[O-07] Poster presentations by senior high school students

[O07-P42] Confusion of the people in the northwestern area of Saitama Prefecture due to rumors after the 1923 Kanto Earthquake

*Miharu Shinoda¹ (1.Sakae Higashi High School)

Keywords:The 1923 kanto Earthquake, False rumor , The northwestern area of Saitama Prefecture

In the northwestern area of Saitama Prefecture, no damage was caused by the 1923 Kanto Earthquake. But a massacre of Koreans occurred due to false rumors in these areas. In this study, we surveyed stone monuments and other literature. In the Ohara grave of Yukokuji Temple located in Kumagaya City, Saitama Prefecture, there is a stone monument for the 1923 Kanto Earthquake. It says that a false rumor occurred and people were confused. According to Matsubara (2013), on September first after the main shock, the trains and telegraphs stopped between Tokyo and Urawa. On September third, an extra newspaper had false information about Koreans and it spread to many areas. The newspaper said that Koreans set on fire. As a result, about 150 Koreans were killed in Kumagaya and Honjo Cities in Saitama Prefecture. Later it was found that the rumor was false. Today still with the development of technology, life has become very convenient. But the false rumors are likely to occur. That is why, more than ever, we need to think about the credibility of the various information we get in our daily lives, and we should deal with emergencies calmly so that we will not be misled by false rumors.