Japan begins 穴掘り of WWII 医療の school 'where live 実験s were 行為／行うd on foreign 囚人s'

By Daily Mail Reporter
Updated: 17:02 BST, 22 February 2011

• As many as 250,000 were 犠牲者s of 実験s

Japan began 穴掘りs yesterday at a former army 医療の school to search for human remains linked to a 悪名高い World War II program that 恐らく 行為／行うd 生物学の 戦争 in 中国 and live 実験s on foreign 囚人s of war.

There is no certainty the 穴掘り will 明らかにする anything, but it is a 調印する that the 政府 is open to the 可能性 of 直面するing its long-kept 戦時 secrets, 含むing the 実験s 行為／行うd by the 軍の's shadowy 部隊 731.

Its activities have never been 公式に 定評のある by the 政府 even though historians and 関係者s have 文書d them.

A 力／強力にする shovel is used to dig the 場所／位置 of a former 医療の school in Tokyo linked to 部隊 731, a germ and 生物学の 戦争 outfit during WWII

Yesterday's 穴掘り is the first 政府 調査（する） of the Tokyo 場所／位置. It follows a former nurse's 発覚 that she helped bury 団体／死体 parts there as American 軍隊s began 占領するing the 資本／首都 at the end of the war.

'If the bones or 組織／臓器s with traces of live 医療の 実験s are 設立する, the 政府 would have to 収容する／認める a 戦時 医療の 罪，犯罪,' said Yasushi Torii, 長，率いる of a civil group 調査／捜査するing the 事例／患者 for １０年間s.

'This is a start, although we probably need more 証拠 to 証明する 部隊 731's 役割,' said Torii, as he watched a shovelling machine and 労働者s using 手渡す-held shovels carefully dig part of the 陰謀（を企てる）.

From its 戦時 base in Japanese-controlled Harbin in northern 中国, 部隊 731 and 関係のある 部隊s 注入するd war 囚人s with typhus, コレラ and other 病気s that they 集まり-produced to 研究 germ 戦争, によれば historians and former 部隊 members. 部隊 731 also is believed to have 成し遂げるd vivisections and to have frozen 囚人s to death in endurance 実験（する）s.

Historians 見積（る） the number of the 部隊's 犠牲者s from the thousands to as many as 250,000 - mostly Chinese but they also may have 含むd other 国籍s. They believe some bodily remains of 犠牲者s were transferred from 中国 to Tokyo for 分析.

Pink tape 示すs where the 穴掘り is to take place on the Tokyo 場所／位置. Shadowy 実験s 行為／行うd by 部隊 731 on war 囚人s have never been 公式に 定評のある by the 政府 but have been docum ented by historians and 関係者s

A Japanese 法廷，裁判所 in 2002 定評のある the 部隊's germ 戦争 in 中国 but 支配するd that Japan had no 義務 to atone to the 犠牲者s. After years of 否定, Tokyo 定評のある 部隊 731's 存在 but has never 公表する／暴露するd 詳細（に述べる）s of its activities.

部隊 leaders were spared 起訴 in 交流 for turning over （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状） to the U.S., and given 最高の，を越す 地位，任命するs in Japan's 製薬の 産業, 医療の schools or the health 省.

While the 穴掘り was 約束d about five years ago under the previous 保守的な 行政, 当局 had held off until the scheduled 移転 of 居住（者）s and the demolition of apartments on the 場所／位置 last year.

The 民主党員s, which overthrew the 保守的な 自由主義の Democratic Party in 2009, have 一般に been 'more open to the idea of taking an account of what happened in history and trying to turn a new page,' said Koichi Nakano, a political science professor at Sophia University in Tokyo.

Former nurse Toyo Ishii said she helped bury 団体／死体 parts there as American 軍隊s began 占領するing the 資本／首都 at the end of the war

Health 省 公式の／役人 Kazuhiko Kawauchi said the 100 million yen (£740,000) 穴掘り is 目的（とする）d at finding out if anything is buried in the 陰謀（を企てる）.

'We are not 確かな if the 調査する will find anything,' Kawauchi said. 'If anything is dug up, it may not be 関係のある to 部隊 731.'

The former nurse, Toyo Ishii, now 88, broke 60 years of silence in 2006, 説 she and 同僚s at an army hospital at the 場所／位置 were ordered to bury 非常に／多数の 死体s, bones and 団体／死体 parts during the weeks に引き続いて Japan's August 15, 1945, 降伏する before American 軍隊／機動隊s arrived in the 資本／首都.

Her 公表，暴露 led to a 直面する-to-直面する 会合 with the health 大臣 at the time and a 政府 誓約（する） to 調査／捜査する.

The 場所／位置 is 近づく another area where a 集まり 墓／厳粛／彫る／重大な of dozens of possible war-実験 犠牲者s was 暴露するd in 1989 during the construction of a Health 省 研究 学校／設ける.

Any remains 設立する at the planned 穴掘り 場所／位置 would have a stronger 関係 to 部隊 731, 専門家s say.

'The 場所／位置 used to be the 研究 （警察，軍隊などの）本部 of 部隊 731,' said Keiichi Tsuneishi, a Kanagawa University history professor and 専門家 on 生物学の 戦争. 'If bones are 設立する there, they are most likely 関係のある to 部隊 731.'

The 1989 find 明らかにする／漏らすd dozens of fragmented thigh bones and skulls, some with 穴を開けるs 演習d in them or sections 削減（する） out. Police 否定するd there was any 証拠 of 犯罪の activity.

The 省 結論するd that the bones could not be 直接／まっすぐに linked to 部隊 731. It said the remains were mostly of 非，不，無-Japanese Asians and were likely from 団体／死体s used in '医療の education' or brought 支援する from the war zone for 分析 at the 医療の school.