All language subtitles for Mysteries.of.the.Abandoned.S13E06.Japans.Poison.Island.1080p.DISC.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-RAWR_track3_[eng]

An illustrious
complex infiltrated

by a notorious gang.

It spiraled into a nationwide
FBI investigation.

Become the city's most
notorious gangster.

A tranquil Japanese island

with a poisonous legacy.

Doctors would perform surgery
on the victims to examine

the biological effects
in real time.

And a top secret bunker

raided in the name of freedom.

If the Soviets had
caught them doing this,

they would have put them up
against the wall

and shot them.

Near the famous Jersey Shore

is a derelict facility

tied to an extraordinary tale
of corruption.

What is this place
doing gathering weeds,

just 15 minutes away

from a glamorous destination
like Atlantic City?

It's got a tall
brick tower,

a large grandstand,

and then this enormous
overhanging roof.

There are dozens of rows
of stadium seats

overlooking an overgrown mess.

From the stands, you can
barely see its full scale.

It all looks over
this oval track

that is not really wide enough

to be a racetrack
for car racing,

but clearly something
went around here

at a high rate of speed.

It was a spectacle
that attracted

the rich and famous.

This became known as
Hollywood by the Sea.

It also had a dark side,

it attracted criminal elements.

And what unfolded
was something

straight out of
a Scorsese film.

And soon, the FBI
were closing its nets

on one of the most notorious

criminal gang leaders
in the country.

The investigation
into the crimes

that were committed here

would ultimately lead to
one of the biggest scandals

in US law enforcement history.

Maureen Bugdon
worked here up until 2015.

Oh my God!

When I see the structure now

and how quickly it declined--

You remove the team,
the staff, right?

It's as if
you remove the heart.

Maureen began
as a model and assistant,

and over 20 years worked herself
up to become president

of this exclusive club.

It was a facility designed
in the 1940s

to scream glitz and glamour.

Atlantic City was
one of the top

vacation destinations
in America.

It had the famous
boardwalk, hotels,

restaurants, entertainment.

John B. Kelly Sr.,
an Olympic rower

and successful
Philadelphia businessman,

was trying to capitalize
on Atlantic City's popularity.

Construction
got underway in 1945.

A state-of-the-art clubhouse
was erected,

surrounded by restaurants, bars,
and a barbershop.

At its heart was the main draw,

a unique horse racing track.

It was a mile
and an eighth long,

a distance that the horse racing
press soon started calling

a "smile and an eighth."

It cost
a massive $3.5 million,

the equivalent to nearly
$60 million in today's money,

but high profile help
was on hand.

In the post war era,

horse racing was a very
glamorous sport.

It attracted famous movie
stars and celebrities.

It was written up
in every newspaper.

July 22, 1946.

The Atlantic City Race Course
was ready for action.

It opened to a crowd of 25,000.

Among them were shareholders
Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope.

Also in attendance that day was
Kelly's young daughter.

She would soon become a name
the whole world knew,

Grace Kelly.

Nobody could have
predicted the smash hit

this place was going to be.

The opening day
betting came in

at nearly $1.4 million,

recouping more than a third of
the overall construction costs.

Over the coming
months and years,

this track would become
a real magnet

for all kinds
of celebrities and artists.

There was Jerry Lewis,

Willie Mays,

and Sinatra's Rat Pack.

Even President Eisenhower
stopped by for a visit in 1965.

The nation's millions of racing
fans are an interesting breed,

with a vigorous enthusiasm
far surpassing

that of the followers of
any other spectator sport.

That's the jocks' building,

where the jockeys would
get ready for the race.

That's the paddock walk ring

where the horses are paraded

before the race

and just underneath is,
uh, saddling stalls

and a tunnel that runs
right through the building

onto the racetrack
surface itself.

As the jockeys
emerged from the tunnel,

the tension
would build upstairs.

On a busy day
with a hundred tellers,

you would have had lines
about 10 deep.

It would be a flurry
of activity.

Throughout history,
gambling has always had

a dark underbelly, and this
place was no exception.

There up,
way to a good start.

By the early seventies,
there was a guy

named Anthony Ciulla.

He was known as "Big Tony",
in classic mobster parlance,

and he claims
that he was able to fix races

in almost every state
in the country.

At the Atlantic City
Race Course,

he could rely on support from
the notorious Winter Hill Gang

and one of its leaders,

"Whitey" Bulger.

This is a famous name
to anyone who understands

the history of organized crime.

Whitey Bulger was this
brutal crime lord in Boston.

He had rivals executed.

He was involved in all kinds
of criminal enterprises.

Big Tony went about bribing
jockeys and drugging horses

so that less favored horses
would win,

and that would give him
and his cronies a huge payout.

Big Tony could offer these
jockeys as much as $10,000

to throw a race.

And if the jockey resisted,
he also had

the muscle of the mob
behind him.

On a grand
July 4th race in 1975,

jockey Peter Fantini

was a little too obvious
in holding back his horse.

It would set
in motion a chain of events

that would rock the racing world

and expose corruption

at the heart of the FBI.

2
In 1975,
jockey Peter Fantini

was caught
holding back his horse

at the Atlantic
City Race Course.

It would expose a race-fixing
mobster known as "Big Tony."

When Fantini threw that
race, the feds got interested.

They pulled him in
for questioning.

Pretty soon, he rolled over
on Big Tony.

Fantini admitted that
Big Tony bribed him

to throw the race.

He even agreed to go
to Big Tony's hotel

wearing a wire to implicate him.

So Big Tony was
given a choice.

He could either
snitch on his cohorts

or he could face
a very long sentence.

His cooperation led to
the conviction of over 40 people

and implicated
over half of the jockeys

now in the Hall of Fame.

His testimony
included the infamous gangster,

Whitey Bulger,

and 20 other members
of the Winter Hill Gang.

In 1979, they were nearly all
sent to prison for race fixing.

But mysteriously, Bulger was
soon back on the streets,

and now he was the top boss.

Of all the people
investigated

in this horse racing
investigation,

Whitey Bulger was never
indicted or prosecuted.

Why was he untouched?

It turned out that
Bulger was an FBI informant,

and he was being protected

by a corrupt agent
named John Connolly.

Bulger would
tip Connolly off

about what various Boston
mobsters were up to.

So he got rid of some of
his competitors that way.

Meanwhile, John Connolly
was tipping Whitey Bulger off

about what the FBI was up to

and who
the other informants were.

A lot of those informants
wound up

getting knocked off themselves.

Connolly was later
convicted for his role

in one of these murders.

He also tipped Bulger off
when the FBI was finally

about to arrest him in 1994.

Whitey Bulger escaped,
went underground,

and he lived undercover
for years.

Meanwhile,
the Atlantic City Race Course

began to see legal
and cultural changes

eat away at its allure
and popularity.

As casino gambling was
legalized in New Jersey

in the 1970s

and they started building

the big casinos
in Atlantic City,

traffic to the racetrack
began to drop off.

It continued to
operate for decades,

but was eventually
abandoned in 2015.

The future of this legendary
race course remains uncertain.

But the scandal that was
sparked here in 1975

has left a damaging legacy.

Whitey Bulger went on
to become

the FBI's public enemy
number one

and was only captured
in 2011.

In 2018, he was brutally beaten
to death in prison.

But the relationship
between FBI agent John Connolly

and Whitey Bulger was a scandal

that the FBI took years
to really own up to.

To this day, it's a stain
on the reputation of the agency.

In Lithuania, 15 miles
from the capital Vilnius,

is a facility
shrouded in secrecy.

We're in these dense,
misty forests that really feel

like they're in
the middle of nowhere.

If you were hoping to
hide away from prying eyes,

this would be
the perfect place.

And then,
in this clearing,

there's what appears to be
an office building,

but what's kind of strange is
that there's this inner complex

with this big fence around it.

There's clearly more here
than first meets the eye.

There's an entrance
to something

buried in the hillside.

Chosen for its
isolation, this site was built

with one purpose in mind,

controlling a nation.

There's this really
kind of strange mix here.

There's racks of electronics,
but then there's kitchens

and a dining area.

It has all kinds of space
for storage and for personnel,

but also one room after another

clearly fitted
as a recording studio.

This was the site
of a daring raid,

right under the noses
of the KGB's special forces.

If they were
caught inside here,

they'd be put up
against a wall and shot.

It was part of a larger struggle
that culminated

in a dramatic face-off
that would shock the world.

They leveled their rifles
at unarmed protesters

and plowed into the crowds
in their tanks.

Since 2008,
Mindaugas Vanagas

has been researching this site,

trying to piece together
the rumors

that swirl around it.

Many knew it only
as "object number 523".

People who worked here told me
that they were just told

to get to the bus and they would
drive to some kind of place.

They didn't know
where they are going.

Nobody knows about the place,
where exactly it is.

Built during the Soviet Union's
occupation of Lithuania,

this complex was designed to be
used in the fallout

from a nuclear strike.

This is
decontamination zone.

When somebody gets into
the bunker from outside,

he's washed and cleaned just to
keep the contaminated materials

out of this bunker.

At the height of
the Cold War, the arms race

between the United States
and the Soviet Union

really made nuclear conflict
a real possibility.

Constructed
between 1983 and 1985,

this is the Nemencine
communications bunker,

part of a network that would
enable the Soviet government

to take over
the Lithuanian media

and control the information war.

This place was gonna be one
of the critical nodes

where there would be
a communication studio

to transmit to the people of
the region what was going on

or what the regime wanted them
to think was going on.

So that's
the radio studio.

If you see, there's
soundproofing walls all around,

the triple glass.

So one side was somebody
sitting who's kind of speaking,

and the other side was guys
who work with the sound.

Inside, there were television
and radio studio facilities,

a full video and audio library,
as well as offices

for the journalists
and technicians.

Here, you had everything
getting produced and recorded.

It would then send it along
to another bunker,

which was linked
to the television tower

in Vilnius,
the capital of Lithuania.

In the event of war,
a staff of Lithuanians

would be rapidly replaced
by KGB personnel

who would take control
of the bunker.

But as the Soviet Empire
began to crumble,

the threat of
nuclear attack subsided,

and the people of Lithuania
sensed an opportunity.

The Berlin Wall
famously comes down

at the end of 1989,

and this triggers ferment
all over the old Warsaw Pact,

as all the old subject nations
of Russia start clamoring

for independence,
declaring independence.

And this is what happens
in Lithuania.

The country held
multi-party elections

for the first time since 1940.

Radio and television
footage of these events

was beamed around the country.

The footage also included
uprisings taking place

in other countries
across the Soviet Union.

On January 11th, 1991,

the Soviets had
finally had enough.

They launch a full-scale attack

to retake control
of the country.

Part of their strategy

was to cut the lines
of communication

that were fueling
the independence movement.

The bunker was now
a priority target.

2
In 1991,
Soviet forces invaded Lithuania

to crush a growing
independence movement.

The Nemencine
communications bunker,

just outside
the capital city, Vilnius,

was a top priority target.

The Soviets were
desperate to sever

these lines of communication

that were allowing
the opposition to organize.

On January 11th,

heavily armed special forces

appeared out of the darkness
and stormed the compound.

And these elite secret police
units called OMON, O-M-O-N,

they go into the bunker
to secure it,

to make sure the Lithuanians
can't use its facilities.

Two days
after having secured

this secret radio
and television facility,

Soviet forces turned to

the capital's television
building and tower.

This is where
the events unfolding

across the country
were being broadcast.

This is where people were
getting their information

and understanding
what was going on.

The TV tower
was broadcasting

footage of the invasion

and the Lithuanian
independence movement.

Soviet forces arrived to take
control of the narrative,

but found crowds of citizens
had surrounded the buildings.

Ready to defend
their freedoms at any cost,

it escalated into
a deadly face-off.

The Soviets
finally ran their tanks

into these human shields.

They kill 14 people
and they wound more than 600

at the TV tower and other
buildings around the city.

You can actually see footage of
the Soviet soldiers breaking

into the studio and cutting
the broadcaster's feed.

With the bunker and
tower now under Soviet control,

TVs and radios
across the nation fell silent.

In the coming days,
pro-independence journalists

and broadcasters scrambled to
continue covering the story

by any means necessary.

Lithuanian people
needed to know that

our government is still working
and we are not gonna give up

and give everything
to Russian soldiers.

Across the city,
makeshift offices and studios

were set up, but there was
a real shortage of

equipment needed to
continue broadcasting.

This closely guarded bunker

held that much-needed equipment.

There was one guy who
kind of built this bunker.

He was looking after
all the building site,

and he knew the bunker
very well,

so he decided to help
Lithuanian journalists.

One thing that
the Soviet guards didn't know

was that there was a tunnel
connecting the bunker

to apartments nearby.

This man put
his life on the line

and decided to sneak in
past the guards.

So he used
this long corridor,

and he was taking
all the equipment,

silently, and bringing
all that stuff

to Lithuanian journalists.

And obviously, if the Soviets
had caught him doing this,

they would have put him up
against the wall and shot him.

The man's bravery paid off.

Journalists took this smuggled
equipment and got to work.

Images of the independence
movement

were shared around the world.

International pressure mounted,
and after several more months,

the Soviets eventually
backed down.

We take until September 1991
for the Soviet Union

to recognize
Lithuanian independence.

With that, they withdrew
their troops

from the capital
and abandoned the bunker.

So the bunker was
left without radio equipment,

and the cameras were stolen.

And after the Russian soldiers
left, this bunker was left

without any purpose and use.

Today, it's been put to
a rather surprising new use.

The bunker is host
to a sort of simulator of

what it was like to live
under Soviet control.

It's a reminder that many
of the freedoms we hold dear

are often more on a knife edge
than we would like to believe.

In Midtown, Detroit,
two unusual structures

straddle an otherwise typical
suburban street.

They seem to be
a sort of a conflation

of an industrial building

with something else
more ornate.

One is low
and almost fortress-like,

and the other
is a mix of styles.

It's almost as if
you sandwiched

a historic building
in between two factories.

It's an intriguing mix.

They may look different,

but they're very much connected.

Inside the oldest
looking structure,

there's no mistaking
what this was.

As we enter, we see
the stained glass windows,

the pews,
but no parishioners.

And we see a stage
and an altar, but no priest.

This church
and the surrounding complex

was more than
a place of worship.

This building did not
only provide a foundation

for the civil rights movement,
but many might argue that it

was here that the first speech
around Black Power was given.

It would also produce

some of Motown's most iconic
performers.

It was a famous center of
gospel music, and it gave rise

to one of the most successful
vocal groups of all time.

2

After the First World
War, there was an influx

of white Southerners drawn
to cities like Detroit

because of the high wages
in the auto industry.

In 1921, a Baptist church
was formed in this building

to cater to some of those
new Southern residents.

It was called
Temple Baptist Church,

and it had an all-white,
segregated congregation.

But a bigger
migration was already underway,

and when the church
was put up for sale,

a cultural shift would send it
in a new direction.

Motivated by the desire
to escape racial violence

and pursue greater economic
opportunity, there was

an exodus of Black Americans
from the Jim Crow South.

The need
for industrial workers

in Detroit
and other northern cities

drew millions of African
Americans from the South.

It's part of what became known
as the Great Migration.

In 1952, an all-Black church
that was really trying to cater

to these Southern transplants
decided to make

this place their home.

It was transformed into

the King Solomon Baptist Church.

Current Reverend Charles
Williams II knows all too well

the scale of the challenge
they were taking on.

When King Solomon,
one of the first Black churches

on a major street
in the city of Detroit,

purchased Temple Baptist Church,

which was originally
a White separatist church,

they purchased
150,000 square feet.

That meant two buildings,
one auditorium building

and one education building
with recreation

as well as a sanctuary.

This was really
more than a church.

It was really the heart
of the community,

and it's where so many of
the world's finest performers

graced the stage.

So this facility
served as an opportunity

and a place for gospel concerts.

Everybody played King Solomon.

If you were Lou Rogg,

Sam Cooke,
who we all know and love,

played King Solomon.

And then, of course,
we're strategically placed

right around the corner
from Motown Museum.

With its 5,000-seater
auditorium, it became a regular

stop for artists hitting
the so-called Chitlin' Circuit,

a collection of key venues
they would play

on their tours across America.

This was one of the places
on that Chitlin' Circuit

that all of the gospel artists
wanted to play

because it was
the largest facility

where you could have
a real knockdown concert.

Berry Gordy,
the founder of Motown Records,

was actually sitting here
in the audience

when he heard three young,
talented women do an audition.

And their names were
Mary Wilson,

Florence Ballard,

and Diana Ross.

This audition ultimately
landed them a deal

with Motown Records, but there
was just one condition.

Gordy insisted
the group change their name,

and The Supremes were born.

The size of the church
ensured that it served

not only as a community center,

but also a hub
of political activism.

Because of
our classrooms across the street

in the auditorium
right next door,

this became one of
the convention centers for,

quite frankly, Black America.

And this put it right at
the center of a rapidly

unfolding civil rights movement
that was really

at a critical juncture.

1963 marked
the centenary

of President Abraham Lincoln's
Emancipation Proclamation,

ending legal slavery in America.

To mark the occasion,
the church hosted

the Progressive National
Baptist Convention,

and the keynote speaker was

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

His speech a week earlier,

during the March on Washington,

meant the eyes of the world
were now on the church

where 10,000 people
had gathered.

Coming so soon after
his "I Have a Dream" speech,

you can imagine the atmosphere.
It must have been electric.

This was a pivotal
speech made at a time

when America was
at the crossroads.

This place provided
the foundation

for the next phase
of that movement,

a movement towards direct action

and away from just
the theorizing about equality.

Just a few weeks later,
another speaker came here,

and he offered a stark
alternative to MLK's vision.

On November 10th, 1963,

Malcolm X delivered
a seminal speech.

It would inspire many
in the burgeoning

Black Power movement.

He was heavily critical
of the nonviolent

civil rights movement that was
put forward by the likes of MLK,

and he promoted revolution
with violence, if necessary.

But his fiery
rhetoric didn't go down well

with everyone
connected to the church.

Some ministers felt it might
harm the civil rights cause.

So when he was scheduled to
make another appearance

in April of the following year,
the church actually tried

to prevent him
from coming back.

Since Malcolm X
had already paid for

and advertised the speech,

he took the matter to court
and prevailed.

When he arrived in April, 1964,

a presidential election
was looming,

but many Black Americans
were still being denied

their right to vote.

We are in the balcony
of a place where individuals

watched Malcolm X
give the speech,

"Ballot or the Bullet."

His message was clear.

If Black Americans were
prevented from voting

in the upcoming election,

they should take up arms.

2
In 1964, the King
Solomon Baptist Church

in Detroit was a hub
of civil rights activism.

With the presidential election
just months away,

Malcolm X delivered a speech
in the church's auditorium.

He declared that if Black
Americans were denied

their right to vote,
they were no longer willing

to turn the other cheek.

So 1964 was the year of
"The Ballot or the Bullet."

Malcolm's speech,
"The Ballot or the Bullet",

was intended to light a fire
under resistance.

He was saying that
if the peaceful civil rights

movement doesn't work,
then armed resistance

is going to be necessary.

And in this sense,
his speech was extraordinarily

dangerous to the powers that be.

The following year,
he was assassinated.

Speculation over
who was behind the hit

has been rife ever since,

and in 2024, his family sued
the CIA, FBI, and NYPD,

over their involvement
in his murder.

In death, Malcolm X's teachings
and speeches continued

to inspire a growing
Black Power movement,

which was further fueled
by the assassination

of Dr. King in 1968.

Riots swept through cities
like Detroit,

which at this time was
suffering economic decline,

driven by a collapsing
motor industry.

The city's population shrank
by 60% between 1950 and 2010,

and the church's congregation
shrank with it.

Eventually, they could
no longer afford the bills,

and so they moved
into the auditorium,

leaving the church building
to decay.

I'm honored, and I've
never gotten used to the fact

that I stand in the same place
where Malcolm stood,

where Doc King stood.

The old church
building remains closed,

but services and community work
continue to take place

in the auditorium.

As we're getting back
to our roots,

we're utilizing the space
for the community,

a place where

if you need a meal,
you can get a meal.

We wanna continue
on that legacy,

continue on that tradition,

and that's why
the doors of the church

swing open today.

On the Japanese
coast, 43 miles from Hiroshima,

is an island
famed for its nature.

This island is one of
3,000 in this beautiful region,

and it really is tiny,

less than half a square
mile in size.

The first thing
you notice is rabbits.

They are everywhere.
Where did they all come from?

A closer examination
reveals a number

of strange structures
camouflaged in the rock.

At the top of the hill,
we find this big stone expanse

sunken into the land,
almost like an arena.

Underneath, we see arched brick
structures and domed rooms,

perhaps for storage.

What was produced
at this facility has left

a toxic legacy.

So for decades,
no trees could grow here,

because of what was buried
in the soil.

What happened here
was so secret,

the island was erased
from the map.

Local historian
Naoto Shinmoto

first visited this site
as a young boy.

I was in year six
of primary school

the first time I came
to Okunoshima.

As a local, I have complicated
feelings about it.

Like many who grew up
nearby, Shinmoto was aware

that the island had
an unsettling past.

It was a violation
of international law,

so there was a strong gag order.

It had to be kept a secret.

This island was once a key part
of Japan's defense.

In the early 1900s,
a rapidly modernizing Japan

began fortifying the region.

On this island, three gun
batteries were constructed

as part of the Geiyo Fortress.

By the 1920s, the gun
emplacements were outdated,

and the fortress was retired,

but the Japanese Imperial Army
would find

a chilling new use
for the island.

They were inspired
by technological developments

on the European battlefields
during World War I.

April 22nd, 1915.

The German army releases clouds
of poisonous chlorine

against British
and Canadian soldiers

at the Second Battle of Ypres,

forcing the Allied troops
from their trench positions.

And this was a new
weapon, no one was prepared

for it, no one had gas masks,
so it caused quite a panic.

The physical effects
of gas were excruciating,

but it also proved to be

a devastating
psychological weapon.

Because of
the horrific injuries

and indiscriminate nature
of poison gas,

The Geneva Protocols of 1925

banned its deployment
in warfare.

There are a lot of loopholes.

It didn't ban the development
of the technology,

and it didn't ban
the stockpiling
of supplies either.

A new Japanese leader
would soon take advantage

of these loopholes.

As Emperor Hirohito took
the throne in 1926,

an increased focus
on militarism

took hold of the country.

The old Geiyo Fortress

was converted and expanded

for industrial scale production
of a product

that would give the island
its name.

This place was once known
as "Poison Gas Island".

In choosing
this island as the site

of a toxic gas factory,

the Japanese military
was finding a careful balance

between a site remote enough
that they could conceal it,

but close enough that
they could get workers to it.

Only a 15-minute
commute from the mainland,

Okunoshima ticked all the boxes.

Construction began
in 1927,

and the factory started
operating in 1929.

This building was
to store poison gas.

100 tons was stored
in each tank,

and there were six of them.

It was soon producing
a range of terrible poisons.

Mustard gas, chlorine,
vomiting and sneezing agents,

and hydrogen cyanide.

The production
and use of poison gas

was a violation
of international law.

So, for that reason,
it became a secret island.

It was erased from the maps.

When Japan launched
a full scale invasion of China

in 1937, they unleashed
a reign of terror.

Chinese troops were
pounded with poison gas shells,

had no gas protective clothing,

and couldn't retaliate
with gas of their own.

During the Battle of
Shanghai, the Japanese attacked

the Chinese with gas
13 separate times.

The Imperial Japanese
Army quickly occupied

huge swaths of northwest China.

In Manchuria, the use of
chemical weapons would reach

disturbing new heights

under the highly secretive
program,

Unit 731.

2
In the late 1930s,
poison gas was being produced

at a factory
on Okunoshima Island.

The Japanese army used it to
brutal effect against both

soldiers and civilians
during the invasion of China.

It was also utilized
by a secretive unit masterminded

by the army's Surgeon
General, Shiro Ishii.

Shiro Ishii was trying
to develop new techniques

of chemical
and bacteriological warfare.

The gas developed
on Okunoshima was used

by the infamous unit Unit 731,

which was a group that
conducted human experiments.

Inside Unit 731, more than
3,000 Chinese prisoners of war

and civilians were subjected to
disgusting experiments.

Gas chambers
were set up to test subjects

with blister agents
and nerve gas.

Doctors would perform surgery
on the victims to examine

the biological effects
in real time.

As the tide of war
turned against Japan in 1943,

they faced an acute shortage
of labor and materials.

Back on the island,
they drafted in schoolgirls

to fill the gap.

Girls as young as 14 were made
to produce poison gas.

After the Japanese
surrendered in 1945,

they tried to hide the evidence
by dumping the gas.

Large quantities were
quietly disposed of in China.

Most of the factory complex
was demolished,

and its employees
left to suffer alone

as the government tried
to cover up the program.

And it's thought that nearly
7,000 factory workers

were left with
lung disease, cancers,

and other
debilitating conditions.

The use of chemical
weapons wasn't even mentioned

in the Tokyo War Crimes
Tribunals,

nor were the doctors
who were part of Unit 731.

In the 1990s,
the Japanese government was

finally forced to confront
the terrible legacy

of its chemical weapons program.

Leaks from
the gas dumps in China

began causing injury
and even deaths

among innocent civilians.

In the 2000s, Japan paid
compensation to some

of the victims and built
a facility to dispose

of abandoned mustard gas shells,

but many still live with
long term conditions today.

As for the rabbits,
their origin remains a mystery.

There were
around 200 rabbits,

and they used those rabbits
in the poison gas experiments.

But at the end of the war,
they were disposed of.

So the records say that
the rabbits of today

are different.

Today, Okunoshima is a place

for people to come
and enjoy nature.

But the island does not shy away
from this dark chapter.

The fact we made
poison gas needs to be known.

In that sense, I believe
this island is important.

A museum was opened on
the island to chart and educate

about its dark past.

Now it's called
Rabbit Island,

and people come
from all over the world

to enjoy its atmosphere.