Participants press their hands together and bow in front of the memorial = in Honjo City
On September 1, a memorial service was held for Koreans who were massacred in Saitama Prefecture due to rumors related to the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. This year, which marks the 101st anniversary of the earthquake, services took place in Kumagaya and Honjo cities, as well as in Kamisato Town, which had the highest number of victims. In January, a man from Saitama Prefecture was arrested for spreading false information related to the Noto Peninsula earthquake, highlighting the persistence of rumors spreading online during disasters including typhoons. The attendees reflected on the heavy lessons of history connected to modern society. (Hiroshi Sugawara)
According to an investigative report by a committee represented by historians, lawyers, and doctors titled “The Hidden History – The Great Kanto Earthquake and the Saitama Korean Massacre Incident,” the confirmed victims include 57 from Kumagaya, 88 from Honjo, and 42 from Jinbohara (Kamisato Town), totaling 193 victims in the prefecture when combined with other areas. When including those victims whose testimonies could not be confirmed, the estimated number of victims in the prefecture ranges from 223 to 240.
At the time, rumors that Koreans had “poisoned wells” and “set fires” were amplified in newspaper articles. It is believed that government and prefectural announcements urging vigilance against Koreans contributed to the massacres.
On the other hand, regarding the Noto Peninsula earthquake, in July of this year, the Ishikawa Prefectural Police arrested a man from Yashio City on suspicion of obstructing business by falsely posting rescue requests on social media. Criticism has arisen from disaster victims, asserting that “if the misinformation had not confused rescue efforts, lives could have been saved.”
In Honjo City, a memorial service hosted by the city was held in the morning at Nagamine Cemetery, where the memorial is located, with about a hundred attendees from relevant organizations. Mayor Shin’ge Yoshida raised an alarm, stating, “In the face of the vast damages caused by disasters such as the Noto Peninsula earthquake, we must do everything we can to avoid human disasters triggered by natural calamities.”
Following the event in Honjo City, there was also a town-hosted memorial service held in the morning at Anjyoji Temple in Kamisato Town, attended by just under 100 people. Mayor Hirokazu Yamashita reflected in front of the attendees, “I was born in Jinbohara where the incident occurred, and my mother, who informed me about the incident in junior high, taught me that ‘this must never happen again.'”
Participants offering flowers = in Kumagaya City
In Kumagaya City, on the afternoon of the same day, a memorial service hosted by the city was held at the city-operated crematory facility “Memorial Saiun” near the prayer tower, where around 140 attendees offered flowers. Mayor Tetsuya Kobayashi stated in his memorial address, “I pledge that we will not repeat past mistakes, and I hope we can learn from them.”