Japan conducted experiments on Filipinos during WW2

**explorer** · November 26th, 2006 05:19 AM

Japan conducted experiments on Filipinos during WW2

Associated Press
Last updated 09:33pm (Mla time) 11/25/2006

TOKYO--The Japanese navy conducted surgical training on Filipinos, including women and children, during World War II and then killed them, a repentant medic who said he took part was quoted as saying Saturday.

Akira Makino, 84, a former navy medic stationed on Mindanao island in the Philippines during the war, told Kyodo News agency that about 30 people were operated on as part of medical training before being strangled to death between December 1944 and February 1945.

Operations performed on the victims included severing legs and arms and abdominal surgery, in some cases after their faces were covered with a cloth and sprayed with ether, Kyodo quoted Makino as saying.

The bodies of the 30 Filipinos were later buried, he said.

Makino, who is now living in the western Japanese city of Hirakata, said he came forward because of nightmares after keeping the grisly secret for more than 60 years, Kyodo said.

"We should not repeat such miseries again," Makino said. "I want to tell the truth about the war, even if it is to only one person or two."

It was believed to be the first account of such atrocities by the Japanese Imperial Navy in the Philippines, Kyodo reported. The Imperial Army's Unit 731, based in northern China, is believed to have conducted medical experiments on Chinese prisoners during the war.

Unit 731, in Harbin, China, injected prisoners of war with typhus, cholera and other diseases for biological warfare research during the war, historians and former unit members say.

Researchers say at least 3,000 people died from injections, human vivisection and induced gangrene in experiments, or were executed later to keep them from talking.

Officials at Japan's Health Ministry and Foreign Ministry were not available for comment Saturday.

**BoEinG_747** · November 26th, 2006 05:25 AM

kawawa naman ang mga pinoy na iyon,
ganyan talaga ang buhay sa India nga di ba binibenta pa mga mga laman loob nila or parte ng katawan nila

**Jun aka Pekto** · November 26th, 2006 06:37 AM

Hmmm. Why am I not surprised? Many Pinoys (including yours truly) had lost kin in WW2. But...... much as I hate to, it's time to bury the hatchet and move on. If I dwell on it, I won't live to a ripe old age...... Even my Dad is starting to cool off. For a long long time, he's had a simmering hatred for the Japanese. I'm glad he's put that behind.

But, it's also important not to forget totally what happened when the Japanese invaded during WW2 and the US first annexed the Philippines. A lot of Pinoy blood was spilled.

My daughter especially, had a lot of confusing questions like, "If Americans killed Pinoys a long time ago, how come we're here?", "How come you were born in Japan?", and "How come Grandma likes Japan?". All I could say was thay we just have to forgive and move on.

Tough questions from a 10-year old....Thank goodness she's clear about her Pinay heritage.

**Alpha_One** · November 26th, 2006 08:37 AM

Originally Posted by Jun aka Pekto

Hmmm. Why am I not surprised? Many Pinoys (including yours truly) had lost kin in WW2. But...... much as I hate to, it's time to bury the hatchet and move on. If I dwell on it, I won't live to a ripe old age...... Even my Dad is starting to cool off. For a long long time, he's had a simmering hatred for the Japanese. I'm glad he's put that behind.

But, it's also important not to forget totally what happened when the Japanese invaded during WW2 and the US first annexed the Philippines. A lot of Pinoy blood was spilled.

My daughter especially, had a lot of confusing questions like, "If Americans killed Pinoys a long time ago, how come we're here?", "How come you were born in Japan?", and "How come Grandma likes Japan?". All I could say was thay we just have to forgive and move on.

Tough questions from a 10-year old....Thank goodness she's clear about her Pinay heritage.

Correct. I don't exactly want to hold a grudge against some people whose grandparents killed my granduncles sixty years ago.

**Kikkomann** · November 26th, 2006 08:44 AM

Kaya nga galit na galit ang mga Chinese sa Hapon, dahil nga dito sa specific war crime na ito. They bolted in chinese and japanese body parts. Hanggang ngayon, hangga't binibisita pa ng mga PM ng Japan ang mga ancestors nila who lead the WW, hindi huhupa ang pagaaway nila.

**CVT** · November 26th, 2006 09:56 AM

My Dad, who is a WWII Veteran, has relatively cooled-off too.

However, I can't blame him and other Veterans who are still alive, for hating the Japanese, because of their experiences during the war. For us who are in this age, it is easy, but we need to understand and respect their perspective. After all, our generation has not experienced (and I hope we won't) the horrors of war.

We can rightfully say that all is fair in (love and) war. However, it is difficult to be in that situation.

:starwars:

**explorer** · November 26th, 2006 05:01 PM

Originally Posted by Jun aka Pekto

Hmmm. Why am I not surprised? Many Pinoys (including yours truly) had lost kin in WW2. But...... much as I hate to, it's time to bury the hatchet and move on. If I dwell on it, I won't live to a ripe old age...... Even my Dad is starting to cool off. For a long long time, he's had a simmering hatred for the Japanese. I'm glad he's put that behind.

But, it's also important not to forget totally what happened when the Japanese invaded during WW2 and the US first annexed the Philippines. A lot of Pinoy blood was spilled.

My daughter especially, had a lot of confusing questions like, "If Americans killed Pinoys a long time ago, how come we're here?", "How come you were born in Japan?", and "How come Grandma likes Japan?". All I could say was thay we just have to forgive and move on.

Tough questions from a 10-year old....Thank goodness she's clear about her Pinay heritage.

i agree that we have to move on. but there's a difference between killing and experimenting then killing them later. it's worse than what the germans under hitler did to millions of jews during the WW2. why? the jews were killed using poison gas which is not painful, our fellow filipinos were killed after experiment of operation. it's one of the reasons why this is still a big news even in japan, because of the way they were killed. it's also the reason why that japanese confesed because there's still this guilt because of the way those filipinos were killed. if they were killed by the bullets or bayonet, it was expected because it was a war. but experimenting them then strangling them to death is a very brutal way of killing. imagine if those victims were operated without anesthesia.

Akira Makino, 84, a former navy medic stationed on Mindanao island in the Philippines during the war, told Kyodo News agency that about 30 people were operated on as part of medical training before being strangled to death between December 1944 and February 1945.

**Bogeyman** · November 26th, 2006 05:14 PM

I've heard about Japan's Imperial Army performing experiments on the citizens of countries they invade. Infamous among them is a detachment called Unit 731 based in China. This unit was responsible for germ warfare research, and part of it involved conducting experiments on POWs.

This is a movie based on those experiences:

http://monsterhunter.coldfusionvideo...BehindSun.html

Wikipedia article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_731

**empy** · November 26th, 2006 05:18 PM

Originally Posted by explorer

i agree that we have to move on. but there's a difference between killing and experimenting then killing them later. it's worse than what the germans under hitler did to millions of jews during the WW2. why? the jews were killed using poison gas is is not very painful, our fellow filipinos were killed after expreiment of operation. it's one of the reasons why this is still a big news even in japan, because of the way they were killed. it's also the reason why that japanese confesed because there's still this guilt because of the way those filipinos were killed. if they were killed by the bullets or bayonet, it was expected because it was a war. but experimenting them then starggling them to death is a very brutal way of killing. imagine if those victims were operated without anesthesia.

^i hate to nitpick, but the Nazis did this en masse to the Jews during the war as well. ever heard of Dr. Mengele? also, living in a concentration camp for a year or two before finally getting gassed is no picnic either.

i don't know what to think about this news. one part of me doesn't want to hold the current Japanese accountable for the sins of their fathers. another part of me wonders how human beings are capable of these kinds of things and whether this would ever happen again (regrettably, i think the answer to the last question is yes, and it probably is still happening somewhere)

**Jun aka Pekto** · November 26th, 2006 05:34 PM

Originally Posted by Bogeyman

I've heard about Japan's Imperial Army performing experiments on the citizens of countries they invade. Infamous among them is a detachment called Unit 731 based in China. This unit was responsible for germ warfare research, and part of it involved conducting experiments on POWs.

Not only that. But, there were also rumors of certain officials (possibly in the same unit or region) cooking and eating the livers of captured American aircrew who were executed. Unit 731 also did a lot of bubonic plague experiments on the local chinese (non-prisoners) and wiped out whole villages before they moved back to Japan.