South Korea: Japanese Christians apologise for a massacre 100 years ago

Mar 07, 2019

SEOUL: A group of 17 Japanese Christians visited the historic site of a 1919 church massacre by Japanese police force and army troops.

The pilgrims came to apologise on behalf of their country over the killing of 20 people on 15 April 1919 at the Jeam-ri Protestant Church in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province.

The incident was part of the harsh crackdown by Japanese authorities following the start of the March 1 Movement (Samil undong), a series of protests against the occupying forces, whose centennial South Korea marks this year.
Rev Reiji Oyama led the Japanese group in a prayer at the memorial built on the site. “Lord, this church is where the worst case was committed by Japanese officials during the colonial period,” the clergyman said.

“Japan at that time tortured and killed the villagers and set the church on fire just because they took part in the March 1 independence movement.”

After the prayer, the Japanese watched a video of the Jeam-ri massacre and listened to the testimony of a senior Korean pastor. Visitors bowed down to the chapel floor.

Some held a Korean-language banner reading “We deeply apologise for Japan’s colonisation of Korea. We’ll keep apologising until you say ‘Now that’s enough’.”

Oyama, 93, slammed Japanese politicians for refusing to express regret for the past. “Japanese politicians [. . .] have never apologised for this. It’s natural to apologise if you do something wrong. Lord, please forgive us, Japanese people,” the pastor said.

The visitors returned home after holding another prayer meeting for the massacre victims at a Protestant church in Yongin, just south of Seoul. -- Asia News