The took place in 1923 in the aftermath of the Great Kantō earthquake. The Kameido police in Tokyo arrested labor activists, in fear that they would spread disorder. Troops of the 13th Cavalry Regiment proceeded to execute the prisoners and to dispose of the bodies. Koreans were also targeted, as it was thought they were planning to overthrow the government. Across Tokyo and Yokohama it is estimated that 6000 Koreans were murdered. Joshua Hammer, writing in the Smithsonian magazine, tells us the Kanto earthquake "accelerated Japan's drift toward militarism and war."

Background

On September 1, 1923, the Great Kantō earthquake struck

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

and

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...

and martial law was imposed in the aftermath of the earthquake. On the evening of September 3, the Kameido police in Tokyo began arresting known social activists, suspecting that they would "spread disorder or forment revolution amid the confusion". During the mass arrests, police arrested union leader Hirasawa Keishichi, and Nakatsuji Uhachi, a member of the Pure Laborers' Union. The Special Higher Police arrested seven members of the Nankatsu Labor Association. Army troops detained an eighth member of the association, Sato Kinji. Between late at night on September 3 and September 5, troops of the 13th Cavalry Regiment on emergency duty in Kameido shot and decapitated Hirasawa and nine others. They disposed of the bodies, together with those of

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

and

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

massacre victims, along the banks of the Arakawa drainage canal. As many as 6000 Koreans were murdered due to the suspicion, founded or not, that they would use the civil unrest of the earthquake to overthrow the Japanese government. The police issued an official notice on October 14, claiming that troops had shot the men because they were agitating prisoners. The following year, the Liberal Lawyers' Association and union leaders worked to bring the facts to light and establish responsibility, with partial success. Police claimed to have cremated the remains of the victims. With no remains to bury, a memorial service was held in February 1924.

Victims of the Kameido Incident

* * Kawai Yoshitora *Kato Koju *Kitashima Kichizo *Kondo Kozo *Nakatsuji Uhachi *Sato Kinji *Suzuki Naoichi *Yamagishi Jitsuji *Yoshimura Koji

Background

Victims of the Kameido Incident

See also

References

Further reading