Members of a Japanese civic group gathered in Tokyo to press for further investigation into human bones unearthed at the former army medical school site, urging society to confront the country's wartime responsibility.
In 1989, a large number of human bones were found at a construction site in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward, where the National Institute of Infectious Diseases now stands. The site was formerly home to the Imperial Japanese Army Medical School, where the notorious Unit 731 is believed to have operated.
During the event, Kazuyuki Kawamura, representative of the Association Demanding Investigation on Human Bones Discovered from the Site of the Army Medical College, stated that the issue of human remains requires further investigation and it is necessary for Japanese society to re-examine this history.
"It has been 37 years since these human remains were discovered, and 81 years since the end of the war. However, looking back at developments over this period, I find the current political climate deeply concerning, especially given that relations with China are currently strained. I believe we must rebuild friendly ties with China. That is why I hope people today will understand this history. Yet, there are still those who cannot truly reflect on the past war. That is why I believe the issue of these human remains itself reveals the historical facts. We must bring these matters to light clearly and concretely, while also ensuring that reflection on the past war is genuinely passed on to future generations. This is what I believe must be done now," said Kazuyuki Kawamura
"As Japanese people, we must thoroughly investigate all of these matters. We must clarify the facts and not cover them up. The atrocities committed by Unit 731 were truly cruel. Although they did do some things within Japan, the evils they committed against the Chinese people far exceeded those. Of course, Russians and Koreans also suffered these torments. As a Japanese person, I feel truly ashamed. Yet almost no one knows about these things. Japanese education basically does not teach this history of the war. So people like us need to tell others about these things little by little," said a participant.
Some participants also said that Japanese society has long failed to fully recognize its guilt as an aggressor. It is necessary to let more people know about the war crimes during Japan's war of aggression against China
"I think it's very important to hold such events. Everyone should seriously study and understand history. The inability to access Japan's history of aggression is a very serious problem in Japanese education," said another participant.
Japanese civic group demands probe into wartime human remains
Japanese civic group demands probe into wartime human remains
