A special Japanese Government-appointed task force is to come to
north China's Hebei
Province next week to search for chemical weapons abandoned by
Japanese troops during World War II.
The 40-strong team will work in the provincial capital of
Shijiazhuang from September 6 to 19 to search for chemical weapons,
Japanese Embassy staff in Beijing said Wednesday.
Fifty-two toxic gas bombs are believed to have been buried in
Shijiazhuang when Japanese troops withdrew.
The team will be the fourth task force since 2000 sent to China
by the Japanese Government to search for abandoned chemical
weapons, embassy staff said.
The previous three task forces went to cities in northeast
China's Heilongjiang
Province and east China's Jiangsu
Province between 2000 and last year.
Li Guizhen, a 31-year-old construction worker, died on August 21
from serious burns caused by the highly toxic mustard gas that
leaked from containers found in the Heilongjiang city of
Qiqihar.
The chemicals were discovered on August 4 at a Qiqihar
construction site. They were stored in five metallic barrels, one
of which was broken by the workers, causing oil-like material to
leak out and infiltrate the soil, according to a Xinhua News Agency
report.
China has strongly urged Japan to shoulder full responsibility
for Li's death and the losses suffered by the other victims.
(China Daily August 28, 2003)