Sekihotai
Encyclopedia
The was a group of Japanese political extremists in the Bakumatsu, the Japanese civil war in the 1860s. The term also refers to the 1980s group. A reporter, Tomohiro Kojiri, was killed and another was injured when a gunman used a shotgun and fired at the Hanshin Bureau of the Asahi Shimbun
in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture
.
In February 2009, a group claiming to be Sekihōtai, sent threatening messages to a NHK news anchor.
was the captain of the first unit. The captain of the Sekihōtai's second unit was the former captain of the Shinsengumi
's ninth unit, Suzuki Mikisaburō (Itō Kashitarō's younger brother).
The Sekihōtai traveled the countryside spreading news about the upcoming change of regime. The Meiji government had made promises such as tax cuts that could not be kept, so they blamed it on the Sekihōtai, calling them a "false army". While Sagara and members of the first unit were arrested and sentenced to death, Suzuki and the second unit continued to serve the Ishin Shishi (Patriots). As for the members of third unit, many were executed due to their plundering behavior.
and prime minister Noboru Takeshita
, citing as cause the changes made to textbooks about World War II
. The actions of the Sekihōtai have been listed as evidence that the Japanese political right-wing extremists are becoming more violent.
The case was named Metropolitan Designated Case 116. The statute of limitations
on the crimes ran out in March 2003, but supralegal investigation continues still now.
Asahi Shimbun
The is the second most circulated out of the five national newspapers in Japan. Its circulation, which was 7.96 million for its morning edition and 3.1 million for its evening edition as of June 2010, was second behind that of Yomiuri Shimbun...
in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture
Hyogo Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is Kobe.The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as Hiogo.- History :...
.
In February 2009, a group claiming to be Sekihōtai, sent threatening messages to a NHK news anchor.
1860s group
The Sekihōtai had three units. Sagara SōzōSagara Sōzō
, real name , was the commanding officer of the Sekihōtai. After the battle of Toba and Fushimi, in 1868, it constitutes a civilian squad made principally of farmers and merchants....
was the captain of the first unit. The captain of the Sekihōtai's second unit was the former captain of the Shinsengumi
Shinsengumi
The were a special police force of the late shogunate period.-Historical background:After Japan opened up to the West following U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry's visits in 1853, its political situation gradually became more and more chaotic...
's ninth unit, Suzuki Mikisaburō (Itō Kashitarō's younger brother).
The Sekihōtai traveled the countryside spreading news about the upcoming change of regime. The Meiji government had made promises such as tax cuts that could not be kept, so they blamed it on the Sekihōtai, calling them a "false army". While Sagara and members of the first unit were arrested and sentenced to death, Suzuki and the second unit continued to serve the Ishin Shishi (Patriots). As for the members of third unit, many were executed due to their plundering behavior.
1980s group
Recently, the name Sekihōtai refers to a 1980s political group of a similarly extreme, though less military, bent. The full name of the group was Nippon Minzoku Dokuritsu Giyugun Betsudo Sekihōtai, which translates roughly as Blood Revenge Division of the People's Partisan Corps Working for the Independence of the Japanese Race. This group was responsible for the death of a reporter as well as several threats against the lives of former prime minister Yasuhiro NakasoneYasuhiro Nakasone
is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from November 27, 1982 to November 6, 1987. A contemporary of Brian Mulroney, Ronald Reagan, Helmut Kohl, François Mitterrand, Margaret Thatcher, and Mikhail Gorbachev, he is best known for pushing through the privatization of...
and prime minister Noboru Takeshita
Noboru Takeshita
was a Japanese politician and the 74th Prime Minister of Japan from November 6, 1987 to June 3, 1989.Takeshita was also the last Prime Minister during the long rule of the Emperor Shōwa.-Early years:...
, citing as cause the changes made to textbooks about World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The actions of the Sekihōtai have been listed as evidence that the Japanese political right-wing extremists are becoming more violent.
The case was named Metropolitan Designated Case 116. The statute of limitations
Statute of limitations
A statute of limitations is an enactment in a common law legal system that sets the maximum time after an event that legal proceedings based on that event may be initiated...
on the crimes ran out in March 2003, but supralegal investigation continues still now.
Fiction
- In the mangaMangaManga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
and animeAnimeis the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
Rurouni KenshinRurouni Kenshin, also known as Rurouni Kenshin and Samurai X, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The fictional setting takes place during the early Meiji period in Japan. The story is about a fictional assassin named Himura Kenshin, from the Bakumatsu who becomes a wanderer to...
, Sagara SanosukeSagara Sanosukeis a fictional character from the Rurouni Kenshin manga and anime series created by Nobuhiro Watsuki. He is known as Sanosuke Sagara in the English adaptation of the anime and is nicknamed Sano...
was once a member of the first unit, and repeatedly refers to Sagara SōzōSagara Sōzō, real name , was the commanding officer of the Sekihōtai. After the battle of Toba and Fushimi, in 1868, it constitutes a civilian squad made principally of farmers and merchants....
, who is a character in the series.