China, Japan set up foundation to aid chemical weapon victims

HARBIN - China and Japan set up a foundation on Tuesday to aid Chinese victims of chemical bombs abandoned by Japanese troops during World War II.

Wang Jianlin, deputy secretary-general of the China Foundation for Human Rights Development and Minami Norio, a Japanese lawyer, signed the document for setting up the peace foundation in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

"Japan produced chemical weapons during WWII and transported them to China for use. After its surrender, Japan left a large amount of chemical weapons in China, which have caused huge harm to innocent Chinese until now," said Minami Norio.

Japan has a foundation for aiding the victims and will cooperate with the Chinese foundation to provide help to victims hurt by chemical weapons, said Minami Norio.

He is among more than 30 Japanese lawyers who have been helping Chinese victims sue the Japanese government.

Official Chinese statistics show Japan abandoned at least 2 million tonnes of chemical weapons at about 40 sites in 15 Chinese provinces at the end of WWII, most of them in the three northeastern provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning.

More than 2,000 Chinese have been directly hurt by Japan's abandoned chemical weapons.