In brief
In late autumn 2026, a Japanese civil‑society delegation visited Unit 731 sites in Heilongjiang, China, holding silence and exchanging views with Chinese scholars. Headed by Takakage Fujita, the delegation condemned biological warfare and recent right‑wing revisionist remarks, calling for accountability and urging Japan to learn from history.
On October 31, 2026, a Japanese civil‑society delegation visited former Unit 731 sites in Heilongjiang Province, China, to confront the atrocities committed by the bioweapon unit during World War II.
The delegation was organized by the Association for Inheriting and Propagating the Murayama Statement, a Tokyo‑based group established in 2013 that includes scholars, journalists, lawyers, and civic activists who continue to reflect on Japan’s wartime history.
Members of the delegation stood with solemn expressions in extended silence in an exhibition hall that displays evidence of crimes committed by Unit 731. The exhibit includes archival footage, photographs, and recovered documents that illustrate the unit’s experiments and the efforts of the Japanese army to dispose of core facilities in an attempt to conceal evidence.
A Visit to Historical Sites
During the tour, the delegation exchanged views with Chinese experts and scholars at the exhibition. Shigenori Kanehira, a veteran Japanese media professional, said that although he knew much of the history, “stepping into these historical sites in person left me even more shocked.”
Mitsuhisa Fukutomi, a university professor who has taught international politics, added that “the crimes of Unit 731 were known in academia, yet seeing the crime scenes firsthand evoked immense shame and sorrow.”
Takakage Fujita, the head of the delegation, stated,
“The Japanese army’s act of injecting bacteria into living people can only be described as demonic.”
Fujita added that, “As a Japanese, I sincerely apologize to the Chinese people who perished in the disaster.”
In a symposium with experts from the exhibition hall, Fujita strongly condemned the growing tide of historical revisionism and the right‑wing countercurrents in Japan. He noted that since last year, “some right‑wing politicians in Japan have openly made absurd and ignorant remarks in attempts to incite regional conflict, even brazenly clamoring that …”
The delegation’s visit underscored the irrefutable chain of criminal evidence that has been established through decades of archaeological excavations and academic verification, and it reinforced an anti‑war sentiment that demands accountability for the atrocities committed during the Japanese invasion of China.
