August 30, 2017
The Japanese Communist Party Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Members’ Group on August 29 made representations to the metropolitan government, urging Governor Koike Yuriko to follow the practice of sending a condolence message to the annual ceremony for Koreans who were killed amid the chaos after the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake.
On September 1, 1923, a massive earthquake hit the Kanto region. In the aftermath of the quake, many groundless rumors such as “Koreans are poisoning the wells” were spread and thousands of Koreans and Chinese were reportedly slaughtered by the military, the police, and self-proclaimed vigilante groups. Commemorating the massacre victims, the organizing committee consisting of Korean residents’ groups and Japanese civil groups has conducted a memorial service annually on September 1 since 1973 in a park in Tokyo’s Sumida Ward where the massacre monument is located. Past Tokyo governors, including even rightist Ishihara Shintaro, have sent eulogies to the annual ceremony.
Governor Koike on August 25 at a regular press conference explained the reason for her decision not to send a message claiming that on several occasions to mourn those who died in the Great Kanto Earthquake and during the war, she paid tribute to “all” victims.
In the representations, the JCP said to a Tokyo government official that the governor’s refusal to send the message amounts to forgetting the history that Korean people were massacred based on approval of racial discrimination. The JCP pointed out that as the city hosting the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Tokyo should disseminate a message of peace, friendship, and respect for human rights across the world.
The official in reply said that he will convey the JCP demand to the governor.
Past related article:
> Tokyo Governor decides not to send annual condolences to Korean victims of 1923 quake [ August 25, 2017]
On September 1, 1923, a massive earthquake hit the Kanto region. In the aftermath of the quake, many groundless rumors such as “Koreans are poisoning the wells” were spread and thousands of Koreans and Chinese were reportedly slaughtered by the military, the police, and self-proclaimed vigilante groups. Commemorating the massacre victims, the organizing committee consisting of Korean residents’ groups and Japanese civil groups has conducted a memorial service annually on September 1 since 1973 in a park in Tokyo’s Sumida Ward where the massacre monument is located. Past Tokyo governors, including even rightist Ishihara Shintaro, have sent eulogies to the annual ceremony.
Governor Koike on August 25 at a regular press conference explained the reason for her decision not to send a message claiming that on several occasions to mourn those who died in the Great Kanto Earthquake and during the war, she paid tribute to “all” victims.
In the representations, the JCP said to a Tokyo government official that the governor’s refusal to send the message amounts to forgetting the history that Korean people were massacred based on approval of racial discrimination. The JCP pointed out that as the city hosting the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Tokyo should disseminate a message of peace, friendship, and respect for human rights across the world.
The official in reply said that he will convey the JCP demand to the governor.
Past related article:
> Tokyo Governor decides not to send annual condolences to Korean victims of 1923 quake [ August 25, 2017]
