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🇰🇷 South Korea /Elections & Politics

South Korean and Japanese Lawmakers Agree to Pursue Truth and Restore the Honor of Kanto Massacre Victims

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Fifteen current and former lawmakers from South Korea and Japan issued a joint statement pledging cooperation on investigating the 1923 Kanto massacre of Koreans.
  • They said they would collect and share records, establish victim lists and pursue restoration of victims’ and families’ honor.
  • A South Korean special law on the case is scheduled to take effect on December 31, creating a commission and supporting investigations, remains recovery and memorial projects.

South Korean and Japanese lawmakers have agreed to work together on a historical crime whose victims still have not been fully identified, 103 years after the Kanto earthquake and massacre.

Fifteen current and former lawmakers issued a joint statement at Japan’s House of Councillors building in Tokyo. They said legislators from both countries would cooperate with researchers, local governments and civic organizations to establish what happened and pass the history on to future generations.

The two countries’ lawmakers confirmed that they would work with researchers, local governments and civic groups to pursue efforts to establish the truth about the Kanto massacre of Koreans and pass its history on.

— South Korean and Japanese lawmakersThe joint statement set out the lawmakers’ commitment to investigate and preserve the history of the massacre.

The lawmakers also pledged to collect, preserve and study relevant records, share their findings, clarify the scale of the victims, improve victim registers and restore the honor of those killed and their families. They discussed calling for an apology from the Japanese government.

Determining the truth about a past event that caused a large number of deaths is necessary for historical justice and recovery.

— Lee Yong-sunThe South Korean lawmaker explained why the investigation should proceed.

The Kanto massacre took place amid the chaos following a magnitude 7.9 earthquake on September 1, 1923. Japanese soldiers, police and vigilantes killed thousands of Koreans and Chinese people, as well as socialists. Rumors, including claims that Koreans had poisoned wells, helped fuel the killings.

The Korean legislature passed a special law on investigating the massacre and restoring victims’ honor last year. It is due to take effect on December 31. The law will establish a committee to investigate the killings and support victims and bereaved families. It also provides for collecting and analyzing domestic and overseas records, recovering and repatriating remains, and creating memorial spaces and a history museum.

The purpose is not to punish or condemn anyone, but to restore the honor of the victims and their families, settle the unhappy history between Korea and Japan, and move toward the future.

— Lee Yong-sunLee described the intended purpose of the investigation.

South Korean lawmaker Lee Yong-sun said determining the truth was necessary for historical justice, not to punish or condemn anyone. Japanese lawmakers Sugio Hideya and Hideo Hiraoka said recognition of the facts was needed to counter historical revisionism and build trust between the two countries.

We need to establish the truth of history and have the Japanese government acknowledge it in order to prevent historical revisionism.

— Sugio HideyaThe Japanese lawmaker argued that official recognition was necessary.
About this summary

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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