The state used the turmoil surrounding the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake as pretense to round up Itō and Ōsugi . According to writer and activist Harumi Setouchi , Itō , Ōsugi , and his 6 year old nephew were arrested , beaten to death and thrown into an abandoned well by a squad of military police led by Lieutenant Masahiko Amakasu . According to literary scholar Patricia Morley , Itō and Ōsugi were strangled in their cells . This was called the Amakasu Incident and it sparked much anger . In 1924 , two attempts were made on the life of Fukuda Masatarô , the general in command of the military district where Itō and Ōsugi were murdered . Wada Kyutaro , and old friend of the deceased , made the first attempt shooting at General Fukuda but merely wounding him . The second attempt involved bombing Fukuda 's house , but the general was not home at the time
1923 Great Kantō earthquake
1923 Great Kantō earthquake
Anarchism in Japan