Page 58 - Unit 731

Bacteria and Poison Gas Laboratories

The major laboratories remaining in the ruins include the Sifanglou (Square Headquarters), the special prison, laboratories for tuberculosis, frostbite and
poison gas experiments, and the sites of the poison gas storage room and crematories.
The First Division of Unit 731 for bacteria research focused on bacteria breeding, experiments, and research. Prior to this division, there were a few
classes, including plague class, cholera class, typhoid fever class, etc. Unit 731 specially established a poison gas laboratory to conduct experiments on
poison gases, to research and produce poison gas. The laboratory used live humans and animals as subjects, and these were ultimately burned in the
crematory, a support facility for the bacteria and poison gas laboratory.
Sifanglou, the core area of Unit 731 for human experimentation, was combined with the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth buildings, totalling three stories of
150 metres high and 100 metres wide. Upon the defeat of Japan, Sifanglou was the major facility targeted for destruction by staff, but a large part of the
building remained undestroyed at the end of the war. Due to subsequent human activities and natural disasters, however, the relics of the building no longer
exist except for its foundation. Sifanglou was bisected by a south–north corridor into east and west wings. Each wing contained a two-storey special prison;
the seven-storey west wing imprisoned male ‘marutas’ (prisoners). The east wing, also known as the eighth building, kept mainly female marutas (see Fig.
40).
The cholera laboratory served for research, bacteria production, and experimentation, while the frostbite laboratory used living prisoners for
experiments and production of the drying bacteria for treatment of frostbite (see Fig. 39).
The poison gas laboratory was Unit 731’s centre for poison gas experimentation. Test subjects of poison gas were mostly prisoners who had survived
bacteria experiments. In order for unit staff to record fatal symptoms and death, the prisoners were confined along with chickens, dogs, mice, and doves.
The poison gas storage room was a cylindrical-shaped brick and concrete structure with a curved roof that contained one ground floor and two basement
floors. The building was 5.3 metres tall with a diameter of 13 metres.
There were three crematories: the one located north-west of Sifanglou was used to burn corpses and was destroyed by the Unit before the Japanese
retreated from Harbin. This site is demolished. Two crematories remain: the Beigang crematory and Beiwadi crematory (see Fig. 41).
These structures made up the core of bacteria and poison gas experimentation of Unit 731, as well as serving as the connecting point for special
transportation (of prisoners to be used as subjects) between the Unit and the Kanto Army. A large number of Chinese, Russians, and Koreans were used in
experimentation. In the past, scholars believed Unit 731 was responsible for only bacteria research and experiments, and named it ‘731 bacteria division’,
which is not completely accurate. In addition to bacteria experiments, the Unit conducted numerous experiments using poison gas. Gas laboratories and
storage rooms are evidence of the Unit’s activities in frostbite, cholera, typhoid fever, plague, tuberculosis, and anthrax experiments. The three large-scale
crematories inside the core area of the headquarters reveal the Unit often used humans for experiments, then destroyed their dead bodies.

Facilities for Research and Creation of Bacterial Weapons
Facilities for bacterial weapon research and creation included an assembly laboratory, weapon class, bombshell factory, and the former experiment field at
Chengzigou. The bacteria bombshell factory built and stored bacteria bombs and was managed by the facility supply division. It was a rectangular brick
and concrete building with two underground storage rooms. The weapon class aimed to conduct research and build bacteria bombs and other weapons,
while focused on research and production of vaccines and serum. It was built in a Chinese courtyard style similar to the Chinese character Hui (回).
Serum research took place on the east side of the building, and on the south side were the high-temperature laboratory, sterilisation chamber, and
research rooms for the construction of small bacteria bombs. Large weapons such as cars and tanks were stored at the west and north sides. The entire
weapons division was destroyed by Unit 731 at the end of the war.
Unit 731’s third division conducted research into bacteria pollution, epidemic prevention and water purification and filtration, built ceramic bombshells,
and included an earthenware filter pipes building. The factory was located in the Pingxin village at Nangang, Harbin (once called yangmajiazi). Five sites
of former bombshell factories exist: an office, two kilns, and two chimneys.
The Unit used the Chengzigou experiment field for testing outdoor bacteria and poison gas deployment. It was located 1.5 metres south of Pingle
village at Pingxin, Harbin, the historical site of the town of Pingle during the Jin dynasty (1115–1234).
Unit 731 secretly conducted research and construction of bacterial weapons, even though its stated official aim was ‘epidemic prevention and water
purification’. All these facilities are evidence of experimentation research, construction, storage, and transportation of bacterial weapons.
We have learned from the reliable sources that earthenware bacteria bombs were the most numerous bombs produced by Unit 731. The scale of the
factory and the abandoned shells are living evidence that the Unit aimed to carry out biological warfare. Moreover, ‘The Thompson Report’ recorded the
research process of Unit 731 on biological weapons production, including experiments and bomb production methods. The drawing provided by Shirō
Ishii, which was mentioned elsewhere, is the model that Unit 731 produced, which might be the collective achievement of the shell factory, weapon class,
and other departments.
Experimental Animal Breeding Facilities

In order to maintain a stable and continuous supply of experimental animals, Unit 731 established permanent breeding facilities and separate rooms for
ground squirrel, insects, horses, cows, and sheep. Animals kept by Unit 731 included ground squirrel, mice, rabbits, monkeys, horses, cows, sheep, camels,
deer, and others used as experimental objects in bacteria and poison gas experiments. Animals served as medium to spread fleas, lice, bedbugs, flies, and
mosquitoes. The remaining sites from the experimental animal breeding facilities are animal breeding rooms, ground squirrel breeding room, and insects
cultivate room.
Animal breeding rooms kept mice and rabbits. The facility was managed by the Ishii division, headed by Shirō Ishii’s older brother, technician Mitsuo
Ishii. The ground squirrel breeding room kept ground squirrel, the most commonly used animal by Unit 731. Unit 731 was also called by the name ‘Mouse
Force’ (see Fig. 42).
The insect cultivation room was where Unit 731 kept fleas, lice, bedbugs, flies, and mosquitoes used for bacterial infection. The former site of the
cultivate room had south and north wings. The south wing was a single-storey, shaped like the Chinese character ‘ao’ (凹). In the middle was another
single-storey building, shaped like the Chinese character ‘gong’ (工), and a two-storey building north wing, shaped like the character ‘yi’ (一). A few walls
remain on the site.
Unit 731 built a few experimental animal breeding facilities and bought a large number of mice. The large-scale facilities and mice were used to
produce plague bacteria and plague vaccine for the Japanese troops. The huge quantity of plague bacteria remaining in the former site proved a disaster for
Chinese civilians after the Unit retreated and plague broke out in Harbin.
Dormitory
The dormitory of Unit 731, also known as Togo Dormitory, Tougo Village, and Sergeant Building, housed sergeants, army surgeons, soldiers, and their
relatives. Currently, thirty-four buildings of dormitory remain on the site in Pingfang area (see Fig. 43).
Unit 731 had the largest residential complex among all other dormitories of the Japanese Army anywhere, which proved that the scale and financial