Tokyo service commemorates 700 Chinese murdered following 1923 Kanto quake

A memorial service was held in Tokyo on Sunday, marking the 101st anniversary of Chinese victims who were killed following the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake in Japan.

During that tragic event over 100 years ago, more than 700 Chinese people in Japan survived the earthquake, only to meet their deaths in a bloody massacre perpetrated by the Japanese military, police and militaristic thugs. Some extremists, influenced by militaristic ideology and strong xenophobic sentiments, deliberately fabricated excuses to carry out a massacre of innocent Chinese people.

Over the past 11 years, family members of the victims have been working tirelessly between China and Japan to seek justice. They have organized and participated in more than 40 meetings and attended more than 20 memorial services at the massacre sites in Japan. They have repeatedly submitted petitions and demands to the Japanese government to express their strong determination and deep dissatisfaction.

"We, the families, persist because we have yet to receive a clear apology, and this matter remains unresolved," said Zhou Songquan, a representative of the families of Chinese victims.

On behalf of the victims' families, Zhou extended their gratitude to the conscientious Japanese people from all walks of life, who have spent years dedicating tremendous efforts to comfort the souls of the victims and are committed to uncovering the truth and pursuing justice.

"By holding such memorial events, we hope to revisit that period of history and help more people understand and recognize the truth of the tragedy. Our purpose is not to perpetuate hatred, but to prevent the recurrence of such tragedies and to better create the future," said Zhou.

"We hope that the Japanese government can truly take up its political and moral responsibilities, seriously address and properly handle the relevant historical issues, and demonstrate its commitment to reflecting on history through concrete actions," he said.

Liu Sipan, counselor of the political division at the Chinese embassy in Japan, noted that the immediate cause of the massacre was the malicious spread of rumors and the incitement of social panic, but the root cause lay in Japan's path towards militarism at the time, where extreme nationalism, xenophobia and anti-foreign sentiments prevailed.

This also set the stage for Japan's subsequent aggressive wars of invasion, which inflicted immense suffering on China and other Asian countries, she added.

"It is regrettable that, more than 100 years later, this tragic memory is fading in Japanese society. The Japanese government's stance on historical issues has regressed, and there are negative trends in Japan where the denial, distortion, and beautification of its history of aggression occasionally occur," said Liu.