BEALS: What do you remember about Japanese biological warfare during World War II? QIU: I was 9 years old when the first biological attacks took place in my hometown on Oct. 4, 1940. We saw a single plane fly overhead. There was no bombing, no shaking of the ground, and when we came out of our shelters we saw that the plane had dropped wheat and cotton fibers, fleas and beans. Everyone thought it was suspicious. About six days later somebody died of an unknown disease. The county hospital collected the fleas and preserved them. By Oct. 12, more people became ill and were found to have bubonic plague. Twenty-two people died in isolation in little more than a month. They were the first cases of plague we had ever seen. The fleas were examined and found to be one of the main carrier species of bubonic plague.

How did people in your village react when they learned of the deaths? I can still remember the panic among the people. The contaminated area was closed off and extended to about 250 meters from my house. Everybody kept their doors closed and was afraid to go out. The stores were closed down. The schools were closed down. But by December, the Japanese airplanes came to drop bombs almost every day. We couldn’t keep the quarantine area closed. The people inside ran to the countryside, carrying the plague germs with them.

Why did that experience make you interested in becoming an epidemiologist? I knew friends, playmates, classmates and relatives who died of the plague. My uncle died of it. It is a memory that has affected the course of my life.

How many people do you believe died because of Unit 731 activities? According to the most conservative estimates, about 270,000 people were made sick by Unit 731. We believe that at least 50,000 people died through the spread of several diseases by Unit 731–the plague, cholera, typhus, anthrax and dysentery.

What evidence do you have for these figures? The 50,000 number was based on the calculations of deaths reported by each county government to the Zhijiang Prefecture government in 1948. The estimate was that 8 percent of the population died from the diseases I mentioned. We checked these estimates by doing a historical check of 231 villages between March and August of last year. The percentages stood up to scrutiny.

Why are you testifying now? The Japanese government has never admitted biological warfare. They used biological weapons against the Chinese people. It is a matter of record. It is in the confessions of Japanese veterans. It is against international law, and it was a breach of the Geneva Treaty and a breach against humanity. It is a serious crime.

Why do you think the Japanese began Unit 731? Japan thought that biological weapons were ideal. They are low cost and very effective. More important, the Japanese felt a deep national bias against the Chinese. Humanity was not their concern.

Why do you think the Japanese government is denying these allegations? The Japanese government does not have the courage to confront the truth. They are afraid the Chinese government will ask for compensation.

What kind of encouragement have you received from the Chinese government in this lawsuit? Our national government doesn’t take part in the matter. But I think some local officials have been supportive.

What will it mean to you personally if you win this lawsuit? The people who have died in this tragedy will have their dignity back. All we want is justice.

Are there any lingering effects of Japan’s germ warfare? We will have to do medical examinations of rats for plague germs for the next 50 years. Bubonic plague antibodies are still being found in some areas.