170: The earthquake that turned Tokyo to ash

The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 was literally a picture of hell. Fires killed hundreds of thousands of people and sparked a witch hunt of Korean residents who were wrongfully blamed for the infernos. Alex K.T. Martin joins us to discuss the quake and how the scars left by the disaster shaped the course of Japan's future.
Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez.

On this episode:
Shaun McKenna: Articles | Twitter | Instagram
Alex K.T. Martin: Articles | Twitter
Read more:

• The Great Kanto Earthquake: A wall of fire, a picture of hell (Alex K.T. Martin, The Japan Times)
• Century since Kanto quake, expert warns of ‘blind faith’ in disaster resilience (Kathleen Benoza, The Japan Times)
• A documentary on the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 has unearthed Japan’s first ‘disaster footage’ (Kyodo)
• A diaspora remembers the disaster that forged it (Chitose Nakagawa, Kyodo)

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Photo: A child stands in front of the Hibiya Music Hall, which collapsed during the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake. | PUBLIC DOMAIN