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Shiro Ishii
Shiro Ishii started his research in 1930 at the Tokyo Army Medical School and later became head of Japan's bioweapon programme during the Second World War. At its height, the programme employed more than 5,000 people, and killed as many as 600 prisoners a year in human experiments in just one of its 26 centres. -
yellow fever virus
The Japanese legally, and then illegally, attempted to obtain yellow fever virus from the Rockefeller Institute in New York -
Anti-crop weapons
Documents indicate that the US government also discussed the offensive use of anti-crop weapons -
infectious diseases
Infectious diseases were recognized for their potential impact on people and armies as early as 600 bc -
Human weapons
Military leaders in the Middle Ages recognized that victims of infectious diseases could become weapons themselves