Amakasu Incident

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Amakasu Incident

The Amakasu Incident was a deadly act carried out by the Japanese military police in September 1923, during the chaotic aftermath of the Great Kantō earthquake. The victims were Ōsugi Sakae, a leading anarchist; his partner Itō Noe, an anarchist feminist; and Itō’s six-year-old nephew, Munekazu Tachibana. The incident happened as the authorities were cracking down on dissidents and ethnic Koreans in what became known as the Kantō Massacre.

On September 16, 1923, Ōsugi, Itō, and Munekazu were arrested. There are varying accounts of how they were killed, but all agree that they were executed without a trial. Some reports say Ōsugi and Itō were beaten to death and thrown into an abandoned well, while others say they were strangled in their cells. The killings shocked many people and sparked widespread anger.

The case drew international attention because Munekazu had American citizenship, being born in Portland, Oregon. The U.S. Embassy stated that it could not intervene and emphasized the importance of a fair trial.

Masahiko Amakasu, a lieutenant, and four other Imperial Japanese Army soldiers were court-martialed. The defense argued that the killings were acts tied to soldierly duty and patriotism, intended to protect the country, and that the victims were traitors. The court, however, delivered relatively light punishments compared with the crime. Amakasu was sentenced to 10 years with hard labor; one accomplice received 3 years, and the others were acquitted. In August 1924, Amakasu’s sentence was reduced, and he was released in October 1926 due to amnesty.

Amakasu later studied in France and worked as a special agent for the army in Manchuria. After Japan’s surrender in 1945, he committed suicide by taking potassium cyanide.