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Sea-Dumped Chemical Weapons: Japan

GLOBAL GREEN USA, US AFFILIATE OF GREEN CROSS INTERNATIONAL May 12, 2010 Authored by: Ryo Sato

Executive Summary
This paper primarily assesses the document The National Survey on Toxic Gas of the Former Army, prepared by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment, relating to sea-dumped chemical weapons, as well as other materials listed in the Endnotes. The issues examined are the history of chemical weapons in Japan including production, stockpiles and especially sea-dumping of these weapons.

Ryo Sato Global Green USA, US Affiliate of Green Cross International May, 2010

Table of Contents

1. History of Japanese Chemical Weapons.2 1.1 Production of Chemical Weapons.2 1.2Category of Poison Gas ..4 1.3The Island of Ohkuno in Hiroshima..4 1.4 Japanese Disposal of Chemical Weapons in the Ocean..6 2. Potential Risks from Disposal in the Ocean.......8 3. Case Study: Offshore of Choshi Bay.10 4. Washing Ashore......11 5. Chemical Weapons in the Pacific Ocean......11 6. Legal Consideration..................................................................................13 7. Conclusion...13

Ryo Sato Global Green USA, US Affiliate of Green Cross International May, 2010

1. History of Japanese Chemical Weapons: 1.1 Production of Chemical Weapons Chemical weapons were either dumped by the Japanese Army during and after the WWII or by the Allied Forces mainly under the command of the United States between 1945 and 1948. At the beginning of the First World War, the Japanese government started investigating and researching chemical weapons, because of information that several countries, especially in Europe, were considering using chemical weapons. The history of the Japanese chemical weapons program is summarized here: 1914: The Japanese Army started researching chemical weapons 1919: The Army established a research institute of chemical weapons 1923: The Japanese Navy established a chemical weapons laboratory in Tokyo 1929: The Army started producing chemical weapons on the island of Ohkuno in Hiroshima Prefecture 1933: The government established The School for Chemical Weapon Training in Chiba Prefecture 1934: The Navys chemical weapons laboratory raised its status to department level 1937: The government established a factory for chemical weapons in Fukuoka Prefecture1 1943: The Navy started producing chemical weapons in Samukawa, Kanagawa Prefecture2

Lewisite Factory on the island of Ohkuno, Hiroshima Pref: Source: http://homepage3.nifty.com/dokugasu/kaihou08/kaihou082.html

Ryo Sato Global Green USA, US Affiliate of Green Cross International May, 2010 Complete records on chemical weapons have not been found. However, the current Japanese government acknowledges that more than fifteen chemical weapon factories and laboratories had operated inside Japan until 1945.3

At the end of the Second World War, more than 30 chemical weapons stockpiles are reported to have existed in Japan (Figure 1)4. The red circles indicate the locations of chemical weapon factories or laboratories, each line representing a separate dumpsite.

Ryo Sato Global Green USA, US Affiliate of Green Cross International May, 2010 1.2 Category of Poison Gas Various kinds of toxic gases, signal barrels, pipes, and balloon bombs were produced in Japan till the end of the WWII. The category of poison gases is listed below. Army Naming Yellow No.1 Ko Yellow No.1 Otsu Yellow No.1 Hei Yellow No.2 Blue Brown Red Green White Category German type Yperite (Mustard agent) French type Yperite (Mustard agent) German type cold Yperite (not frozen) Lewisite Phosgene Hydrogen cyanide Phenylcyan arsen (Diphenylcyanoarsine and Chloroacetonphenone) Chloroacetophenone (Riot control) Trichloroarsine (Smoke-producing agent)

1.3 The Island of Ohkuno in Hiroshima The island of Ohkuno is located in the south east area of Hiroshima. Although the island of Ohkuno has been developed as a National Vacation Village and become a public health resort today, the island used to produce poison gases for the Japanese Army for 16 years. All the chemical weapons used by the Japanese Army, as opposed to the Japanese Navy, during the WWII came from this small island and went all over Japan and parts of China. The history of Ohkuno is listed below. 1927: The Japanese Army bought Yperite (mustard) manufacturing equipment from France and evacuated all the residents from Ohkuno, off the coast from Hiroshima 1929: The Army started producing chemical weapons on the island of Ohkuno and erased the island of Ohkuno from the map 1931: Started producing Phosgene 1933: Started producing Lewisite and tear gas 1935: The Army built German style Yperite manufacturing equipment 1945 August 15th: Stopped the entire chemical factories in Ohkuno (The same date that the Japanese government accepted unconditional surrender, the Potsdam declaration.) 1945 August 16th: The Army ordered to destroy the evidence of chemical weapons including documents 1946 May: The Allied force, under the command of the United States, dumped about 3,000 tons of the chemical agents and weapons into the Pacific Ocean 1947: The U.S. army burned and dissembled the factories of chemical weapons in Ohkuno5 4

Ryo Sato Global Green USA, US Affiliate of Green Cross International May, 2010 In the beginning of 1929, less than 100 employees made chemical weapons. However, the numbers of employees in chemical weapons productions steadily climbed to several hundred in 1935, and jumped to 5,000 in 1939. After the government erased the island of Ohkuno from the map, people were not allowed to take photos and even draw pictures. Furthermore, people in the train had to shut blinds while the train passed next to the Ohkuno Island.6

French Style Yperite factory in Ohkuno Source: Toxic island research center http://homepage3.nifty.com/dokugasu/

Left Picture: Chemical weapons storage in Ohkuno Right Picture: Power plant in Ohkuno Source: Pictures taken by Ryo Sato, Global Green USA

Ryo Sato Global Green USA, US Affiliate of Green Cross International May, 2010 1.4 Disposal of Japanese Chemical Weapons in the Ocean Most of the chemical weapons were dumped by either the Japanese Army or the Allied Forces mainly under the command of the United States between 1945 and 1948. In other words, massive amounts of chemical weapons were dumped in a relatively short period around the end of the Second World War. After the Japanese government accepted the unconditional surrender on 15th August, 1945, most of the unused chemical weapons were incinerated and dumped in the ocean, or directly dumped in the ocean mainly under the command of the U.S. Army. Some weapons, however, were dumped by the Japanese Army during and right after the end of the WWII. This is because seadumping was regarded as one of the safest methods to dispose of chemical weapons, especially for human health.7 The current Japanese government reported that 44 chemical weapon dumping sites exist inside and offshore the current Japanese territory. However, the government is concerned that there could be more dumpsites, up to 138, including 29 in water the ocean, rivers and lakes which could pose health risks, as shown in Table 1 below.8 Table 1: Reported Dump sites

Ryo Sato Global Green USA, US Affiliate of Green Cross International May, 2010 The five major types of chemical weapons produced by the Japanese Army before the Second World War were Mustard, Lewisite, Hydrogen Cyanide, Diphenylcyanoarsine and Chloroacetonphenone. Table 2 lists some locations of the major sea-dumped Japanese chemical weapons, not including bullets filled with chemicals, ordered to be disposed of by several countries: Table 2: Major sea-dumped Japanese chemical weapons, with date, location, type and disposal by country: Date August 1946 October 1945 May 1946 1945 (Around the end of WW2) August 1945 Location Sea-dumped but Unspecified Pacific Ocean, off Tokyo, originating from Choshi-shi Narashino and Funabashi-shi (Land), Some were dumped in the ocean (unspecified) Pacific Ocean, Sagami bay, off Tokyo Lake Hamana-ko, Shizuoka Prefecture Beppu bay, Oita Prefecture Sea-dumped but unspecified Chemical Weapon or Agent 3,689 tons of Mustard 450 tons of Mustard By Country U.S. U.S. and Australia Japan

Unspecified amount of Mustard 6 tons of Lewisite Unspecified amount of hydrogen cyanide 2 tons of Mustard and Lewisite

Japan

August 17, 18, 1945 October, 1945 November 1946 May 1947 August 1946 Unspecified

16 tons of Mustard 2 tons of Lewisite 90,000 kg of Mustard 10 tons of Chloroacetophenone

Japan

Japan U.S. and Australia U.S. and Australia U.S. and Australia

Sea-dumped but unspecified Pacific Ocean, off Kochi Prefecture

192,849 kg of Mustard More than 2,700 tons of Mustard and lewisite 990 tons of Diphenylcyanoarsine 7 tons of Chloroacetonphenone 39,967 kg of Mustard

August, 1946

Beppu Bay, Oita Prefecture

U.S. and Australia

Source: The Japanese Ministry of the Environment official website

Ryo Sato Global Green USA, US Affiliate of Green Cross International May, 2010

2. Potential Risks from Disposal in the Ocean According to the result of research conducted by the Ministry of the Environment reported in 2004, since 1945 there had been 822 cases including the discoveries of CW, incidents of human health consequences and the governments handling of chemical weapons9 Some chemical weapons have been discovered after the Ministry reported the research in 2004, bringing the total up to more than 830 cases. During the past 65 years, more than ten people died and more than 400 people suffered ill effects from these chemical weapons. The deaths all relate to chemical weapons dumped in Japanese waters. Table 4 shows the discoveries of sea-dumped chemical weapons that have caused human injuries after the Second World War. The table indicates the location, date, type of chemical weapons and victims of discoveries.

Table 3: Chemical Weapons Victims from CW dumped in Japanese Waters Prefecture Date Chemical Weapons Injuries and deaths Mutsu-bay, Aomori Pref April, 1954 Mustard At least 1 injury 1962 Gas bullets 11 injured September 5th, 1968 Unspecified 10 2 injured bullets August 27th, 1963 Mustard bullets 1 died, 1 injured nd Kuji-bay, Ibaraki Pref July 2 , 1985 Unspecified iron pips Several children injured th Kashima-bay, Ibaraki March 26 , 2002 Mustard 3 injured Pref Off Choshi, Chiba Pref April 1st, 1951 19 kg of toxic gas 4 died June 24th, 1954 2 bullets of Mustard 6 injured th June 29 , 1954 60kg of Mustard 6 injured bullets September 13th, 300kg of Mustard 10 injures 1957 bullet 1958 Mustard bullets 17 toxic symptoms th September 26 , Unspecified 5 injured 1967 September, 1967 Unspecified Several injured January 17th, 1970 300 kg of Mustard 5 injured can Mustard bullets th January 25 , 1970 Mustard bullets 10 injured March 1970 11 of Mustard bullets 9 injured November 12th, One Mustard bullet 1 injured 1974 September 3rd, 1976 Mustard 5 injured 8

Ryo Sato Global Green USA, US Affiliate of Green Cross International May, 2010 Off Futtsu, Chiba Pref June 19th, 1975 Mustard pipe th September 7 , 1975 Mustard pipe October 10th, 1975 Unspecified November 1975 Mustard bullets th July 15 , 1978 Mustard bullets Hamana-ko lake, August, 1945 4 to 5 cans of Shizuoka Pref Mustard July 16th, 1947 Unspecified steel drum June 1st, 1952 Can of Mustard Kawachinagano (pond), September, 1945 Mustard, Lewisite Osaka Pref Off Himeji, Hyogo Pref February to April, 77 of White 1956 Phosphorus Off Ohkuno-shima 1946, 1947 Mustard, Lewisite, island, Hiroshima Pref Diphenylcyanoarsine April 1951 Unspecified May 29th, 1958 20 kg tank of hydrogen cyanide th May 11 , 1968 1 toxic gas tank February 22nd, 1970 1 toxic gas tank December 22nd, 1 tank of hydrogen 1970 cyanide th Ohkuno-shima island, April 18 , 1972 Unspecified 2 steel Hiroshima Pref drum th Suounada, Yamaguch August 26 , 1952 30 bullets of Mustard Pref February 1957 Mustard bullets March 1961 2 shells Off Komatsu-shima July 1950 Mustard can island, Tokushima Pref Off Omishima Higai, May 1968 1 toxic gas tank Ehime Pref Kanda bay, Fukuoka April, 1954 Mustard bullets Pref April, 1954 Mustard bullets th Off Beppu bay, Oita March 16 , 1954 50 kg of Mustard Pref bullets 1955-1956 1360 Mustard bullets, 1137 toxic bullets Source: The Japanese Ministry of the Environment official website

2 injured 2 injured 1 inured 2 injured 1 injured Several injured 2 died, several injured Several injured 1 died, 2 to 3 children injured Several injured 1 died, 90 injured 1 injured 1 died, 27 injured 1 injured Several injured 4 injured Several injured 13 injured Several injured 2 injured 11 injured Several injured 3 injured 3 injured 3 injured 32 injured

Ryo Sato Global Green USA, US Affiliate of Green Cross International May, 2010 3. Case Study: Offshore of Choshi Bay Choshi is one of the cities in Chiba prefecture, located about 100 km east of Tokyo. Choshi is famous as a fish market and the city ranks number one in Japan in terms of the amount of fish caught annually. Offshore of Choshi Bay was one of the biggest chemical dump sites in Japan. The Allied forces dumped 450 tons of chemical weapons in the depth of 100 200 meters between October 1945 and May 1946.10 According to the Japanese Ministry of the Environment, 606 incidents were reported to the government and more than 50 people have suffered from the incidents around the offshore of the Bay. In 1972, people discovered chemical weapons and agents 66 times. However, no incident was reported to the government from 1993 to 2001.11 In fact, fishermen in the bay area have been throwing the discovered chemical weapons back to the ocean without reporting to the government. The fishermen are worried about the rumor that the fish from this region might be polluted by the weapons, which would affect their business.

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Ryo Sato Global Green USA, US Affiliate of Green Cross International May, 2010 4. Washing Ashore: In 2004s report, the Japanese government only documented the following three incidents of accidental retrieval of chemical weapons washing ashore out of the total of 822 cases. These incidents are rare considering the thousands of chemical weapons dumped off the coasts of Japan over 65 years, and the risks of more CW washing ashore appear relatively small. However, as discussed above, chemical weapons still threaten populations in the vicinity of the dumping sites and residents have to beware. Table 4 Date April 1951 March 1961 February 1997 Location Choshi, Chiba Pref Suounada, Yamaguchi Pref Okuno-shima, Hiroshima Pref Agent 19kg of toxic gas 2 shells 35 pipes of Akazutsu (Diphenylarsinic acid) Consequence 4 people died 2 policemen injured No injury

Source: The Japanese Ministry of the Environment official website

5. Chemical Weapons in the Pacific Ocean On January 29th, 1944, the Japanese Army announced the outline of chemical war preparation against the United States. This document outlined retaliation against the U.S. by using chemical weapons, in case the U.S. Army used chemical weapons. The locations of stockpiles were decided by the Japanese government to be in Shanghai, Manila, Singapore, Truck Lagoon and Sapporo, and Ujina. The precise amount of chemical weapons that came from each of these stockpile locations is unknown, except in the case of Ujina, where the amount has been specified.12 This raises the possibility that chemical weapons might have been dumped, also at sea, not only in China but also in other Asian and Pacific countries. Furthermore, statistical data also shows the possible existence of chemical weapons in other Asian countries. According to Yoshiaki Yoshimi, a professor at Chuo University, 6,616 tons of chemical weapons were produced in Ohkuno-island. However, only 3,647 tons have been found since the end of the Second World War. This implies that nearly 3,000 tons were somehow disposed of in other Asian and Pacific countries, in order to fight the Allied force.13 Another problem is the issue of sunken ships leaking oil. During the Second World War 7,240 Japanese commercial ships alone were sunk14 -- most of them in the Pacific Ocean. In the South Pacific 3,800 vessels were sunk, over 85% of them under the Japanese flag, according to Sea Australia, an Australian based business providing environmental/marine pollution solutions.15 These shipwrecks could bring about massive disasters from leaking oil in the future.16 For 11

Ryo Sato Global Green USA, US Affiliate of Green Cross International May, 2010 instance, in 1944 an American bomb sank the Japanese oil tanker Hoyo-maru, which now rests on the seabed. The tanker contained 2,000,000 gallons of fuel oil which could leak into the ocean. The Australian sea archaeologist Jeffery Bill states that of the 52 shipwrecks located in Chuuk Lagoon, three are oil tankers (Hoyo Maru, Shinkoku Maru and Fujisan Maru) and combined these have the potential to spill up to 32,000 tons of oil (approximately 32,000,000 liters or 7,620,000 gallons).17 Sunken ships have the potential to harm human health and marine environment. A number of environmentalists worry about these wrecks, which are vulnerable to improper anchoring, dynamite fishing, and storms. Researchers are also concerned about the corrosion and possibility of leakage from these wrecks, since many have already been submerged for more than 60 years.18 Figure 2: World War II sunken vessels combining AMIO and SPREP databases

Source: The Global Risk of Marine Pollution from WWII Shipwrecks (details?)

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Ryo Sato Global Green USA, US Affiliate of Green Cross International May, 2010 6. Legal Consideration On April 28th, 2009, the Japanese Ministry of the Environment held a press conference, during which it stated the Ministrys current approach to dealing with sea-dumped chemical weapons. The Cabinet decided that the Ministry of the Environment has a responsibility for the dumped chemical weapons on the land. However, it is still not clear whether and how to deal with chemical weapons from water (- ocean, lakes and rivers.) (April 28, 2009. Press conference with the Minister of the Environment, Saito)19 It is clear from the above statement that the Japanese government still does not have a clear method to remedy the problem of sea-dumped chemical weapons inside their country.

7. Conclusion: Since the Second World War, there have been over 800 discoveries of dumped chemical weapons around Japan. In recent year the Japanese government has researched and disclosed some information on chemical weapons issues, which could help decrease the potential impact on humans and the marine environment. The negative legacy of the Second World War also includes the danger of petroleum leakages from the 7,240 Japanese ships, as well as those of other nations, sunk in the Pacific. In light of the potential risk these chemical weapons pose both to the environment and local communities in the Pacific Ocean, further research and action is urgently needed.

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Ryo Sato Global Green USA, US Affiliate of Green Cross International May, 2010

Endnotes
1

Japanese Ministry of the Environment. The National Survey on Toxic Gas of Former Army. 2004. 10.
2

Yoshiaki Yoshimi. I was born in the village of toxic gas. Goudou. July 2008. 72.

Japanese Ministry of the Environment. The National Survey on Toxic Gas of Former Army.2004. 11.
4

Japanese Ministry of the Environment. The National Survey on Toxic Gas of Former Army. 2004. 13.
5 6 7

Hatsuichi Murakami. The History of Toxic Gas Island. October 2003. Yuji Okano. Toxic Gas Island. Hiroshima Educational Research Institute. February 1997. 10.

Japanese Ministry of the Environment. The National Survey on Toxic Gas of Former Army.2004. 17.
8

Japanese Ministry of the Environment. The National Survey on Toxic Gas of Former Army.2004. 17.
9

Japanese Ministry of the Environment. The National Survey on Toxic Gas of Former Army.2004. 23-45.
10

Japanese Ministry of the Environment. The National Survey on Toxic Gas of Former Army.2004. 19.
11

Japanese Ministry of the Environment. The National Survey on Toxic Gas of Former Army.2004. 38.
12

Yoshiaki Yoshimi. Chemical gasses use by the Japanese Army. The Report from OkunoShima.
13

Yoshiaki Yoshimi. Dokulekiken-Kaihou.2.

14

Takashi Oida. Loss Commercial ships during/after the War. Resource Center of Sunken ships in battle and mariner. http://www.ymf.or.jp/image/nenpo56/nenpo56.ooida.pdf (Accessed on March 16th , 2010)
15

ReanMonfils. The Global Risk of Marine Pollution from WWII Shipwrecks: Examples from the Seven Seas. Sea Australia.

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Ryo Sato Global Green USA, US Affiliate of Green Cross International May, 2010
16

TaliWoodward.Pacific. World War 2 Wrecks Pose Risk of Toxic Leaks. Ocean Conserve News Archive. December 9, 2008. http://www.oceanconserve.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=112882&keybold=oil%20A ND%20%20spill%20AND%20%20ship (Accessed on March 16th , 2010)
17

Bill Jeffery. Report on Oil/Diesel leaking from shipwrecks in Chuuk Lagoon. August 17th , 2008
18

TaliWoodward.Pacific. World War 2 Wrecks Pose Risk of Toxic Leaks.Ocean Conserve News Archive. December 9, 2008. http://www.oceanconserve.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=112882&keybold=oil%20A ND%20%20spill%20AND%20%20ship (Accessed on March 18th , 2010)
19

Japanese Ministry of the Environment official website. Press conference with the Minister of the Environment. http://www.env.go.jp/annai/kaiken/h21/0428.html (Accessed on May 7th, 2010)

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