On this day in 1911, the Japanese government executed twelve anarchists, including radical journalists Kanno Sugako and Kōtoku Shūsui (shown), as part of a widespread crackdown on left-wing activism. Among those executed were Uchiyama Gudō, a Buddhist priest and socialist who spoke out against the Meiji government for its imperialism and advocated for conscripted soldiers to desert en masse.

The pretext for this crackdown was the "High Treason Incident", a plot to assassinate the Emperor of Japan. The incident began when police searched the room of Miyashita Takichi, a young lumbermill employee, and found materials which could be used to construct bombs, concluding that there was a broader conspiracy to harm the imperial family.

On the basis of this plot, the Japanese government rounded up leftist activists from all over the country. 24 of the 26 defendants actually brought to trial were sentenced to death, despite the evidence against nearly all of them being circumstantial.

Among those executed anarcha-feminist journalist Kanno Sugako (some sources say she was executed on January 25th). At the age of 29, Kanno became the first woman with the status of political prisoner to be executed in the history of modern Japan.

Prior to his execution, Kōtoku Shūsui etched this message on the wall of his cell: "How has it come about that I have committed this grave crime? Today my trial is hidden from outside observers and I have even less liberty than previously to speak about these events. Perhaps in 100 years someone will speak out about them on my behalf."

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  • BigBoyKarlLiebknecht [he/him, comrade/them]
    ·
    9 months ago

    Learning about the ARkStorm

    Over the course of 30 days, these storms bring phenomenal amounts of precipitation. In ARkHist, much of the Sierra Nevada sees 40-55 inches of liquid equivalent (with a maximum of about 85 inches!); the Coast Ranges generally see 25-35 inches; and the Central Valley 10-25 inches; and Southern California anywhere from 15-25 inches along the coast to 25-35 inches in the Transverse Ranges. In ARkFuture, precipitation accumulations are even higher: much of the Sierra Nevada sees 55-70 inches of liquid equivalent (with a maximum of about 126 inches!!); the Coast Ranges generally see 30-45 inches; and the Central Valley 15-35 inches; and Southern California anywhere from 20-35 inches along the coast to 40-55 inches in the Transverse Ranges.

    I know everywhere is going to get screwed up by climate change, but I feel that California really underestimates what I fear is going to happen in the next couple of decades.