Page 13 - Unit 731 Testimony

us more interested in their stories than in their identities. Others identified
themselves openly. Some reached the point of weeping with equal
openness, as they looked back through decades of silence to stir up ugly

recollections.
But those who are coming forward now, after some half-century of
silence, are among the most forceful in pressing for the story to be told.
Additionally, a limited number of members of the post-war generation—
scientists, doctors, writers—are searching out the survivors, doing their own

research, and informing the public through writings and lectures. Outrage
and shame span the generations. Exhibition sites generally have a desk
where visitors may write their impressions and comments. Attendees from
elementary school on up have recorded the shock of the history lesson.

There are several reasons why the code of silence has evaporated at
this late hour. Whatever these motivations might be, however, we can be
grateful that the grave did not get all the truth. One focus of this book will
be the actual words of those who helped conduct Japan's biological warfare
human experimentation program.

The exhibition itself, the reactions it provoked, and the testimonies of
former unit members who came forth and spoke out were all driving factors
behind the creation of this book. It is as important for these events to be
available to English-readers as it is that Japanese know them. Some of the
testimonies and statements presented here were originally given at lecture

programs which the author attended, recorded, and translated. At other
programs in different parts of the country, testimonies were obtained with
the cooperation of the local organizing committees. An independent team
sought out former Unit 731 members and produced a video series which
was another source. A few of the testimonies were told to other people who
then reported on them at lectures or in print.

The recent declassification under the Freedom of Information Act of
some documents that had been sealed for years also played an important
role in the creation of this book. Events in the former Soviet Union likewise
brought about a freeing of material formerly kept hidden away. Some

Japanese documents have also been declassified, making them available to
researchers. In the end, however, the most thought-provoking source of
public information on Japan's human experiments comes from those who
were there, then emerged from silence and provided the personal accounts