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Lebanon Deports Japanese Red Army (JRA) Members
[On March 17, 2000, Lebanon deported 4 members of the Japanese Red Army
(JRA) to Japan, despite previous public assurances that the militants
would not be handed over. The deportations came after secret
negotiations between Lebanese, Jordanian, and Japanese officials. A
fifth JRA member, Kozo Okamoto, who is regarded as a hero in Lebanon
and throughout the Middle East for his involvement in the armed
struggle against Israel, was given political asylum in Lebanon. The
four JRA members who were deported from Lebanon had converted to
Islam, in contradiction to their communist principles, in an effort
to please Lebanese officials. But to no avail. Money, in this case
yen, spoke louder than politics or religion. The following are
mainstream articles on this event. - Arm The Spirit]
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4 Red Army Members Flown Home From Lebanon;
Lebanon Grants Okamoto Asylum; Deportees Arrested
Four Japanese Red Army members expelled from Lebanon arrived at
Narita Airport after being detained by authorities upon their arrival
in Amman when Jordan refused them entry, following their deportation
by Lebanese authorities. Another member, Kozo Okamoto, was granted
political asylum in Lebanon on Friday, while the other members of the
guerrilla group were deported to Jordan before being flown back to
Japan the same day, the Lebanese government said.
The four are: Haruo Wako, 51; Masao Adachi, 60; Kazuo Tohira, 47; and
Mariko Yamamoto, 59.
On March 7, Okamoto, 52, and the four other members completed their
prison terms for using forged passports and other international
crimes.
At about 6:10pm, while Tohira was still on board the plane, a warrant
was issued for him to be held at the Tokyo Detention House. The three
others were also arrested on board the plane, according to the
Metropolitan Police Department.
After being released from a jail in Roumieh on the outskirts of
Beirut and another Lebanese prison on Friday afternoon, the four
deportees were taken to Beirut International Airport, where they were
flown to Amman, the capital of Jordan, a Lebanese deputy prime
minister said. About one hour later, the four arrived at Amman
airport, were refused entry, according to diplomatic sources, and
were transferred to an Aeroflot plane chartered by the Japanese
government. At about 6:00pm Friday, the aircraft left for Japan.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese government explained its decision to give
Okamoto political asylum by saying he was involved in the "battle
against Israel", and that he had serious handicaps, both mental and
physical, as a result of the torture inflicted on him while serving a
prison sentence in Israel.
In February 1997, Okamoto and the four others were detained by the
Lebanese authorities at a hideout in Beirut. The five were sentenced
to three years in prison for their crimes, and ordered to leave the
country after serving out their terms. In January, the five sought
political asylum in Lebanon. The Japanese government asked Lebanon to
extradite the five, insisting that the domestic Penal Code could be
applied to certain crimes, including theirs, committed by Japanese
overseas. Under this provision, Okamoto could be punished for taking
part in a May 1972 terrorist attack at Tel Aviv's Lod Airport that
killed 24 and injured 76.
The four others were wanted internationally on various charges,
including confinement, attempted murder, and forgery of sealed
documents. However, many Lebanese support the five, calling them
heroes in their struggle against Israel.
On March 1, the Lebanese government rejected Japan's request for the
extradition of the five. Lebanon's latest decision appeared to be
aimed at deporting the four to a third country other than Japan.
However, it now appears that the move to extradite the four to Japan
was made through a cooperative effort by Lebanon, Jordan, and Japan,
according to observers.
(Source: The Daily Yomiuri - Sunday, March 19, 2000)
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Government's Secret Efforts Net 4 Militants
The return home on Saturday of four Japanese Red Army militants
expelled by the Lebanese government was achieved as a result of
careful and secret operations conducted by the government with
relevant authorities. The Japanese and Lebanese governments are said
to have secretly planned the deportations to prevent other militant
groups from trying to recapture the leftists.
When Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Michel Murr
announced Friday night that Lebanon had deported the four to Jordan,
they were already on a plane out of that country and on their way to
Japan. The deportation was well-timed. Arab nations, including
Lebanon, have entered an important religious period called the Id
al-Adha (the feast of sacrifice), which lasts from Thursday to
Monday. During this time, the Lebanese public is less focused on the
news because most return to their hometowns to spend the holidays
with relatives. Many of the Arab newspapers are also closed on
Saturday.
The National Police Agency in Tokyo refused to comment on the
deportation Saturday morning, saying it was too soon to issue a
statement. The agency was also concerned about a possible attempt by
terrorists to recapture the Japanese, a police source said.
(Source: The Daily Yomiuri - Sunday, March 19, 2000)
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History Of Japanese Red Army (JRA)
The Japanese Red Army was formed in 1971 in Lebanon by Fusako
Shigenobou, 54, a senior member of the Red Army faction of the
extreme left-wing United Red Army, who left Japan to build bases
overseas.
The group drew international attention in May 1972 when three of its
members, including Kozo Okamoto, 52, fired automatic rifles
indiscriminately into the crowd at Tel Aviv's Lod Airport, killing 24
people. The group later seized the U.S. Embassy in Malaysia in 1975
in what has become known as the "Kuala Lumpur incident". It forced
the government to release five Red Army members, including Kazuo
Tohira, 47, after threatening to kill a number of hostages.
In September 1977, the group hijacked a Japan Airlines aircraft
flying over India and demanded the release of jailed Red Army members
and a ransom payment of $6 million. The government handed over six
prisoners, including 50-year-old Junzo Okudaira, through extralegal
means, after the group again threatened to kill hostages. The
decision was severely criticized both at home and abroad.
In April 1988, the Red Army detonated a bomb in Naples, Italy, but
has kept a low profile since.
(Source: The Daily Yomiuri - Sunday, March 19, 2000)
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Japanese Red Army Member Released In Lebanon With Political Asylum
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) March 21, 2000 - A member of the Japanese Red
Army who participated in a deadly 1972 airport attack in Israel left
a Lebanese prison Tuesday after being granted political asylum. Kozo
Okamoto was driven from the suburban Roumieh penitentiary east of
Beirut to the Justice Ministry in the capital. There, witnesses said
he was let go in the early evening and driven by supporters to an
unknown destination.
Okamoto had been jailed for three years along with four other Red
Army members for illegally entering Lebanon. The others, expelled
from Lebanon to Jordan on Friday, were arrested Saturday in Tokyo.
Japanese diplomats had met their plane in Amman and returned them.
The Japanese government, which wants to try the five on terrorism
charges, said Tuesday it plans to keep pushing Lebanon to extradite
Okamoto.
Okamoto, however, received papers earlier Tuesday that formally made
him Lebanon's first recipient of political asylum. Previously,
Iraqis, some Bahraini opposition members, and Kurds had been allowed
to stay in Lebanon by obtaining residence permits as would any
foreign worker. However, there was no category specifically for
political asylum. Under the new asylum regulations, recipients cannot
engage in any form of political activity. In 10 years, however,
Okamoto would be allowed to vote in Lebanese elections.
Formed in 1971, the Red Army was a shadowy ultra-leftist group that
carried out attacks including the 1972 shooting at Israel's Ben
Gurion airport that killed 24 people.
The Lebanese government announced it was granting Okamoto asylum last
week, saying he still suffered "from physical and psychological
injuries sustained while in Israeli prisons." Sayyed said Tuesday the
decision was also made "in recognition of (Okamoto's) active
participation in resisting with Lebanon against Israel."
The five guerrillas are considered heroes by many in Lebanon and the
Arab world for championing the Palestinian cause and opposing Israel,
which occupies a border zone in southern Lebanon.
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Okamoto Receives Asylum Certificate
BEIRUT - Japanese Red Army member Kozo Okamoto, freed Tuesday night
from a Lebanese prison, received formal certification of political
asylum Tuesday and left for an undisclosed destination. Okamoto, 52,
appeared nervous as he sat in the back of a patrol car that took him
to the General Security Department. He later received a card
certifying his asylum status from his chief lawyer, Bishara Abi-Saad.
Okamoto left the department in another car, and his lawyer said he
was with friends in a public facility - possibly a hospital or a
hotel - and under police protection. Meanwhile, Lebanon rejected a
second Japanese request for his extradition.
"Japan has again asked for Okamoto's extradition but Lebanon's
position has not changed. Okamoto has been given political asylum,"
Lebanese Prime Minister Selim al-Hoss told reporters after meeting
Japanese Ambassador Matsuhiro Horiguchi. Lebanon said it had granted
Okamoto asylum because he had attacked Israel, which occupies south
Lebanon.
Okamoto was sentenced to life imprisonment in Israel for taking part
in a May 1972 attack at Tel Aviv's Lod Airport. He was released in
1985 as part of a prisoner swap between Israel and Palestinian
guerrillas.
(Source: The Daily Yomiuri - Thursday, March 23, 2000)
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