“Because it is a historical fact, we need to conduct more active research.”
Former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda (88 years old) attended the 101st Great Kanto Earthquake Korean Victims Memorial Ceremony held at the Korean Cultural Center in Tokyo on the 1st and made the following remarks in response to the suggestion that an investigation between Korea and Japan is necessary into the massacre of Koreans during the Great Kanto Earthquake.
On September 1, 1923, the Great Kanto Earthquake, a massive earthquake measuring 8.3 on the Richter scale, struck the Tokyo area. In the midst of the chaos caused by the earthquake, rumors spread that “Koreans were poisoning the wells,” and Japanese military police and civilians massacred thousands of Koreans. However, the Japanese government is ignoring the historical facts, saying, “No records have been found that can confirm the facts.”
Former Prime Minister Fukuda attended the Great Kanto Earthquake Memorial Ceremony for the first time as a prime minister from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. He said, “Unfortunately, Japanese people do not know the facts (about the massacre) well,” and “We must consider the pain of the past as pain and think about what will happen in the future.”
He continued, “Many scholars are currently conducting thorough research,” and added, “Let’s work together to help more people learn about it.”
The memorial service, hosted by the Korean Residents Union in Japan (Mindan) and sponsored by the Japanese Embassy in Korea, was attended by Japanese politicians from both the ruling and opposition parties, including Natsuo Yamaguchi, leader of the coalition Komeito Party, Akihisa Nagashima, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party, and Yoichiro Aoyagi, a member of the Constitutional Democratic Party. Joo Ho-young, chairman of the Japan-Korea Parliamentarians’ Union, and Yoshihide Suga, chairman of the Japan-Korea Parliamentarians’ Union and former Prime Minister, sent a wreath.
On the same day, Japanese civic groups held a memorial service at Tokyo’s Yokoamicho Park to honor the Korean victims who were massacred during the Great Kanto Earthquake. However, members of far-right groups gathered there and caused a commotion by holding up placards that read, “The massacre of 6,000 people is a lie,” and “Provide evidence.” Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, who has far-right leanings, has refused to provide a memorial address for the Korean victims requested by civic groups for the eighth year.
Tokyo = Correspondent Lee Sang-hoon [email protected]
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2024-09-02 08:27:21