Japanese nationals injured during disposal of abandoned chemical weapons in China

Two Japanese nationals were injured and hospitalized while handling chemical weapons abandoned by the Imperial Japanese Army in northeastern China during disposal operations involving wartime munitions left behind in the country.

Mao Ning, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, said on Thursday that two Japanese personnel accidentally had their arms contaminated with toxic agents on May 26 when chemical weapon shells ruptured during operations involving Japan’s abandoned chemical weapons in Jilin province.

She said the Chinese side immediately provided first aid at the scene and rushed them to hospital. After receiving treatment, the two workers were sent back to Japan on May 29.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi confirmed that the two workers were involved in disposal operations for wartime chemical weapons left behind in China and had been taken to hospital.

He said their injuries were not life-threatening and that the Japanese government would continue working to ensure the safe disposal of the abandoned munitions, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

The incident occurred during a joint Japan-China operation to recover and destroy chemical weapons abandoned at the end of World War II.

Under the Chemical Weapons Convention, Japan is responsible for disposing of chemical weapons it left on Chinese territory after 1945. Japan has maintained a long-running program to locate, recover and destroy the weapons in cooperation with Chinese authorities.

The accident has renewed attention on one of the lingering legacies of Japan’s wartime occupation of parts of China. During the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II, Japanese forces occupied large areas of eastern and northeastern China and used chemical weapons in military campaigns.

As Japan retreated in 1945, large quantities of chemical munitions were buried or dumped across China, particularly in the northeastern provinces.

Chinese authorities and international organizations have repeatedly said the abandoned weapons continue to pose risks to public safety and the environment.

According to Chinese government documents submitted to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, chemical weapons abandoned by Japan have been found at more than 120 sites across China and have caused thousands of casualties since the end of the war.