The governor sent a memorial service in 2016, his first year in office, but stopped doing so the following year. At a memorial service held by the Tokyo Memorial Association on the same day and at the same venue, the governor said, "Due to circumstances under which we were in extreme confusion following the earthquake disaster,
"It expresses our feelings of condolence to all those who lost their lives, including the victims," the statement has been explained as of the past. For the same reason, the statement will not be sent this year.
The ceremony's organizing committee released a statement, saying, "Mourning victims who lost their lives in natural disasters and mourning victims whose lives were taken by human hands have different meanings," and called for reconsideration.
During the Great Kanto Earthquake, in the midst of the chaos, rumors spread that "Koreans were rioting" and "they were poisoning the wells." In addition to the military and police, vigilante groups organized by civilians attacked Japan.
There were also incidents in which Koreans and Chinese living in the area were murdered. The exact number of victims in this incident, known as the "Korean Massacre," is unknown, but a report by the government's Central Disaster Prevention Council estimated that about 10
The death toll is estimated at between 1 and several percent of the total population of 50,000. Similar massacres occurred across a wide area, including Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa.
To commemorate the massacred Koreans, a memorial was held at Yokozunacho Park in Sumida Ward, Tokyo.
In 1973, a memorial monument for the Korean victims was erected in the park. Since the following year, a memorial ceremony has been held every year in the park, organized by the executive committee.
Previous governors of Tokyo sent messages of condolence to the ceremony, but Governor Koike, who took office in 2016,
Although they sent out memorial messages in the first year, they stopped doing so the following year. During a general question session at the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly in March 2017, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party pointed out that "the government should reconsider sending out memorial messages in the future."
Governor Koike, who was asked about the message, responded, "(In 2016) the secretariat sent it according to the standard," and, "In the future, I will carefully read it over and make an appropriate decision." Since 2017, she has not sent any messages of condolence.
Governor Ike explained the reason for the ceremony, saying, "It is a grand memorial service being held by the Tokyo Memorial Association, and we are expressing our condolences to all the victims."
On the 1st of this month, the executive committee once again requested the governor to send a message of condolence.
Also, on the 5th, 83 volunteer faculty and staff members of the University of Tokyo, including historian Masaru Tonomura, a professor at the University of Tokyo Graduate School, filed a petition calling on Governor Koike to recognize the massacre as historical fact and to issue a statement of remembrance.
Professor Tonomura and others held a press conference on the 5th and said, "Governor Koike has stopped sending memorial messages and has not indicated her recognition of whether or not the massacre occurred.
"This is undermining confidence in the theory," he said. However, Governor Koike expressed her intention to postpone sending the document this year as well. On the 26th, the executive committee issued a statement in protest against the governor's response.
Chairman Yasuhiko said, "This is tantamount to saying that there is no need to commemorate the Korean victims of the massacre. It seems like they want to turn a blind eye to historical facts and pretend they never happened. It's a shameful history that they can't turn a blind eye to and run away from."
Events to commemorate Korean and Chinese victims are being held throughout the Kanto region, including Tokyo, Saitama, Gunma, Chiba, and Kanagawa, and according to the Tokyo Shimbun newspaper,
When the newspaper asked the five Kanto prefectures how the governors would respond if asked to do so, four prefectures - Ibaraki, Tochigi, Chiba, and Kanagawa - replied, "We will make a decision based on the content," while Gunma said, "If the question was 'what if,'
On the other hand, Saitama Governor Hiroshi Ohno said on the 27th that he was "positively considering" sending a message of condolence to a memorial ceremony for a Korean youth to be held by a civic group in Saitama City on September 4th.
" He said at a regular press conference on the 27th, "It pains me deeply to learn that a massacre of Koreans took place based on information about a demonstration."
The event commemorates Kang Dae-hoon (24 at the time), who was killed by a vigilante group in the former village of Katayanagi (Minuma Ward, Saitama City) shortly after the Great Kanto Earthquake.
The memorial service is being held at Joshinji Temple in the city's Minuma Ward. The executive committee has asked Governor Ohno to send a message of condolence. If it is actually sent, it will be the first time that Governor Ohno has sent a message of condolence regarding the massacre of Koreans. Tokyo Shimbun
According to the explanation given by the prefecture, a different organization had made a request last year, but as it was just before the ceremony, they were unable to consider it in time and did not send it.
"This is a different stance from that of Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, who has continued to postpone sending the document," he said. "Experts have evaluated that 'the most effective way to prevent massacres and discrimination is through public statements and official statements from politicians,'" the report said.
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2024/08/29 15:23 KST
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