Tug-of-war unfolding over Unit 731-related exhibit at Nagano museum

Excellent attitude from the local citizens, contrasting with the completely inappropriate lack of courage from the city officers. History is too important to be hidden behind red tape, specially with lessons as tragic as the Unit 731.

Some Japanese learn from their mistakes ,Some Japanese keep on making mistakes and learn nothing

 arguing that it is difficult to interpret the content of the rulings

Who cares what contemporary Japanese court rulings say? Several of the people who actually sliced open live prisoners, submerged them in freezing water until death, etc. have admitted their deeds over the years. As if that isn't enough.

"a 2003 central government statement to the Diet that said, "no documents have been confirmed to show that biological warfare was carried out."

Well it did, but that isn't the point. The point is that systematically gruesome experiments WERE carried out on living humans there. This attitude is why Japan continues to struggle with its wartime past and suffers from a lack of trust and sincerity in the world.

Japan denied the Unit 731 even existed.

I don't know how it's possible to sweep this amount of data under the rug:

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

Unit 731 was pure evil.

While the local citizens have pushed for displaying clearer details at the exhibit about the atrocities committed by Unit 731 and have called for the testimonies of its former members from the prefecture to be featured, the Iida City Board of Education, tasked with managing the museum, remains cautious.

Kishida should have taken the G7 leaders and Yoon for a visit here.

2003 central government statement to the Diet that said, "no documents have been confirmed to show that biological warfare was carried out."

What is the "central government", and why do they want to hide truth?

Koizumi was prime minister in 2003, did his faction want something covered up? Along with perhaps people from the Emperor's staff?

arguing that it is difficult to interpret the content of the rulings or what the displays intend to convey about Unit 731 in a way that is understandable to the public.

This is just another way of attempting to whitewash the actual history of the Unit and what it did. Spoon feeding information to the public, like they are all a bunch of babies.

Put it out there, let the public make up it's mind. But you cant can you? Afraid they will find out the truth!

Kishida should have taken the G7 leaders and Yoon for a visit here.

Nah, then he would never have been able to play the victim card!

central government statement to the Diet that said, "no documents have been confirmed to show that biological warfare was carried out."

Central government is toothless when it comes to autonomy of local government.

While the local citizens have pushed for displaying clearer details at the exhibit about the atrocities committed by Unit 731 and have called for the testimonies of its former members from the prefecture to be featured, the Iida City Board of Education, tasked with managing the museum, remains cautious.

Local people and government just want to the truth.

“the local residents involved in the project have shown their understanding”

I suspect it’s some citizens’ group that’s showing understanding for the exhibit, not the majority of the local residents. It’s a well known fact that, after Japan’s surrender in 1945, the US exempted former members of the Unit 731 from war-crimes prosecution in exchange for “scientific” data obtained from those experiments in Manchu.

An article so poorly written it is not really providing much clarity. It would itself have provided a good chance to tell more about the Unit but doesn't really take it. But it is Kyodo and has to tread a path between the truth and smoothing over less salubrious aspects of its main subject matter.

stressed the need for careful explanations that could be easily understood by children visiting the museum.

If it is going to be explainable to children, I am not sure it will include all the gruesomeness.

Yesterday there was an article in the Independent:

Archaeologists have uncovered an underground bunker in northeast China that was purportedly used during the Second World War by Japanese scientists to conduct horrific experiments on human subjects.

The site at Anda, China, is reported to have been used by the infamous Unit 731 of the Japanese Imperial Army, which conducted some of the most brutal germ warfare experiments between 1935 and 1945.

Wonder if that made it into the J news...

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/china-world-war-bunker-archaeology-b2345670.html

It's important that we must remember the atrocities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Stuff like comfort women, Unit 731, the drugging of kamikaze pilots, the rape of Nanking, the class A war criminals let off the hook to go on to create the government dynasties that persist to this day (Looking at you Abe.) Well that's considered "masochistic" and we'd much rather you sweep that stuff under the rug.

Can't learn from your mistakes if you attempt to erase them from history.

I believe the elephant in the room here is "pressure" from extreme rightist groups. There seems to be an outsize fear here of these fringe elements, despite their low numbers and buffoonish presentation.

In particular, I don't think the Japanese government has ever denied the existence of Unit 731.

However, the reality is quite different.

During the Japanese war with China, the number one cause of death was not death in battle but death from disease.

Unit 731 was an epidemic prevention unit, and it is certain that they performed autopsies on dead people to find out the cause of death and disease.

However, cutting off the hands and feet of living Chinese people and dissecting them as they are is propaganda in China after the war.

No one was put to death for this case at the Tokyo Trial, and it is based on a movie made after the war.

Regarding the fact that no one was put to death in the Tokyo Trials, China managed to avoid the death penalty by making a backdoor deal with the United States and handing over data.

But the US was disappointed that the data were more outdated than the German ones. That's what people say in China, but there's absolutely no basis for it. Death penalty if disappointed?

It's an epidemic prevention unit, and it's true that they performed dissections, so such tools are displayed in a museum-like thing created by China, but of course it's natural to have such tools.

There was also a photo of a person who was said to be a victim, but there was some kind of skin disease on the shin. No one has been amputated.

As with the coronavirus, can you believe what the Chinese Communist Party says? Even though it's a country that makes anti-Japanese dramas every year?

What would you think if you knew that the movie made after the war was the original material?

This is just one more "we did nothing wrong" as usual!

This is what Japan does it hasn't done its international obligations to remove the millions of poison gas and chemical shells it left behind, it refuses to acknowledge fault in just about everything then plays victim like it did during the Hiroshima G7 every day and will do the same in August!

And then the Japanese will wonder why South Korea and China are constantly angry with Japan.

There is nothing wrong with telling the whole truth about Unit 741. The whole ugly truth also connects the Allies with the grotesque Japanese human "experiments."

If the truth is painful, you don’t bury it. You acknowledge and learn from it with a stoic resolution to never fall into the pits of hell again. Thoroughly research and understand the conditions that made such a ghoulish episode in modern human history possible, learn from it and walk on. Shadow work takes humility and courage.

No one was put to death for this case at the Tokyo Trial, and it is based on a movie made after the war.

Lying by omission has been said to be a speciality of Japanese political economy and this is an egregious example.

The lack of prosecutions at the Tokyo Trials was due to US Intelligence pulling an Operation Paperclip scenario like they did with the Nazi rocket scientists and letting them get away from prosecutions in exchange for data and cooperation.

The complicit LDP doesn't want to get too deep into as it would embarrass the many related politicos and their US chief ally.

The main body of the illustrated paperwork detailing the experiments is in the US, where it was taken after the war.

The Soviets/Russia has the most evidence as their army arrived at the site first. The Soviets also apprehended some of the leaders of Unit 731 and put them on trial and eventual prison sentences. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khabarovsk_war_crimes_trials

What is the "central government", and why do they want to hide truth?

It is understandable. Unit 731 had the support of emperor Hirohito. Manchuria was ruled by Kishi, the grandfather of Abe. Many in the "central government" are/were direct descendants to these people, and of course, don't want to speak ill of their own family. Though, as far as I know, Kishida has no relations to these war criminals, so maybe the stance will change gradually...

So they planned and built this exhibit in 2022 but now there's controversy because of a meaningless whitewashing government statement from 2003? Why now?

Japan allied with Nazi Germany so it's not surprising that they created Unit 731 which was yes, run by Abe's grandfather Kishi who escaped prosecution because of US political meddling. It runs in the family.

Germany learned their lesson and dealt with the war on their own. The Italians did the same. They are taught about their history in schools and officials do not deny their country's history, shameful though it certainly is. But they are not responsible for it, only their parents or grandparents.

Here? In the last 20 years, history, and specifically the war period, has been completely reversed here. Certain facts have become the subject of speculation. The Treaty of San Francisco? Disputed.

We did nothing during the war, nothing is true, the body count doesn't add up either, and it's all propaganda by one or the other. And our leaders are not the least bit ashamed. Japan is a country of revisionism. The funniest thing is when a textbook is published in 1998, it mentions Unit 731 and a decade later Unit 731 is no longer mentioned and if it wasn't true. A wonderful example of shooting yourself in the foot. And it won't even be true 10 years from now.

It is important to acknowledge that Japan - for a period in her history - was a totalitarian, fascist regime. Unit 731 did exist - and the cruelty and damage done was unforgivable. Yes - citizens must be educated about this so as it can never take place again.

But modern Japan is now a peace-loving nation - a democracy that seeks to do good in the world. These sickening and real crimes committed took place 80-90 years ago. All nations on earth have had truly shameful periods in their history - a few fascist regimes are inflicting this on humanity at present. Those that learn from their history are taking the right path.

Very true. In the 1,500 years China and Japan had relations, Japan was stronger for only 50 of those years. During that time Japan invaded China twice killing millions as well as barbarous acts like the Rape of Nanjing and crimes against humanity such as Unit 731. Never forget.

It is important to acknowledge that Japan - for a period in her history - was a totalitarian, fascist regime.

Bravo to the local citizens. They didn't commit those horrendous crimes but they know that it needs to be out in the open more.

The lack of prosecutions at the Tokyo Trials was due to US Intelligence pulling an Operation Paperclip scenario like they did with the Nazi rocket scientists and letting them get away from prosecutions in exchange for data and cooperation.

Here is your Russian Operation Paperclip equivalent. Surely you didn't intend to leave it out.

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

China's belated communism, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, North Korea's missile threats, and South Korea's excessive anti-Japan actions are nothing more than acts of aggression and racism against the Japanese.

Are you telling me to accept it?

There is no reason why we should be patriots, ideologically right or left, and get along with the invaders.

Now that we have national borders, we must think about national interests regardless of ideology.

And if a crime by the state has been committed, it must be proven. If you can't do that, it's just hate.

What is your position on having to get along with aggressor states and communist states that suppress human rights?

You're only slandering, but is it so difficult to show evidence about Unit 731 this time? Your answers so far are not logical.