Japanese civic group's exhibition confronts WWII poison gas legacy

An exhibition in Yokohama is shedding light on a dark chapter of Japan's wartime past: the Imperial Army's production and use of poison gas during World War II. Organized by a Japanese civic group, the display runs from August 23 to 28 and aims to document the scale of chemical warfare waged during Japan's aggression against China.

The exhibition uses photographs and written records to trace the military's chemical weapons program, including production on Okunoshima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture, shell manufacturing in Kitakyushu, and chemical warfare training in Narashino. It also details how these weapons were deployed across China.

Organizers stress the need for public awareness. "I hope that everyone can understand this process, understand what Japan actually did during the war and the kind of warfare it waged in China," said Shinji Goi, head of the exhibition organizer. "We need to know these facts and consider what we must do to prevent such things like this from happening again."

Experts point to unresolved legal and moral questions. Tomomichi Watanabe, a professor at Seikei University, noted that eight decades after the war, many victims remain uncompensated. "Under the Chemical Weapons Convention, the country that abandoned chemical weapons is responsible for their disposal," he said. "The issues of victim relief and compensation for sufferers remain inadequately addressed."

Visitors voiced frustration over what they see as insufficient national reflection. One attendee, who has studied the history of Unit 731 for 50 years, said ordinary Japanese citizens still know little about these events. "As a Japanese, I do feel ashamed," they said. Another visitor argued that Japan has "continuously downplayed its past acts of aggression," leaving its reckoning with history incomplete.