Page 45 - Unit 731

Interpretation and Analysis
Basic information about the victims, including name, occupation, birthplace, and life history, were excluded in the report. They became only numbers, with
their gender and age kept as reference for experiments. The oldest victim was forty years old, and the youngest four victims were twenty-five years old.
The average age of the victims was 29.88 years old and the average infection period was 2.88 days. Using microscopic examination, the Unit recorded in
detail infections that occurred in heart, lung, tonsils, bronchi, throat, liver, stomach, spleen, kidneys, pancreas gland, adrenal gland, thyroid, testis, pituitary,
brain, skin, lymph nodes, and other organs (see Fig. 25).
The condition of the nine orally infected victims recorded in Report ‘A’ was ‘Through anthrax-infected food, the infected people died of serious oral
infection and ascites bleeding’. The report described twenty cases of nasal respiratory infected victims ‘a sudden outbreak of anthrax infection occurred in
some cells. Twenty victims were infected through air transmittal. A few days later, they were found dead due to acute chest and abdomen symptoms. In the
first phase, they suffered from acute tonsillitis. Anthrax went throughout the body and led to serious bleeding. Major spreading occurred at bronchus and
mouth.’

21 Human Experimentation with Glanders: Report ‘G’
Unit 731’s Report ‘G’ (glanders) is 373 pages and makes mention of the twenty-one human subjects involved, divided into two parts: the first part is the
introduction, including general information about all infected victims, their symptoms, and conditions. The second part is microscopic observation of the
condition of infected organs including heart, lung, tonsils, bronchia and throat, liver, stomach, intestine, spleen, kidneys, pancreas, adrenal glands, thyroid,
thymus, testis, pituitary gland, brain, skin, and lymph nodes (see Fig. 26).
Report ‘G’ noted the death of victims through four stages. In the first or acute period, there were eight human subjects whose numbers were 224, 180,
190, 16, 176, 178, and 229. One of the cases was missing a number. Some parts near the organs showed symptoms of septicaemia, but no obvious
conditions were found. The second was a subacute period. There were seven cases, numbers 167, 50, 254, 85, 207, 221, and 193. Symptoms included acute
systemic metastases at around the two-week mark, especially to the lungs, with frequent pleurisy bleeding. Due to systemic metastases, serious exudative
lesions occurred in the lungs and liver. The third type was the sub-chronic period represented by three cases numbered 205, 146, and 152. The fourth was
the chronic period involving three cases numbered 256, 727, and 731. Their symptoms included infection in lungs, livers, intestines, lymphs, kidneys,
muscles, and thyroids due to serious systemic metastases.
Based on Reports ‘A’ and ‘G’ kept by the Library of Congress, as well as the current Chinese and Japanese literature, here are my conclusions:
Two reports in the Library of Congress are relatively complete reports on human experimentation and important evidence regarding Unit 731’s conduct of it. They may be used for cross-checking
against documents on special transportation kept by Heilongjiang Provincial Archives and Jilin Provincial Archives. These reports are written in English, along with the existing Chinese and Japanese
documents, and have great significance in revealing the war crimes of Unit 731.
The two reports contain rich statistics, including information on sources of infection, days of infection, pathological changes in organs and causes of death. These data obtained by Unit 731 are
valuable in research on infection with anthrax and glanders, vaccine production and disease prevention.
Through the analysis of the two reports, researchers may gain a better understanding of the way Unit 731 conducted medical research, and it further reveals evidence proving their war crimes
through bacterial experiments.
Each case in the two reports is written and analysed after being carefully observed by microscope in order to generalise pathological changes, cause of infection and ratio of infection. From a
medical perspective, these two reports are detailed reports of vivisection. Besides producing bacterial weapons and experiments, Unit 731 also conducted full-scale medical research for Japan’s
aggressive military, which is completely against medical ethics and humanity.
Conclusion and Reflection

Although the Second World War ended in 1945, many Japanese people still deny and distort the war crimes committed by Japan against humanity and
human rights. The memories and history of the Second World War are common to both countries, and the perceptions of historical issues between China
and Japan remain influential on bilateral relations today.
Japan’s medical circle in the post-war period has not sufficiently faced and reflected on the medical war crimes committed during the war, but has
chosen to be silent and evade as well as to deny and deceive.
Some civil organisations in Japan urge justice and truth, but in general, they have little impact on the mainstream of Japan’s medical community.
Regarding its cruel human experiments, medical crimes, and atrocities, Japan’s medical community lacks introspection and reflection on ‘the reason of
state, human rights and medical ethics’, and this attitude is also a miniature of post-war Japanese mainstream society, which evaded responsibility for the