What does 731 mean in Japan?

Unit 731 was responsible for some of the most notorious war crimes committed by the Japanese armed forces. It routinely conducted tests on people who were dehumanized and internally referred to as "logs".


What was Unit 731 known for?

The Unit 731 experiments involved infecting prisoners, primarily Chinese prisoners of war and civilians, deliberately with infectious agents, and exposing prisoners to bombs designed to penetrate the skin with infectious particles.

Why did Unit 731 exist?

Started as an agency to promote public health, Unit 731 was meant to conduct research that would benefit Japanese soldiers, such as learning more about the ways in which the human body can withstand hunger and thirst and fight diseases.


How many deaths did Unit 731 cause?

Unit 731 was deliberately burned and all evidence destroyed including the study subjects called Marutas, which translates as logs of wood, all in the attempt to hide what they had done. (Williams and Wallace 1989) Approximately 3,000 to 12,000 people died at Unit 731.

How many survived 731?

No one was allowed to survive Unit 731 alive. “If a prisoner survived the inoculation of lethal bacteria, this did not save him from repeated experiments, which were continued until death from infection supervened.


Unit 731 - Japans Secret Human Experiments



Does Unit 731 still exist?

Upon the formal surrender of the Japanese in August 1945, Unit 731 was officially terminated. The Japanese government did not admit to the wrongdoing committed by Unit 731 until very recently.

What happened in the year 731?

Europe. Umayyad conquest of Gaul: Munuza, Moorish governor of Cerdagne (eastern Pyrenees), rebels against Umayyad authority. He is defeated and executed by Muslim forces under Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi at Urgell (Catalonia). Muslim garrisons in Septimania raid the cities Millau and Arles.

Is Room 731 A true story?

This film is inspired by true events. How did you approach the research for the film? And afterward, how did you approach the material from an artistic perspective? Most Korean and Chinese people know about Unit 731, but only a few people in Western societies are aware of the tragedy.


What did Japanese soldiers do to prisoners?

Prisoners were routinely beaten, starved and abused and forced to work in mines and war-related factories in clear violation of the Geneva Conventions. Of the 27,000 Americans taken prisoner by the Japanese, a shocking 40 percent died in captivity, according to the U.S. Congressional Research Service.

Who was behind Unit 731?

Led by Surgeon General Shiro Ishii, Unit 731 began its experiments in earnest after Japan invaded China in 1937 and started using the country's civilian population as their guinea pigs — but it wasn't until much later that the true horrors of Unit 731's experiments would come to light.

What was Unit 731 for kids?

Unit 731 is infamous for its human experimentation during its existence during World War 2. At least 3,000 men, women, and children were subjected as "marutas" or as logs to experimentations conducted by Unit 731 division at Pingfang alone. Here is an article on why they were called "marutas".


Was Unit 731 a war crime?

Unit 731 was responsible for some of the most notorious war crimes committed by the Japanese armed forces. It routinely conducted tests on people who were dehumanized and internally referred to as "logs".

How did the Japanese treat female prisoners of war?

Unprepared for coping with so many captured European prisoners, the Japanese held those who surrendered to them in contempt, especially the women. The men at least could be put to work as common laborers, but women and children were "useless mouths." This attitude would dictate Japanese policy until the end of the war.

Why did the Japanese treat their prisoners so badly?

The reasons for the Japanese behaving as they did were complex. The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) indoctrinated its soldiers to believe that surrender was dishonourable. POWs were therefore thought to be unworthy of respect. The IJA also relied on physical punishment to discipline its own troops.


What did Americans do with Japanese bodies?

Most Americans regard World War II as a “just war” because the United States helped stem the vicious tide of global fascism. But during that war, American soldiers dismembered Japanese corpses and collected their body parts as souvenirs.

Did a Japanese soldier stayed hidden for 29 years?

Teruo Nakamura, a Taiwanese-Japanese soldier, endured 29 years in the jungle after the end of World War Two, on Morotai, in present-day Indonesia. And Shoichi Yokoi remained hidden in the Guam jungle until 1972.

What happened in the year 732?

At the Battle of Tours near Poitiers, France, Frankish leader Charles Martel, a Christian, defeats a large army of Spanish Moors, halting the Muslim advance into Western Europe. Abd-ar-Rahman, the Muslim governor of Cordoba, was killed in the fighting, and the Moors retreated from Gaul, never to return in such force.


Who defeated Islamic empire?

However, the fact remains that the westward expansion of the Islamic empire had been halted. The caliphate had been defeated by the French.

Why did the Battle of Tours start?

The invading force went on to devastate southern Gaul. A possible motive, according to the second continuator of the Chronicle of Fredegar, were the riches of the Abbey of Saint Martin of Tours, the most prestigious and holiest shrine in western Europe at the time.

Did Japan apologize to Korea?

June 22, 1965: Minister of Foreign Affairs Shiina Etsusaburo said to the people of South Korea: "In our two countries' long history there have been unfortunate times, it is truly regrettable and we are deeply remorseful" (Signing of the Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and South Korea).


What was Unit 731 after darkness?

Unit 731 was a covert medical research branch of the imperial Japanese Army, first established in 1932, under the leadership of Surgeon General Shiro Ishii. For many years the Japanese government suppressed the truth of these horrific crimes.

Are there any movies about Unit 731?

Unit 731: Nightmare in Manchuria (1998 TV Movie)

Features the terrible story behind WWII "Unit 731", a japanese military base located in the puppet state of Manchuria, China.

What was Hitler's reaction to Pearl Harbor?

The attack on Pearl Harbor had impacts far beyond the United States. Hitler applauded the attack and declared war on the United States—a maneuver historians believe was his greatest error in judgment.


Is Korea catching up to Japan?

It is on track to overtake Japan in gross domestic product per capita by 2028 – meaning the average Korean worker will be more productive and wealthier than their Japanese counterparts - a neighbour with whom it shares a brutal history of war and colonisation.