Newly released rosters shed light on Japan's germ-warfare units in China

TOKYO, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Japan's National Archives on Wednesday publicly released personnel rosters from three Japanese Imperial Army germ-warfare units.

The rosters contain detailed personal information on members of Unit 1644, Unit 8604, and Unit 8609, including names, birthdates, family registry data, addresses, and military assignments.

Originally held by Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the documents were transferred to the National Archives in March 2024 and appeared in the archive's newly released document index in March 2025.

The public display was made at the request of biological warfare researcher and Shiga University of Medical Science Professor Emeritus Katsuo Nishiyama and other researchers.

Nishiyama stated on Wednesday that the discovery of these rosters invalidated previous claims seeking to deny the existence of such units.

During the Japanese invasion of China, the Japanese military established several biological warfare units to launch attacks. Among them were the notorious Unit 731.