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Unit 6—Handout 5
Survivor Testimony of Wang Yaolai, Biological Warfare Survivor ,73
years old—Interviewed on July 14, 2008, in Changde, China
Mr. Wang lived in an area affected mostly by the dropping of plague from airplanes. His sister was one
of the victims. At the time his mother was taking care of his sister and him. There were only three members
in his family. His father had passed away quite a while before. His mother did weaving to make a living. She
wove cloth. His sister had to go to a nearby store every day to purchase wool for his mom to weave. After
the bomb dropped, the family in the store—eleven people—died. Because my sister went there every day, she
also became infected. On one day she became infected and had the same symptoms—fever and seizures—
and passed away. They tried to get medical help but that did not help.
His family was in a poor condition. At her death, his sister had been twenty-years-old and had been the
major support for the household. His mother tried to continue to weave but could only make enough money
to support herself. He stayed with that store, trying to survive by staying there. In 1951, the government
provided him with work because he came from a poor family.
After his retirement, he found out about an organization that was asking Japan for reparations. Therefore,
he joined this organization. He hates the Japanese—not only his family but all China suffered. In 1998, he
took part in a germ warfare institute. He was not able to claim any reparations; he will continue to work. He
did not receive any compensation but knows he is working for a good cause. He asks, “If Japan is a nation of
law, why is there no response from the Japanese government?”
Mr. Wang urged the teachers on the 2008 study tour to be strong supporters of reparations and to speak
out on the behalf of victims of biological warfare. Then perhaps victory in these cases will be achieved.
He Yingjin and Wang Yaolai Two Survivors of Bubonic Plague
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