Great Kantō Earthquake Devastates Tokyo Region

A magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck the Kantō region at 11:58 AM on September 1, 1923, when charcoal cooking fires were lit across Tokyo and Yokohama. The resulting fires, combined with building collapse and tsunami, killed approximately 105,000–142,000 people. Mass panic triggered ethnic massacres of Korean residents by vigilante groups and military, with 6,000–10,000 Koreans killed. The disaster necessitated Japan's largest urban reconstruction until WWII.