Hiroshima: Island Hides Dark Secret from the War Era; Poison Gases Produced Here Was Used As Weppon

TAKEHARA, Hiroshima — During World War II, an entire island in the Seto Inland Sea vanished from the map. It didn’t sink into the sea — rather, Okunoshima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture was kept shrouded in secrecy because it was home to a facility where the Imperial Japanese Army was producing poison gases. Even now, the ruins that remain on this small island, just 4 kilometers around, continue to serve as a reminder of its dark history.