Japan used chemical weapons during war against China and for the first time there’s a military report to prove it
- The report was compiled by a frontline nerve gas battalion of the Japanese army posted in northern China during the Second Sino-Japanese War
- Historian says it is the first discovery of a report in which the Japanese army itself details the use of poison gases
The existence of a detailed report documenting the use of chemical weapons by the Imperial Japanese Army in China has been confirmed for the first time, a Japanese historian said Sunday.
The official report, compiled by a frontline nerve gas battalion of the Japanese army posted in northern China, recorded that the unit used munitions containing a blister agent and a sternutatory agent in 1939 during the Second Sino-Japanese War, according to historian Seiya Matsuno.
The blister agent inflamed the skin and mucous membranes, and the sternutatory agent caused extreme pain in the respiratory system.
Matsuno said it was the first discovery of a report in which the Japanese army itself details the use of poison gases.
Although the Imperial Japanese Army systematically destroyed all records of the war after its defeat, the discovered report may have been kept personally by a member of the army.
“Revealing what happened on the battlefield during the Sino-Japanese War is just the tip of the iceberg. We must investigate the truth in order to learn from it and prevent this tragic history from repeating itself,” Matsuno said.
