Page 171 - Unit 731 Testimony

to go to Harbin. I was told to go to the station at Harbin at a specified date
and time and wait by the statue of Ito Hirobumi.

The train pulled in, and there were others already waiting there. A
soldier came to take charge of us, and we boarded a train and went one stop
to a small station. We got out at a tiny, remote village. That was Pingfang.
On the horizon, there was a huge edifice that looked like one could put
Tokyo's Marunouchi Building inside it three times.

We got off the train. In front of the station there were two soldiers
working with something that looked like a fireman's hose, drawing up water
from the river into buckets. Our leader told us, "This is river water, and
there's no bacteria in it. Do you fellows want to take a drink?" We passed it

up and kept walking. In hindsight, it must have been the Ishii water purifier
they were working with, making the water safe for drinking.
We walked up the hill to the front of the unit and fell into formation in
front of the main gate. Major General Kikuike, the adjutant, addressed us.
The first thing he said was, "You fellows! Look behind me! Do you notice

anything?"
We all said no, and he continued.

"There is no imperial chrysanthemum crest on the front of this unit."
None of us had thought of that. All other installations displayed the crest at
their entrances, and Japanese naval ships had the crest displayed at their
bows. The adjutant continued speaking, advising us that "in due time, as the
days pass, you'll get to learn what this unit is all about."

We were issued our uniforms and instructions. Then, as Unit 731
members, we received textbooks and were given an education that was
made to penetrate into our bodies. We were told that our classes would start
the next day, and that those of us who showed exceptional spirit would be

recommended for assignment to the medical hospital in Harbin.
We all set to work with the ambition of studying diligently and making
the best of our situation. We went on a hard schedule: from eight in the
morning until midnight, with the exception of lunch and supper, we were in
class. We were drilled in a scientific curriculum that included courses in

human anatomy, disease prevention in the military, army hygiene, the Ishii
system of water purification, the essentials of river water supply, emergency
disinfection including emergency antidotes for poisoning, disease