Evening star., 1949-12-25
Japs Used Flea Bomb!
In Germ Warfare in
China, Soviet Says
5000 Prisoners Killed
In Munchurion Plants,
Indictment Declares
Nv the Assoeiosed Press

MOSCOW. Dec. "a Soviet
Russia laid the basis today for a
war crimes trial of IL Japanese
on charges of dropping flea
packed disease bombs in China
and planning large-scale bacte-
biological warfare against Russia,
Mongolia and other states.
She published the first INSTALL
ment of an indictment declaring
that two special units of the
Kwantung army in Manchuria
operated factories for the produc-
tion Of eath-dealing germs and
murdered at least 5000 Russian,
Chinese and Manchurian pris-
oners in guinea pig experiments
with the germs. The accusation
filled a fun newspaper page.
Presumably the four japanese
generals and eight other japanese
mentioned will be put on trial
when publication of the indict-
ment is completed. The accusa-
ton was made under decree Of
the Presidium of the Supreme
Soviet of April 10, 1943. defining
war crimes.
Generals are Named.
The generals cited in the docu-
ment were Gen. Otozo Yamada.
former commander in chief in
Manchuria; 1t. Gen. TakaatSu
Takahashi of the veterinary serv-
ice; Maj. Gen. Sato Shunji of the
medical service; and Mr.. Gen.
Kiosi Kawashima of the Army
medical service.
The other eight were Ryuji
Kajitsuka, Toshihide Nishi, Tomid
Karasaw Yamada. Masao Onoe,
Jensaku Hirazakua, Hazuo Mi
tomo, Norimitsu Kikuch and Jill
Kurushima.
(Tokyo dispatches said all
the accused were captured in +.
Manchuria during the war and
have been held by the Russians
ever since.
CThe United States Army on
January 3. 1916, said its intel
igence reports gathered in
Japan showed the japanese,
beginning in 1886, had made
intensive efforts to develop
biological agents into practical
weapons of warfare, and had
carried on experiments and
field tests at army proving
i grounds. The report said there
i was no evidence the japanese
i ever resorted to this means Of
\ warfare.)
The Russian document said ex-
/ periments were carried out with
bubonic plague, cholera. typhoid
paratyphoid, anthrax, glanders
gas gangrene and other diseases
!, It said Gen. Kawashima had
given evidence that the work was
carried on by two Kwantung army
units, No. 731, commanded by 1t
/, Gen. Shire Ishii, with headquar-
tiers near Harbin, and No. 100
commanded by Maj. Gen. Waka-
matsu, with headquarters neal
Changchun.
These two units had q thick
network of branches in strategic
Locations along the Soviet border
lit was charged.
), Operated Flea Ranch.
\ According to the testimony o1
) the generals these units:
!. Operated a flea ranch tx
! breed disease carrying deas ir
!, tremendous numbers.
2. Used laboratories capable o1
1producing in a single productive
cycle" Of several days total o1
|. sc. .oo0. .0oo. .o00. 100000 go quadril.
i lion microbes.
J 8. Developed ways of packing
infected fieas and microbes intt
] bombs.
: 4. Had special aviation detach.
|, Iments trained in dropping such
bombs.
i 5. Maintained special prison.
housing between 300 and 400 in
mates each for experimental pur-
lIposes.
4 Kawashima was quoted as say.
ling that from 1910 to 1945 at ont
station no less than 5000 person.
! ~ICoo HTDN uykn poCa A.El