The Price of Identity: The 1923 Kantō Earthquake and Its Aftermath

Abstract

In the immediate aftermath of the devastating 1923 Kantō earthquake, hundreds—perhaps thousands—of Korean residents in Japan were massacred. Animosity toward Koreans was fueled by rumors of Korean wrongdoing after the quake. Some non-Koreans were murdered as well, but the details of the incident show that Koreans were the specific targets because of their distinct Korean identity, rather than simply because they were not Japanese. The Japanese colonial occupation of Korea provided the backdrop to this extreme example of the explosion of racial prejudice into violence, based on a history of antagonism. To be a Korean in 1923 Japan was to be not only despised, but also threatened and potentially killed.

Narrative of the Disaster

“…Prejudices are often accompanied by fears that are not necessarily dependent on objective threats and it can cause serious disasters in critical moments; just like what happened in Tokyo after the 1923 earthquake: massacre of hundreds of Koreans, not because of their non-Japanese otherness, but specifically due to their positive identity as Koreans, which was associated with prejudices in Japanese consciousness. Rumors were spread about murders and robberies committed by them, and it was the satisfying character of rumors which revealed hostilities and fears (Allen, 1996). Similarly, Iran government perceives minorities as risks for national security and a challenge for national cohesion.…”

Response to My Critics

“…Such a keen awareness of the ‘Janus‐faced’ nature of social capital is a welcome correction to the sometimes proselytizing tone that characterizes much of the social capital literature.” Scholars set on seeing social capital as a panacea should keep these outcomes and the difficulties they caused during the difficult recovery periods in the Gulf Coast and Tamil Nadu in mind. Other experts have looked at the massacre of Koreans in Tokyo following the 1923 earthquake because of false rumors that they had poisoned wells or taken action to harm fellow survivors (Allen, ; Ryang, ). It is difficult to deny that at times man's inhumanity to man has been catalyzed by the fear and destruction wrought by earthquakes, floods, and other disasters, and that this violence has been directed against the Other.…”