Unit 8604
Encyclopedia
Unit 8604 or Nami Unit was a secret military medical unit of the Imperial Japanese Army
(IJA) that researched biological warfare
and other topics through human experimentation during the Second Sino-Japanese War
(1937-1945) and World War II
era. It was formed in Guangzhou
, Guangdong
, near Hong Kong
and headquartered at Zhongshan
Medical University (Hal Gold, Unit 731 Testimony, 2003, p.50). Unit 8604 is considered a sub-unit of Unit 731
.
The unit was commanded by Major General Sato Shunji
, a physician. It was staffed by a total of 800 personnel: 100 commissioned officers (many with medical or scientific backgrounds), 200 medical and scientific researchers, and 500 soldiers and noncommissioned officers.
This facility conducted food and water deprivation experiments as well as water-borne typhus
human experimentation. In addition, this facility served as the main rat-farm for the medical units to provide them with plague
vectors for their experiments.
On 4 November 1994, the Japan Times reported the testimony of Shigeru Maruyama, a former member of the unit who said that one experiment involved starving prisoners to death and talked of seeing victims being operated on almost every day.
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
(IJA) that researched biological warfare
Biological warfare
Biological warfare is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi with intent to kill or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war...
and other topics through human experimentation during the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
(1937-1945) and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
era. It was formed in Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
, Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
, near Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and headquartered at Zhongshan
Zhongshan
Zhongshan , also spelled Chungshan and historically known as Xiangshan or Siangshan, is a prefecture-level city in the south of the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province in southern China. Zhongshan, one of the few cities in China with an eponymous name, is named after Dr. Sun Yat-sen who was...
Medical University (Hal Gold, Unit 731 Testimony, 2003, p.50). Unit 8604 is considered a sub-unit of Unit 731
Unit 731
was a covert biological and chemical warfare research and development unit of the Imperial Japanese Army that undertook lethal human experimentation during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. It was responsible for some of the most notorious war crimes carried out by Japanese...
.
The unit was commanded by Major General Sato Shunji
Sato Shunji
was a Japanese physician during the first half of the 20th century and a commander in the Imperial Japanese Army. From 1941 to 1943 he was chief of Unit 8604, a biological warfare unit that operated in Southern China...
, a physician. It was staffed by a total of 800 personnel: 100 commissioned officers (many with medical or scientific backgrounds), 200 medical and scientific researchers, and 500 soldiers and noncommissioned officers.
This facility conducted food and water deprivation experiments as well as water-borne typhus
Typhus
Epidemic typhus is a form of typhus so named because the disease often causes epidemics following wars and natural disasters...
human experimentation. In addition, this facility served as the main rat-farm for the medical units to provide them with plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
vectors for their experiments.
On 4 November 1994, the Japan Times reported the testimony of Shigeru Maruyama, a former member of the unit who said that one experiment involved starving prisoners to death and talked of seeing victims being operated on almost every day.
See also
- Kempeitai Political Department and Epidemic Prevention Research Laboratory