Page 46 - Unit 731 Testimony

disappeared from Japanese maps as the army moved more aggressively into
China.

The workers themselves were ordered to the same secrecy as Unit 731
personnel. And, as with Unit 731, the Japanese government has shown a
deep reluctance to admit that anything untoward went on at Okunoshima.
For a long time, the government refused to acknowledge responsibility for
assisting former workers at the factory there. Finally, it granted some of
them recognition as poison gas patients and allowed them compensation, if

far from sufficient. For all the destitution and respiratory and other health
problems these people have suffered, though, they are comparatively lucky:
many of their colleagues died before the government moved to grant them
any form of assistance at all.

The plant on Okunoshima supplied some of the gas used in the human
experimentation in Manchuria. A reported two million canisters of poison
gas abandoned in China by the Japanese army has been a constant bone of
contention between the two countries. China has been asking for its
removal, while the Japanese government has appeared to be waiting for it
simply to go away on its own. Finally, some fifty years after the end of

World War II, Japan is reacting to pressure, time, and perhaps the incentive
of benefits perceived to be had from good relations with an economically
booming China. At last, the abandoned gas weapons are scheduled for
deactivation. Poison gas does not seem to fit in well with a booming,
mercantilistic atmosphere.

Ties to the Civilian Sector

The massive scale of the new buildings and grounds was not the only
major change concerning Ishii Shiro's work when Unit 731 moved to
Pingfang. The change in venue brought about a drastic revision in

organization, as well. The first fortress/bacteria factory had been staffed
only by military doctors and technicians. Now, however, Ishii aimed to
move on from what had been a restricted exercise in military medicine, and
involve the entire Japanese medical community. In order to attain this
objective, Ishii once again needed to cash in on his talent for manipulation,
this time to convince researchers to leave the security of their labs and join

him in Manchuria. In the final analysis, Ishii's talent as an organizer would
be evaluated as being greater than his research ability, despite the knack for