imperial japans human experiments before and during. The japanese dissembled unit 731 as the epidemic prevention and water purification department of the kwantung army the imperial japanese army of that wwii era, which was set up on secret. Bases were established at various places in china occupied by japan during the second sinojapanese war, including at pingfang and. It was officially known as the epidemic prevention and water purification department of the kwantung army. The network in which 731 operated consisted of unit 731 and all its. The unit 731 complex unit 731 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 and world war ii.
Korean victims and world heritage as anyone who has read sheldon harris essential book factories of death can tell you, the actions of the japanese kwantung army s water purification unit 731 based outside of harbin were ghastly and inhumane in the extreme. Since the japanese army used poison gas during the war, one of the unit 731s mission was to develop a more potent poison gas, thus prisoners were subjected to poisoning. Kwantung army epidemic prevention and water supply unit, was inaugurated with. 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.
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