New Excavation in Shinjuku for the Victims of Wartime Biological Warfare Programme

For almost as long as I've lived in this part of Tokyo, I've heard stories of the area's murky connection to the infamous Unit 731. For those not familiar with unit 731 is was an (alleged) branch of the Japanese Imperial Army and carried out biological experiments on prisoners of war in Manchuria (north-west China.)The Japanese Government has refused to acknowledge the units activities, although it has acknowledged the units existence.

Anyway this area where I live in Shinjuku, Tokyo was the location of a medical school linked to the unit during the war. On the arrival of the US forces at the end of the war staff were ordered to bury any evidence of (any) experiments. And so the stories began.

In 1989 excavations for a new building discovered human remains that were of non-Japanese origin and had suffered various traumas, including skulls with holes drilled through them or sections of the skull cut away. While this may seem to have been proof that experiments may have taken place, tests were inconclusive and the remains were explained away as having being brought back to Tokyo from battlegrounds for research.

In 2006 a former nurse at the facility, Iishi Toyo identified three sites where she may have, under orders, buried human remains.

Last year, February 2010, there was an opportunity to excavate a site in Toyama Park that had been used by the International Medical Center of Japan for accommodation. Apparently nothing was found and the site now lies empty.

Okay now onto today's letter from the local community organisation. It seems the playground area behind my house is top on Iishi's list of possible sites. The playground was part of the Wakamatsu Jutaku building. This, until August last year, housed government employees and their families from the various ministries but now lies empty.

The plans are to dig four trenches 2m deep across the play area. The longest trench will be 20m long. Work will start properly at the end of January/beginning of February after fences and access have been secured.

It's quite hard to believe that the playground that until fairly recently my children had enjoyed playing on, may in fact cover secrets from some of Japan's most darkest moments.