Earthquake 1923 Great Kantō earthquake

desolation of nihonbashi , kanda seen roof of dai-ichi sogo building, kyōbashi

this earthquake devastated tokyo, port city of yokohama, , surrounding prefectures of chiba, kanagawa, , shizuoka, , caused widespread damage throughout kantō region. force great in kamakura, on 60 km (37 mi) epicenter, moved great buddha statue, weighs 93 short tons (84 t), 2 feet.

estimated casualties totaled 142,800 deaths, including 40,000 went missing , presumed dead. according japanese construction company kajima kobori research s conclusive report of september 2004, 105,385 deaths confirmed in 1923 quake.

the damage natural disaster greatest sustained prewar japan. in 1960, government declared september 1, anniversary of quake, annual disaster prevention day .

damage , deaths

destruction of area around sensō-ji temple in asakusa

because earthquake struck @ lunchtime when many people cooking meals on fire, many people died result of many large fires broke out. fires developed firestorms swept across cities. many people died when feet became stuck on melting tarmac. single greatest loss of life caused fire tornado engulfed rikugun honjo hifukusho (formerly army clothing depot) in downtown tokyo, 38,000 people incinerated after taking shelter there following earthquake. earthquake broke water mains on city, , putting out fires took 2 full days until late in morning of september 3.

a strong typhoon centered off coast of noto peninsula in ishikawa prefecture brought high winds tokyo bay @ same time earthquake. these winds caused fires spread rapidly.

the emperor , empress staying @ nikko when earthquake struck tokyo, , never in danger.

many homes buried or swept away landslides in mountainous , hilly coastal areas in western kanagawa prefecture; 800 people died. collapsing mountainside in village of nebukawa, west of odawara, pushed entire village , passenger train carrying on 100 passengers, along railway station, sea.

marunouchi in flames

a tsunami waves 10 m (33 ft) high struck coast of sagami bay, bōsō peninsula, izu islands, , east coast of izu peninsula within minutes. tsunami caused many deaths, including 100 people along yui-ga-hama beach in kamakura , estimated 50 people on enoshima causeway. on 570,000 homes destroyed, leaving estimated 1.9 million homeless. evacuees transported ship kanto far kobe in kansai. damage estimated have exceeded us$1 billion (or $14 billion today). there 57 aftershocks.

postquake violence

ethnic koreans massacred after earthquake.

the home ministry declared martial law , ordered sectional police chiefs make maintenance of order , security top priority. false rumor spread koreans taking advantage of disaster, committing arson , robbery, , in possession of bombs. anti-korean sentiment heightened fear of korean independence movement, partisans of responsible assassinations of top japanese officials , other activities. in confusion after quake, mass murder of koreans mobs occurred in urban tokyo , yokohama, fueled rumors of rebellion , sabotage. government reported 231 koreans killed mobs in tokyo , yokohama in first week of september. independent reports said number of dead far higher, ranging 6,000 10,000. newspapers reported rumors fact, including allegation koreans poisoning wells. numerous fires , cloudy water, little-known effect of large quake, seemed confirm rumors of panic-stricken survivors living amidst rubble. vigilante groups set roadblocks in cities, , tested residents shibboleth supposedly korean-accented japanese: deporting, beating, or killing failed. army , police personnel colluded in vigilante killings in areas. of 3,000 koreans taken custody @ army cavalry regiment base in narashino, chiba prefecture, 10% killed @ base, or after being released nearby villages. moreover, mistakenly identified korean, such chinese, ryukyuans, , japanese speakers of regional dialects, suffered same fate. 700 chinese, wenzhou, killed. monument commemorating built in 1993 in wenzhou.

metropolitan police department burning @ marunouchi, near hibiya park

in response, government called upon japanese army , police protect koreans; 23,715 koreans placed in protective custody across japan, 12,000 in tokyo alone. chief of police of tsurumi (or kawasaki accounts) reported have publicly drunk water disprove rumor koreans had been poisoning wells. in towns, police stations korean people had escaped attacked mobs, whereas in other neighbourhoods, residents took steps protect them. army distributed flyers denying rumor , warning civilians against attacking koreans, in many cases vigilante activity ceased result of army operations against it. in several documented cases, soldiers , policemen participated in killings, , in other cases authorities handed groups of koreans on local vigilantes, proceeded kill them.

amidst mob violence against koreans in kantō region, regional police , imperial army used pretext of civil unrest liquidate political dissidents. socialists such hirasawa keishichi (ja:平澤計七), anarchists such sakae Ōsugi , noe itō, , chinese communal leader, Ō kiten (ja:王希天), abducted , killed local police , imperial army, claimed radicals intended use crisis opportunity overthrow japanese government.

director chongkong oh made 2 documentary films pogrom: hidden scars: massacre of koreans arakawa river bank shitamachi in tokyo (1983) , disposed-of koreans: great kanto earthquake , camp narashino (1986). largely consist of interviews survivors, witnesses , perpetrators.

the importance of obtaining , providing accurate information following natural disasters has been emphasized in japan ever since. earthquake preparation literature in modern japan directs citizens carry portable radio , use listen reliable information, , not misled rumors in event of large earthquake.