Workmen’s Memorial – Kurobe Dam, Japan
The Kurobe Dam, completed in 1963, was one of Japan’s most ambitious engineering achievements of the 20th century. Built between 1956 and 1963 in the Northern Alps of Toyama Prefecture, it earned the nickname “Construction Project of the Century.” But its success came at a steep human cost: 171 workers lost their lives during its construction.
To honor them, a Workmen’s Memorial was erected near the dam. It bears the engraved names of all 171 fallen workers and remains a site of quiet reverence.
At the heart of the memorial stands the “Six Workers” sculpture by artist Naoyuki Matsuda—a powerful tribute to the collective labor and dignity of those who made the project possible.
Bhopal Gas Tragedy
On the night of December 2–3, 1984, a toxic gas leak from the Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, killed an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people, with over half a million injured. Many victims were workers or residents living in the immediate vicinity