2024-08-20 03:00:00
After the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923, false rumors spread about Koreans rioting and setting fires, leading to many killings and injuries. The government has been criticized for not confronting the incident directly and for the Tokyo governor’s refusal to send condolence messages to the victims. What questions does the historical fact of genocide pose to us now? We spoke to non-fiction writer Naoki Kato (57), who investigates scenes of massacres of Koreans and hate speech on the streets of Tokyo. (Naoaki Nishida, Tomoyuki Morimoto)
The Korean Massacre during the Great Kanto EarthquakeIn the chaos that followed the outbreak on September 1, 1923, rumors such as “North Korean people’s riots” triggered the killing of North Koreans by the “Self-Defense Forces” composed of the people, the army and the police. The Chinese and the socialist Japanese were also victims. A report by the government’s Central Disaster Prevention Committee estimated that “one to several percent” of the roughly 105,000 people killed or missing in the earthquake were victims of the massacre, somewhere between 1,000 and several thousand. These sites cover a wide area, including Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba and Saitama prefectures.
◆Problems today, not 100 years ago
“This is an issue that is relevant today, not 100 years ago. Especially in the past 10 years, the memory of the Holocaust, which Japanese society has almost forgotten, has taken on significance.”
Kato emphasized in the interview: The driving force behind digging up forgotten historical facts and publishing “September, Tokyo Streets” in 2014 was the anger against the frequent hate demonstrations that occurred in Shin-Okubo, Tokyo the previous year.
“Kill the Koreans.” There were many discriminatory and abusive words in it. Kato felt that the situation was the same as the Great Kanto Earthquake. In his book, he describes the sites of massacres he visited in order to “tell the stories of the people there.” “If we allow hatred to go unchecked, it could ultimately lead to genocide. This sense of crisis was shared by local counter-protesters. Thanks in part to the legislation, we succeeded in suppressing hatred on a massive scale,” he said a decade later. Today, he is worried about “another dark cloud.” This is “Holocaust denial from above” (Mr. Kato), which is symbolized by the issue of the Governor of Tokyo not issuing a memorial letter to the victims.
The government has repeatedly been evasive about acknowledging the massacre, saying “no records have been found.” Kato retorted, “This is a shameless argument, ‘Forget about the Holocaust.’ It’s not even a negative argument,” Kato said, while expressing concern about the current situation.
◆Be wary of the statement “because it says black, it means black”
At the Kochi Prefectural Assembly meeting in September last year, Governor Hamada responded to the national government’s statement, saying, “I can’t find any records that can confirm the facts.” At the Suginami Ward Assembly meeting in October, Liberal Democratic Party members cited the government’s Viewpoint was used as a cover to criticize the district chief over the district’s stance on introducing the massacre of Koreans on a disaster prevention display board.
“Lack of imagination towards others can lead to racial discrimination,” said Tokyo’s Kato.
“The argument was, ‘It says black, so it’s black,'” Kato said. “If left unchecked, this could cause significant outrage, such as asking people not to provide space for gatherings related to the North Korean genocide, or asking the government not to participate in commemoration events,” he warned.
The shadow of historical revision looms over society. However, Kato explained, “This is not something that just started, it has been going on for 30 years.” “Fifty years after the war, Murayama made a statement apologizing for colonial rule and aggression. As a ‘countercurrent’, there was a blanket denial of comfort women, Nanjing massacre Historical revisionism of Japan’s negative history such as the massacre is rampant. Pretending that mass suicides and Korea’s former conscription never happened, denying the massacre of Koreans also falls into the same category.
In addition, regarding the current prevailing situation of “denial from above,” he analyzed, “Many politicians today, including politicians from the opposition parties, have acquired the value of revising history.” He continued. “I’m also concerned that there is a climate that accepts ambiguous revisions of history. A mature civil society should be telling the government, ‘Don’t say what you want to say.'”
◆The deep-rooted dark discrimination consciousness in society is revealed on SNS
As Mr. Kato said, the Great Kanto Earthquake is related to “now”. Whenever a disaster occurs, false rumors that incite discrimination against foreigners such as “poisoned well…” will attract attention. Recently, accounts claiming to be “self-defense forces” and criticizing the Kurds have also appeared on social media. Although the goals have changed, the same sense of discrimination that existed when the rumor emerged 100 years ago still lingers.
“There are numerous examples of the dark and deep-rooted consciousness of discrimination in society erupting on social media and other websites. Many people do not understand that the Kurdish issue constitutes racial discrimination, so they spread unfounded rumors such as “They are Kurds.” Did something wrong.
What needs to be done to avoid this discrimination?
“Don’t dehumanize others,” Kato preaches, considering them as “subhuman, inferior beings” given the discrimination that led to past wars and genocides. “The name ‘Futei Senjin’ might be one of them,” Kato said. What is needed to overcome racial discrimination is the ability to imagine people of different races as the same person.
◆Governor Koike has stopped writing condolence letters to his predecessor.
“People feel sad when a loved one dies, and feel pain when they go hungry. It’s the same even if you don’t understand the language. We must gradually acquire common sense and imagination about the nature of human nature, like muscles.”
On September 1, 2023, the Executive Committee of the Tokyo Japan-North Korea Association and others held a commemorative ceremony at Yokoamicho Park in Sumida Ward, Tokyo. People held hands to mourn the massacre of Koreans.
September 1st will mark the 101st anniversary of the earthquake. The annual memorial service for Korean victims will be held in Yokomo Park (Sumida Ward), but Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike will not send condolence letters from her previous governor for eight consecutive years. With the commemoration canceled, an organization called “Japanese Women’s Association Soyokaze” began holding meetings in 2017.
At last year’s rally in the park where the ceremony took place, people said things like “Go back to Korea” and “You’re trash.” This month, the remarks were deemed hate speech for the second time under the Tokyo Metropolitan Human Rights Ordinance, following a rally in 2019. I tried to ask him about this year’s gathering, but Soyokaze declined, saying, “I decline all interviews.”
On the other hand, efforts to resist discrimination and learn lessons are also expanding.
On the 27th of this month, a demonstration will be held near JR Shinjuku Station to demand that the capital recognize the history of the Holocaust. Following last year’s event, the event was jointly curated by Korean and Japanese university students living in Japan. Kim Hwan-ki, a 21-year-old college senior, said: “I want to create a place where we can get the facts to have a constructive conversation, rather than vaguely saying, ‘That was a thing of the past’ or ‘ I don’t care.
◆I felt scared and thought I was the one who was going to be killed.
Passing on history has traditionally been the responsibility of the generation most familiar with colonial rule and war, but since the younger generation is closer to people culturally through music and other means, I feel that “the threshold for communication has become lower.”
On September 1, 2023, people held a “crash” protest at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (back) in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
The Korea Museum holds an exhibition on the theme of earthquakes and massacres every September. This year, a small exhibition will be held reflecting on the massacre in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district, where the museum is located. Director Masato Tani (69) said: “Last year was the 100th anniversary, and we wanted to consolidate people’s growing interest. It makes sense to continue holding the exhibition.”
The younger generation is increasingly participating in the activities of the Hosenya, a comprehensive society that since 1982 has been commemorating the souls of the dead near the Arakawa River in Sumida Ward, where testimonies say many Koreans were killed and buried . Board member Shin Min-ja (74), a second-generation Korean living in Japan, said: “I often say that I want to write a thank-you letter to Mr. Koike because he reminds society of September 1.” Ironically. Frustratingly, they didn’t send a letter of condolence, but more importantly, it was because “I felt there was a force of unforgiveness at work.”
When Shin first learned of the massacre, he was horrified, thinking, “I’m the one who’s going to be killed.” But now, whenever politicians refuse to acknowledge the genocide and hate speech spreads, I think the Japanese people will too feel fear. “A Japanese kid told me, ‘Even if it wasn’t me, some other Japanese would probably kill me.'” In order to prevent someone from being killed, or to prevent someone else from killing someone, I had to ask someone who understood this question to help me, and I Want to increase the numbers,” he said.
◆Desktop memo
“Part Two” of the Great Earthquake has been removed from the Cabinet Office website. In April 2017, this type of message circulated on old Twitter. The report of the government’s Central Disaster Prevention Committee includes a study of the massacre and the number of victims. After the incident was reported, the Cabinet Office denied claims of intentional deletion at a press conference and resumed publication.You can still read it now.(Greetings)
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