Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
Moscow, August 19 (Xinhua) — The Russian FSB Public Relations Center has published archival materials indicating Japan's plans to use biological weapons against the USSR, China and other countries during World War II. Digital copies of the documents were posted on the agency's official website on Tuesday.
As follows from declassified archives, Japan was going to use bacteriological weapons against Soviet and Chinese troops, servicemen of the USA, Great Britain and other countries. In case of retreat, it was planned to infect the territory that Japanese troops were leaving in order to cause mass epidemics.
The documents note that as early as 1935 and 1936, in Harbin /Northeastern China/, special units were formed under the Kwantung Army, including “Unit 731”, which were engaged in the development of bacteriological weapons and the study of methods for their combat use.
In 1940, a special expedition led by the first commander of Unit 731, Shiro Ishii, carried out a combat operation in Central China, dropping plague-infected fleas from an airplane. This caused a severe outbreak of plague among the Chinese population and soldiers. This operation was repeated in 1941 and 1942.
In addition, the documents testify to torture in the prison of "Unit 731", where prisoners were used for experiments. Among the prisoners were mainly Chinese, Russians and Koreans. Experiments on living people and testing of methods of infecting flora and fauna were actively practiced in 1941-1945.
Among the declassified documents is also the interrogation protocol of the last commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, Otozo Yamada. According to him, the entry of the Soviet Union into the war against Japan and the rapid advance of the Red Army deprived Japan of the opportunity to use bacteriological weapons against the USSR and other countries.
The publication of archival materials by the Russian FSB is timed to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the completion of the defeat of the Japanese Kwantung Army by the Red Army. The operation, which included the liberation of Northeast China, took place from August 9 to 19, 1945. –0–
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
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