Bloody May Day refers to a violent conflict that took place between protesters and police officers in the Kokyo Gaien National Garden in front of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan, on May 1, 1952. When a large crowd protesting the U.S.—Japan Security Treaty refused to disband, a bloody melee took place between protesters and police officers. Eventually the police officers opened fire on the crowd, killing 2 and injuring 22 with bullet wounds. Altogether, around 2,300 people were injured in the fighting.
Bloody May Day
Protesters battle with police in the "people's plaza"
An American-owned vehicle overturned by angry protesters
Front page of the Nippon Times on May 2, 1952
Security Treaty between the United States and Japan
The Security Treaty between the United States and Japan was a treaty signed on 8 September 1951 in San Francisco, California by representatives of the United States and Japan, in conjunction with the Treaty of San Francisco that ended World War II in Asia. The treaty was imposed on Japan by the United States as a condition for ending the Occupation of Japan and restoring Japan's sovereignty as a nation. It had the effect of establishing a long-lasting military alliance between the United States and Japan.
Security Treaty between the United States and Japan
"Bloody May Day": Protesters battle with police in Tokyo on May 1, 1952, in opposition to the continuation of U.S. military bases under the new Security Treaty.
