FreeHoshino! #185
Demonstration Surrounded The At eleven in the morning on September 28, lawyers of defense for Hoshino gathered at the Tokyo High Court, and presented objections. On the other hands, they submitted Fumiaki Hoshino's spirited statements. Now our challenge has begun. At noon, one hundred people who have a strong determination to get Hoshino back gathered at Kasumi-gate of Hibiya Park. At first, Akiko Hoshino appealed, "Fumiaki is innocent. He is creating the field for breaking the indefinite prison term. To bring him back, let us stay active!"
The JR Doro Chiba Workers' Union members began a twenty-four hours strike to demand calling off outsourcing and fake contract work. They are fighting with pride for complete safety of the train vehicles, and driving the JR company into the corner. This battle is also to show the reality of the 25 million workers who had bounced by the privatization and separation of the Japan National Railways in 1987, and break the reality and change the system.
September 17 was our 26th wedding anniversary though we couldn't meet on the day. It was a holiday, and there was no service for meetings with prisoners. (You can't visit prisoners on Saturdays, Sundays or Holidays by the regulation of Ministry of Justice.) I celebrated alone with drinking sake in a hotel room while a typhoon was facing Tokushima. Next morning, it was sunny, and I was able to meet Fumiaki. At first I read my three new poems for him. He enjoyed them and said, "I feel as if I touched directly your feelings. Especially the one named <On my mother's back> is the most impressive to me." "I got a letter from Shiori Mutsumuro." He continued. "She seems like to take your poems as an precept for her life. She said that the last part* of the poem was reflection of your mind to me. She is modest, but has an inner strength I think." Shiori is now her 20's. She is a left-wing activist, and married to Terumasa Uchida who is living in Okinawa for Peace Activity in the prefecture. Terumasa had been in a jail for a while. They had been imprisoned by our peace activities. I presented a poem by reading it at their wedding reception. Crash through the walls of the jail Take you back with the people Picturing the day to ourselves "I wish I could see Terumasa Uchida directly. I envy you that you can see anyone. Even so, I am doing everything as far as I can do here. I am sure that I am convinced these months that I can fight for overturning my life imprisonment." Only One Thing I Take Great Offence Is Capitalism September 9 was the second day of this meeting. I intended to listen to his true feelings instead of talking, and he talked to me a lot this time. "While fighting against being life imprisonment, I could not get what I had to do for that, and writhed in agony. I suffered from depression for five years by the pressure I got from a death sentence in 1979." One of left-wing organizations called Chukaku-ha, which Fumiaki was belonging to, could not help him out of the prison, and it was the reason of the depression, but Fumiaki thought that it was his fault, and believed that he should have done something more about it. He thought that it was beyond his ability, which caused his depression. "Despite of the depression, I found things that I might get along with something I could not do before, and I became more relaxed over time. Of course I have been happy being with Akiko as well." "I have identified our enemy. It is capitalism. It places top priority on desire. I feel my blood is boiling, and that's something we must have been fighting against, in order to change our society. A Memorial Day We Took a Great Step September 20 was the third day to see Fumiaki. Recently Fumiaki read a book written by Clara Schumann, wife of the composer Robert Schumann. The book encouraged him. "I would live with Akiko with a fresh mind in spite of the limitation we have." Fumiaki continued, "When I held out my hands while I was in unaccustomed situation in the jail, there was a person who shook my hands, and it was you, Akiko. It was a bravest act to me that she took herself into the very difficult spot. You chose a hard life, but it cultivated our love and bond." He tried to learn more and more about the conviction. Then he contacted a few members of Doro-Mito and Doro-Chiba. This led to a big progress. His fighting in the 1970's through present days is appreciated among the youth, too. It is also evident in a book called "Nakayama Article" written by Nakayama, a left-wing activist, that Hoshino's long-term battle against the conviction is significant. In these days, Zengakuren students were found not guilty, which implies possibility of Fumiaki's innocence. He is happy with the fact that his fighting has been known by young people like Mr. and Mrs. Uchida, students of Zengakuren who got married in June this year. That I presented them my poem at this couple's wedding must please Fumiaki, too. It must also make him happier that I said, I like myself who has been living with you for 26 years." It was a meaningful memorial day that we took another large step together. |
