A ceremony has been held in Tokyo in remembrance of Koreans who were massacred by the Japanese military, police and civilians during the chaos of the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake.

A memorial committee including local civic groups hosted the hour-long event at Yokoamicho Park in Tokyo from 11 a.m. In light of the pandemic, attendance was limited to related figures and journalists only.

Japanese film director Yoji Yamada gave a speech saying the country must not forget that many Koreans who relocated to Japan met violent deaths due to discrimination and prejudice during the Kanto earthquake.

As the seven-point-nine magnitude tremor struck the Kanto region on Honshu Island on September 1, 1923, rumors spread that Koreans were starting a riot and poisoning village wells. 

According to records, over 66-hundred were killed by Japanese vigilantes and troops.