"Japan Conducted Malaria Human Experiments on 'Mentally Ill' Soldiers During Second Sino-Japanese War"

A research paper has been found showing that a military surgeon at the Imperial Japanese Army Medical School conducted human experiments by infecting Japanese soldiers hospitalized with mental illnesses with malaria during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945), Kyodo News reported today (August 17).

According to the relevant paper verified by researcher Matsuno Seiya at the Meiji Gakuin University International Peace Research Institute, a military surgeon at the Army Medical School in 1940 prepared mosquitoes that had fed on the blood of infected Japanese soldiers and had them bite 10 Japanese soldiers suffering from schizophrenia, as part of research to prevent the spread of malaria within Japan.

Malaria is transmitted when a mosquito that has bitten a person infected with malaria parasites subsequently bites another person.

Subsequent investigations into whether the disease developed showed that 5 out of the 10 soldiers experienced high fevers exceeding 40°C (104°F), headaches, systemic pain, and loss of appetite due to malaria infection.

The military surgeon observed them for a certain period before administering medication.

It is presumed that the experiment was conducted under the pretext of preventing the disease from spreading back to Japan upon the return of Japanese soldiers, as malaria infections were rampant among them in China at the time.

Researcher Matsuno stated that Japanese soldiers with schizophrenia appear to have been targeted for human experimentation specifically because they could no longer be deployed into combat.

Matsuno pointed out, "It is likely that the soldiers who became subjects were unable to accurately understand the details or risks of the experiment," adding, "This reveals a cold-heartedness that anyone could be used as a test subject regardless of nationality if they could not contribute to the state or the war effort, as well as a mindset that views humans merely as research materials."
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.