JILIN, China, June 6 (UPI) -- Japan will spend $1.9 billion to build a chemical weapons disposal complex in China to process Japanese weapons buried since World War II.
Japan and China will sign an accord on the plan this summer, which is expected to allow foreign companies to participate in the project, Channel NewsAsia reported Monday.
Japan estimates there are more than 700,000 abandoned chemical weapons buried in China since the war. Chinese experts claim there are more than 2 million, comprising the world's largest stockpile of abandoned chemical weapons.
The plant will likely be built in Haerbaling in the northeast province of Jilin, where around 90 percent of abandoned chemical weapons are buried. Many are toxic, including highly poisonous mustard gas, and experts believe they may have polluted the soil in the area.
According to the U.N. Chemical Weapons Convention, Japan must dispose of all chemical arms buried in China before 2007.
