From the Digital Archive- Veterinary Involvement in Japan's WWII Human Experimentation

Hikaru Akiba

IntroductionThe Pacific Atrocities Education Digital Archive offers a sobering glimpse into the dark chapters of World War II, preserving critical documents that uncover the extent of wartime atrocities. Among these is the Report of Investigation Division, No. 330, dated April 4, 1947, which details the disturbing role of the Japanese medical and veterinary communities in unethical human experimentation in Manchuria. While Unit 731 is infamous for its horrific acts, this report reveals a broader, chilling network of experimentation, including the involvement of veterinarians in the Kwantung Army Stables. Through letters, interrogations, and firsthand accounts, the report exposes how diseases like glanders and anthrax, typically associated with animals, were weaponized against human subjects, often Allied POWs and Chinese civilians. This introduction sets the stage for a deeper exploration of the report’s findings, highlighting the obscured truths and the complex web of complicity in Japan’s bacterial warfare program.For the full text, visit https://pacificatrocitiesedu.reclaim.hosting/items/show/256.

Report of Investigation Division, No. 330 4/4/47
There is no question about the unethical human experimentation done by the Japanese, focused around Manchuria. While the most egregious acts were committed by Unit 731, located in Harbin, China, human experimentation was widespread among the Japanese medical community. This Japanese medical community was not limited to only doctors and their medical assistants– those who started their careers as veterinarians also held an interest in human experimentation. GHQ’s Investigation Division’s report on “Experiments conducted on POWs at KWANTUNG Army Stables and Army Water Purification and Supply Unit” reflect the connection between veterinarians, human experimentation, and the blurry line between the obscured truth and reality. 
The report follows an investigation which started after a letter was received which reflected “that members of the I.J.A. [Imperial Japanese Army] infected POWs with glanders and then dissected their bodies as an experiment” (1). Reporting on the investigation chronologically, it becomes clear from this report the collaborative nature of human bacteriological experiments– it is reported that several different medical universities cooperated in conducting the ‘research.’ The largest instance of this ‘research’ on glanders in the human body was evidently held at the Army Water Purification center headed by Shiro Ishii, where there were “over a thousand victims of the experiments conducted on horse glanders bacteria, pestilence bacteria and other strong poisons” (2). This information came from a letter on December 15, 1945. However, from a different letter on February 10, 1946, another experimental station was located “using Allied POWs as human guinea pigs” (2).

Through interrogations held and letters received from 1946 to 1947, the report generally focuses in on Group #2 of the Kwantung Army Stables. This group was headed by veterinarians, but nonetheless allegedly conducted human experiments by dissecting victims that died from injection of glanders (and possibly anthrax). Both glanders and anthrax are diseases typically associated with animals, glanders especially with horses and other equines. Although the victims are not specified, similar to Unit 731’s widespread experiments, Group #2 seems to have experimented on Allied POWs and Chinese peoples. 

The connection of veterinarians with human experimentation reflects the obfuscation of Japanese war crimes during World War II. Outside of Group #2, this report also details how Shiro Ishii was “outwardly conducting research on Water Purification” despite “secretly conducting research on Bacterial Warfare” (2). There were even purchases of water filter machines. The human experimentation done by veterinary units such as the Kwantung Army Horse Disease Prevention Unit lended itself to cover-ups easily, as the main difference between the other groups within the Kwantung Army Stables and Group #2 were the subjects. A Major heading Group #2 denied the accusations of human experimentation, claiming that “experiments were conducted on guinea pigs, rabbits, horses and various types of other animals” (3). This statement coincides with the phrasing of the February 10, 1946 letter that was part of the investigation’s impetus– “human guinea pigs” – marking how easy it is to dehumanize victims (into animals) and obscure the truth. 

Additionally, the report grapples with the implications of a connected network of human experimentation, eventually stating that this “was a part of a large scale plan for the initiation of strategic Bacterial Warfare” (8). Although the General Major stationed at Kwantung Army Stables claimed that “there had been no lateral dissemination of research reports between [Unit 731 and Unit 100],” the two units worked for the same purpose of bacterial warfare and committed varying degrees of wartime atrocities. The inclusion of veterinary experts along with medical experts points to the sophisticated degree of this network proposing bacterial warfare, as some of the most effective diseases were diseases associated with animals. 

Excerpts from pages 2 to 8. 

On 26 June 1946, Takeshi KINO was interrogated at the 6th Marine Division Headquarters in Fukuoka by Lt. John Eglsear and a signed statement was obtained from KINO as set out in the report of said agent dated 27 June 1946. KINO admitted that he had served in the Japanese Army and had been stationed in Manchuria and was discharged from military service in 1943 becoming a civilian employee of the KWANTUNG Army Stables. He stated that he had heard rumors to the effect that humans were being infected with glanders and then being dissected for experimental purposes but could not recall whether he had heard that these experiments were being conducted on prisoners of war or Chinese coolies. He further stated that the ISHII Unit at Harbin was making experiments on this disease and may have been responsible for the acts. KINO stated that the experiments conducted by that station were of a secret nature; that he was not personally cognizant of the extent to which they were carried. 

The report of Capt. Joseph Sartiano dated 8 August 1946, disclosed that Motoji YAMAGUCHI who is allegedly reported as Honki Yamaguchi, was inducted into the army as a Probationary Officer of the 16th Cavalry, in the capacity of Veterinarian on 20 April 1938 and subsequently joined the 10th Cavalry which moved to Jamisu(?), Manchuria. YAMAGUCHI was promoted to Captain in 1940 and in 1942 to the Tokyo Military Veterinary School where he majored in Pathology at which time he went to Hainking, China, with the Kwantung Army Horse Disease Prevention Unit as a Veterinarian. He remained there until 12 August 1945 when his unit retreated to Seoul, Korea. He denied that any experiments had been conducted on humans but stated that experiments were conducted on guinea pigs, rabbits, horses and various types of other animals. YAMAGUCHI acknowledged knowing NISHIMURA, who, he stated was also a Veterinarian and formerly concocted serums at the No. 3 Station. YAMAGUCHI stated that at one time he had reprimanded NISHIMURA for having stolen some food and a few bottles of glucose. 


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Report of John C. Donnell dated 3 December 1946 sets out the interrogation of former Maj. General Hajiro WAKAMATSU; said WAKAMATSU stating that no humans, POWs, Chines nor Japanese had ever been given any kind of injections in the research program, nor had any humans been dissected in the study of the disease. He stated that it was common knowledge at the Quarantine Stables that an unknown member of Manchurians had died of glanders contracted from herding diseased animals. He stated that two members of the research laboratory (Japanes) had died after accidentally contracting the disease in their work. One of the Japanese worked in the laboratory at Mukden and the other at Heinking. WAKAMATSU claimed that these men’s bodies were not dissected or examined post mortem; but he said that he had no knowledge of their names nor the length of illness, nor other details of their case. WAKAMATSU also stated that he had no knowledge of the research work being conducted by the ISHII Unit and claimed that there had been no lateral dissemination of research reports between these units. He further stated that all research reports were transmitted to higher headquarters. 

On 24 January 1947, Capt. E. H. Powell, Agent in Charge of the Sendai Office of Legal Section, interviewed Takeshi NISHIMURA, former Veterinarian attached to the KWANTUNG Army Stables. NISHIMURA stated in his interview that he had never participated in illegal experiments but that Group #2 at the station conducted research and experimentation on humans. He further stated that Motoji YAMAGUCHI was in charge of Group #2 but was later relieved by former Lt. Colonel Tasutaro HOSAKA. He further stated that Takeshi KINO had actually witnessed these atrocities and that a man named Mamoru OUCHI had seen pictures of said experiments. NISHIMURA also stated that he had heard that most of the men died after receiving the injections at Group #2 and after death the bodies were dissected to determine the cause of death. The following names were set out by NISHIMURA as having been connected with Group #2. 

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In an interview conducted by John A. Duffy, Agent in Charge of the Niigata Office, Mamoru OUCHI; named by KINO as having witnessed the illegal experiments, as set out in report of Lt. N. R. Smith dated 11 March 1947; stated that he was a blacksmith at the Army Stables and that two types of diseases were being experimented on at said stables. They were BISO (glanders) and TANBO (anthrax). He stated that  he had never witnessed experiments being conducted on POWs but that he had heard of the experiments through Nobuo TERANISHI, a photographer who had taken pictures of the experiments. He further stated that he had seen a picture of one of the POWs after death and that the POW had been dissected after he had died from being injected with BIBO. OUCHI also named the same men responsible for the experiments as did KINO, those of Group #2 at the KWANTUNG Army Stables. 

For the full text, visit https://pacificatrocitiesedu.reclaim.hosting/items/show/256.