Figure 1.--This news photo was picked by American West Coast and Australian newspapers. The captiion read, "Even the Japanese Children Learn Gas Defense: Gas defense measures, which include compulsory training in simulated wartime condiutiions are part of Japan's national program. Thisphoto shows the children in an elementary school engagded in gas defense under military instructors. While one group of boys, wearing boots and masks, use chemical powder to neutralize one comncentration, other mask wearers condicuct simulated first aiud." The photograph is dated July 23, 1936. .

The Japanese engaged German forces in China during World War I. This was before the appearance of chemical weapons. They of course would have noted the the use of chemical weapons in Europe. Col. Chikahiko Koizumi helped form a secret poison gas research committee when he and other Imperial Japanese Army officers were impressed by the German use of chlorine gas at the Second Battle of Ypres (1915). [Williams and Wallace, p. 44.] Col. Koizumi would be Japan's Health Minister (1941-45). He was closely associated with IJA surgeon Shirō Ishii (石井四郎) who began advocating for a Japanese poison gas program (1927). Ishii began a 2-year study trip abroad (1928). When he returned home he began advocating within IJA cicles for the creation of a Japanese biological and chemical research unit (1930). He argued that the Western powers were developing these weapons and this was a danger to Japan which needed its own program. Ishii was closely connected to War Minister Gen. Sadao Araki. Araki was one of the principal theoritician of the radical nationalist right-wing faction in the IJA. He served as Minister of War under Prime Minister Inukai. Araki helped to create the Army Epidemic Prevention Research Laboratory (AEPRL) (1930). And Ishii was given command of a secret research group--the Tōgō Unit. It pursued chemical and biological experimentation in newly seized Manchuko (Manchuria) which allowed for greater secrecy and a ready source of human experimental subjects. Ishii received this appointment because he had been advoicating for chemical weapons reserrch. The major facility was the infanous Unit 731 in Harbin, Manchuruia. We have little information about facilities in Japan. Later they also initiated a nuclear program. We note several civil defense exercises simulating a chemical attack. They clearly show that chemical warfare was on the mind of the military officers leading Japan into war.

Sources

Williams, Peter and David Wallace. Unit 731 (Grafton Books: 1989).

Created: 10:17 AM 11/8/2021
Last updated: 10:17 AM 11/8/2021