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Names of 3,607 members of WWII Unit 731 to be released

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By Fred Dufour

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Dropping the bomb had nothing to do with unit 731 - which was unknown in the west at the time.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Netgrump,

Now I get it. :)

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@ theFritzX

I know non-historian Indians who despise him. Hope you sensed my sarcasm :)

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Netgrump, I know an indian historian who despises dr pal, and rightly so.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Canadianbento, agreed. Hang em high.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Of course such "kill-ratios" are meaningless. Both sides should make a new start toward avoiding war. Japan has done this "bringing forth of the fruits of repentance" (far better than the USA): not by wallowing in guilt but by renouncing revenge/hatred of the US side and by starting anew every time with the choice of diplomacy over war.

A better example of the 'Japanese mind' can't be given :)

For more 'understanding' visit the 'Yushukan' at Yasukuni Jinja.

I suggest that you take a double espresso first at the Segafredo Zanetti Espresso joint at the corner of Uchibori Dori and Kudanminami before entering the sanctuary.

Don't forget to bring flowers to Dr. Pal's Monument, who was an Indian member appointed to the International Military Tribunal for the trials of Japanese warcrimes committed during WW 2.

He was the only one who submitted a judgment which insisted all defendants were not guilty. Indian diplomats and politicians often refer to him in the light of Indo-Japanese solidarity and friendship.

Don't forget the 'stamps' at the Yushukan.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Christina, you must be kidding.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

the germans went to the extreme of taking on war guilt, to the extent that taking every opportunity to virtue signal and destroy their own culture is ingrained from kindergarten.

The backbone of the German economy, the industry, and many government positions were held by persons and families who were in charge since Weimar was kept intact, orchestrated by the occupation forces.

Not that all were hard core war criminals but that most were members of the NSDAP and many of them enthousiasts fans of the Austrian painter is a fact.

Since WW2 German politicians have been advocating 'guilt' to the outside world, billions were paid to the countries they occupied and to individuals. Literature about all subjects related to WW2 and the Third Reich from Goebbels to Zyklon B can be found in German bookstores.

Poland demanded more billions recently and for many Germans the 'enough is enough' point has reached.

How people act towards the outside word says nothing about what they think.

The occupation forces let it all happen but at a prize. German patents, blueprints of equipement superior to similar equipement produced elsewhere were confiscated and engineers were abducted or threatened with prison time as they didn't cooperate.

Pretty interesting with the current IP discussion with China. Only the 'technology transfers' are not 'theft' but war booty :)

Id hate to see japan go to those insanely self destructive lengths. But I have to admit they seem to have missed the war guilt thing completely.

Japanese filmmakers made great 'criticising' movies about WW2 and the actions of the Imperial army during the 'golden age' of Japanese filmmaking thus based on 'fresh' information. Not that they may have reached a large audience but still.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

And after the war, General Shiro Ishii, the doctor who was the head of 731, was given freedom by the US occupation forces in exchange for the information about what he had learned by doing the inhuman experimentation on Chinese and POWs. So the US doesn't talk about 731.

Exactly, as the US occupation forces in Germany granted German war criminals freedom and access to the US in exchange for information.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

There are many things to say, including the fact that my previous remarks on the so-called "comfort women" issue were basically too frivolously agreeing with the current view. Yet, this much I have time to protest in these comments: the number of casualties in the bombings by nuclear/atomic bomb was greater than that in China by this Unit 731: FROM:

http://www.atomicarchive.com/Docs/MED/med_chp10.shtml

“The number of total casualties has been estimated at various times since the bombings with wide discrepancies. The Manhattan Engineer District's best available figures are:

TABLE A: Estimates of Casualties

Hiroshima Nagasaki

Pre-raid population 255,000 195,000

Dead 66,000 39,000

Injured 69,000 25,000

Total Casualties 135,000 64,000”

One has to conclude: Whether torture compares with radiation sickness--this one has to decide after at least reading about radiation sickness!--or not, the torture casualties were about 3000, whereas the A-bomb casualties (only the immediate deaths) were about 199,000.

Of course such "kill-ratios" are meaningless. Both sides should make a new start toward avoiding war. Japan has done this "bringing forth of the fruits of repentance" (far better than the USA): not by wallowing in guilt but by renouncing revenge/hatred of the US side and by starting anew every time with the choice of diplomacy over war.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

the germans went to the extreme of taking on war guilt, to the extent that taking every opportunity to virtue signal and destroy their own culture is ingrained from kindergarten.

and you can see the result today.

The results being the strongest economy and the defacto leader of Europe?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Most Japanese still won't give a darn. Just make sure you remember the hibakusha, abductees and all the crime the U.S. military commits.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Somehow,

Japanese Mainstream Media did not mention This News.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

the germans went to the extreme of taking on war guilt, to the extent that taking every opportunity to virtue signal and destroy their own culture is ingrained from kindergarten.

and you can see the result today.

Id hate to see japan go to those insanely self destructive lengths. But I have to admit they seem to have missed the war guilt thing completely.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Oh, so perhaps that is the reason they had to bring up unit 731, to help legitimize the atomic bombings.

Do you have any evidence for this or is it a straw man argument? Unit 731 was not disbanded until after Japan surrendered.

I noticed that Japan apologists have been few on the ground today, but in your two posts you hint that Unit 731 was nothing more than a medical centre, that Germany has over-apologised for the holocaust (isn't 7 million murdered in an attempt to annihilate an entire race, religion and culture worth a few apologies?).

I am going to guess that you are Japanese, and I genuinely wonder whether you have a sense of shame about what these people did in your country's name? If you are not, do you think that Japanese people should?

I know that today's generation is not responsible for the past, but if they can take pride in the successes of the past, then they can also feel shame.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Many people knew that "Atrocities" took place during Wars! Let's hope that these episodes don' happen today! But, unfortunately a Atrocity took place in India recently where Religion was brought in and a Young Girl of 8 years of age was "Raped by 8 men and murdered". These "creeps" have to be brought to justice and Hung.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I wonder when Japan will admit to the Nanking Massacre ? Or if a bunch of Academics come up with a paper that says Japan did it, then the Politicians will probably deny it.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Interesting that people here condemn the US for not prosecuting them. Usually the US is condemned because of the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal because they always argue that it wasn’t fair for the victors to prosecute.

But it certainly isn’t a BIGGER crime that the US didn’t prosecute them. What I think they should have done is promised them their freedom if they handed over the results, and then just killed them.

If you read up on what they did, and what the people went through it’s horrifying. Not great bedtime reading. And whenever you hear Japanese denying Nanking and the suffering of comfort women, it’s worth telling them that they denied 731 for decades for as long as they could.

It’s also interesting to note that to this day there are Jews hunting down Nazis who did the same things and they won’t rest until they are caught.

On a human psychology note, it’s also interesting to note that the staff who worked there often got together for get togethers after the war. So, not everyone even had remorse.

Just thank God or the allies that Japan was defeated. It was truly an evil empire and their war effort supposedly to free Asia resulted in incredible suffering and death.

For the Japanese complaining about this - nobody is saying anything about modern day Japanese, and nobody here is asking for a specific apology from anyone. But just like the holocaust, this should never be forgotten. And if Japanese want to understand the world, and their neighbors they need to know these historical facts.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

The atomic bomb would never have to be used if it were not for the inhumane acts of the likes of unit 731.

Oh, so perhaps that is the reason they had to bring up unit 731, to help legitimize the atomic bombings.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

live vivisection

?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The atomic bomb would never have to be used if it were not for the inhumane acts of the likes of unit 731.

Even in Hirohito's surrender speech, he calls the atomic bomb a cruel new wapon. Not nearly as cruel as unit 731. How long would that have gone on for.

I agree with a quote from a newspaper published when Hirohito died. "The Japanese people saw him as a god, he should have acted like one".

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

Japanese Unit 731: About 3000 people. 

German/and other participating countries death tolls well over 6 Million.

Why not include the total number of victims Japan committed atrocities against like you Fid with the German number?

0 ( +5 / -5 )

For those with interest and a little more attention span, I'd like to direct you to a Japanese Quora buddy's recent reflection on this ... (my comments regarding how this applies to human nature in general follow her excellent post).

https://www.quora.com/What-do-the-Japanese-think-of-Nanking-and-Unit-731-Can-only-Japanese-people-answer-this/answer/%E9%88%B4%E6%9C%A8-%E7%9C%9F%E7%94%B1%E7%BE%8E-Mayumi-Suzuki

3 ( +4 / -1 )

The Nuremberg Trials punished the Nazi for their atrocities including the death camps but the only war trials for the Unit 731 were held by the Soviets and Chinese.

..because 70% of tortured people were Chinese and 30%-Soviet soldiers. Plus occasional Koreans who were considered traitors.

Members of this unit got immunity at the tribunal from the US for sharing their "research data".

I think acknowledging the fact is a big step for Japan.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

NHK did a documentary about this unit last year...

NHK actually did a very comprehensive documentary "731 Germ Warfare Unit (731細菌戦争部隊)" on the subject about 25 years ago.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x28mvyt

Since then, they have been doing documentary on this subject periodically. Other stations have followed as. These are good sources to understand how Japanese people are informed about the subject through TV shows.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Japanese Unit 731: About 3000 people.

German/and other participating countries death tolls well over 6 Million.

A small memorial in China and Japan might be enough.

-10 ( +8 / -18 )

There's a Japanese film called "Dr Akagi" where the title character learns that his son, also a doctor, is a member of Unit 731 (not named, but it's obvious as he carried out experiments on POWs), so some media types have acknowledged it in the past

2 ( +2 / -0 )

There are many books on the subject written by Japanese. You should read them if you are interested in what Japanese historians think about the subject.

https://www.amazon.co.jp/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?__mk_ja_JP=%E3%82%AB%E3%82%BF%E3%82%AB%E3%83%8A&url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=731%E9%83%A8%E9%9A%8A&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3A731%E9%83%A8%E9%9A%8A

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Remember this person: General Douglas MacArthur. The one who was behind the coverup of unit731 scandal.

And we mustn't forget(or forgive) his fascist right-hand man Charles Willoughby.

https://apjjf.org/-Christopher-Reed/2177/article.html

4 ( +6 / -2 )

here is an interesting read about camp 731 and the US Department of Justice Official Releases Letter Admitting U.S. Amnesty of Japan’s Unit 731 War Criminals.

https://medium.com/@jeff_kaye/department-of-justice-official-releases-letter-admitting-u-s-amnesty-of-unit-731-war-criminals-9b7da41d8982

2 ( +2 / -0 )

How about building a Unit 731 Memorial and Museum in a prominent location in Japan.

This goes to the people who make the comparison about Germany and Japan and atoning for the war. At least in Germany there are memorials to the victims of the holocaust.

I

2 ( +8 / -6 )

Kudos to Katsuo Nishiyama, his team, and anyone else who seeks the truth.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

I think dropping a bomb, is different from live vivisection hands on, cutting and sowing people together. Freezing them and monitoring their condition. I'm not justifying either but I find the prolonged torturous actions disturbing more so than pulling a leaver. They are still cleaning up the mess Unit 731 left behind 70+ years ago. Hiroshima, Nagasaki are rebuilt and are doing fine. That's not a fair comparison. Government won't even acknowledge the existence of the unit but pay for the clean up that it made. Talk about loosing face...you get face by putting your face forward.

I disagree. There was no mess left behind

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

The Japanese government denied the existence of the unit until 1998, when the Supreme Court indirectly acknowledged it by ruling there was an academic consensus that Unit 731 existed.

"Indirectly" what? The Supreme Courts best it can do is "indirectly" ruling by mistake, that's a decision of a Supreme Court? Unit 731 did happen. Academic consensus? By mistake? They hand out death penalties but maybe indirectly. Again the denial. You can destroy the paper but not the actions. And actions count more than talk.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

According to Hal Gold's book Testimony, Tama Cemetery in Tokyo contains a detailed stele ( gorinto ) that memorializes those who ran Unit 731, that was built in 1955. It is in Japan, the only "monument" concerning this biological warfare laboratory, and appears to be one to the perpetrators of the horrendous crimes, not to the victims. However, the former members hold a service there every August to console the spirits of the sacrficed victims known as maruta or logs. (Not sure if this still happens)

A former mayor of Tokyo was an administrator in the Unit, along with a founder of Green Cross Corporation, an Osaka based drug company, infamous for a scandal in the late 1980s, in which up to 3,000 Japanese people contracted HIV through the distribution and use of blood products which were known to be unsafe

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Remember this person: General Douglas MacArthur. The one who was behind the coverup of unit731 scandal.

5 ( +9 / -4 )

Japan Today is a proof that there are ethical people in Japan. Japan becomes greater when humbly acknowledges sad events like this. Past cannot be changed but we have the present to put in practice attitudes to make the world a better place to live. Let's build peace, let's make sure that horrendous crimes like this never happen again.

14 ( +16 / -2 )

I think dropping a bomb, is different from live vivisection hands on, cutting and sowing people together. Freezing them and monitoring their condition. I'm not justifying either but I find the prolonged torturous actions disturbing more so than pulling a leaver. They are still cleaning up the mess Unit 731 left behind 70+ years ago. Hiroshima, Nagasaki are rebuilt and are doing fine. That's not a fair comparison. Government won't even acknowledge the existence of the unit but pay for the clean up that it made. Talk about loosing face...you get face by putting your face forward.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

....I remember in the 90s when the Green Cross scandal was in full swing, an old unit731 guy running Green Cross was still killing people through tainted blood products, that they were trying REALLY hard to cover up.....

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/1998/08/14/national/green-cross-founder-tied-to-unit-731-preservation/#.WtVg7yYh0cQ

Some things never die, sadly Japan has overall done far more denying than admitting when it comes to its 1930-1945 history & continues to this day

This list of names should have been out MANY decades ago.........

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Only the Soviet military court has brought those captured Japanese war criminals of unit 731 to justice and made them confession of crimes against humanity! We should not trust anything the US government and all their doings was for the sake of justices. They do things for their own political purposes and privileges ! I want to say Thank You the Soviet Union! And shame on USA coverup the unit 731 scandals. But I guess the yankees has absolute no idea about unit731 and they cares their version of history onlt!

-2 ( +5 / -7 )

Denialists, including Abe, are going to have a hard time swallowing this one, and they can't just go blaming China and saying it's all lies and propaganda, either. They might just have to finally own up to it. Oh, I know that owning up will be included with comments like some posters have stated even on here, like, "Unit 731 may have existed, but they were world leading doctors and humanitarians who saved lives, and were well respected!" (yes, someone literally said that on here not too long ago).

0 ( +9 / -9 )

wonder if any of these 3600+ members are still alive today - and also what their kin might think seeing their relative's name appearing in this: some might not even know about it

4 ( +4 / -0 )

It would be interesting to find out if these members were also enshrined at da-kine Yasukuni Shrine.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

@Cricky, I think I've seen the same video (it was on YouTube, but I don't know about now). In the video I saw, what impressed me most is that as he made his tearful apology, he collapsed on the floor, and the Chinese watching rushed over to pick him up and revive him. That says a lot about the Chinese audience.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

the U.S. Military knew all about the unit and had paper evidence but did not prosecute them for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Not only did the US amnesty the Unit 731 leaders they also took all their "research and data" back to the States, to Fort Detrick in Maryland which was the centre of the US biological weapons programme:

https://apjjf.org/-Christopher-Reed/2177/article.html

The Unit 731 data was used to produce chemical and biological weapons that were used on North Korea during the Korean War.

https://shadowproof.com/2013/12/10/cia-document-suggests-u-s-lied-about-biological-chemical-weapon-use-in-the-korean-war/

Less well known but equally monstrous is the chemical weapons programme developed by the Japanese military from the 1920s. Here's an article written by Hiroshima Uni history professor Yuki Tanaka from the Buletin of Nuclear Scientists book in 1988:

https://books.google.co.jp/books?id=tAYAAAAAMBAJ&q=yuki&redir_esc=y&hl=ja#v=onepage&q&f=false

And this is a fascinating account of the history of Japanese chemical munitions left behind in China and the clean-up process.

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5548ed90e4b0b0a763d0e704/t/55548b35e4b031f59111a514/1431604021283/publication-183-1.pdf

Long but well worth reading, particularly section 5.1 regarding corruption, bidrigging, the 2007 misappropriation of funds scandal and the endless footdragging by the Japanese side.

It's encouraging that Prof Nishiyama is doing this. Good luck to him and his staff.

8 ( +10 / -2 )

Every nation and government that has committed war crimes should be made to face up and own up to it. Bigotry and hate are aspects of fascism. The Nazi regime of Germany committed these gross experiments on Jews, Poles, Russians, Gypsies and more. Japan's totalitarian government did the same - on people in the Orient. These issues MUST be taught in the schools so future generations won't be fooled by the lies again. The hothead climate and rampant racism in the US government has me worried about what is happening in America. Donald Trump was endorsed by the American Nazi Party of David Duke in 2016 and he has shown extreme bigotry against Hispanic people with his jibber-jabbering obsession about building a Berlin-type wall. He has also refused asylum to refugees fleeing the ISIS crisis on the account of their religion. His racist hatred knows no boundaries and it wouldn't surprise me if Trump were to try something this hideous on people he finds to 'undesirable'.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Arguably the darkest slice of Japan's modern history.

Amazingly Kitano Misaji, the psycho doctor who took over from the No1 psycho head doctor Shiro Iishi, went on after the war (granted US impunity) to set up the Green Cross Phamaceutical company specilaizing in blood products. At one time it was the largest Pharm. company in Japan.

It was the company behind the HIV contaminated products scandal in the 1980s, which were used by thousands and hundreds have died and probably still dying. They refused to recall known contaminated products for fear of financial losses. The heads received the same tch, tch naughty boys slap on the wrists as had their company founder Misaji, and his  criminal doctor buddies.

Incredible to think that 40+ years after the horrors of 731, a directly linked organization through it's founder, repeated acts of unbelievable callousness against innocent citizens - killing many.

The US in it's complicity with the 731 gang, certainly has blood on it's hands in this dark chapter.

And a BTW, Green Cross International, the NGO environmental organization set up by Gorbachev, has no connection to the now defunct Green Cross Pharm.

12 ( +13 / -1 )

@Ricky. Precisely. History must be faced - however unpleasant.

5 ( +8 / -3 )

The depths and depravity and malevolence that humans are capable of must be studied, thoroughly analyzed and understood. What were the conditions and factors that lead to this horror story from the past.   Understandably a sensitive issue over here and releasing names will have some backlash for families involved etc, but history must be written and faced otherwise it will be repeated. You cant just wish these things away.

10 ( +11 / -1 )

That's really disgusting those members of Unit 731 did, can be the same of that Gestapo Nazi Germany to (mainly) Jewish people --That's enough to say one of the Negative Legacy that should be considered shameless actions in WW2. Japanese govt. should accept this fact to students understand what was wrong in that WW2. One more thing that I remember when I was a kid was that: a defoliant used by the U.S. Army in the Vietnam War, called "Agent Orange". I wonder that's also a chemical weapon and if it is taught in USA schools... If yes, it will be much fair to all people in the world understand how much horrendous was that, and to be some pages of tragedy in history of what's really a WAR, in contrast of those legendary and heroic events.

7 ( +9 / -2 )

Alistair Carnell, this is the photo you are referring to:

http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2971580

2 ( +4 / -2 )

To put the icing on the cake, postwar US occupation authorities pardoned all members of the unit, in exchange for their research findings. Conplicit therefore, in helping cover it up.

13 ( +16 / -3 )

I never knew about this unit until I read about it a few years ago, really gruesome.

Here is their wiki:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_731

I recommend reading this after a cup of coffee.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Does anyone else here remember the photo of a certain current prime minister dog whistling to his far right supporters, by posing next to a jet with the number 731 on it ?

8 ( +14 / -6 )

a memorial and museum in memory of the victims in Japan is a very good idea.

One to all victims, including both japanese and Korean abuse victims commonly known referred to by the disgusting term, comfort women.

1 ( +7 / -6 )

It is very heartening to see there are actually brave, educucated scholars in Japan, who are highlighting what the government of Japan and it's army of beauracrats and even judges have denied for decades.

And yes Micheal Jackson, a memorial and museum in memory of the victims in Japan is a very good idea.

Just a pity it has taken so long. Even more sad, I think that it is only been admitted know by the Japanese government because the penny has finally dropped - by denying it only makes them look more stupid.

8 ( +13 / -5 )

"This piece of valuable evidence supports all the testimonies given by those who knew the unit. This is a big step forward for efforts to reveal the hidden truth," Nishiyama said.

This piece of evidence only supports that they had a medical unit in Manchuria.

Japan, unlike Germany, has been widely accused of failing fully to face up to its wartime atrocities.

Well, Germany has gone way overboard in facing atrocities. Japan has face them more than the victors have. I can think of several nations that have carried out terrible medical experiments/treatments on their own citizens; and they are not facing it or teaching it in school.

-16 ( +7 / -23 )

I have seen video of one member of this unit traveling back to China to apologise for what he did to the locals. He was distraught. It's no mystery what Japan needs to do money's are not really the key. Honestly admitting what happened and seriously teaching actual facts to future generations that is what gains "face" denile never helps.

14 ( +18 / -4 )

Although maybe the Japanese government does not want to talk about this and it was not in our school textbooks, we did learn about it in high school. That is because teachers were very leftist (at least during the mid 90s when I was in high school), and they prepared "supplementary materials" about 731, complete with photographs what i remember to this day. Same about comfort women and other uncomfortable issues.

21 ( +22 / -1 )

The staff of Unit 731 referred to the prisoners as logs further dehumanizing them.

Japan, unlike Germany, has been widely accused of failing fully to face up to its wartime atrocities.

Gee... I wonder why...

And after the war, General Shiro Ishii, the doctor who was the head of 731, was given freedom by the US occupation forces in exchange for the information about what he had learned by doing the inhuman experimentation on Chinese and POWs. So the US doesn't talk about 731.

Exactly. While what the Japanese did was beyond deplorable, the US cannot take the moral high ground because they offered those monsters immunity for their information. The US was an accomplice after the fact.

19 ( +23 / -4 )

@Michael Jackson, I completely agree with what you say. I'm just pointing out that 731 is never criticized or even mentioned by the US.

12 ( +15 / -3 )

And I disagree with the notion that Japan hasn't done as much as Germany to atone for its past. It's all about perception. The Japanese government, despite some of its politicians engaging in whitewashing of history, has apologized and offered compensation many times, to multiple countries, for its past atrocities.

Money does not make for "atonement", and saying one thing, and then going to Yasukuni to pay respects to the dead, is a slap in the face to everyone who was a victim.

Also why does the LDP and bureaucrats in MEXT continue to push revisionist thinking in regards to history textbooks used in Japanese public schools?

I personally know history teachers here in HS, and University as well, who have commented that they have so much "other" history to teach that they can spend little time on WWII as it was only a tiny portion of Japanese history.

Having attitudes like that is damn near criminal in my opinion.

There is no comparison to Germany when it comes to acknowledging the past.

5 ( +18 / -13 )

And after the war both the russians and allies rushed to get the documents for further studies. The allies got to the camp first and some of the top guys were whisked of to the state in project paper clip.

17 ( +17 / -0 )

Their names will go down in history alongside Josef Mengele.

23 ( +26 / -3 )

Hold on. Hold ON!!!! Did I just wake up in the twilight zone? Two years or so ago, when I brought up this matter, I was vehemently shut down by several misguided people. Told it was a hoax. Plus getting censored. Twilight zone indeed!!!!!!!

13 ( +24 / -11 )

Yes it's shameful what the US did but it pales in comparison to the horrible sins Japan committed

-2 ( +14 / -16 )

And after the war, General Shiro Ishii, the doctor who was the head of 731, was given freedom by the US occupation forces in exchange for the information about what he had learned by doing the inhuman experimentation on Chinese and POWs. So the US doesn't talk about 731.

29 ( +33 / -4 )

There's a lot of face being lost whilst trying to save it.

13 ( +17 / -4 )

How about building a Unit 731 Memorial and Museum in a prominent location in Japan.

21 ( +25 / -4 )

What is going to be more important, in my opinion, is whether or not the mainstream press/media, particularly the Yomuri Shinbun, Fuji TV, TBS, and NHK, pick up the news and report on it!

NHK did a documentary about this unit last year, and it needs to get more coverage, as the "average" Japanese, due in a large part to the system that refused to acknowledge this horrific part of Japanese history, know little or nothing about it, and many refuse to accept it as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaHRF_1BefY

15 ( +20 / -5 )

Good for Mr. Nishiyama.

Despite what some would have you believe, there are Japanese citizens that have spoken out about Japan's wartime atrocities.

And I disagree with the notion that Japan hasn't done as much as Germany to atone for its past. It's all about perception. The Japanese government, despite some of its politicians engaging in whitewashing of history, has apologized and offered compensation many times, to multiple countries, for its past atrocities.

7 ( +20 / -13 )

The subject is not widely taught in schools, and comments by conservative politicians glossing over the issue regularly anger other Asian nations which were the victims of occupation.

"Not widely taught"....Come on, it's NOT taught and yeah the issue gets glossed over, even by the PM himself who wants to make it seem as Japan was the victim!

25 ( +32 / -7 )

Japan, unlike Germany, has been widely accused of failing fully to face up to its wartime atrocities.

It is all about saving face.

20 ( +27 / -7 )

"Infected and starved" are only two of the many horrible things they did. They referred to their victims as "pieces of wood" and often did live vivesections, without anesthesia

23 ( +28 / -5 )

The Japanese government denied the existence of the unit until 1998

Very sad Japan.

24 ( +30 / -6 )

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