Chinese victims of atrocities committed by Japan's notorious germ
warfare research Unit 731 made their closing statement to a Tokyo
court on Wednesday, in a civil suit seeking apology and
compensation from the government.
"Japan's aggression and invasion conducted during the early 20th
century in various Asian nations are clear facts that cannot be
erased from history," the plaintiffs' attorney Koken Tsuchiya told
the Tokyo District Court. "It is a legal duty of the Japanese
government to clarify its past conduct ... and to apologise and to
pay compensation to show its apology is sincere," Tsuchiya said in
closing remarks in the civil case filed in 1997.
The case has been brought by 180 Chinese plaintiffs who claim they
are the victims of Japanese germ warfare attacks during World War
II.
They are seeking an apology and damages of 10 million yen
(US$85,000) each from Tokyo for atrocities carried out by Unit 731,
including "bombing" cities with bubonic plague and other
diseases.
Tsuchiya told the court that the plaintiffs felt compelled to file
the case to make their voices heard because the Japanese government
continued to ignore their claims.
The lawyer urged the court to help them regain their dignity and
"to reveal this historical truth through the court process and to
appeal to the public."
The court is expected to hand down its ruling by April, Tsuchiya
said outside the court.
Unit 731 was set up in Manchuria after the Japanese Kwangtung army
formed a puppet state in northeastern China in 1931. With
headquarters in Harbin, the 2,000 strong unit operated till the end
of World War II.
It
is blamed for the deaths of up to 10,000 Chinese and Allied
prisoners of war according to estimates in Japanese, Chinese and
other studies.
(China Daily December
26, 2001)