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Asia

Lesson Plan 1 of 2

Picture
Purpose: This activity introduces students to the causes and effects of the Unit 731 program.  It shows the immorality, illegality, and cruelty of the medical experiments and explores how doctors were able to conduct them by dehumanizing the people they tested on.
 
Objective: Students will read a newspaper article about Unit 731 that includes accounts from former participants in the program.  They will brainstorm ideas about how such an event could have taken place and discuss if another similar event could occur (and if so- what can be done to prevent it).
 
California History-Social Science Content Standard: 10.8 Causes and Consequences of WWII - Students analyze the causes and consequences of World War II.  (Part of addressing that standard in the New HSS Curriculum Framework includes, “‘Comfort women’ is a euphemism that describes women who were forced into sexual service by the Japanese Army…”)
 
Suggested Time: 1 class day (approximately one hour)
 
Procedure:
  • Teachers should prepare the class prior to this activity.  Warn the class ahead of time that they will read about graphic details about medical experiments.  If students are triggered, bothered, or simply uncomfortable, appropriate accommodations should be made.  Let students know they can step away from the readings if it becomes too much.
 
  • Teachers should photocopy “Unmasking Horror—A Special Report,; Japan Confronting Gruesome War Atrocity” by Nicholas D. Kristof in The New York Times on March 17, 1995.
 
  • Have students read the article individually, in pairs, in groups, or as a whole class.
 
  • Teachers should lead a class discussion about the article.
    • They can prepare formal questions to have students complete as they read the profiles and then share their answer in small groups or with the class.
    • The teacher can lead a whole class discussion about the biographies by posing questions to the class.
 
  • Some sample questions to use for both suggestions are:
    • What are some feelings/reactions you had while reading the article?
    • What was the thing that most shocked/surprised you?
    • Why did Japan begin conducting the experiments?
    • How did the doctors and scientists in Unit 731 justify what they had done?
    • Who did they conduct the experiments on?
    • What are some examples of the experiments that were conducted on people?
    • What role did war play in Unit 731?
    • What role did imperialism play in Unit 731?
    • What consequences did the doctors in Unit 731 face after WWII?  Why?
    • Do you agree with the old man when he said, “There is a possibility this could happen again, because in a war, you have to win.”?  Why or why not?
    • What can be done to prevent another atrocity like Unit 731 from happening?
 
  • Due to the nature of the heavy topic, it may be beneficial to have students do a quick write or journal entry about the topic as a concluding activity.
 
Materials/Handouts:
  • “Unmasking Horror—A Special Report: Japan Confronting Gruesome War Atrocity” by Nicholas D. Kristof in The New York Times on March 17, 1995. 

Lesson Plan 2 of 2

Picture
Purpose: This activity introduces students to Unit 731 and its use as a Japanese biological warfare research facility, as well as the reason for decades of silence and lack of acknowledgment. Students are asked to consider similar medical experimentation in Nazi Germany and compare how the perpetrators were treated in post-WWII trials.
 
Objective: Students will view and listen to a slideshow lecture about Unit 731 and be asked to fill out a worksheet afterwards comparing Japanese and German medical research facilities. They will discuss the reasons as to why there was a radical difference in prosecution and punishment.
 
California Social Studies Content Standard: 10.8 Causes and Consequences of WWII - Students analyze the causes and consequences of World War II.
 
Suggested Time: 1 class day (approximately one hour)
 
Procedure:
  • Teachers should prepare the class prior to this activity.  Warn the class ahead of time that they will read about graphic details about medical experiments.  If students are triggered, bothered, or simply uncomfortable, appropriate accommodations should be made.  Let students know they can step away from the readings if it becomes too much.
 
  • Ask students what they know about Nazi medical experimentation during WWII. Then ask students what they know about Japanese medical experimentation during WWII.
 
  • Slideshow timeline: WWII general timeline with major events, when allied and axis powers entered the war, etc. Teacher should highlight that the U.S. entered later in conflict and emphasize Japanese invasion of Manchuria was years before the start of the war.
 
  • Proceed to present Unit 731 background information.
 
  • Have students work individually or in pairs to complete ‘At A Glance’ worksheet.
 
  • Teachers should lead a class discussion about the information presented as well as considering the ‘At A Glance’ worksheet.
    • Sample discussion questions:
      • What are some feelings/reactions you had during the presentation?
      • What were you most surprised to learn?
      • What role did war play in Unit 731?
      • What role did imperialism play in Unit 731?
      • How were the Nazi and Japanese medical experiments similar? How were they different?
        • purpose, victims, trials, prosecution
      • Why were the Japanese medical experiments virtually unknown for decades?
      • How is it useful to consider Nazi and Japanese medical experiments in the side-by-side format? How is it not useful?
      • How can we prevent instances like Nazi and Japanese medical experiments from occurring?
        • Different levels: local, regional, national, and international
    • What kind of activity would you design if you had to teach this topic?
 
  • Due to the nature of the heavy topic, it may be beneficial to have students do a quick write or journal entry about the topic as a concluding activity.
 
Materials/Handouts:
  • Infographic with blank spaces and accompanying worksheet
  • Infographic for teachers with correct answers
  • Slides for teachers 
Picture
​At a Glance
Auschwitz
Purpose: improve ______________ of troops, test medical procedures, confirm ___________
___________  _________________.
 
More than 7000 victims: ________, _________, _________(___________), _____________
______________, ____________, _____________________, ____________________.
 
Nuremberg Trials, 1945. American Military Tribunal: 23 physicians, scientists, senior officials tried;
7 ________________, 9 ________________, 7 _______________.
 
____________________________ never tried, escaped to South America; ______________
___________________ declared unfit to stand trial.
 
Unit 731
Purpose: utilize potential of ________________________, medical research, military research
 
More than 3000 victims: __________________, ________________, _______________,
_____________________.
 
Khabarovsk Trials, 1945: 12 officers tried, prison sentences from ___________________ years, most were _______________ in 1950s.
 
Only men on trial were those captured by _______________; others promised ___________________
by General MacArthur in exchange for _________________. 
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  • Home
    • About Us >
      • Social Justice Education
      • Advocacy >
        • International Community Outreach >
          • Chiba Korean Elementary Middle School >
            • Our First Advocacy
            • ESJF Student Art Competition
            • ESJF Statement: “After ‘Lack of Freedom of Expression?’” Shut Down to Suppress Freedom of Expression
            • Letter to Aichi Prefectural Triennale Promotion Office
          • Days for Girls International
        • Civil Society
    • Blog
    • Interviews and articles
  • Educator Resources
    • Sexual and Gender-based Violence >
      • Japanese military sexual slavery system >
        • Brief Historical Background
        • Lesson Plans and Worksheets >
          • ​In Their Own Words
          • Resistance & Collective activism
          • Denial of legal and historical responsibility
          • ​Remembering and honoring "comfort women"
          • Global plague
          • Contemporary movements towards justice
          • Worksheets
          • Puzzles
        • 2017 CA H-SS Framework >
          • Basic questions surrounding the Japanese Military Sexual Slavery System
        • Map of "Comfort Women" Memorials in the United States
        • Survivors' Testimonies & Legacies >
          • Korea
          • China
          • Philippines
          • Indonesia
          • Japan
          • Netherlands
        • Primary Source Documents: "Comfort Women" History and Issues >
          • Concerning the Recruitment of Women for Military Comfort Stations
          • Psychological Warfare Interrogation Report No. 49
          • Psychological Warfare Interrogation Bulletin No. 2
          • SEATIC Psychological Warfare Bulletin No. 182
          • G-3 Daily Dairy
          • C.B.I. Roundup
          • Allied Translator and Interpreter Section (ATIS) No. 470
          • Research Report No. 120: Amenities in the Japanese Armed Forces
          • San Francisco Local History >
            • Resolutions >
              • Resolution 158-25A1
            • Chronology: Teaching "Comfort Women" History from the 1990s to Present
          • Images
        • Secondary Source Documents and ESJF Statements >
          • Secondary Resource References
          • ESJF Statement on the South Korea Court’s ruling, April 21, 2021
          • ESJF Statement on the South Korea Court’s ruling, January 8, 2021
          • International Joint Statement, August 14, 2019
          • International Joint Statement, March 1, 2019
          • International Joint Statement, October 6, 2018
          • International Joint Statement, January 7, 2018
        • Reflections on Collective Activism in SF >
          • Reflection and Chronology: Eric Mar
          • Reflection: Steven Whyte & Ellen Wilson
          • Reflection: Sung Sohn
        • International "Comfort Women" Day >
          • 30th Anniversary of Kim Hak-Soon Halmoni's public testimony >
            • Kim Hak-Soon Halmoni
        • 2000 Women’s International War Crimes Tribunal on Japan’s Military Sexual Slavery
        • 2015 "Comfort Women" Agreement
        • 2017 Special Task Force Report on 2015 "Comfort Women" Agreement between S. Korea and Japan
        • UNESCO and the "Voices of the 'Comfort Women'" >
          • Timeline
          • 2021 Youth Artwork Competition
          • 2021 Young Adult Online Campaign
        • Historic Lawsuits related to Japanese military sexual slavery before and during WWII >
          • Sung Sohn's Essay with commentaries and statement
        • YouTube >
          • First Video Footage of Korean "Comfort Women": July, 2017
          • First Video Footage of Mass Murdered "Comfort Women": Feb. 2018
          • Life as a "Comfort Woman": Story of Kim Bok-Dong
          • Meet Estelita Dy: A Filipino "Comfort Woman" Survivor
          • 2015 "Comfort Women" Agreement and Victims' Reaction
          • 2018 International "Comfort Women" Day
        • Wednesday Demonstration
        • Peace Statue
      • Sexual and medical violence against Black Americans >
        • Lesson Plans >
          • Medical Experimentation on Enslaved Women
          • Nurse Rivers
      • Conflict-related SGBV in Tigray and Afghanistan
      • Reports and Papers on SGBV & Gender Justice
    • History of and Issues Surrounding Asian Diaspora in the United States >
      • ESJF >
        • 19th Century >
          • Lesson Plans
        • 20th Century >
          • Lesson Plans
        • Today >
          • Lesson Plans
      • TACT >
        • K-5
        • 6-8
        • 9-12
      • Facing History and Ourselves
      • Fred T. Korematsu Institute
      • San Francisco Asian Art Museum
      • Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
    • Medical Atrocities and Use of Banned Weapons >
      • United States >
        • Lesson Plans
      • Asia >
        • Lesson Plans
        • Video Footage for Classroom
        • Primary Source Documents: Medical Atrocities and Ethics
        • Secondary Source Documents: Medical Atrocities and Ethics
      • Europe >
        • Lesson Plans
    • Resistance and Collective Activism >
      • U.S. Slavery
      • Conflict-Related Sexual Violence
  • ESJF Publications
    • "Comfort Women" History and Issues >
      • Teacher Resource Guide >
        • How to Order
      • Student Resource Guide >
        • How to Order
    • Medical Atrocities and Use of Banned Weapons
  • ESJF Professional Development opportunities
  • Get Involved
    • Join Our Email List
    • Donate
    • Contact Us >
      • Workshop and Lecture Request