027 Murder in Kanda: Yamamoto Senji, a critic of oppressive laws, was killed in 1929 by a nationalist who demanded his resignation and suicide.
Description
Kuroda Koichi, born in Kakishima Village as the second son of village council member Kuroda Tanezaburo, was a bright student whose academic aspirations were curtailed due to family financial difficulties. He began working as a servant at the village office and later, in 1909, moved to Korea with a school principal, taking up various jobs, including laborer and transport worker. His association with the Kimura Group led him to the right-wing organization Shichisei Gidan, where he was involved in distributing their newspaper.
In 1929, following the forced passage of the Peace Preservation Law amendment, Kuroda targeted Yamamoto Senji, a Labor-Farmer Party member who opposed the law. Kuroda accused Yamamoto of being a communist and disrespectful to the emperor, demanding his resignation and suicide. When Yamamoto refused, Kuroda fatally stabbed him at the Kōeikan inn.
Kuroda surrendered immediately, claiming self-defense and denying any affiliation with Shichisei Gidan. However, the group's newspaper had previously criticized Yamamoto and others, suggesting a broader conspiracy. While some police officials appeared sympathetic to Kuroda, prosecutors pursued murder charges, resulting in a 12-year prison sentence. He was released after six years, an unusually lenient outcome.
Post-release, Kuroda worked in Korea and Manchuria before returning to Japan after World War II. He lived a modest life, rarely speaking of his past. Later accounts suggest he believed he was promised rewards for assassinating Yamamoto but was abandoned by those who encouraged him. Some researchers speculate that a high-ranking official, possibly Ryūjirō Ōkubo, was the mastermind behind the assassination. Kuroda eventually died in a psychiatric hospital.
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