Page 181 - Unit 731 Testimony

Inside of it, a Chinese man was blindfolded, with his hands tied around a
post behind him. The gas was adamsite [sneezing gas], and as the gas filled
the chamber the man went into violent coughing convulsions and began to

suffer excruciating pain. More than ten doctors and technicians from the
two units were present. After I had watched for about ten minutes, I could
not stand it any more, and left the area. I understand that other types of
gasses were also tested there.

Ishii Shiro's driver (Koshi Sadao)

[Koshi, who lost his own son to stray plague germs, has testified on video,
on TV programs, and in person at the exhibitions. Part of his work included
repeated trips to the gas chamber with a truck, each time carrying about ten
maruta—and often with Ishii at his side. The gas chamber was a small

installation inside a large building.]
There were different kinds of gas used for the tests. Mustard gas,
lewisite, cyanic acid gas, and phosgene gas were all among the gases tested.
Three of the chamber walls were glass, so that the conditions under which

the victims died could be observed closely. Some of the maruta were tied to
a dolly that rode on rails into the chamber. Then, the gas was piped in. We
experimented with different concentrations. Photos and movies were taken,
and very careful notes were made, such as what sort of symptoms a subject
exhibited at how many seconds of inhalation. When the gas took effect,
people would foam at the mouth.

A person's respiratory organs are similar to those of a pigeon.
Generally, a person can maintain life in a given environment if a pigeon
can. So pigeons were put into the chamber with the maruta as a comparison
test. Sometimes, dogs were put in. All sorts of comparison tests were made.

At the Anda biological warfare bomb testing ground, we watched
through binoculars from a distance of about four kilometers. There was

very little sound when the bomb hit. Then, the contents released, appearing
smoky. There was no gunpowder explosion that would kill the fleas. Each
maruta had a head protector and a chest protector to prevent being killed by
the bomb fragments. If bomb shrapnel were to get them, then the effects of
the bacteria could not be evaluated. Only the arms and legs were exposed.

Afterward, the progress of the plague through the body was observed.