Monthly magazine Gendai Book Review “731 (Shinchosha) Written by Fukiko Aoki”. 

“Revealing Japan's Dark Secrets with New Evidence”

by Sato Masaru [Former Prosecutor and Foreign Ministry Official]

Japan has a dark side. Fukiko Aoki meticulously combines public records, archives, and interviews with those involved in Unit 731, the Imperial Japanese Army unit that conducted bacterial weapon development and human experimentation in Manchuria before and during World War II. In doing so, she attempts to bring to light the hidden facts of the Japanese state. During her research, she uncovered what was perhaps the only lifeline for survival. Former unit commander Shiro Ishii handed over their research to the United States and was compelled to run a brothel for American soldiers at his home, known as "Wakamatsu-so."

Shiro Ishii, the mad scientist obsessed with bacterial weapons, transformed into an ordinary, timid man. Through this book, the reviewer sees Seizo Arisue, former head of the General Staff's Second Department (Intelligence), as someone who skillfully manipulated both the occupying forces and Shiro Ishii to ensure Japan's survival. Arisue was an extraordinary intelligence officer who gained Mussolini's trust while stationed in Italy and later became responsible for accepting the U.S. occupation forces. He established a close relationship with General Willoughby, head of GHQ's GII (Intelligence), and created the "Arisue Organization" to handle the darker aspects of occupation policy. His basic strategy was to exploit the U.S.-Soviet conflict to its fullest, ensuring Japan's survival as part of the anti-communist camp.

The author discovered two yellowed A4 notebooks with the note, "The Americans will confiscate this if they come, so I left it with you," left by Shiro Ishii. These notebooks, "End of War Memo 1945-8-15" and "End of War Memo 1946-1-11," provide a detailed reconstruction of how Ishii secured immunity from the U.S. military by offering information on bacterial weapons right after the war. Aoki noticed the entry "First Treasure* 7/11 deadline" and questioned, "The first national lottery in Japan was held on October 29, 1945. Could the notebook's date have been intentionally changed?" She explains that the events recorded actually happened a year earlier, revealing that a deal between Ishii and the U.S. military was concluded by mid-November 1945. Aoki's method is impressive.
*referring the the ticket sale deadline for the national lottery

Unit 731 indeed conducted bacterial weapons experiments. On January 7, 1947, "The Soviets discovered evidence that Unit 731 had killed many people through human experimentation, which the U.S. had not uncovered in its investigations. They demanded Ishii and others' extradition based on this evidence." However, the Soviets' true intent was to acquire the latest technology for spreading typhus using fleas. Both the U.S. and the Soviet Union were desperate for the "devil's legacy" of Unit 731.

Arisue foresaw this situation right after the war, secured Ishii, and maximized his value as a bargaining chip with the U.S. In late October 1945, members of the "Arisue Organization" went to pick up Ishii, who was hiding near present-day Narita Airport in Shibayama Town, Sambu District, Chiba Prefecture. From this moment, Ishii's fate was sealed, dancing in the palm of Arisue's hand, as interpreted by the reviewer.

Having read the book three times, the reviewer believes the person who orchestrated Japan's dark history is not Shiro Ishii. Ishii was a slightly ambitious specialist, manipulated by the times, reminiscent of the "banality of evil" described by Hannah Arendt in Eichmann in Jerusalem. "The meal with the American officer on November 20, 1945, mentioned in the 'End of War Memo 1946,' was Ishii's last-minute move to avoid being prosecuted at Sugamo Prison."