Japan to begin destruction of abandoned WWII weapons in China+

BEIJING, Sept. 1 Kyodo -
Hideo Hiraoka, senior vice minister in Japan's Cabinet Office, announced
Wednesday in Nanjing the start of destruction of chemical weapons abandoned in
China by the Imperial Japanese Army at the end of World War II.
Hiraoka, a Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker, said at a ceremony in Nanjing
that the Japanese government will continue taking measures to speed up the
destruction of abandoned munitions, China's official the Xinhua News Agency
reported.
''Today's move marks a new phase in the disposal of abandoned chemical weapons
in China, in which the work has shifted from excavation and recovery to
destruction,'' he said. ''This is the result of years of efforts made by
Japanese and Chinese authorities, and will have far-reaching effects on the
bilateral relationship.''
The chemical weapons disposal project began in accordance with an agreement
reached between Japan and China in July 1999 whereby Japan would provide money,
technology and facilities to dispose of the weapons.
Under the international Chemical Weapons Convention Japan is required to
excavate and destroy all chemical weapons left in China by 2012, a deadline
extended from 2007.
At Wednesday's ceremony, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun said the
abandoned chemical weapons were one of the ''serious crimes'' committed during
Japan's invasion of China and their early destruction will remove the threat
posed to the environment, lives and property of affected people and promote the
development of bilateral ties.
''(China) hopes Japan will take this start of the destruction phase as an
opportunity to continue increasing manpower and resources to further accelerate
the progress of destruction,'' Zhang was quoted as saying by the People's Daily
website.
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry website, China and Japan have
conducted more than 120 bilateral investigations and excavation operations, and
more than 40,000 abandoned chemical weapons have been recovered so far.
The exact number of chemical munitions buried underground or abandoned in
rivers and lakes by Japan has been disputed by both sides, with estimates
ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions.
Chinese victims of poisoning from abandoned Japanese chemical weapons have
filed damage suits against the Japanese government in recent years.
Earlier in May, the Tokyo District Court rejected a lawsuit filed by a group of
48 Chinese plaintiffs seeking damages for a fatal toxic gas leak in 2003 from
containers left behind by the Japanese in Qiqihar in Heilongjiang Province.
==Kyodo
2010-09-01 23:43:38


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