China presses Japan to accelerate destruction of abandoned chemical weapons

China has sharpened its call for Japan to quicken the disposal of chemical weapons abandoned during the occupation period, framing the issue as a long-standing humanitarian, environmental and political responsibility.

The document argues that the abandoned stockpiles, scattered across several regions, remain a source of danger even now, with erosion, leakage and soil contamination posing risks to local communities. It emphasises that the weapons are not merely historical artefacts, but lingering hazards that continue to shape daily life in areas still undergoing cleanup.

At a press conference in Beijing, Ministry of National Defense spokesman Jiang Bin offered the most detailed public account in months of the scale of the problem. He stated that large quantities of chemical munitions were used during the conflict in violation of international law, causing more than 200,000 military and civilian casualties. After Japan’s defeat, he said, the retreating forces abandoned additional stockpiles, and over time these materials poisoned more than 2,000 people. His remarks portrayed the issue as both a safety challenge and a historical injustice that remains unresolved.

Jiang warned that the situation remains serious, pointing to sites where soil and water still require remediation decades after discovery. He argued that Japan should have completed destruction operations much earlier, insisting that progress has been slowed by a lack of sufficient effort from Tokyo. In his view, the pace of disposal has lagged behind both environmental urgency and legal expectations.

Beijing’s message was that Japan’s responsibilities are grounded in history, politics and international law, particularly the Chemical Weapons Convention, which assigns clear obligations to the possessor state. The spokesman urged Japan to conduct what he called “serious soul-searching,” and to increase its technical, financial and logistical input into the unfinished disposal campaign. He added that China expects more comprehensive data sharing from Japan to help locate, classify and manage remaining stockpiles.

The Chinese side also called on Japan to fully support efforts to identify the last undiscovered caches, provide all relevant archival records, and take greater responsibility for treating polluted land and water. The aim, officials said, is not only to eliminate immediate risks but to restore long-affected areas to a condition that allows communities to move on from a chapter that has lingered for generations.

The Ministry of National Defense framed the issue within a broader narrative about global disarmament and the goal of eliminating chemical weapons worldwide. For Beijing, completing the cleanup of Japan’s abandoned chemical weapons is part of that global effort, but it is also a matter of national memory and public safety. The message was clear: the environmental burdens and human toll have lasted long enough, and China expects Japan to finish the job with renewed urgency.

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China Japan WW2 chemical weapons