Unit 731 evidence reveals buried chemical weapons in China

New archival evidence and oral testimony released by the Exhibition Hall of Evidences of Crime Committed by Unit 731 in Harbin have provided further proof of Japanese wartime atrocities in China. The documentation includes 185 pages of personnel files and a 70-minute testimony from Hitoshi Tanizaki, a former medic who served in the Hailar department of Unit 731.

Tanizaki’s testimony reveals that as the Japanese military faced defeat during World War II, units attempted to destroy evidence of their activities. While the Hailar branch burned its facilities, Tanizaki stated that the military’s chemical warfare unit, primarily based in the Fulaerji district of Qiqihar, buried massive quantities of chemical munitions. He specifically noted, “It wasn’t bacteria, but poison gas.”

The records, which were compiled by the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare during demobilization, offer insight into the unit's compartmentalized structure. While some sections focused on bacterial cultivation and water toxicity testing, the burial of chemical shells represents a significant lingering environmental and security hazard in the region.