Japan Press Weekly

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2015 May 20 - 26 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Petition calling for disclosure of the facts on 1923 massacre of Koreans in Tokyo submitted to Diet

A citizens group on May 20 submitted to the Diet a petition with about 3,000 signatures calling for disclosure of the facts pertaining to the massacre of Koreans in Tokyo after the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake.

The group has been working for the disclosure of information about the incident, an actual condition survey, and preservation of related documents and materials. Japanese Communist Party lawmaker Ikeuchi Saori (House of Representatives) met with them and gave a speech in support of their efforts.

Amid the chaos in the wake of the massive earthquake that hit Tokyo areas in September 1923, the then Japanese government circulated false rumors that “Koreans are rioting” and “Koreans have poisoned the wells”. As a result, thousands of Koreans were killed by the Japanese military and vigilante groups.

A 73-year-old Korean woman who lives in Chiba City said that her mother had survived the massacre. Her mother had told her that some Japanese had been marching around with a decapitated Korean head impaled on a bamboo spear. “I appreciate the efforts many Japanese friends have been making to uncover the truth. I hope both Japan and Korea will further develop good relations by keeping the past history in mind.”

In recent years, the Japanese textbook screening authority has been putting pressure on history textbook publishers to revise the accounts of the number of massacred Koreans from “It is said to be several thousand” to adding “But there is no commonly accepted number”.

Past related articles:
> Hidden history behind 1923 quake: communists killed by power [September 4, 2013]
> Memorial events held for Korean victims of 1923 massacre [September 2, 2013]
> Japan covered up 1923 massacre of Koreans [August 31, 2013]
> JCP demands halt to recall of supplementary text depicting 1923 mass murder of Koreans [August 15, 2013]