"Japanese Man in His 50s Crashes into Mindan Building Opposing Yoon Bong-gil Memorial Hall"

Partial Damage to Parking Facilities at Ishikawa Prefecture Branch
Fortunately, No Injuries Reported

In Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture, located in central Honshu, Japan, an incident occurred where a person suspected to be a member of a Japanese right-wing group rammed a vehicle into the wall of the local branch of the Korean Residents Union in Japan (Mindan), an organization representing Korean residents in Japan. On the 3rd, Yonhap News reported, citing the local Japanese newspaper Hokkoku Shimbun and Mindan, that around 9 a.m. the previous day, a compact car driven by a Japanese man in his 50s collided with the Mindan building.

An incident occurred in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture, central Honshu, Japan, where a person presumed to be a member of a Japanese right-wing group rammed a vehicle into the wall of the local branch of the Korean Residents Union in Japan (Mindan), an organization of Korean residents in Japan. Photo by Yonhap News.

Fortunately, there were no casualties as no one was inside the Mindan building at the time of the incident. The man responsible for the accident reportedly admitted to the related charges during police investigation. A representative of the Ishikawa Prefecture branch of Mindan told Yonhap News, "The wall and the car bumper were not significantly damaged," but added, "Some parts of the parking lot facilities were damaged." He also noted, "Recently, the aggressive actions of some groups have heightened anxiety within the Korean community and the surrounding area."

Previously, crimes targeting Mindan local branches have occurred occasionally. In July 2021, an arson attack targeted the Aichi Prefecture branch of Mindan, and in December of the same year, a hammer was thrown at the Korean Hall in Higashi-Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, where Mindan and other organizations are housed, shocking the Korean community.

Meanwhile, Japanese right-wing groups are reportedly protesting around the Ishikawa Prefecture branch of Mindan in Kanazawa City in opposition to the planned opening of a memorial hall for Yun Bong-gil, scheduled for April in Kanazawa. Kanazawa is the place where Yun Bong-gil died for the country. A Mindan official stated, "We understand that the suspect mentioned committing the crime as a form of protest against the construction of the Yun Bong-gil Memorial Hall."