Dylan Deweese

Shir Ishii

Ishii was a microbiologist and the lieutenant general of Unit 731, a biological warfare unit of the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War. He was born in the former Shibayama Village of Sanbu District in Chiba Prefecture, and studied medicine at Kyoto Imperial University. In 1932, he began his preliminary experiments in biological warfare as a secret project for the Japanese military. In 1936, Unit 731 was formed. Ishii built a huge compound more than 150 buildings over six square kilometers outside the city of Harbin, China. http://www.oddee.com/item_96484.aspx Ishii was born in the Shibayama Village of Sanbu in Chiba Prefecture, he studied medicine at Kyoto Imperial University. He was considered a selfish, pushy, and sometimes disturbed individual, he was an excellent student. And in 1922, was assigned to the 1st Army Hospital and Army Medical School in Tokyo. 2 years later he impressed his superiors well enough to put him in post-graduate schooling. Beginning in 1928, Ishii took a two-year tour of the West. In his travels, he did extensive research on the effects of biological warfare and chemical warfare developments from World War I onwards. It was a highly successful mission and helped win him the patronage of Sadao Araki, Minister of the Army.

Dylan Deweese Ishiis first facility was in the city of Harbin; however, the need for secrecy made it necessary for Ishii to relocate his group to a prison camp 60 miles away. After this camp was blown up by escapees, an installation called Ping Fan was constructed about 14 miles from Harbin. When completed in 1940, it became known as Unit 731 housed some 3,000 personnel. At a ceremony honoring the event, the now General Ishii made the facilitys purpose crystal clear. A doctors god-given mission, Ishii said, was to block and treat disease, but the work upon which we are now about to embark is the complete opposite of these principles. In the name of defeating Japans enemies, Ishii and his staff spent the next five years creating pathogens that are likely the cause of many diseases including smallpox, anthrax, gas gangrene, plague, and botulism. They then experimented upon Chinese cons, those they nick-named Logs. Forcing them to breathe, eat, and receive injections of deadly pathogens. Japanese Unit 731 doctor stands with face covered in front of pile of Chinese prisoner bodies. Victims were often killed before the diseases had run their course, so autopsies could show their progress through the body. Ishiis men also supplied the Japanese Army with typhoid, cholera, plague, and dysentery bacteria for battlefield use. In addition, they contaminated water sources, released diseasecarrying fleas, and dropped contaminated wheat from airplanes. Although dissolution of Unit 731 in 1945 led to the destruction of many of its records, there is no doubt that Ishii and his men had caused the death of many thousands of Chinese, and possibly hundreds of Russian and Allied prisoners of war. Shiro Ishii, no doubt aware that his activities constituted war crimes of the highest order, faked his own death in late 1945 and went into hiding. When American occupation forces learned that Ishii was still alive, they ordered the Japanese to hand him over and investigators from Camp Detrick began interrogations. At first Ishii denied any human testing had taken place but, aware that the Soviets also wanted to talk to him and their methods might not be so mild, he later offered to reveal all the details of his program in exchange for immunity from war crimes prosecution. Anxious to learn the results of

Dylan Deweese experiments that they themselves had been unable to perform, the American military accepted Ishiis offer, and approval was then given by the highest level of government. Ultimately Ishiis materials proved to be of little value, but the United States kept its end of this dubious bargain. Biological weapons were never mentioned in the Japanese war crimes trials, and Ishii died a free man in 1959.

A small rat can beat a cat. Fleas and germs can defeat bombers and guns. This is... the basic theory behind Squadron 731. It is also my philosophy. Dr. Shir Ishii June 25, 1892 - October 9, 1959