"Hate Korea"... Japanese Man Indicted for Setting Fire in Utoro District, a Joseonin Village

Approximately 50 Exhibition Materials Lost at 'Utoro Peace Memorial Hall'
Civic Group: "Hate Crimes Are Dangerous Not Only to Individuals but Also to Society"

The building in Utoro Village destroyed by arson committed by Arimoto on August 30. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Seohyun] A man arrested on suspicion of setting fire to the Utoro district, a Korean village in Kyoto, Japan, has been brought to trial.

According to Kyodo News on the 27th, the Kyoto District Public Prosecutors Office indicted Arimoto Shogo (22) on charges of arson of a non-residential building for setting fire to a house in the Utoro district. During police investigation, he reportedly stated that the reason for setting the fire was "because I hated Korea."

Utoro is a place where Korean laborers, who were mobilized by the Japanese military during the Pacific War to build an airfield, gathered and formed a collective residential area.

Arimoto is suspected of setting fire around 4:10 p.m. on August 30 to the floor of a vacant house in the Utoro district of Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture. Due to the fire he caused, seven buildings including houses and warehouses in the Utoro village were destroyed.

In particular, it is reported that about 50 valuable items, including the Seum signboard kept for exhibition at the Utoro Peace Memorial Hall by the 'Utoro Civil Fund Foundation,' which is composed of Zainichi Koreans, were lost in the fire.

The Utoro Peace Memorial Hall was built to showcase the history of Zainichi Koreans during the Japanese colonial period, with a total floor area of 450㎡ and three stories above ground, and is scheduled to open in April next year.

Meanwhile, it was revealed that Arimoto also set fire to the building of the Aichi headquarters of the Korean Residents Union in Japan (Mindan) on July 24, about a month before the Utoro arson. Regarding this incident, he was arrested by Aichi Prefectural Police in October this year and indicted last month by the Nagoya District Public Prosecutors Office on charges including property damage to a building.

In response, voices have been raised calling for prevention of hate crimes against Zainichi Koreans and for punishment from this perspective. The civic group 'Meeting Demanding Effective Hate Speech Countermeasures in Kyoto Prefecture and Kyoto City' issued a statement saying, "Hate crimes are dangerous crimes not only to individuals but also to society," urging that if the investigation results show the crime was motivated by discriminatory intent, it should be considered in sentencing, and that administrative bodies should actively respond to incitement of discrimination.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.