This is only tangentially related to Kumamoto in that it pertains to rumors about foreigners that can spring up after a major natural disaster. In a previous article I wrote a bit about how, in comparison to the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami disaster, there was very little demonization of foreigners in Kumamoto:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1372592256147536
Another related issue we have discussed here is former Tokyo Governor Ishihara’s comments on the need to use the military to put down rioting foreigners (Sangokujin) in the event of an earthquake:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1201385006601596
The most infamous case of maltreatment of foreigners after an earthquake in Japan occurred after the devastating 1923 Kanto earthquake. Hundreds to thousands of Koreans (the numbers are being disputed), mixed in with people of other nationalities (including Japanese who were mistaken for Koreans) were massacred. As has happened with other ignominious events in Japanese history, some conservative politicians and authors try to minimize, deny, or ignore such events. Sadly, Koike seems to be in that category of politicians. It is worth noting, however, that even arch-conservative Ishihara, Koike’s predecessor, sent a eulogy for the victims of the massacre each year while he was governor.
If you’d like to know more about what Koike would prefer be forgotten, you may find the following links to be of interest:
The Great Japan Earthquake of 1923 http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-great-japan-earthquake-of-1923-1764539/
Yokohama recalls texts describing 1923 ‘massacre’ of Koreans https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/08/29/national/history/yokohama-recalls-texts-describing-1923-massacre-of-koreans/
Book Review The Great Kantō Earthquake, the Korean Massacre and its Aftermath: The Responsibility of the Japanese Government and People, by Shōji Yamada https://www.harvard-yenching.org/the-great-kanto-earthquake
All of these English sources site “6,000 or more” as the number of killed. On the following Amazon.co.jp page for a Japanese book by Shoji Yamada on the topic, the first reviewer says that the number of victims was “in the thousands” but that it’s no longer possible to know the exact figure.
Note that this book has four reviews: 2 five star and 2 one star. The one-star reviewers clearly don’t like the conclusion. One argues that the Koreans were a threat to Japan (implying that what happened was justified) while the other merely suggests reading a book that denies that the incident occurred at all.
Regardless of the range of numbers (hundreds to thousands), I think this was a very significant event that should be remembered so that it will not be repeated.
– Kirk
