'Horror bunker' where Japanese conducted 'frightening' human experiments unearthed in China

Archaeologists in China have made a stunning discovery. They unearthed a World War II "horror bunker" where the Japanese conducted frightening human experiments and gathered data, according to an SCMP report.

The bunker has been found in northeast China, near the city of Anda in Heilongjiang province. The site was reportedly used by the infamous Unit 731 of the Japanese Imperial Army which conducted terrifying germ warfare experiments on humans between 1935 and 1945.

"Historical records show Unit 731's experiments at the Anda site included infecting prisoners with deadly diseases and testing new biological weapons. Some of the most gruesome studies were conducted in underground bunkers designed to contain and control the spread of infectious agents," the publication noted, referring to theofficial report that was published in "Northern Cultural Relics" journal.

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The bunkerwasdiscovered five feet below the surface and has several interconnected chambers where different experiments were carried out. Thearchaeologists started the investigation in 2019 but are yet to physically enter the facility.

the human subjects were lowered into the bunker for observation and dissection. The subjects were dissected forfrostbite and syphilis testing. They wereas well also exposed to deadly diseases which could be used to develop biological weapons.

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USA knew about the horror bunker

Experts say the discovery of the bunker or the underground laboratory is expected to unearth new evidence about war crimes by the Japanese Army.

The facility was destroyed in August 1945 to erase the evidence of the experiments. Notably, the US knew about the inhumane experiments and Japan was granted immunity after its surrender in World War II. Declassified documents in the 1990s revealed that US authorities were aware of the programme and that the data from the Anda facility wasused in biological warfare development at Fort Detrick in Maryland.

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Japan and its violent history

Japan might be one of the most peaceful nations on the planet currently but its history is saddled with some of the most macabre and bloodstained stories. The Imperial Army is infamous for its blood-curdling activities and the massacre of Chinese soldiers in Nanjing.

The Nanjing massacre took place in December 1937 when the Imperial Army began its seizure of Nanjing, the capital of the Republic of China. According to numerous reports, the Japanese troops mercilessly killed Chinese soldiers in violation of the laws of war, tortured and killed civilians, raped Chinese women and destroyed Chinese property on a scale, whose full extent will never be known.

(With inputs from agencies)

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