Japan Press Weekly

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2019 September 11 - 17 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Rally held to not forget lessons learned from 1923 massacre of Koreans in Tokyo

A rally took place in Tokyo on September 15 to pass on to the future generations lessons learned from the massacre of Koreans in the chaos following the Great Kanto Earthquake in September 1923.

At the rally, Shin Changu, professor at Hosei University Faculty of Social Sciences, gave a lecture on the tragic event. He pointed out that the mass slaughter was committed both by vigilantes and law enforcement officials and that the victims’ point of view is essential in determining who should take the responsibility for the slaughter.

Shin noted that the Kanto Martial Law Enforcement Headquarters, which was set up in the wake of the 1923 earthquake, included a person who had played a leading role in the violent crackdown on independence movements in Korea under Japan’s colonial rule. He also said that many infantry regiments across Japan had experiences of being deployed to the Korean Peninsula to carry out bloody crackdowns on independence activists. Shin pointed out that it was no coincidence that the great earthquake was followed by the mass slaughters of Korean by saying, “The tragedy was a result of Japan’s history as a ruler over Koreans.”

In addition, Shin stated, when trying to understand colonial rule under imperialism, it is crucial to comprehend the viewpoints of both invaders and victims. In particular, he went on to state, in dealing with the severity of colonial rule and the issue of justice, the victims’ point of view is especially important.

The rally was organized to launch an action to remember the lessons learned from the 1923 massacre of Koreans after the Great Kanto Earthquake. A declaration published in the rally states that with the 100th anniversary of the 1923 massacre in mind, the action was started with the aim of contributing to settle issues related to the history of colonial rule and establishing a true friendship between Japan and the Korean Peninsula.

Past related article:
> 1923 massacre of Koreans was due to groundless rumors spread by gov’t [September 2, 2017]