Unit 731 was established by general shiro ishii in 1936 in the pingfan district of harbin, china, after a previous facility was shut down in 1935 in the wake of a prisoner escape. Though now called the asian auschwitz, unit 731 was originally known as the epidemic and. This was the name of the commanding pingfan imperial army group, and the one that became best known. Ishii shiro, a fierce nationalist and mastermind behind unit 731.
The japanese called this place the epidemic prevention and water supply unit of the kwantung army. Mar 17, 1995 professor harris author of a book on unit 731, factories of death routledge, 1994 also says plagueinfected animals were released as the war was ending and caused outbreaks of the plague. Aerial view of ping fan facility created by ishii shiro. In one such experiment, a victim had his hands sawn off and surgically reattached so that his right hand was sewn onto his left arm and his left hand sewn onto his right arm.
I was under the thoughts only germany was the only country that had been doing atrocities against mankind. This is a riveting and disturbing account of the medical atrocit. Unit 731 was not the only bwcw unit commissioned to aid japans military efforts. Unit 731 was a topsecret development and research center that was located in pingfan, northeastern china. Unit 731 logs, effectively analyze and manage system. This book explored the fascinating and relatively unknown topic of japans unit 731 program which involved extremely cruel cases of human experimentation. Unit 731 and the japanese imperial armys biological warfare. 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. Hundreds of doctors of the former unit 731 are still practicing or living in retirement in japan today. Testimony is an unrelenting exposition of one of historys darkest episodes.
This was later to be blown up by prisoners and they had to look for a new location. Unit 731 was set up in 1938 in japaneseoccupied china with the aim of developing biological weapons. Pingfan was a district in the harbin in the days when the region was under the control of the japanese puppetstate of manchukuo. Nanasanichi butai, also referred to as detachment 731, the 731 regiment, manshu detachment 731, the kamo detachment. Network, is widely accepted among specialists for the. Unit 731 at pingfan the following table was compiled from two sources. Ishii shiro, the commanding officer of unit 731 who spent his military career researching the development of biological weapons. Due to the kind of experiments being conducted, secrecy was a priority. Experiments were conducted on humans with plague bacteria, cholera, glanders, and other pathogens. Japans secret biological warfare in world war ii peter williams, david. The most notorious program of the period was run by the secret imperial japanese army unit 731 during the war, based at pingfan in manchuria and commanded by lieutenant general shiro ishii. Dozens of units similar to ishiis were established under high command orders, or, on several occasions, by emperor hirohitos fiat. The showa emperor signed a decree establishing unit 731 in occupied manchuria, behind multiple barbedwire fences 20 km south of harbin in the village of pingfan.
Disguised as epidemic prevention and water supply unit, the pingfan facility was set up by japan, circa 1937 on orders of emperor hirohito, mainly to develop biological weapons to be used during the war. It was here that chinese and manchurian nationals were experimented upon. Nov 05, 2019 the scientists of unit 731 called their subjects matures. Most of pingfang was burnt by the japanese to destroy evidence but the incinerator where the remains of. Pingfan s 6 square kilometers housed more than 150 buildings, including administrative buildings, laboratories, workers dormitories, and barracks. The scientists of unit 731 called their subjects matures. Until the early 1990s, only one or two books were ever written on the topic of. Chemical and biological experimental units 731 and 100 of the germ warfare complex were situated at pingfan. Nov 12, 2005 hence members of unit 731 violated not only the nuremberg code but also the 1925 geneva convention which outlaws the use of chemical and biological warfares and of which japan is a signatory country. Pingfan is the home of unit 731, where japanese doctors and scientists carry out acts of appalling barbarity and cruelty on thousands of chinese nationals. Unit 731 history is now magazine, podcasts, blog and books. Unmasking horror a special report japan confronting. This book by hal gold published in 2002 is one of the most popular books about the subject of japans experiments during wwii.
Though now called the asian auschwitz, unit 731 was originally known as the epidemic and water purification unit, a deceptively benign. Japanese scientists vivisected the infected bodies of their victims to record the daybyday progress of pathogens through the system. Nanasanichi butai, also referred to as detac hment 73 1, t he 731 regiment, manshu d etach ment 731, the kamo detachment. Units 731 and 100 were used in biological experiments while unit 516, for creation of weapons of mass destruction, or biological weapons.
Apr 03, 2018 the project unit 731 aka epidemic prevention and water supply unit of the kwantung army, was initially established in harbin. Imperial japans human experiments before and during. However, a detailed, book length account of the japanese biological warfare unit 731 and u. The reason for this was likely due to the established fact that the u. Although parts of the book were interesting, i felt that the book was overall incredibly dry. Located in the beiyinhe area of harbin, manchuria and later moved to pingfan. Although there were seventeen other places in the south east asia coprosperity sphere where this frightful barbarism went on in secret, pingfan was the undoubted capital of this evil empire. Retreating japanese troops burned down most of pingfan in an attempt to destroy evidence, but even today, a local factory still fires up in incinerator where victims of medical experiments at least 3,000 men.
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. Professor harris author of a book on unit 731, factories of death routledge, 1994 also says plagueinfected animals were released as the. Unit 731 and the japanese biological warfare effort. Ministries in tokyo ordered the destruction of all incriminating materials, including those in pingfan. Hence members of unit 731 violated not only the nuremberg code but also the 1925 geneva convention which outlaws the use of chemical and biological warfares and of which japan is a signatory country. Background of unit 731 pacific atrocities education. These units were known as the ishii network, after lt. The term translates loosely to logs a telling indication of how they were treated, as pieces of wood rather than living creatures. The japanese called this place the epidemic prevention and. The year 1936 marked the establishment of two units by order of emperor hirohito. The medical research unit 731 was opened in pingfan, china prior to wwii to develop vaccines for various diseases. I just saw a history channel program today on japans biochemical experiments on human beings in the 1930s 1940s. Feb 16, 2010 it is estimated that around 60,000 prisoners, including chinese and manchurian slave labourers, lost their lives at pingfan and mukden.
June 25, 1892 october 9, 1959 was a japanese microbiologist, army medical officer and a war criminal who was granted immunity by the usa after serving as the director of unit 731, a biological warfare unit of the imperial japanese army ishii led the development and application of biological weapons at unit 731. The program contains a lot of information which have not been carried on the mainstream news media. The medical research unit 731 was opened in pingfan, china prior to wwii to. Unit 731 731, based at the pingfang district of harbin and led by the infamous japanese microbiologist shiro ishii, was a covert biological warfare research and development unit of the imperial japanese army that undertook human experimentation during the second sinojapanese war 19371945 and world war ii.
It was part of the kwantung army, which was the most prestigious of japans armies. These books purported to reveal the true operations of unit 731, but falsely attributed unrelated photos to the unit, which. This program was responsible for some of the most hor. Their book focused almost exclusively on ishii shiro and unit 731, and the coverup. The unit received generous support from the japanese government up t. Horrors of unit 731 bio warfare from living survivors who were participants testimony of those interviewed injected living humans with bubonic plague and other viruses vivisections victims unrecognizable testimony of ken yuasa 193945 at least 7000 poas from china,soviet union, and korea were forced experimental subjects.
Throughout pingfans threeyear construction, experiments on the breeding of bacteria and. Japans secret biological warfare in world war ii london. Jan 20, 2017 unit 731 and related units 100, 8604, 1644 conducted experiments on humans including. Nov 12, 2005 the year 1936 marked the establishment of two units by order of emperor hirohito. Unit 731 was the code name of an imperial japanese army unit officially known as the kempeitai political department and epidemic prevention research laboratory. The project unit 731 aka epidemic prevention and water supply unit of the kwantung army, was initially established in harbin. Unit 731 testimony has many first hand experiments from people who participated in the experiments.
Aug 04, 2018 unit 731 was only one unit of several in the japanese imperial army that carried out medical experiments, but it is the best known. Unit 731 and the japanese imperial armys biological. Gold page 191 the code number later changed to 25202. It was mainly just page after page of historical information like a history textbook. Most of pingfang was burnt by the japanese to destroy evidence but the incinerator where the remains. Shiro ishii, commander of unit 731, which performed live human vivisections and other biological experimentation.
Unit 731 was only one unit of several in the japanese imperial army that carried out medical experiments, but it is the best known. It is estimated that around 60,000 prisoners, including chinese and manchurian slave labourers, lost their lives at pingfan and mukden. According to an anonymous youth corps member tsan the name of the unit was not 731 it was 731t. Later, the unit began to massproduce diseases such as plague, cholera and anthrax. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that. This was the name of the commanding pingfan imperial army. For instance, infected fleas were bred by the kilograms to be dropped in allied countries. Unit 731 logs, effectively analyze and manage system messages. Thereafter members of unit 731 made their way home, after first destroying the pingfan facility and other sites, as best they could. Vivisections were conducted as diseases or injuries proceeded. 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. Jun 05, 2001 the showa emperor signed a decree establishing unit 731 in occupied manchuria, behind multiple barbedwire fences 20 km south of harbin in the village of pingfan. Biological weapons often termed bioweapons, biological threat agents, or bioagents are living organisms or replicating entities viruses, which are.
Unit 731s sprawling headquarters were at pingfan completed with airport, railway stations and dungeons on the outskirts of harbin. Read, highlight, and take notes, across web, tablet, and phone. Japans unit 731 remains central to the fiercely contested chinajapan controversy over war crimes and war memory, and to the international debate on science and ethics. What was the unit 731 of the imperial japanese army. Both the joint work of williams and wallace and harriss new book based their accounts of the early history of unit 731 upon the fifty year history of the tokyo amy medical college tokyo, 1988. It operated during the second sinojapanese war from 1935 until 1945, in disregard of the 1925 geneva protocol that strictly prohibited biochemical warfare and development. Disease prevention and water supply unit 731 was a very large japanese biological warfare team, that primarily experimented on civilians of various ethnicities, mainly russian and chinese, but also manchus, mongolians, and others. The book unit 731 was a shocking view how the japanese were able to conduct experiments with live prisoners and war prisoners. Dec 15, 2016 unit 731 was a topsecret development and research center that was located in pingfan, northeastern china. It was initially set up under the kempeitai military police of the empire of japan to develop weapons of mass destruction for potential use against chinese, and possibly soviet forces. This book concentrates on the experiences of the people who participated in the experiments rather than on its history.
Biological warfare bwalso known as germ warfareis the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, insects, and fungi with the intent to kill or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war. June 25, 1892 october 9, 1959 was a japanese microbiologist, army medical officer and a war criminal who was granted immunity by the usa after serving as the director of unit 731, a biological warfare unit of the imperial japanese army. Whereas most people are already familiar with josefs mengeles disturbing experiments in auschwitz, the largescale use of human subjects in japans research into battlefield medicine and biological warfare have thus far remained obscure. Unit 731 also referred to as detachment 731, the 731 regiment, manshu detachment 731, the. The horrors of unit 731, a covert research centre that. Open air testing on prisoners was conducted at the the officially named water purification unit 731 at pingfan near harbin, a remote, desolate area on the manchurian peninsula. Human bones could reveal truth of japans unit 731 experiments. Unit 731 participants of japan attest that most of the victims they experimented on were chinese while a lesser percentage were soviet, mongolian, korean, and other allied pows.