Deaths
Over 300,000 people were directly killed by Unit 731. Because of the brutal experimentation performed on POWs, thousands were killed over the course of World War II. Millions more are thought to have died from field test germ warfare experiments.
"There were 132,134 allied POWs captured by the Japanese during WW II. Of these, 35,756 died, producing a death rate of 27%. By way of contrast, the German and Italian forces held 235,473 allied POWs and 9378 of them died, producing a death rate of 4%."- Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal |
"I hate the Japanese so much that I cannot live with them under the same sky."- Huang Yuefang,when he witnessed the deaths of four family members at the hands of Unit 731. |
Political Tension and Hostility Post World War II
The experimentation on other Asian peoples after Japan's conquest of their countries contributed to the air of hostility post World War II. Countries such as China and Korea still have strained political relations with Japan. According to the Chinese government, "The relationship between China and Japan has been strained at times by Japan's refusal to acknowledge its wartime past to the satisfaction of China."