Hideo Shimizu, a 95-year-old man from Miyata village in Nagano Prefecture, has sparked outrage on social media for apologizing to the public about his past involvement with Japan’s notorious biological warfare unit, Unit 731. The unit conducted human experiments during World War II, resulting in numerous deaths.
Shimizu, one of the few surviving members of the unit, served as a “child member” and witnessed atrocities, including vivisections and the use of bacteria to infect prisoners. He kept silent about his past after the war but finally broke his silence in 2015.
Shimizu’s decision to speak out has been met with online abuse, with some claiming that human experiments were fabricated. However, Shimizu’s testimony is backed by records from the US military and Soviet documents on war crimes trials, which confirm the unit’s use of biological warfare.
The government has neither confirmed nor denied Unit 731’s activities, citing a lack of documentation. Despite this, Shimizu feels compelled to share his memories, saying that he can no longer keep silent about his past.
Shimizu’s story highlights the ongoing struggle for truth and recognition in Japan regarding its wartime history. His bravery in confronting his past has sparked a wider conversation about the need for accountability and acknowledgment of Unit 731’s crimes.
Source: https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15964125