Overview

• The film “731” portrays the Imperial Japanese Army’s secret Unit 731 and its human experimentation and biological weapons during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
• CCTV has scheduled the movie’s nationwide release for September 18 to coincide with the 1931 Liutiaohu (Mukden) Incident anniversary.
• The feature was pulled from an initial July 31 launch without explanation after ticket sales abruptly halted.
• China released a Nanjing Massacre film in late July, contributing to a cluster of state-backed WWII atrocity movies that critics say stoke nationalist sentiment.
• Viewers online speculate that the postponement reflects reactions to graphic trailer footage or a calculated alignment with national commemoration.