Latest news with #Unit731
Borneo Post
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Borneo Post
Stars light up China's summer cinemas as market seeks rebound
Actress Zhang Ziyi poses during a photocall for the film 'She's got no name' at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 25, 2024. (Xinhua/Gao Jing) BEIJING (July 16): After a notable box office boost over the Duanwu Festival holiday — powered by Tom Cruise's 'Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning' — and with a wave of high-profile films like star-studded 'She's Got No Name' joining the schedule, China's summer movie season, running from June 1 to Aug. 31, is heating up alongside the weather. With the Aug. 8 release of Guan Hu's 'Dongji Island' announced on Wednesday, the three-month window — seen by industry observers as China's most important movie period second only to the Spring Festival holiday — now boasts a lineup of more than 70 domestic and foreign films, ranging from crime thrillers and historical features to animated fantasies and Hollywood imports. But beneath the packed schedule lies an urgent question: which ones will be this year's runaway hits? It's more than a popularity contest. After a 44 percent drop in 2024's summer takings from the year prior, the Chinese film market is looking to the season for signs of resilience and perhaps revival. That rebound, if it comes, may hinge on whether one or several high-performing films can once again galvanize the public and drive momentum across the board. Some in the industry see 'She's Got No Name,' set for release on June 21, as the season's first real momentum builder. 'If 'Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,' which opened on May 30, served as a soft launch,' film critic and Shandong-based cinema manager Dong Wenxin told Xinhua, 'then 'She's Got No Name,' packed with stars, may be the one to spark the summer's first real surge.' Directed by Peter Chan and starring Zhang Ziyi, Jackson Yee, Zhao Liying and Lei Jiayin, the highly anticipated noir-tinged thriller is based on a sensational 1945 murder in Shanghai. A sharp re-edit of the 150-minute Cannes version that drew polarized responses last year, the upcoming release runs 96 minutes, now promoted as the first installment of a two-part series. Anticipation remains high: Chan spent eight years on the script, rebuilt historic Shanghai alleyways for the shoot, and framed the story through the lens of gendered violence. Dong sees the next major box office surge arriving in late July, driven by the release of period comedy 'The Lychee Road' on July 25 and historical feature '731,' currently titled '731 Biochemical Revelations' in English, on July 31. In an interview with Xinhua, Rao Shuguang, president of the China Film Critics Association, also expressed particular interest in the two titles, as well as 'Dongji Island.' The Zhao Linshan directed '731,' which stars Jiang Wu and Wang Zhiwen, revisits the horrific World War II-era human experiments conducted by Japan's Unit 731, documenting a painful chapter of history while portraying the Chinese people's heroic resistance. Leading all summer titles in advance interest with over 600,000 'want to see' clicks on film platform Maoyan, the film could emerge as a cultural flashpoint for both its emotionally charged subject and patriotic undertones. Also grounded in history, 'Dongji Island,' starring Zhu Yilong, recounts the true story of Chinese fishermen rescuing over 300 British prisoners of war in October 1942, after the Japanese transport ship 'Lisbon Maru' was torpedoed and left to sink, despite being secretly packed with more than 1,800 prisoners. The same events were previously explored in Fang Li's critically acclaimed 2024 documentary, 'The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru.' Comedy remains a genre with mass appeal. Based on a popular novel by Ma Boyong, 'The Lychee Road' is directed by comedian Da Peng, who also stars in the lead role. The film follows a Tang Dynasty (618-907) official tasked with the near-impossible mission of transporting fresh lychees — typically perishable within days — on a grueling 2,500-km journey from Lingnan in southern China to the capital, Chang'an. His desperate ingenuity in overcoming the logistical challenge becomes a sharp satire of bureaucratic absurdity. Rao said the film's source material already boasts a strong fan base, and its TV drama adaptation has helped warm up audiences ahead of the theatrical release. 'Comedy films are almost a necessity during summer,' he added, noting the film's box office potential. Also among the anticipated local releases are the mystery drama 'Malice,' written and supervised by Chen Sicheng, known for his commercial instincts and previous hits in the suspense genre; an animated fantasy from Light Chaser Animation adapted from the Qing Dynasty short story collection 'Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio;' 'The Stage,' a big-screen adaptation of the comedy of the same name by comedian Chen Peisi; and the animated drama 'Nobody,' which adapts an episode from the acclaimed 'Yao-Chinese Folktales' animation series. Hollywood titles, despite their waning allure in China, remain an essential piece of the competitive puzzle this summer. 'Jurassic World Rebirth' (July 2) brings back dinosaurs and picks up the story after the events of 2022's 'Jurassic World: Dominion.' The franchise's popularity in China, where each of the three previous entries surpassed 1 billion yuan (139 million U.S. dollars) in box office takings, makes it one of the few American titles with breakout potential. Other high-profile imports include 'How to Train Your Dragon' (June 13), 'F1 The Movie' starring Brad Pitt (June 27), and James Gunn's 'Superman' (July 11). Voicing 'cautious optimism' over the summer box office, Rao said the Chinese film market is undergoing structural changes, and that only films with truly 'hardcore' cinematic elements, the kind that can only be fully appreciated in a theater for their uniquely immersive audiovisual power as a modern technological art form, can effectively draw large audiences. From 2017 to 2019, China's summer box office each surpassed 16 billion yuan, with 2023 setting an all-time seasonal high of 20.62 billion yuan. But 2024 saw a steep drop to 11.64 billion yuan. 'Based on the current slate, this summer is unlikely to reach the heights of 2023 or the pre-pandemic years,' noted industry blog Yingshi Fengxiangbiao. 'Still, if a breakout hit surpassing 3 billion yuan emerges, the season could yet outpace last year.' – Xinhua China cinema entertainment movies
Asahi Shimbun
14-06-2025
- Health
- Asahi Shimbun
Son retraces father's untold wartime past in secret germ unit
In this undated photo, men who are believed to be members of an Imperial Japanese Army biological warfare unit work in China. The photo was found in Katsutoshi Takegami's home in Nagano Prefecture. (Provided by Katsutoshi Takegami) Katsutoshi Takegami's curiosity was piqued when he discovered a wooden box containing a large number of old photos showing his late father in his wartime military uniform along with his comrades. Takegami found the cache seven years ago in his home in Komagane, a city in Nagano Prefecture, in central Japan. The photos also included those of men working in the vicinity of a well and on the riverbank as well as a sign that read 'Epidemic Prevention Section's Workroom.' Takegami, 77, said his father, Toshiichi Miyashita, barely spoke about his wartime experiences during his lifetime. 'I did water certification work' during the war, he recalled his father saying, but not much else. But the old photos aroused Miyashita's interest to find out more about his father's military service. CONNECTED TO INFAMOUS UNIT 731 Takegami contacted the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare for his father's military records. The ministry keeps records on rosters of Imperial Japanese Army troops at the time of 1945. The ministry's documents showed that Miyashita belonged to the army's Epidemic Prevention and Water Supply Department in central China. Takegami initially had no idea what that entailed. He came across a brief reference that the department, which is known as Unit 1644, essentially worked with Unit 731 like 'two sides of the same coin' when he scoured books for a hint. Takegami was flabbergasted by the revelation. He had not been particularly interested in the Japanese military's wartime activities and his knowledge of the conflict was limited. Still, he knew of the notorious reputatation of Unit 731. The unit, based in Harbin in northeastern China, where Japan founded its puppet state of Manchukuo (1932-1945), conducted grisly experiments on humans by live dissections, infections with deadly pathogens, including plague, typhus and cholera, and by many other cruel methods. The unit developed and tested biological weapons on Chinese cities. Books have been published, documentaries made and exhibitions held to detail the atrocities committed by the unit based on volumes of records and accounts by former members and witnesses. However, little is known about the army's other germ warfare units including the one in which Takegami's father served. ROSTER RECENTLY DECLASSIFIED Unit 1644, headquartered in Nanking in central China, remains shrouded in secrecy 80 years after the end of World War II. Recently, however, the National Archives of Japan declassified a roster of the unit. This newly released information offers hope to historians, that it might provide clues to help uncover some of its activities and the army's vast network of biological warfare units deployed across China. Takegami could not believe that his father served in a unit that was described as having close ties to Unit 731. PERSONAL ITEMS OFFERED CLUE TO HIS PAST After he returned to Japan after the war, Miyashita worked for a public health center. Takegami remembered his father as a dedicated worker. He woke up early to mow their farm's grass before going to work, occasionally enjoying drinking, but never got drunk. He did not take up any particular hobby, but just contented himself with doing his job. Takegami grew increasingly curious about his father's mysterious past. But as a pensioner, he had limited economic means to conduct an extensive search. Still, he collected academic papers and expensive specialized books that had been out of print as he searched for clues to discern the secrets of Unit 1644. His father was born in Iijima town in Nagano Prefecture in 1909. After Miyashita was conscripted by the army when he was 21, he was first sent to the northeast region of China, what was then known as Manchuria, as a medical assistant. After some transfers, Miyashita was posted to Unit 1644 in 1939, when it was founded in Nanking, according to the military records. A close scrutiny of his records also revealed that he participated in 1942 and 1943 campaigns in southern China where the army waged biological warfare by airborne spraying of plague and cholera germs into the local population. The finding brought back childhood memories to Takegami that might have reflected his father's work during the war. There were large numbers of syringes in their home that Miyashita had brought from the war. When Takegami broke one of the devices while making an insect specimen, he was scolded by his father. He once asked him what he did in the war. Miyashita's reply was curt and angry. 'I have seen people die in front of my eyes many times,' his father said. 'I will not talk about the war lightly.' The records also showed that Miyashita was promoted to the rank of medical lieutenant, starting from the bottom rung as a medical private. Takegami recalled his father remarking one day with a pride: 'It was rare for a private to get promoted to the rank of lieutenant.' But exactly what he did to earn the promotion in a germ warfare unit remained an unsolved mystery for Takegami. UNLOCKING SECRETS OF UNIT 1644 Some historians call Unit 1644 an 'elite' group next to Unit 731 in the army's units developing biological weapons. Testimonies and documentation related to Unit 1644, however, are rare. Many researchers refer to the possibility that most documents associated with Unit 1644, or other germ warfare units for that matter, were destroyed upon Japan's defeat, citing eyewitness accounts that said that relevant records were burned. One of the few references to the unit came from the late Shigeo Ban, a former member of the top-secret Noborito Laboratory, the army's research institute in Kanagawa Prefecture to develop secret weapons and intelligence operations. In his memoir, Ban recalled a 1941 trip to Nanking during which he witnessed military doctors from Unit 1644 performing experiments on live Chinese prisoners of war. To put out word about his search, Takegami offered his father's pictures to a scholar researching medicine practiced in Manchuria and Japan's other former colonies. The material was published in a book last year titled 'Teikoku Rikugun Boeki Kyusuibu Bijuaru Shashincho -- 731-Butai Shimai Kikan 'Sakae 1644 Butai' in Kyuzo' (Photobook of Imperial Japanese Army's Epidemic Prevention and Water Supply Department–possessed by a member of Unit 1644, a sister unit of Unit 731). 'I was hoping that some readers might contact me to share information leading to my father,' Takegami said. In the course of his research, he learned that documents on names and addresses of Unit 1644 members were kept by the health ministry and that the documents were handed over to the National Archives of Japan last year for eventual disclosure. When they were made available to the public, Takegami quickly applied for access and shared them with researchers investigating the biological warfare units. Takegami is aware that the disclosed data may not immediately shed light on his father's footsteps. But he is pinning his hopes on eventually uncovering some information if he can locate and interview descendants of other members of the unit. 'In my search, I have sometimes faced such questions as why I am still driven to help expose the activities of the unit,' Takegami said. 'Eighty years on, our memories of the war are fading fast. But I am determined not to let my father's wartime deeds and Unit 1644's activities be buried as a mystery.' Katsuo Nishiyama, a professor emeritus at Shiga University of Medical Science who went through the declassified information with Takegami, noted the records, disclosed on May 14, contained the rosters of Unit 1644 and Unit 8604, which was based in Guangzhou in southern China. Nishiyama said that the list of Unit 1644 members includes names that also appear in Unit 731 records, evidence he believes validates the close collaboration between the two entities. 'The released rosters will enable us to track down its members and unearth previously unknown accounts, hopefully advancing studies to unravel the Imperial Japanese Army's extensive network of germ warfare units,' Nishiyama said.
South China Morning Post
10-06-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
US-China trade talks, Qin Shi Huang's western expedition: SCMP daily highlights
Catch up on some of SCMP's biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing Top officials from China and the United States are expected to start a second day of negotiations in London on Tuesday morning local time, as the two sides strive to de-escalate a stand-off over trade and technology that has sent shock waves across the global economy. Chinese state media have sought to portray the escalating Los Angeles protests against President Donald Trump's immigration policies as proof of a broken government and the lack of social cohesion in the United States. Visitors look at depiction of human experiments at the Unit 731 museum in Harbin, in northeast China's Heilongjiang province. The facility was built to conduct research into germ warfare, weapons capabilities and the limits of the human body, rather than for mass extermination. Photo: AFP As thousands of students gather this week for the finals of the National History Day contest in the US state of Maryland, one research project may stand out – not only as a sobering reminder of an infamous, often forgotten Japanese military unit, but also for America's role in keeping its war crimes quiet.
South China Morning Post
10-06-2025
- South China Morning Post
How US students discovered Unit 731 horrors, and an American war crime cover-up
As thousands of students gather this week for the finals of the National History Day contest in the US state of Maryland, one research project may stand out – not only as a sobering reminder of an infamous, often forgotten Japanese military unit, but also for America's role in keeping its war crimes quiet. Advertisement The project, a documentary produced by four students from a New Mexico high school, is an investigation of Unit 731 – a secret group that carried out unspeakable experiments on people in China and other parts of Asia during World War II. The girls from Albuquerque School of Excellence, who advanced to the national contest after placing first at the state level, have joined about 3,000 students from across the country and US territories to showcase their months-long research results. At one of the country's top academic competitions – aimed at deepening understanding of the past and promoting critical thinking – their project not only revisits a dark corner of wartime history but also questions how that history is taught in US schools today. A visitor walks through the ruins of one of Japan's germ warfare facilities during WWII in China's northeastern city of Harbin in 2014. Photo: Xinhua Team member Tam Pham recalled that the idea for the project began in a college-prep seminar course, where students were expected to choose and research a topic. Her classmate Smriti Monger stumbled upon a webpage titled 'Pacific Ocean Atrocities'.
LeMonde
29-05-2025
- Health
- LeMonde
In Japan, newly released archives reveal the scale of human experimentation between 1938 and 1945
Service records of officers and soldiers before Japan's defeat in 1945, made public on May 15 by the country's National Archives, revealed that some were assigned to secret units in China: one in Nanjing, identified as Unit 1,644, and another in Guangzhou, numbered 8,604. The military personnel in these units reportedly conducted bacteriological experiments on human subjects. Until now only Unit 731, located near Harbin – now in China's Heilongjiang province and then the capital of Manchukuo, a puppet state controlled by Tokyo – was known for carrying out such activities from 1938 until the end of World War II. "The service records confirm the existence in China of a network of units conducting these experiments and coordinating their activities," explained Katsuo Nishiyama, emeritus professor at Shiga University of Medical Science and a specialist in Japan's imperial-era biological weapons programs. Units 1,644 and 8,604 − with the one in Nanjing being the largest − were overseen, like Unit 731, by the Tokyo-based Epidemic Prevention and Water Purification Department. Their primary activity reportedly involved experimenting on humans to enable Japan to develop biological weapons, in violation of the 1925 Geneva Protocol prohibiting chemical and biological weapons.
