Report discovered detailing Japan's wartime use of nerve agents

Although the Imperial Japanese Army systematically destroyed all records of the war after its defeat, the discovered report may have been kept personally by a member of the army.

It's repugnant how certain apologists for Japan's war crimes claim that these crimes didn't occur because there are no Japanese records of the autrocitoes.

In Russia and China, they'd have put the guy that found and published this report in prison or worse. We've known for decades about Japan's chemical weapons and their usage before the end of WWII. Which does not make it any better. Every single country that had large operations during WWII bent or broke the rules of engagement.... which again, was wrong and should be accounted for in some manner.

Far too many of the right-wing nuts here refuse to acknowledge the use of chemical weapons, and refuse to accept that there were atrocities committed by the IJA, in the name of the Emperor, during WWII, their claims are based upon the "fact" that if there had been any atrocities, there would be records of them, hence, none occurred!

Everyone seems to know differently, and now there is at least this record of them being used, which also proves that there was a chemical weapons development program as well.

Oh and the far-right-wing-nuts I refer to are the ruling party of the LDP!

So.... will the Japanese media be reporting on this extensively? This is going to get swept under the rug. Foreign media really needs to push these things more

So.... will the Japanese media be reporting on this extensively? 

Probably not given the Japanese media knows if it angers the LDP, it will be excluded from the correspondence club.

? This is old news. Japan "unit 731" was testing chemical weapons on Chinese during WWII.

This is the tip of the iceberg. Hopefully more of Japan's atrocities and war criminals who escaped punishment will come to light.

This is the tip of the iceberg. Hopefully more of Japan's atrocities and war criminals who escaped punishment will come to light.

Actually no it's not, this is just a small piece of valuable evidence if the actual atrocities, odds are there wont be much more either as the IJA destroyed almost all the records that they held. If anything, any remaining "evidence" would be in the hands of the US Military Archives.

The US Military paid former Unit members for their research and information regarding the chemical weapons work they did.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2005/08/15/national/u-s-paid-unit-731-members-for-data/#.XSJ6juj7TIU

Bushido culture lives on. Hide atrocities, keep the modern populace enslaved in oppressive, nuerotic "social harmony". In Germany they teach about their WWII crimes in school. In Japan, hide and lie... Japan has not grown, developmentally, and in 2019, is like a permanently entombed psych ward patient, cutting..

Well well well. Well.

There's some prominent outspoken voices on here that derided the notion of the existence of these atrocities especially pertaining to the infamous unit.

Curious what they're thinking now. At the end of the day, truth will always prevail!!!

All governments destroy incriminating documents (The second Bush administration allegedly "lost" 5million emails, Obama even more.) The destruction of records is partly motivated by shame, but much more so by the fear of incarceration or even execution for treason etc. All this amounts to the destruction of a country's history, but this is never a serious concern for the flag-hugging "patriots" who infest the corridors of power. It is worth repeating what Chip Star stated so succinctly and simply yet apparently beyond the intellectual or moral capacity of some to rationally process or: It's repugnant how certain apologists for Japan's war crimes claim that these crimes didn't occur because there are no Japanese records of the atrocities.

"Revealing what happened on the battlefield during the Sino-Japanese War is just the tip of the iceberg. We must investigate the truth in order to learn from it and prevent this tragic history from repeating itself," Matsuno said.

Good on Mr. Matsuno for preserving this piece of history. Many people like Mr. Matsuno are conveniently overlooked and buried by the anti-Japan crowd, who would have you believe every single Japanese person is an ignorant and xenophobic individual who knows nothing about Japan's wartime past or cares little about it and desire to hide it.

This is common knowledge. Americans also commited warcrimes with what they did with Unit 731.

.

It's grievous - however, the Americans used Agent Orange in VietNam . . .

The stuff just keeps getting more potent -

It's horrible.

Blood is on the hands of many nations.

.

The army was well aware it was violating international law. It probably chose the location deep in the mountains of the province to use blister agent for the first time because it thought it would be harder to expose,"

They didnt care anything about international law, or the Geneva Conventions rules on the treatment of POWs.

They just did what suites them, and would of used them on US troops also, but they feared the retaliation of the international community. Had they developed (or stole the science through espionage) they would of nuked the US also.

There is a British cemetery in Hodogaya, with a large cement box with many British and US service members in it. Wonders if some of them were POWs that were beheaded in the last days of the war.

"During the battle on July 6, the Japanese army fired 31 "red" shells at a Chinese army position equipped with machine guns"

It was military target. There is no difference when the allies used muster against German positions during WW1 .

This is the tip of the iceberg. Hopefully more of Japan's atrocities and war criminals who escaped punishment will come to light.

Actually no it's not, this is just a small piece of valuable evidence if the actual atrocities, odds are there wont be much more either as the IJA destroyed almost all the records that they held. If anything, any remaining "evidence" would be in the hands of the US Military Archives.

Well there is one easy way we can get to the bottom of this. The following newspaper artical cites an atrocity. (Demons of Depravity).

"Author Mark Felton, who lives in Shanghai and teaches history at Fudan University, reveals one final act of Kempeitai barbarism. In August 1945, 387 British PoWs being used as slave-labourers were at work in the mines of Japan’s Sado Island when their guards quietly withdrew after the surrender. A series of explosions entombed them behind thousands of tons of rock and rubble.

Dr Felton says: “The prisoners’ bodies remain inside the mine, forgotten victims of the Kempeitai.”

Well, with modern technology lets excavate. If the artical is true, then there is the evdence.

Remember kids, you can blow the limbs off enemy soldiers with bombs dropped from 10, 000 feet or carve their guts out with your bayonet, but never, ever think of poisoning them....that's just WRONG! I think it has something to do with possible civilian collateral damage? Nah! Hellfire missiles from remote control drones kill kids all the time so THAT can't be it!

"The existence of a detailed report documenting the use of chemical weapons by the Imperial Japanese Army in China has been confirmed for the first time, a Japanese historian said Sunday."

The use of such weapons" saved lives. "

TheLongTermer They didnt care anything about international law, or the Geneva Conventions rules on the treatment of POWs.

Sounds like you believe some combatant did. I am having a hard time thinking of one.

"Revealing what happened on the battlefield during the Sino-Japanese War is just the tip of the iceberg. We must investigate the truth in order to learn from it and prevent this tragic history from repeating itself," Matsuno said.

Like...like....like, welcome to the world, bruh!

Hats off to historian Seiya Matsuno who will probably face death threats from the ultra-nationalists for this.

? This is old news. Japan "unit 731" was testing chemical weapons on Chinese during WWII.

It isn’t news but rare evidence from a reliable Japanese source. Any non-Japanese sources have been dismissed as propaganda.

Many people like Mr. Matsuno are conveniently overlooked and buried by the anti-Japan crowd

No they aren't. The "anti-Japan crowd" that I know focuses on the systemic problems created or maintained by the establishment or its "stakeholders," such as the extremists, and hails the efforts of the relatively few individuals who dare - even at the risk of being firebombed - to tackle such problems.

The systemic destruction of documents by the army and then the denials afterward by those in govt are a case in point.

Remember kids, you can blow the limbs off enemy soldiers with bombs dropped from 10, 000 feet or carve their guts out with your bayonet, but never, ever think of poisoning them....that's just WRONG! I think it has something to do with possible civilian collateral damage? Nah! Hellfire missiles from remote control drones kill kids all the time so THAT can't be it!

You're missing the point. Of course you can We drop atomic bombs but we don’t deny doing it.

alwaysspeakingwisdomToday  09:17 am JST

"The existence of a detailed report documenting the use of chemical weapons by the Imperial Japanese Army in China has been confirmed for the first time, a Japanese historian said Sunday."

The use of such weapons" saved lives. "

You basically approve, then?

In your face Abe and Nippon Kaigi!

@Ex_Res,

Thanks for the informative article by Mark Fulton; never heard of him, and will have to add that to my collection of many reads about Japan War crimes.

Also, thanks for being a contributing member with credibility, instead of the many others I see who contribute nothing but disconnected information that they know nothing about.

"Author Mark Felton, who lives in Shanghai and teaches history at Fudan University, reveals one final act of Kempeitai barbarism. In August 1945, 387 British PoWs being used as slave-labourers were at work in the mines of Japan’s Sado Island when their guards quietly withdrew after the surrender. A series of explosions entombed them behind thousands of tons of rock and rubble.

Dr Felton says: “The prisoners’ bodies remain inside the mine, forgotten victims of the Kempeitai.”

Niigata Prefecture wants to get the Sado mines listed as UNESCO world heritage. They should definitely mention this episode, as it underscores the global historical role of the site and bears "a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition".

Mark Felton is a respected military historian, and has specialised in WW1 and 2. He produces well-researched 10-15 minute documentaries on some overlooked topics, and has also made number of them on Japan and Vietnam.

"You basically approve, then?"

Chemical weapons against a military target. Yes. If America and UK can use muster gas during WW1 against German troops.. Why can't Japan use chemical weapons against Chinese troops. It is war.

It was military target. There is no difference when the allies used muster against German positions during WW1 .

You are using the "two wrongs make a right" argument. Sophisticated.

The big difference is Japanese people deny these things occurred whereas the populaces of the allied countries own up to it and recognize it's repugnance.

In Russia and China, they'd have put the guy that found and published this report in prison or worse.

Only Russia and China? You have heard of Assange?

@Ex_Res

"Author Mark Felton, who lives in Shanghai and teaches history at Fudan University, reveals one final act of Kempeitai barbarism. In August 1945, 387 British PoWs being used as slave-labourers were at work in the mines of Japan’s Sado Island when their guards quietly withdrew after the surrender. A series of explosions entombed them behind thousands of tons of rock and rubble.

Dr Felton says: “The prisoners’ bodies remain inside the mine, forgotten victims of the Kempeitai.”

I had no idea about this. Thank you for sharing.

I really cannot understand the mindset behind the men that did this. Why would you deliberately entomb hundreds of prisoners alive? Especially after the surrender? It can be nothing but vindictiveness, and it is true evil.

Mark Felton is one of the best historians out there. If anyone is interested in WWII history, I highly recommend his YouTube channel. He has uploaded many short videos about events that most people have never heard of.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfCKvREB11-fxyotS1ONgww

Chip Star

Great. Thanks. and then they still kept using it after owing up to it for ww1. Impressive.

What's the point of owning up to something then?

Also have you ever heard of 赤　青　黄　and know what they stand for?

Before anything, I really like how the body says "blister" and "sternulatory" agents, and yet the battalion is described as a "nerve gas" battalion and the agents are equated to "nerve agents" (which provokes images of VX) in the title.

Besides, given the reputation of some left-wing Japanese historians, I'll wait to see the actual pages and counteranalysis before writing out a decision.

they had a lot of nerve..

Agreed with your opinion Reckless,let's not forget to put Italy in this list,they also payed the consequences.

After all many people tend to forget that fascism was born in Italy and then spread around the globe.

In fact, I question why Japan should keep apologizing for when no else apologized for their country's actions.

Japan lost, if it had won, it would be a different story.

Not to mention that far too many here do not know their own history, dont understand why there need be any apologizes, because they never learned the truth from their own government/history lessons, about what Japan and the IJA did in the name of the Emperor during the war.

When you only hear about the atrocities of Okinawa, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki, you might easily think you were the victim, particularly when you are not taught to think for yourself.

alwaysspeakingwisdom:

 America and UK can use muster gas 

On form today, dear. That's MUSTARD gas. Not muster. And are you going to come straight out and say it was an honourable thing for the IJA to use these hellish weapons?

"Indeed, particularly when you look at Japanese textbooks...say JHS..that cover WW2 in 2 pages ,"

Really and go take look at western textbooks. The extermination of Indians 1 paragraph, slavery 1 page, colonialism 1 paragraph.

The whole world knew that.

And are you going to come straight out and say it was an honourable thing for the IJA to use these hellish weapons?

If the UK and the American can use MUSTARD against Germans. Why can't Japan? The UK and USA did the same thing.

. And are you going to come straight out and say it was an honourable thing for the The Americans and English to use these hellish weapons?

How funny how you always mention the west ad a unique national entity.

Still burns that those “westerns” discovered Japan with the Spanish first and Portuguese then?

Or in your nationalistic point of view you still can’t accept that those brute western forced you to open the border after isolations?

Or the loss in WW2 from a barbaric western country?

I smell some complex of inferiority here.

quercetum wrote: You're missing the point. Of course you can We drop atomic bombs but we don’t deny doing it.

But there is plenty of denial about the legality and morality of that action. And there is denial about the use of chemical weapons weapons too (see SS John Harvey and its cargo of mustard gas...why ship if you don't use it?). Who NEVER used them in a modern war ever? Seriously.

And I have not seen a single reason listed from anyone here yet explaining why bullets, explosive bombs, mortars, bayonets etc are okay, but chemical weapons are just obviously out of the question. No is even trying to explain, and its quite telling.

If Japan and Germany had won the war, maybe we would be taught in schools that chemical weapons were the work of great and brave men who defended our nations, lives and our way of life from barbarian hoards and there would be no denials? Or would they deny their own use and paint the allies as the only ones who did (and how much would we know about Allied use)?? But you got to win the war to write the history and the new rules and to bury the information and Japan didn't win.

And I have not seen a single reason listed from anyone here yet explaining why bullets, explosive bombs, mortars, bayonets etc are okay, but chemical weapons are just obviously out of the question. No is even trying to explain, and its quite telling.

Why so lazy bro? The information exists. Just because you can’t be bothered to research it doesn’t mean there isn’t a good answer.

YubaruToday  01:50 pm JST

In fact, I question why Japan should keep apologizing for when no else apologized for their country's actions.

Japan lost, if it had won, it would be a different story.

Too perfect. Winner takes all, makes history, the defeated loses everything even their prides.

Let us all stop craps like correct history recognition

@Norman Goodman

Who NEVER used them in a modern war ever? Seriously.

If “them” refers to poison gas, or at least mustard gas, I believe there is no documentation that shows the Nazis used them on the battlefield.

@showchinmono

Too perfect. Winner takes all, makes history, the defeated loses everything even their prides.

Not true.

“Vae victis”. (Woe to the conquered.)

It was Augustus’ court historian Livy who attributed these words to Brennus, the Celtic conqueror of Rome in 390 BCE.

So what, eh?

The Romans (the “conquered”) learned and though defeated in battle time and time again established a civilization that still influences the culture of today. Even those they conquered are still with us in subtle ways. That’s what history tells me.

The Chinese were pretty much treated as subhuman by the Japanese. Abe-san's grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi was just one example:

 In this way, Kishi maintained that once the Japanese proved that they were the ones with the power, the dog-like Chinese would come to be naturally obedient to their Japanese masters, and as such the Japanese had to behave with a great deal of sternness to prove that they were the masters

(Driscoll, Mark Absolute Erotic, Absolute Grotesque: The Living, Dead, and Undead in Japan's Imperialism, 1895–1945)

the unit used munitions containing a blister agent and a sternutatory agent in 1939 

But these are not nerve agents right? Why does the article use the word “nerve”?

particularly when you are not taught to think for yourself

The true crux of the issue and exactly why the LDP has gotten away with whitewashing Japan's rape of Asia.

What's the point of owning up to something then?

It's called a start, which the Jaoanese have failed to do.

The difference is that Americans tend to fudge the law (atom bombs are good) rather than dispute the facts. The Chinese and Koreans play a similar game. History has spoken that the former is more dangerous.

To us young people during World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army was a sacred army, fighting always for righteousness and fairness. Such dirty weapons are therefore for the dastardly and demonish enemy, having nothing to do with Imperial Japan, we were led to believe. 

Now, we have hard evidence and know how the government does manipulate people to toe its policy line to achieve whatever it wants.

The use of atomic bombs was a war crime. The fire bombing of 50 Japanese cities

by the US forces was a war crime as well as they were civilian targets. But the US

won the war and winners write the history. But it was McNamara who later

when he got old and grew a conscious admitted what he did in Japan was

absolutely horrible. Check out the movie Fog of War for details on the night

that 100.000 civilians were killed in Tokyo.

But none of this excuses Japan lying about what it did in WW2 and its brutal

occupation of Asian countries, including the use of sexual slavery and nerve gases.

The sad thing is that young people today know nothing of these horrors as the history books are

whitewashed by the Abe government.

There is nothing really new here. Japan has a continuing program for cleaning up poison gas sites in China. This has been reported from time to time in the Japanese new media including NHK.

This particular story is being reported in the major Japanese newspapers including the Mainichi.

https://mainichi.jp/articles/20190708/k00/00m/040/002000c

Chip StarToday  04:26 pm JST

What's the point of owning up to something then?

It's called a start, which the Jaoanese have failed to do.

No It's not. It's just taking "so-what" attitude

This so called "dark" history... is it really gone ? I have to wonder whether a Grandiose Facade is simply being presented to us at times simply to make us believe all is well. I would hope I am wrong, though... every weekend/holiday the Right wingers are out, pretty much supported by the Police harassing the local Chinese/Korean community, and when it suits them others too. And as for collusion between the Police and these Right Wingers... when the Police "clock-off" so do, the Right-Wingers... convenient isn't it ?

How did this historian Matsudo get past all the government red tape and censors to make this public? You know denials are going to come shooting him from all corners, forcing him to recant. I hope he sticks to his guns. Maybe more will come out.

Learn from history, so it never need be repeated.

"Chemical weapons against a military target. Yes. If America and UK can use muster gas during WW1 against German troops.. Why can't Japan use chemical weapons against Chinese troops. It is war."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_warfare#World_War_I

The first instance of chemical weapons during WWI was by the French, using tear gas against German forces. However, it was the Germans who began extensively using chlorine gas against French, Canadian and Algerian troops at the 2nd Battle of Ypres, in 1915.

Yes, all sides in Europe used chemical weapons. Yes, their use would constitute a war crime under the 1907 Hague Convention. And NO, this fact does NOT absolve any war crimes the IJA did before and during WWII.

A man owns up to his mistakes. A coward hides the evidence.

Learn from history, so it never need be repeated.

This pearl of wisdom is in vain: the one thing we can learn from history is that no humans in positions of power ever do learn from history, and "plausible" deniability by destroying incriminating documents does not help us at all to remember what we never knew because the facts were buried and hidden from historical record by those who arrogate to themselves the right to create our "reality" for us as in 1984.

The 1899 and 1907 Hague Conventions banned the use of chemical weapons, and yet we saw them used extensively in World War I, albeit not until the Germans first used them in 1915.

It is good to see this article printed in Japan Times. Only by facing the truth can we deal with it.

How did this historian Matsudo get past all the government red tape and censors to make this public? 

It was,as it seems, a private document, so there would be no government red tape!

Oh and if the government censored the news, you wouldnt be reading it here either!

People who bother to do simple research have known this for a long time. Even right-wingers know this, but they just won't admit to it in public. This along with experiments performed on living humans, and germ warfare and systematic rape and torture were all part of the horrendous war Japan waged on China whose people never did anything to attack Japan. If the Chinese were white, this would have been known throughout the world as much as the Holocaust.

“Everyone carries a shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual’s conscious life, the blacker and denser it is. At all counts, it forms an unconscious snag, thwarting our most well-meant intentions.” (Carl Jung)

Why history must be faced and known. Bravo Mr Matsumono, you’re a brave man.

Chemical weapons against a military target. Yes. If America and UK can use muster gas during WW1 against German troops.. Why can't Japan use chemical weapons against Chinese troops. It is war.

Use of chemical weapons is a war crime, but I would hate to describe you as a war crime apologist.

Yes, in WWI, both sides used mustard gas and chlorine gas against each other - the allies were just as much victims as German troops (see the poem "Doce et Decorum est" by Wilfred Owen). However, the horrors of chemical weapons use in WWI led all countries to sign the Geneva Protocol in 1925 - an agreement that they stuck to in WWII.

One combatant* in WWI signed it but openly breached it in open warfare in WWII - Japan.

Therefore your comparison is utterly false.