The Development of the Liquid Chlorine Industry by the Japanese Imperial Army : The Military-Industrial Relationship and Dual Use in the Case of Chemical Weapons

Abstract

The Japanese Imperial Army worked on the production of liquid chlorine when it began research and development of chemical weapons that appeared in the WWI. The objective was to have liquid chlorine produced by commercial companies and delivered to the army. However, this project failed because of the high costs and lack of demand for the product in the civilian sector. Subsequently, the Japanese Imperial Army took up the challenge to procure the regular supply of liquid chlorine through dual use. This was made possible because disarmament allowed for increases in the research budget. It was also based on the initiative of Colonel Taneki Hisamura, who investigated in detail the chemical combat capabilities of European countries and the United States. Japan deemed it essential to realize the production of liquid chlorine in order to secure the raw material of the chemical agent. Having a total war in mind, Hisamura hoped that the liquid chlorine industry would cooperate with the military in times of war. His plan was to develop bleach that used liquid chlorine as the raw material. He believed that, if such a product spread, the civilian demand for liquid chlorine would soon expand. In the case of Japan, the dual use promoted by the army succeeded in the development of the liquid chlorine industry. In this way, the Japanese Imperial Army built a system that enabled mass production of liquid chlorine in peacetime.