Yasuji Kaneko
Encyclopedia
is an ex-soldier of the Imperial Japanese Army
, and a former detainee of both Siberian Internment
by the Soviet Union
during 1945-1950 and Fushun War Criminals Management Centre
in China
during 1950-1956. He is known for his extensive war crimes testimony, including his involvement in the Unit 731
and the Nanking Massacre
. He is a member of the Network of Repatriates from China.
.
In an interview with the Japan Times on September 26, 1996, Yasuji stated "I murdered 100 people or more by torture
." He also claimed that he joined the Nanking Massacre
and murdered and raped many Chinese people.
He testified during a private trial Yun Chung-Ok
sponsored in December, 2000: "Comfort women
were expensive. Therefore, I kidnapped, raped, and killed the Chinese woman."
Kaneko has also admitted to participating in the use of chemical
and biological weapons
against Chinese as part of Unit 731
.
In the Japanese documentary Japanese Devils
, which features 14 Japanese soldiers retelling their roles in war crimes committed by Japan during World War II
, Kaneko describes an incident in which he and his unit surrounded and wiped out an entire village for the thrill of it, rather than any threat it offered. The reviewer notes that all soldiers interviewed in Minori Matsui's film were ex-POWs
of the Chinese government and subjected to a long "re-education" that may call their testimony into question. However, the reviewer, Mark Schilling felt that "they give impression of being not communist controlled-robots but elderly men who have little time and nothing to lose" .
, Kaneko's testimony is not consistent with well known historical facts. Hata argues that other historians have not utilised Kaneko's testimony, including Yoshiaki Yoshimi
, an activist for Japanese war crimes responsibility. Additionally, according to Toshihiko Tanabe, Kaneko was born in 1920 and volunteered for military service in 1940, therefore he could not have participated in the Nanking massacre
, which occurred in 1937. Also, his division was located in Chintao, so he could not be a member of Unit 731, which was working in Manchuria
, far Northern China.
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...
, and a former detainee of both Siberian Internment
Japanese prisoners of war in the Soviet Union
By the end of :World War II there were from 560,000 to 760,000 Japanese POWs in the Soviet Union and Mongolia interned to work in labor camps. Of them, about 10% died , mostly during the winter of 1945–1946....
by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
during 1945-1950 and Fushun War Criminals Management Centre
Fushun War Criminals Management Centre
Fushun War Criminals Management Centre , also known as Liaodong No. 3 Prison or Liaoning No. 3 Prison was the site of the re-education of Manchuko, Kuomintang and Japanese prisoners of war, held by China from 1950 onwards. It was located in the Xinfu District of Fushun city, Liaoning Province,...
in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
during 1950-1956. He is known for his extensive war crimes testimony, including his involvement in the 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...
and the Nanking Massacre
Nanking Massacre
The Nanking Massacre or Nanjing Massacre, also known as the Rape of Nanking, was a mass murder, genocide and war rape that occurred during the six-week period following the Japanese capture of the city of Nanjing , the former capital of the Republic of China, on December 13, 1937 during the Second...
. He is a member of the Network of Repatriates from China.
Testimony
According to his testimony he raped many Chinese women during the invasion of ChinaSecond 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...
.
In an interview with the Japan Times on September 26, 1996, Yasuji stated "I murdered 100 people or more by torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
." He also claimed that he joined the Nanking Massacre
Nanking Massacre
The Nanking Massacre or Nanjing Massacre, also known as the Rape of Nanking, was a mass murder, genocide and war rape that occurred during the six-week period following the Japanese capture of the city of Nanjing , the former capital of the Republic of China, on December 13, 1937 during the Second...
and murdered and raped many Chinese people.
He testified during a private trial Yun Chung-Ok
Yun Chung-Ok
Yun Chung-Ok is a Korean scholar and activist whose investigations into Japanese war slavery during World War II led to the creation of The Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Slavery by Japan...
sponsored in December, 2000: "Comfort women
Comfort women
The term "comfort women" was a euphemism used to describe women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II.Estimates vary as to how many women were involved, with numbers ranging from as low as 20,000 from some Japanese scholars to as high as 410,000 from some Chinese...
were expensive. Therefore, I kidnapped, raped, and killed the Chinese woman."
Kaneko has also admitted to participating in the use of chemical
Chemical warfare
Chemical warfare involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from Nuclear warfare and Biological warfare, which together make up NBC, the military acronym for Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical...
and biological weapons
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...
against Chinese as part 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...
.
In the Japanese documentary Japanese Devils
Japanese Devils
Japanese Devils is a Japanese documentary about the war crimes committed by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II...
, which features 14 Japanese soldiers retelling their roles in war crimes committed by Japan during 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...
, Kaneko describes an incident in which he and his unit surrounded and wiped out an entire village for the thrill of it, rather than any threat it offered. The reviewer notes that all soldiers interviewed in Minori Matsui's film were ex-POWs
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
of the Chinese government and subjected to a long "re-education" that may call their testimony into question. However, the reviewer, Mark Schilling felt that "they give impression of being not communist controlled-robots but elderly men who have little time and nothing to lose" .
Controversy
According to historian Ikuhiko HataIkuhiko Hata
is a Japanese revisionist historian. He published many books and interpretive studies in both Japanese military and modern history.-Education and career:...
, Kaneko's testimony is not consistent with well known historical facts. Hata argues that other historians have not utilised Kaneko's testimony, including Yoshiaki Yoshimi
Yoshiaki Yoshimi
is a professor of Japanese modern history at Chuo University in Tokyo, Japan. Yoshimi is a founder member of the Center for Research and Documentation on Japan's war responsibility...
, an activist for Japanese war crimes responsibility. Additionally, according to Toshihiko Tanabe, Kaneko was born in 1920 and volunteered for military service in 1940, therefore he could not have participated in the Nanking massacre
Nanking Massacre
The Nanking Massacre or Nanjing Massacre, also known as the Rape of Nanking, was a mass murder, genocide and war rape that occurred during the six-week period following the Japanese capture of the city of Nanjing , the former capital of the Republic of China, on December 13, 1937 during the Second...
, which occurred in 1937. Also, his division was located in Chintao, so he could not be a member of Unit 731, which was working in Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
, far Northern China.