93 Soviet people fall victims of Japanese wartime experiments, experts

A Chinese-led project claims to have found evidence that proves Japan's notorious Unit 731 conducted human experiments on at least 93 Soviet people in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province during World War II.

Unit 731 was a top-secret biological and chemical warfare research center established by the Japanese in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang, in 1935. It was blown up by the Japanese invaders as the Soviet Union were closing in on Harbin in 1945.

According to Jin Chengmin, curator of the Museum of Evidence of War Crimes by Japanese Army Unit 731, new evidence from interviews with veteran Japanese soldiers stationed at Unit 731 and documentation from the Tokyo Trial and the Trial of Harbarovsk, verified that there had been 93 Soviet victims. Among them were prisoners of war, and civilians including women and children.

The Japanese government have continued to deny the crimes in spite of mounting evidence. No one involved in Unit 731 has ever been tried for war crimes.

Chinese historians have identified 27 sites in Harbin that they say were facilities related to Unit 731. The complex included a bacteria lab and a prison where Chinese, Soviet, Mongolian and Korean victims were held.

Jin said more than 3,000 people died at Unit 731 after scientists used them as lab rats.

According to the museum, Unit 731 and its affiliated units were involved in the research, development and experimental deployment of biological warfare weaponry. Prisoners were injected with diseases, such as Tularemia (also known as rabbit fever), so that researchers could study the effects.

In 2002, 180 Chinese, either victims or relatives of Unit 731 victims, appealed to a Tokyo court for an apology, which it rejected.

Despite the official denial, Yoshio Shinozuka, a former member of the unit, publicly declared his remorse in 1997, revealing the horrific details of what occurred in Harbin. Endi