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Japanese Use of Poison Gas in World War II

6/16/2020

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by Sophie Dewees
Header graphic featuring skull bones graphic with gas mask.
The years leading up to World War II saw an increase in the use of biological and chemical warfare in Japan, spearheaded by Major-General Ishii Shiro. BW most commonly took the form of anthrax, glanders, and plague, while chemical warfare included tear, smoke, and other poison gases. The proliferation of these two tactics in Japan, outlawed by the 1929 Geneva Convention, was enabled by the mechanized nature of the project. Shiro had great factories built in Manchuria and other areas of China. These “factories of death” included the infamous Unit 731 and were developed for research and human experimentation revolving around chemical and biological warfare.
Facilitated by well-organized Chemical Warfare Units, Japanese troops employed a diverse profile of chemical warfare on Chinese forces before the outset of the war. Beginning in 1937 with attacks on Shanghai and Woosung, the use of poison gas totaled to over 1,100 from March 1938 to January 1943. 
“Red candles” were widely-issued and employed by Japanese combat troops, containing diphenylcyanoarsine, which rendered them vomit-inducing. In October 1941 in Ichang, Japanese soldiers used gas shells for four hours and dropped more than three hundred gas bombs. The Japanese also deployed the toxic candles in an attack on Chinese troops at Tungyao, Honan Province, Central China, on April 29, 1943. Beyond vomiting, other chemical warfare bombs were reported to cause severe blistering and burns. 

In 1943, Japanese prisoners of war said that as soldiers, they were supplied with poisoned gas, and in Central China, Japanese “frequently” armies used tear gas as a tactic against Chinese troops. Soldiers were also stocked with anti-gas clothing. In the 39th division, each platoon had four cylinders of tear gas and four of sneezing gas. In addition, the armies were equipped with cylinders containing suffocating and blister gas. The use of gas was left to the discretion of each Japanese Company Commander. 
​

In 1944 in Hengyang, Japanese troops used “a great number of gas shells,” including mustard and lewisite gas, as investigated by a United States Army Chemical Warfare officer. The gas victims were left with burns and blisters on exposed skin. 
Here are some documents about chemical warfare during the time. ​
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  • Home
    • About >
      • FAQ's - Frequently Asked Questions
    • 5-Year Visionary Plan >
      • Research
      • Inspire
      • Publication
      • Engage
    • Support Us >
      • Giving Tuesday
      • Buy Us a Coffee
      • Projects you can support! >
        • Distributing Books
        • Presenting at 112th Annual Meeting of Pacific Coast Branch
        • Summer Research Relocation Fund
    • Contact
  • Stories
    • Videos
    • Blog
    • Podcast: Forgotten History
  • Internship
    • 2021 Summer Internship
    • Fall 2020- Spring 2021 Internship
    • Summer 2020 Internship
    • Fall 2019 Internship
    • Summer 2019 Internship >
      • Public History Night
    • School Year 2018-2019 Internship
    • Summer 2018 Internship >
      • 2018 Summer Showcase + Fundraiser
    • Fall 2017 Internship
    • Summer 2017 Internship >
      • 2017 Summer Showcase & Fundraiser
  • Books
  • Archives
  • Resource Page
    • Supplementary Research Guides >
      • Unit 731 - Guide >
        • Background of Biochemical Warfare Development
        • Imperial Japan's Chemical Warfare Development Program
        • Map of Unit 731
        • Personnel of Unit 731
        • Duties of Unit 731
        • Human Experimentation
        • [GRAPHIC] Germ Warfare Attacks
        • Cover Ups After the War
        • [OLD] Cover Ups After the War
      • Philippines' Resistance - Guide >
        • Philippines World War II Timeline
        • The Japanese Invasion & Conquest of the Philippines
        • Bataan Death March
        • Formation of Underground Philippines Resistance
        • Supplies of the Guerrilla Fighters
        • The Hukbalahap
        • Hunter's ROTC
        • Marking's Guerrillas
        • United States Army Forces in the Philippines of Northern Luzon (USAFIP-NL)
        • The Aetas
        • Chinese and Filipino-Chinese Nationalist Guerrilla Units
        • The Female Faces of the Philippine Guerrillas
      • Rising Sun Flag - Guide >
        • History of the Rising Sun Flag
        • Atrocities Committed Under the Flag
        • Rising Sun Flag in Pop Culture
      • Pinay Guerrilleras - Guide >
        • Japanese Occupation of the Philippine Islands: Pinays Answering the Call to Arms
        • The Fierce Heneralas and Kumanders of the Hukbalahap Guerrillas
        • Amazons of the Pacific Theater
        • Filipina American Veterans: Recovering the Extraordinary Feats of the Ordinary Pinays
        • The Legacy of the Asian Women Soldier
      • Fall of Singapore - Guide >
        • Singapore World War II Timeline
        • History of World War II in the Pacific
        • History of Singapore
        • Japan's Conquest in Asia
        • Japan's Invasion of the Malay Peninsula
        • Sook Ching Massacre
        • Double Tenth Incident
        • Social Changes and Challenges in Singapore
        • Voices from Syonan
        • Return to British Rule
      • Three Years and Eight Months - Guide >
        • Hong Kong before WW2
        • Buildup to World War 2
        • The Battle of Hong Kong
        • Life during 3 Years and 8 Months
        • East River Column Guerrilla Fighters
        • Prisoners of War Camps
        • End of Japanese Occupation
        • War Crimes Trials
      • Siamese Sovereignty - Guide >
        • The Land of Smiles
        • The Thai-Japanese Relationship
        • Phibun’s Domestic and International Policies
        • The Free Thai Resistance Movement
        • Post WW2 Aftermath of Thailand
    • Lesson Plans >
      • Reparations
      • Ethics in Science
      • Writing the Narrative of a Pinay Fighter
      • Privilege Journal
      • Environmental Injustices
      • Female Guerrillas
      • Hunter's ROTC
      • Scientific Advancements
      • Seeking Justice: A Humanities Lesson Plan
      • The Hukbalahap
      • Trading Immunity
      • Bataan Death March
      • Biochemical Warfare Development
Contribute