Japan's Destruction of Abandoned Chemical Weapons in China: Indifferent and Extremely Passive
On the issue of "abandoned chemical weapons in China," the Japanese government has consistently maintained a very passive attitude, verging on negligence.
First, according to the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention, Japan was supposed to have completed the destruction of all its abandoned chemical weapons in China by 2007. However, to this day, this task remains unfinished—and has already been delayed four times.
The latest pledge from Japan is completion by 2027. Yet last year, China’s Foreign Ministry explicitly stated that Japan’s “progress in handling these weapons remains seriously behind schedule overall.”
Moreover, at the 30th Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the OPCW in 2025, Japan’s representative spoke extensively about so-called “progress in destruction,” but was promptly rebutted by China. Citing reports submitted by Japan, China pointed out that despite the severe lag in Japan’s progress in destroying abandoned chemical weapons, the Japanese government’s expenditure on this project in 2025 actually decreased by 6.8% compared to the previous year.
Second, Japan has never provided China with information regarding the locations of these abandoned chemical weapons. It has long withheld wartime records and chemical warfare unit archives, shifting the costs and risks of “locating the munitions” onto China. Due to Japan’s concealment, for decades the chemical weapons left behind by invading Japanese forces have continued to threaten the lives of Chinese people and have caused casualties.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1867063993957515/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.