Essay On Unit 731

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During the Second World War, Japan committed many heinous war crimes. Pearl Harbor, the Rape of Nanking, and the torturing of POW’s, are all high on the list of notable war crimes, but there is one that is often overlooked. For a ten year span (1935-1945), Japan was very keen on the idea of developing more diverse and destructive chemical and biological weapons. This may sound like every other Allied and Axis country, but Japan’s experiments would make even Josef Mengele cringe. The reason why I am saying this is because, Japan’s “Epidemic Prevention and Water Purification Department” (a.k.a Unit 731), was an excuse for human experimentation and torture. Even more sickening than this, is the fact that United States granted amnesty to all those involved in these unexcusable acts against humanity, in return for information on their research. Unit 731 was commanded by General Shiro Ishii of the Kwantung Army (a branch of the Japanese Imperial Army, that …show more content…

The scientists were afraid that anesthesia would alter the effects of the diseases, so scientists would chain the subjects down, cut them open, and expose them to certain disease, watching how human body reacted, while the subject was conscious. This is known as a vivisection, commonly used on animals. Of course since the subject was not under anesthesia, they felt every cut, tear, and crack as their bodies were violated by human hands. Another interest of Unit 731 was biological warfare. Scientist of Unit 731 would give subjects concoctions of diseases, disguised as vaccines. As if this was not enough, subjects were often raped by guards, given disease ridden clothing, and came into contact with plague infect rodents and insects. These diseases were not carefully contained inside of the laboratories, and leaked into the outside world. Around 400,000 Chinese civilians died from the effects of Cholera, Anthrax, and the Bubonic

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