Noe Itō (伊藤野枝)

Japanese anarchist, social critic, author, novelist, translator and feminist.

Itō was the editor-in-chief of the feminist magazine "Seitō", although the magazine eventually folded due to lack of funds because the government would not let distributors carry it.

Beginning in 1916, Itō lived and worked with her partner and fellow anarchist Sakae Ōsugi, and continued to gain prominence as a feminist and anarchist writer. She was highly critical of the existing political system in Japan, which led her to call for an anarchism to exist in "everyday practice", namely that people should in various small ways seek routinely to undermine the kokutai (a sense of national body politic). Itō also translated anarchist writings into Japanese, including works of Emma Goldman.

Along with her partner Ōsugi Sakae and his six-year-old nephew,  she was murdered by military police. Their battered bodies are discovered four days later where they had been dumped in a well. This provoked outrage throughout Japan and became known as the 'Amakasu Incident' (甘粕事件 / Amakasu jiken) or 'Ōsugi Massacre' (大杉虐殺 / Ōsugi gyakusatsu). The killing of such high-profile anarchists, together with a young child, became a national controversy known as the "Amakasu Incident" (named after the leader of the squad). Lt. Amakasu was arrested and sentenced to ten years in prison for the murders, however he was released after serving only three years.