Russian documents reveal new evidence of Japan's WWII germ warfare

BEIJING - The declassified documents released by the Russian government provide further solid evidence that Japanese invaders carried out germ warfare in China during World War II, leaving no room for denial, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Thursday.

The documents show that during World War II, the Japanese invaders in China had planned an attack on the Soviet Union from Northeast China and had prepared to use biological weapons capable of wiping out large numbers of troops. They also established Unit 731 in the Chinese city of Harbin, which conducted research on bacterial diseases such as plague, anthrax and cholera, and carried out continuous human experiments, detaining Chinese and Russians as well as Japanese death-row prisoners for these purposes.

Addressing a regular news briefing, Mao said that the Japanese invaders blatantly violated international law by launching heinous germ warfare against the Chinese people during World War II, conducting human experiments, and committing atrocities against humanity.

Noting that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, the spokesperson said only by facing history squarely can Japan earn respect.

"We urge the Japanese side to profoundly reflect on its history of aggression, earnestly respect the feelings of the people of China and other victimized countries, completely sever ties with militarism, take concrete actions to get rid of its toxic legacy, and refrain from repeating the mistakes of history," Mao said.