🕯️ On December 13, China observed National Memorial Day in solemn silence as air raid sirens echoed through the winter air. Streets stood quiet and people paused, honoring the memory of millions lost during wartime.
📜 Just ahead of this day of remembrance, China's Central Archives released a fresh batch of declassified documents from Russia. Among them are Soviet-era interrogation records and findings from the Khabarovsk War Crimes Trials, featuring chilling confessions from members of Japan's Unit 731.
⚠️ While these archives lay bare the facts, responses from Tokyo have been muted—denial and silence persist even as evidence mounts. The timing of this release on National Memorial Day sends a clear message: history cannot be erased.
☠️ More than eight decades ago, Unit 731 operated as a state-run biological and chemical warfare program. Prisoners, including civilians, were treated as 'marutas' (wooden logs)—subjected to forced infections of plague, cholera and anthrax, frozen limbs and vivisections without anesthesia.
🔍 The newly revealed confessions make one thing unmistakable: these atrocities were part of an organized military program, authorized at the highest levels. No longer a rogue action, Unit 731's crimes against humanity are now documented beyond doubt.
✊ As these records resurface, it's crucial to remember and learn. Honoring the victims means acknowledging the truth—today, tomorrow and for generations to come.
Reference(s):
Japan's wartime atrocities in China can never be whitewashed
cgtn.com
