LONDON —

The British government, possibly at the behest of the United States, investigated bombing Tokyo with chemical weapons during the latter half of World War II, according to newly declassified files. British government scientists suggested using small bombs containing phosgene and mustard gas on the densely-populated center of Tokyo in order to inflict the maximum number of casualties. The War Office plans were drawn up by an eminent scientist in May 1944, and also contained extremely detailed information on Japan’s defense against a chemical weapons attack. At the time, the United States was anxiously drawing up its own plans for possible chemical attacks on Japan as it desperately tried to halt the war in the Pacific. According to the files, it would appear that British officials decided to make plans following a meeting with their U.S. counterparts.
   
In a memo produced for consideration by members of Britain’s chemical board, a professor, D. Brunt, outlined the possible scenarios for a chemical attack on Tokyo. The professor’s memo states the densely built up area of traditionally constructed Japanese homes in the areas near the Sumida River, the Imperial Palace and Tokyo station, would require the use of smaller bombs being deployed. ‘‘In the densely built areas of Japanese-type buildings, where the streets are narrow, the flow of a gas cloud would be hindered by the narrowness of the streets,’’ the memo states. ‘‘If it were proposed to use gas in any form against the very thickly built-up area covered by Japanese-type buildings it would be advisable to use a very large number of small bombs.’’ The professor recommended using phosgene or mustard gas bombs. ‘‘Phosgene used in smaller bombs than have been hitherto considered for attack on cities—possibly a 50 pound (22.5 kilogram) bomb would be required—would undoubtedly produce casualties in considerable numbers, as would mustard sown thickly over the area, especially during intervals in the summer rains,’’ the professor stated. At the time the files were prepared, the United States and Britain were formulating plans to attack Japan, and at one point Britain even looked at putting small explosives on the wings and feet of bats and releasing them near Tokyo in order to cause damage. The files were released for public view recently by the government at the National Archives in London.

Kyodo

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Latest 15 of 16 Total Comments Show All

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  sensei258 at 06:12 AM JST - 4th July

  It is regrettable, in any war on either side, that innocents suffer. I can't begin to imagine the horrors that the Japanese civilians endured. I have no sympathy for the military though.

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  neverknow2 at 07:49 AM JST - 4th July

  How is this headline news????????????????????????

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  Brunobear at 08:52 AM JST - 4th July

  This is from official accounts. It is right for Japan Today to report it as the World has a right to know the facts, no matter how unpalatable. The elected not to use them thankfully. As a strategist you always put all options on the table and then start eliminating them. That is how it works.

  My only concern is 'Japan Today' seems to see reporting any brief historical factors when supporting an argument, as a "history lesson" and erases those comments. As a successful financial and political strategist I can assure you the facts are always where the solution will be found. It then seems so easy that the client invariably dismisses the value of your help.

  If informing the world about facts that may cause many discomfort now but avoids a war or mass loss of life now of in the future, why not I say.

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  OssanAmerica at 09:17 AM JST - 4th July

  Oops..kind of embarassing that this has come out. However, I was under the impression that both the UK and US were signatories to some treaty prohibiting the use of phosgene after WWI. Or am I wrong?

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  Samuraiiki at 09:22 AM JST - 4th July

  They must have viewed the Japanese as pests that needed to be killed like roaches with insecticides. Too bad governments lose sense of humanity.

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  soldave at 09:28 AM JST - 4th July

  Brunobear - It's also because the news story comes from Kyodo News.

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  OneForAll at 11:12 AM JST - 4th July

  Brunobear : If this is true, I would hope your comment would be the way it works. I am finding more and more deception by the Japanese news media by using a fact and distorting it by not giving the whole story or some other technique. Of course, so does every other country's media.

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  Betting at 11:35 AM JST - 4th July

  Considering the resistance the Allies faced in the Pacific campaigns, I wouldn't doubt this story at all. We've all (many of us I think, not all hehe) read the stories, seen countless documentaries on tv about the fierce resistance of the Japanese, both military and civilians.

  I'm convinced that the Allies were thinking that if they had to actually invade the Japanese home islands it would be a bloody massacre for all. Subduing the islands after an invasion would have been an enormous task and would have resulted in so many casualties. The war could have continued for heaven knows how long.

  Rather than see that happen, someone came up with this plan. In the back of that person's mind probably was the thought, "Better to see them die than our soldiers". Just a matter of truly overwhelming and devastating firepower to force the enemy into subduing, while keeping your own losses to a minimum.

  Just like today's world, no matter how many sign a treaty to ban landmines when we have a bigger enough war someone will rip up the treaty and use them again. Thermobaric (hope I spelt that correctly) weapons are another example.

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  LoveUSA at 11:39 AM JST - 4th July

  I will not be surprised if this is true, British Plus USA means war.

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  Brunobear at 11:46 AM JST - 4th July

  LoveUSA: Britain plus USA actually means a free, democratic and largely peaceful world. They have been the greatest force for good ever on this planet. If you want to fight them you will lose. Other than letting go of its US colonies in 1776, Britain hasn't lost a war for over a thousand years.

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  gogogo at 12:24 PM JST - 4th July

  and at one point Britain even looked at putting small explosives on the wings and feet of bats and releasing them near Tokyo in order to cause damage.

  Why is this headline news? Japan tried to develop nuclear weapons in WWII, sent hot air balloons made by children (with their hand writing on it) across the pacific to america... war is evil for everyone.

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  dontpanic at 12:51 AM JST - 5th July

  Its good that this information comes out. It gives an indication of how far people will go when pushed hard enough. You might hate it, but people werent being nice to each other in WW2 and both the Axis and Allied powers thought through everything they could to prosecute the war. If push came to shove, I've no doubt they'd do it again. That's a lesson from history we should all learn.

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  YuriOtani at 08:24 AM JST - 5th July

  Why would this surprise anyone with the killing of millions of Germans and Japanese civilians by heavy bombing? I do not buy this "we were forced to do this crud". It shows the western worlds basic lack of humanity. Another example of might makes right.

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  Brunobear at 09:23 AM JST - 5th July

  YuriOtani: Your comment indicates a lack of understanding of the cruelty and brutality of Japanese forces in Manchuria, China, Singapore, Malaya, Indonesia, Philippines and most of SE Asia it rapidly conquered. Also, the proposensity for Japanese soldiers to sacrifice themselves and Japanese military authorities to expect them to.

  The Western view was it was their soldier's job to get the enemy to die for his country or cause, not them. You only need to look at Iwa Jima, where some 20,000 US Marines died or were seriously wounded and 30,000 Japanese died as the US pushed towards Japan.

  The US, British and Australian decisions near the end of the Pacific war in mid 1945, after defeating Germany, were as to what strategies to apply that would minimize loss of life or serious injury to Allied soldiers and to Japanese civilians. In the end after heavy fire bombing of Tokyo to no avail, the US dropped two small atom bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, killing tens of thousand of people. The War ended immediately. No more loss of Japanese civilian lives, no damage to Japanese culture, towns, infrastructure etcetera like Europe suffered. You should get out some WW11 books out and have a look.

  The facts are the West could have been very brutal indeed and slaughtered millions in an onslaught or revenge like the Japanese and Germans did. But West didn't. Do you think that all those US, British, Australian and New Zealand soldiers that were doing the fighting or were POW's were not bitter. They were! But they tempered that anger to Japan's fortunate benefit.

  I am sorry for the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but no more or less than I am for the 100 million who died in that war or the other perhaps 200 million that suffered.

  The Allies did not use poison gas on Japan or anyone else.

  This is why Britain and the US have to nip any potential little despotic dictator in the bud. The life of the average Japanese would never have been better under Japanese military rule than what the outcome of the war delivered for goodness sake. You have had 60 great years!

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  amerijap at 09:12 AM JST - 7th July

  YuriOtani: I understand your frustration on some of the western perspectives that will attempt to downplay the brutality of the Allied Powers' conducts upon Japan during WWII. But, your statement "the western worlds basic lack of humanity" begs the question. Any regime that reigns the nation with a military or monarchical dictatorship simply lacks humanity, whether it is in Europe, Asia, Africa, Central-South America or the Middle East.

  Brunobear: Your counterpoint works well when you negate the assumption that only the westerners are brutal. However, it seems to me that your statement goes beyond that, and suggests that the combat behavior of western solders are generally tolerable than that of Japanese soldiers by drawing from the historical context of WWII. It’s not very convincing to me, because it's solely based on a fight-fire-with-fire argument.

  I am sorry for the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but no more or less than I am for the 100 million who died in that war or the other perhaps 200 million that suffered.

  If I were you, I would put it in a different way. Just because Japanese soldiers were regarded as brutal, inhumane killing-machines by westerners in general does not mean that the loss of Japanese civilians' lives are less significant than other people's lives in WWII.

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