Shin-Okubo Station memorial plaque · Lee Soo-hyun and Shiro Sekine
A Japanese–Korean plaque remembering Lee Soo-hyun and Shiro Sekine, who died trying to rescue a person who fell onto the tracks at Shin-Okubo Station in 2001. A quiet place of remembrance within an everyday station.
At a glance
- Location
- Stairs and passage inside JR Shin-Okubo Station
- Line
- JR Yamanote Line
- Station enquiries
- JR East 050-2016-1600
- Visiting
- Ask station staff about access and ticket gates
Checked · 2026.10.27
Shin-Okubo Station memorial plaque · Lee Soo-hyun and Shiro Sekine
A Japanese–Korean plaque remembering Lee Soo-hyun and Shiro Sekine, who died trying to rescue a person who fell onto the tracks at Shin-Okubo Station in 2001. A quiet place of remembrance within an everyday station.
Whom the plaque remembers
On January 26, 2001, Korean student Lee Soo-hyun and photographer Shiro Sekine lost their lives trying to rescue a man who had fallen onto the tracks at Shin-Okubo Station. The plaque honours both men’s courage and actions. Reading the two names together, rather than describing this as a memorial to only one person, better reflects its meaning.
Finding it inside the station
Shin-Okubo is a JR Yamanote Line station, separate from JR Okubo Station. The plaque is in the station’s stairway and passage area. If visiting only to see it, ask staff first about its location and how to pass the ticket gates. Do not tap a transit card on the assumption that access is free or an admission ticket unnecessary.
Pausing to read
This is a busy station passage. Keep luggage and your group clear of the flow of pedestrians and read briefly. Looking at the Japanese and Korean inscriptions together helps explain how the two men’s actions are remembered. Take photographs without obstructing others or intruding on their faces and movement.
Exchange continuing from remembrance
Activities remembering Lee Soo-hyun have extended beyond memorial visits to the LSH Asia Scholarship Association supporting international students, and exchanges between young people in Korea and Japan. Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also documents his actions and later exchange activities. Reading the small station plaque in that wider context makes the purpose of a visit clearer.
The November 2025 evening visit
On November 7, 2025, the travellers visited the plaque after dinner in Shin-Okubo instead of boarding a train immediately, then took the Yamanote Line back to Nippori. Distinguish the personal reflections from that evening from the station’s current rules for movement and ticket-gate access.
Take a look around
Photographed in November 2025The story behind this place
After Miyu’s birthday,
a quieter few days in Tokyo
Before the train home, a pause at the memorial
Before our final journey of the day, we did not go straight to board a train. As soon as we entered Shin-Okubo Station, we first sought out a place we knew was there: the memorial to Lee…
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