FreeHoshino! #201
Tatsuo Suzuki, the lead attorney of Hoshino's retrial, was running for Governor of Tokyo. His campaign promises were 1) anti -war, 2) no more victims by nuclear 3) no poverty/ fatigue death 4) no Olympics in Japan and 5) no more cracking down on the innocent people. Suzuki is battling against such main problems. One million people who appreciating his beliefs. The members of The Hoshino Defense Committee were also giving their best to win for Suzuki, and 77 lawyers who gather for Disclosure of All Evidence recommends Suzuki. Akiko Hoshino has supported the campaign speech of Suzuki.
Their human rights violations, which also ignore the Constitution, is escalating further. Hoshino has been banned from writing sentence freely of New Year's greeting cards. The authority, in addition, prohibited his wife to bring a bouquet of flowers to the visiting room when she went to meet her husband in a prison. Being unreasonably attacked by the authority, the unity of the active supporters outside of the prison is strong that the New Year's cards from 350 people to Fumiaki indicate it. Fumiaki Hoshino has kept on fighting spiritually in collaboration with the young people who have stood up to live.
What prompted us to work on Hoshino was this. 18 years ago, I was asked to help one Christian member in Hokkaido through a member of Free Hoshino in Hokkaido. A son of the Christian member was incarcerated, and Free Hoshino helped set him free. Afterwards I began to cooperate with Free Hoshino. When I made a speech on the bible at the church in Oou district, I introduced members about Fumiaki Hoshino. Since then Social Committee of the church was assented holding Fumiaki's art exhibition in Iwate, and the administrating committee for the exhibition was formed. Our activity's style is based upon the activities of Martin Luther King Jr. and Pastor Osamu Taira in Okinawa. We feed people when they are hungry, give people drink when they are thirsty, offer rooms for travelers, clothe naked men, visit sufferers, and therefore visit prisoners. We must create a humanly society, just like what Fumiaki is saying.
Anger in Nago Mayoral Election, Okinawa Nago mayoral election had a head-on confrontation between the Japanese government and Nago city where Okinawa was about to be nullified by the government. It was a decisive battle and Okinawa won. However, the government has repeatedly announced their determination to push away the democratic rejection of Nago citizens who protect Henoko and bring in bulldozers forcibly in Henoko. As if that the government must not lose to a country mayor in Okinawa, one Defense official said, "The will of the authorities in Kasumigaseki and LDP is larger than the people's in Nago." The government has published signs for public bid and landfill plans. Block the New Base Construction I remember the smug look of Yoshinori Ohno, the Chief of the Japan Defense Agency when there was an announcement that new base proposal changed from the sea to coast, at the press conference. He said confidently, "This time I chose a place that the opponent cannot interfere anymore." He chose the safe place that is guarded tightly by the special law. If you get in the construction area of Camp Schwab, you will be immediately arrested by the law. This must be stopped by all means, but how? Blood is unavoidable if we fight against police. I wonder if Mr. Hoshino is free now, how he addresses this.
I said, "It must have been cold recently." "Not that much," said Fumiaki, "It's warmer this year though a cold wave came once. I have been studying, getting my feet warm in futon since it's permitted to prevent a cold." On the New Year's Day, they were served traditional new year food including zouni (rice cakes and vegetables with soup), some sweets and two mandarin oranges. Fumiaki said that when they have sweets he feels like lighten up. He watched the NHK Kohaku Utagassen (the singing battle of male singers vs. female singers). His impression of the program was that the show time was longer than actual singing, and he was a little disappointed because he wanted to listen to the songs. Even so he liked that Akihiro Miwa sang for Nagasaki, and the song "for you" by Mariko Takahashi. We are pleased to the allowable number of New Year's cards that he could write. It increased to ten sheets from seven, but we have to write the letters according to the sample phrases. According to Fumiaki, it's for reduction of the prison stuff to review. I said, "It must be influenced by privatization of prison work." Fumiaki said, "You are right." What a harsh disfavor that you cannot choose your own words freely for New Year's greetings. On the second day, I showed Fumiaki a bouquet Mr. Yamakawa gave us. He helped me drive to the prison. I recited the names of the flowers, "This is old plum, narcissus, and this is a fruit of kumquat." When I am trying to eat the fruit, the guard warned at once, "Do not eat! The written rules on the board say so. If you eat, you are out." We cannot eat here even little nuts. I quit eating unwillingly, and I switched my mind and asked Fumiaki about his body temperature. "You said in your letter that your body temperature was only 34.5 degrees, but did you mean 35?" Fumiaki said, "Sometimes it is 35.5 degrees, and sometimes 34.5." He is using a digital thermometer, and it was not a mistake. "Don't you think it's because too cold here?" Fumiaki answered, "My temperature has been low since I'm in the prison. I will try to check once a week." I told him, "Please do so." He has got 350 New Year's greeting cards this year. There are many notes about our book "Love and Revolution", and that comforted him so much. He also got cards from overseas like Daniel Marlin and Carol in the U.S.Fumiaki read the article translated into Japanese of the Japan Times, which reported about Hoshino largely, and he was pleased and said, "The content was good." "That was definitely a big matter." Fumiaki was also glad to the copies of the negative films of the Shibuya Straggle, which were disclosed to the judge. I asked Fumiaki what is his hope for this year. Fumiaki said, "Last year was fruitful for our movement and for me, and it proceeded remarkably. This year, I am sure we will advance historically. Abe administration does not care about labors, and it is widely recognized by people. Our labors' struggles keep going after the 3.11 earthquakes and Act on Specially Designated Secrets. People's anger now is the peak. This year we will surely win." On January 9, it's the third day. There was paper beside a metal detector in the waiting room, saying "Do not bring an animal or a plant in the meeting room", and the stuff at the front desk reminded me that I could not bring not only food but also flowers. They pluck off our quality time. We talked about his painting named "Akiko Full of Smile" that Fumiaki gave me in the prison on that day. Fumiaki told me "This was from the two-shot photo of Akiko and Yae in Sagamihara, and I was painting by remembering your smiling face when visiting me last time."Our last topic was about the impressions of "Love and Revolution" by readers. Fumiaki said, "According to their impressions, they believe that our relationship over the prison proves our love and unity in such a long, 39 years of restrained life of myself, and that could encourage the young labors who were deprived of normal lives." The prison's sever attitude is the reaction of our activities in progress. I suppose that is not only at the Tokushima prison. We convinced that our activities are advancing, and we got good responses from a lot of people to support our efforts. |
