Page 34 - Marutas of Unit 731
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Pingfan as the network’s headquarters, since there were other res earch
centers related to Unit 731. e following are some known res earch centers
related to Ishii’s Network and when they were established.
e Army’s Noborito Laborator y was established (1937)
e Central Epidemic Prevention and Water Puri cation Department
of the North China Army/ Unit 1855 was established (1938)
e Central Epidemic Prevention and Water Puri cation Department
of Central China/ Unit 1644 (1939)
e Guangzhou Epidemic Prevention and Water Puri cation
Department of South China Army/ Unit 8604 (1942)
e Central Epidemic Prevention and Water Puri cation Department
of the Southern Expeditionar y Army/ Unit 9620 (1942).
Human experimentation was not only done in Ishii’s Net work. According to
Kawashima who ser ved as Chief of the General Division from April 1939 to
March 1943, by order of the Japanese Minister for War, Unit 731 had a 10
million yen budget in 1940 alone with 5 million yen to be spent on
[14]
experimental work by the order of the Emperor.
At one point, anyone working in the medical research eld was working
for the Ishii Network. e impression of the medical eld was one of good
intentions, but under the ultra-nationalistic agenda, the scientists who had
good intentions turned to producing weapons against humanity. If a
scientist opposed Unit 731, he had no future in the eld. Ishii regularly
made speeches to convince his peers what they were doing in Unit 731 was
good for humanity and regularly gave speeches to recruit young
microbiologists and other potential technical recruits at several Army
medical colleges throughout Japan as well as Kyoto Imper ial University and
