China, Japan to destroy chemical weapons

China and Japan will on Monday begin the destruction of chemical weapons abandoned by Japan in northeast China at the end of World War II.

An estimated 330,000 pieces of weaponry are buried in the Harbaling area of Jilin Province, where the work will begin, Xinhua news agency cited China's Foreign Ministry as saying.

Japan abandoned at least two million tonnes of chemical weapons in sites scattered across 15 Chinese provinces at the end of WWII, according to Xinhua.

The abandoned weapons were often hidden. Many are leaking, posing threats to humans, animals and the environment, according to a 2011 report by the independent Green Cross International.

There have been up to 2,000 injuries resulting from abandoned weapons of Japanese origin since the end of WWII, according to the report.

Japan will offer all necessary funds, technology, expertise and facilities for the clean-up operation while China will provide assistance, according to agreements signed between the nations in 1999.