Bird Flu as a Weapon? A Bit of History of Biological Weapons

[Magda Hassan]

Document confirms germ warfare by Imperial Japanese Army

October 29, 2011 Tweet

By NOBUYUKI WATANABE / Staff Writer
A classified document has been uncovered that provides further evidence that the Imperial Japanese Army used plague-infected fleas as biological weapons in China between 1940 and 1942.
An operations journal written by a high-ranking army officer found in 1993 had passages related to germ warfare, but the latest discovery is of a public document compiled by the research unit that was directly involved in germ warfare.
While the Tokyo District Court and Tokyo High Court have confirmed in verdicts related to compensation lawsuits filed by bereaved Chinese family members the use of biological weapons by the Imperial Japanese Army, the Japanese government has maintained the position that no evidence exists that such weapons were ever used.
The document uncovered is a report by the epidemic prevention research unit of the Imperial Army's medical school. A member of a citizens group based in Tokyo that is trying to uncover information about the infamous Unit 731 that was involved in germ warfare found the document in the Kansai-kan of the National Diet Library in Kyoto.
The cover of the document is marked "military secret" and also contains the name of a medical officer belonging to the epidemic prevention research unit and the date of Dec. 14, 1943, when the document was registered.
The report is about the effects of fleas infected with the plague bacteria and calculates the effects when the bacteria is spread during battle.
The document includes a list that describes the volume of fleas used and the number of people infected in six missions conducted in China between 1940 and 1942. The total number of infected people, including secondary infection, was 25,946.
The report appraises the plague bacteria as "the most outstanding weapon" and says about germ warfare, "it brings about psychological and economic panic."
There are two major parts to the reports compiled by the epidemic prevention research unit and about 800 documents from part two have been found in the United States. Those documents make it clear that the unit was involved in research on the plague epidemic in China.
The latest discovery is of 12 documents, including 11 from part one of the reports that include the more highly classified items.
The development of biological weapons by the Imperial Japanese Army first drew attention with the publication in 1981 of a novel by Seiichi Morimura titled "Akuma no hoshoku" (The Devil's Gluttony).
Subsequently, members of Unit 731 came out and admitted taking part in human experiments and the use of biological weapons in China. Unit 731 worked closely with the epidemic prevention research unit of the Imperial Army medical school.
The author of the classified document was a medical doctor who graduated from Tokyo Imperial University. An investigation by the U.S. military after the end of World War II stated that the doctor worked for three and a half years in Unit 731.

By NOBUYUKI WATANABE / Staff Writer
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news...1102916062