"U.S. Committed Germ Warfare in Korea by Using Results of Experiments by Japanese Imperial Army's Unit No. 731; It Is Japan's Responsibility

“U.S. Committed Germ Warfare in Korea by Using Results of Experiments by Japanese Imperial Army’s Unit No. 731; It Is Japan’s Responsibility”

Interview with Mori Masataka, Chief of Investigation Team of Historical Fact of U.S. Germ Warfare During Korean War

A Japanese investigation team of U.S. germ warfare during the Korean War visited the DPRK and the North East of China from July 26 to August 5 to investigate the actual situation of the U.S.-committed germ warfare during the Korean War. The group found a film recording the damage done by the germ warfare and obtained not a few results in investigating the truth of the germ warfare.

Q: What was the purpose of your visit to the DPRK?

A: The U.S. committed germ warfare during the Korean War, utilizing the researches and experiments by the former Japanese Imperial Army’s notorious Unit No. 731. The germ warfare should be thoroughly investigated as Japan’s responsibility. Japan has settled no problems related to its war responsibility at all, including its past colonial rule in Korea. I think that these problems should be clearly settled by calling Japan to account for crimes committed in Korea in its modern history.

I have researched Japan’s aggressive war against China for 20 years. I began my research with the damage done by the No. 731 unit, visiting Nanjing and areas of former Manchuria in 1991.

I came to know about the U.S.-committed germ warfare during the Korean War in the process of my investigation, and I visited Rason City in the DPRK via Yangji.

Q: What kind of investigation did you make?

A: In a very limited schedule, our team waged investigation activities around Pyongyang City.

We obtained testimony from many persons--researchers, victims and witnesses of the chemical and biological warfare. I was most impressed with the story that in Korea there was a custom of presenting shellfish to others wrapping it in straw, and that by making use of this custom, the U.S. army spread germ-contaminated shellfish, causing many Korean people who ate it to die.

I also visited the germ warfare section in the Museum of Victory in Korean War, and I was able to have access to documents and materials, which were not to open to the public.

What surprised me most during my visit to the DPRK was an 18-minute documentary film, which was filmed in 1952 by the staff of the National Film Studio of the DPRK.

The documentary film titled, “U.S. forces’ atrocity of germ warfare,” showed flies and spiders, which were scattered by U.S. airplanes, crawling around on the snow, together with captive pilots testifying to the act of germ warfare. The film also showed the activities for prevention of epidemics and the activities of an international investigation team, which was formed by eight countries including the UK and France, to investigate the suspicion of U.S.-committed germ warfare.

This time, I confirmed again the fact that the U.S. committed chemical and biological warfare in Korea. Through some documents, I had known about the germ warfare committed by the U.S. forces during the Korean War but had no sufficiently convincing materials to persuade people to believe the fact.

Hearing the testimonies of victims and witnesses during my stay in the DPRK, I was able to obtain an outline of the germ warfare.

Q: On your future activities

A: It was the first time since 1952 that an investigation team on the germ warfare visited the DPRK.

The International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) and the International Council for Scientific Unions (ICSU) sent their task forces to the DPRK in 1952. The ICSU’s investigation team made a report on the basis of its investigation activities performed from June to August 1952. But the report was completely ignored by Western countries.

I will make public all the materials I obtained through my latest investigation. This will help reveal the truth about the long hidden germ warfare committed by the U.S. forces during the Korean War. I want to deepen our relationship of mutual trust with the DPRK, which was very cooperative in our investigation activities. I will also gather more testimony from victims, witnesses and bereaved families and investigate the actual situation caused by the U.S.-committed germ warfare in Korea.

Some media in the U.S. and Japan are set on covering up the fact of the germ warfare.

Our organization will gather witnesses by the U.S. side, while urging the U.S. to release information to the public.

The Korean War is not yet understood well. People often say that air raids on Tokyo, Chongqing and Guernica are the world’s three worst air raids, but I think that the air raid on Pyongyang by the U.S. during the Korean War should be included in this category. The U.S.-committed germ warfare and the air raid on Pyongyang are only part of the Korean War. Our latest field investigation gave me a new recognition of the war crimes committed by the U.S. forces against Korea.

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