China's response to documentary on atrocities of Japanese Unit 731

Authorities in China have responded to the airing of a 110-minute documentary detailing atrocities committed in Unit 731 by the Japanese military during World War II in Japan.

A 110-minute documentary detailing the atrocities of the Japanese military's Unit 731 during the World War II is aired on Japanese national broadcaster NHK, January 21, 2018. [Photo: huanqiu.com]

In a statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry says Japan should face up to and reflect upon its wartime history, earnestly respect the feelings of the Chinese people, as well as those from other Asian countries who were harmed during the war.

The documentary, which aired on January 21, 2018 on Japan's public broadcaster NHK, detailed the human experiments and biological warfare research conducted by Unit 731, which was headquartered in northeast China's Heilongjiang.

The film also includes voice recordings and details from hearings when members of Unit 731 were tried at the Khabarovsk War Crime Trials in 1949.

The photo shows a secret cell in Harbin where human experiments were conducted by the Japanese military's Unit 731 during World War II. [Photo: huanqiu.com]

"Unit 731 - How Human Experiments Were Conducted" details some of the human experiments, including forcing victims to eat melons laced with typhoid bacteria, as well as testing on other biological agents.

The film also tells how medical students from Japanese universities like Tokyo University and Kyoto University were conscripted into Unit 731 to conduct research on biological warfare, and were warned not to reveal anything about the human experiments.

This documentary is the second aired by NHK detailing the atrocities of Unit 731.

The first one, "The Truth of Harbin Unit 731," aired in August, 2017.