Located in Pingfang District, Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, China, the Unit 731 Evidence Museum was established to commemorate and expose the heinous crimes committed by the Japanese Army Unit 731 during the Japanese War of Aggression against China. Unit 731, whose full name is the Epidemic Prevention and Water Source Department of the Japanese Kwantung Army, is actually a secret biochemical warfare research and human experiment unit, led by Lieutenant General Shiro Ishii.
The unit was formed in 1936 until it was disbanded at the end of World War II in 1945. During its nearly 10 years of existence, Unit 731 conducted numerous illegal medical experiments in northeastern China, including vivisections, bacteriological warfare experiments, and brutal experiments on thousands of Chinese civilians, prisoners of war, and foreigners. The purpose of these experiments included studying the transmission routes and methods of frostbite, plague, cholera, anthrax and other diseases, as well as testing the effects of various organisms in actual combat.
The Unit 731 Evidence Museum has shown the truth of this dark history to the world by preserving and exhibiting a large number of physical evidence, ** documents and victims' testimonies. The exhibition in the museum is divided into several sections, detailing the organizational structure of Unit 731, the content of the experiments, the experiences of the victims, and the prosecution of those responsible after the war.
The actions of Unit 731 are one of the most atrocious and humanitarian crimes in the history of mankind. Remembering history and not forgetting the national shame is not only a remembrance of the victims and respect for history, but also a commitment to peace and justice in the future. The presence of the museum is a reminder of the lessons of history and the recurrence of similar tragedies, while also emphasizing the importance of peace and human dignity.