America's secret deal: How Japan's unit 731 avoided justice
Japanese doctors from the secret military Unit 731 evaded accountability for their inhumane experiments. This occurred because they handed over documentation of their research to the Americans, intending to aid a biological attack on the United States planned for the end of World War II.
At the end of World War II, Japan intended to launch a biological attack on the USA; however, the operation was halted last minute. This information surfaced in a secret report that emerged in 1947, thanks to the head of U.S. Navy intelligence.
The dark history of Unit 731
Unit 731, operating in Manchuria, was responsible for conducting brutal experiments on Chinese civilians and prisoners of war. Between 1932 and 1945, at least 270,000 people died there. These experiments included tests using anthrax, cholera, and plague, as well as other cruel practices.
At that time, Japan had advanced technologies that allowed for large-scale attacks. Plans involved I-400 ships transporting planes to disperse microbes over the Western Coast of the USA, resulting in widespread illness and death.
The displacement of the I-400 ships ranged from 3,890 to 7,230 tons. They could reach speeds of up to 18 knots and travel distances of up to 36,000 miles.
Everything was prepared, but the operation was halted
Despite advanced preparations, the operation was halted by Gen. Yoshijirō Umezu. He was concerned that biological warfare could become a global threat. After the war, the Unit 731 documentation ended up in the hands of the Americans, allowing Japanese medics to escape punishment.
The report revealed, thanks to the head of U.S. Navy intelligence, included an important note. It suggested there is no certainty whether humanitarian concerns will ever prevent humans from deliberately causing an epidemic.
American General Douglas MacArthur said to those gathered on the deck of the battleship USS Missouri, where Japan signed the act of surrender after World War II, that a new era was approaching. Even the lesson of victory brought with it a profound concern for the future security and the survival of civilization. The destructiveness of war potential, through gradual scientific discoveries, had indeed reached a point that revised traditional war concepts.
