Yuki Iiyama, FUNI, and Seira Shina no Mame Request Governor Koike to Resume Sending Memorial Messages to the Korean Victims of the Great Kanto Earthquake Memorial Ceremony
Artists including Yuki Iiyama and FUNI held a press conference requesting Tokyo Governor Koike to resume sending memorial messages to the Korean victims of the Great Kanto Earthquake.Summary
On August 26, 2023, a press conference was held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building by artists Yuki Iiyama, rapper and poet FUNI, poet Seira Shina no Mame, and others. They requested Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike to resume sending memorial messages to the Korean victims of the Great Kanto Earthquake Memorial Ceremony. Governor Koike has not sent such messages since 2017, marking the 10th consecutive year of omission. The speakers protested against censorship and historical denial by public authorities. Iiyama highlighted the 2022 cancellation of her video work 'In-Mates' by the Tokyo Human Rights Bureau, which depicted the massacre of Koreans during the Great Kanto Earthquake. FUNI criticized the omission of memorial messages as a denial of historical facts. Shina no Mame addressed the use of discriminatory language and hate speech, emphasizing the importance of freedom of expression and historical recognition.
(Source：Tokyo Art Beat)