Aftermath and Effects of Japan's Entomological Warfare Program
Aftermath and Effects of Japan's Entomological Warfare Program
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Immediate Effects
Immediate Effects
With little to no documentation on the effects of Imperial Japan's use of flea vectored black death it is nearly impossible to know just how many innocent people were affected. Conservative estimates are around 20,0002, with others claiming 250,0003. The effects of plague are well known today, beginning with large inflamed lymph nodes that swell to the size of eggs and leaking puss, and can then spread throughout the body to the lungs and limbs, causing gangrene and increasing the chances of human to human transmission. Bubonic (only reaching the lymph nodes) has a mortality rate of about 50%. Once plague has reached the lungs, it is considered fatal without modern treatment 17.
A photograph allegedly of Shiro Ishii at a Unit 731 reunion
A Post War Coverup
A Post War Coverup
Officials in the United States were interested in the results of experiments conducted by Unit 731, as the United States could not conduct such human experiments at such a scale. This aversion did not stop them from viewing the results as valuable for their own biological weapons programs for a future conflict with the Soviet Union.
Statements given by those who conducted experimentation and torture were considered privilaged by US war crime courts, and not used to prosecute during the Tokyo Trials16.
Many of those involved in Unit 731, including its director Shiro Ishii avoided responsibility for their actions, even attending Unit 731 reunions after the war.
A Deepening Divide
The headquarters of Unit 731 in Harbin, Manchuria was captured by the Soviet Union during the Soviet invasion in August of 1945. The overall attitude of the Soviets was very different to that of the United States, focusing on bringing justice to war criminals rather than using their knowledge and letting them escape prosecution.
The Soviet Union requested those involved be extradited to the Soviet Union to face Soviet led war crimes courts. This was denied by the United States16.
History as a Political Tool
Information about the use of biological weapons in China is of great concern to the Chinese Communist Party, and is used as a tool to influence modern perceptions of Japan. Archeological efforts are politicized and personal reports of those affected are published from government sources, obscuring the picture.
Japan continues to deny allegations of war crimes, and limits archeological digs on sites associated with Unit 731 making information difficult to obtain without working with the CCP.
Synthesis
Unit 731 developed and implemented the world's intentional first use of insects as a vector of biological warfare, pioneering the horrors of weaponizing an existing parasitic relationship. The implementation of such weapons killed countless civilians and led to lasting international strain, and continues to be largely ignored by the United States and Japan. Continued archeological efforts are needed to recover the history of these war crimes and learn more about those who disappeared under Unit 731. Modern relationships makes the research of these topics a point of international contention, and presents a difficult roadblock for necessary investigative work.
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