About Us

History of the Sayama Justice Solidarity Project (SJS):

Following the most recent rejection of the appeal for retrial submitted to the Tokyo High Court, it became certain the eyes of Kazuo and his allies that an international support would be critical in toppling the thus-far impermeable walls of the Tokyo High Court and Japan’s political power.

It was then, that with the innovative proposal by Shin Sugok, a passionate advocate for social justice issues in Japan, that they send a delegation to the U.S. to approach Bob Dylan, one of the most well-known voices for progressive causes in Japan. Numerous grassroots community-based organizations and individuals came together so that a formal request to Bob Dylan to write a ‘song for Sayama’ could be delivered in person. ("Letter to Mr. Bob Dylan” by Manami Kishimoto, February 20, 2002)

Bob Dylan is known in Japan for his classic hit song “Hurricane” written in honor of Rubin ''Hurricane'' Carter. He who was a great middleweight boxing fighter of African descent wrongfully incriminated, much like Kazuo, in the late 1960s. His struggle to clear his name had inspired the communities fighting for Kazuo’s innocence.

The Kishimoto siblings landed in New York City, then traveled to Los Angeles, and finally ended their trip in the Bay Area, where they met with their respected champion of civil rights for people of color and prison rights activist, Yuri Kochiyama. It was then that a small group of individuals from Japan in the Bay Area established a local base for the grassroots-led Sayama Justice Solidarity campaign in 2002.

In the summer of 2002, miho kim and Shin Sugok, escorted by Manami Kishimoto, (who comprise the co-founders of TRAI) made an official visit to Sayama City, the national campaign headquarter for the grassroots Sayama campaign and home of Kazuo. The Burakumin and ethnic Korean communities impacted by racism and discrimination in Japan threw a warm welcome for the visitors. The US-based SJS is primarily accountable to these communities and serves to facilitate the solidarity building and internationalization of the issues affecting the communities marginalized by ethnic and caste discrimination in Japan, with its flagship campaign for Sayama Justice.

Proposal by Shin Sugok: The Road to "Hurricane":

Shin Sugok is one of approximately 600,000 people of Korean descent (Zainichi Korean) born and raised in Japan, but denied Japanese citizenship and placed under Japan's continuing apartheid system, due to discriminatory and racist policies maintained vis-a-vis Japan's former colonials and foreigners. Since second grade, Sugok worked to support her family. Self-educated through her life experiences as a survivor of anti-Korean racism in Japan, Sugok has not only fought for social and economic justice for her people but that of women, the working poor and people with disabilities, through numerous publications, public speaking and active participation in grassroots social justice organizing, including the Sayama Justice campaign.

Sugok is also sensitive to the spirit of the people as the very source of momentum necessary to pursue life-long struggles for justice. Seeing that the Court’s rejection of the people’s appeals for Kazuo's retrial have shattered the hopes of Kazuo’s supporters, she suggested they reach out to like-minded people abroad. To spread the word about Sayama and prevailing struggle against racism in Japan, she said, let’s ask Bob Dylan to write a song for Sayama, juast as he had done for “Hurricane” Carter.

“So that there is an alternative outlet to release this unbearable anger other than through destructive means like drowning in alcohol or physical violence; so that those of us who had tirelessly struggled for justice can maintain our fighting spirit, and keep the flame alive; so that the story will continue to be told to the masses, we wanted an inspirational song - and that’s when we decided to go ask good ol’ Bob to write one for us − our friends (Manami and Mitsunori Kishimoto) spoke no English nor had any money, but had guts and a propensity for taking reckless action. It was clear from the get-go that they were to be the executors of this mission with our collective support.”

- translated from the Takarazuka Residents for Sayama website (http://www.jttk.zaq.ne.jp/mujitsuya/)

Sugok with Grandma Soh, who courageously came forward and testified against sexual crimes committed by the Japanese military against her and tens of thousands of other women during World War II

Who is Behind this Effort:

Grassroots community efforts based in Japan are represented in SJS via “Takarazuka Residents for Sayama” based in Takarazuka, Hyogo (near Osaka), a multi-generational grassroots community organization of people of mostly Buraku, with ethnic Korean and non-Buraku Japanese background, as well as Kazuo Ishikawa and his partner, Sachiko.

The Sayama Justice campaign has, in the course of its history, received endorsements from a variety of allies throughout Japan and Okinawa, including public figures such as Shoukichi Kina of Okinawa known as an internationally famed musician and more recently, a Parliamentarian, and Shin Sugok, an outspoken and widely renowned Zainichi Korean advocate of civil rights and various progressive causes. The Buraku Liberation League, a Burakumin membership-supported national advocacy organization working for eradication of Buraku discrmination in Japan, has consistently championed the Sayama justice campaign and advocacy efforts in the public, legal, and national policy arenas with a number of cross-sector allies. (for more links, click here)

In the Bay Area, the campaign is supported by Yuri Kochiyama - who has vocally decried Japan’s continual negligence in addressing its historical racism against its Asian neighbors abroad and in. We are continually seeking support and endorsements in the US.

The affected communities offer invaluable insight to the history of popular resistance, the people’s history of human rights and development in Japan. In addition, the rich cultural tradition born of marginalized communities in Japan such as Taiko and leather craftsmanship are better known as simply “Japanese art” in the West, but is an authentic Buraku-inspired tradition.

Japan’s social justice movement has been led by the rural poor and agriculturalists, many of them Burakumin. Burakumin authored what is today known as Japan’s first “Human Rights Declaration” (Suiheisha Sengen) back in 1922, which also became a rallying call to stand up, organize and win concrete human and civil rights through their own leadership and representation. With one of the most powerful and sustained social justice movement histories in Japan, the Burakumin have been historically underrepresented in the broad-based, grassroots social justice movements internationally. We also seek, through the flagship Sayama Justice campaign, to give our leaders and elders representing Japan’s social justice movements − Burakumin, Okianwan community leaders and women, Zainichi Koreans, the Ainu people etc.,  deprived of cultural and civil rights in Japan a platform to directly speak their voice to the larger audience beyond their own respective communities inside Japan.

JOIN US

To make the fact-finding investigation, complete disclosure of all evidence, and a launch of a retrial all a reality, we need your support today!

To this end, we need your support and solidarity today to:

- spread the word about Sayama and also the larger long-overdue problem of deep historical racism in Japan against the Burakumin and other marginalized groups, such as ethnic Koreans in Japan, migrant workers, the Okinawans, etc.

- bring the words of the community leaders in marginalized Buraku and other communities in Japan across the Pacific, to promote cross-pollination of ideas, strategies, resources and inspiration - to enrich the social justice movement and struggles in the US and Japan.

You, too, can help force Japan’s Judiciary to hold a retrial of the Sayama case!

Popularize − show that you’re down for the cause, demand the Japanese government commit to a retrial. Japanese government has demonstrated its vulnerability to external (international) pressure in the past. We believe that without a wider support from the international community, the government will continue to simply ignore our just demands for a fair retrial with impunity.

Educate - Please support the website development and maintenance, as well as production of regular mailings.

Translate − are you proficient in Japanese and English? Put your bilingual skills to use! Most existing materials on relevant issues are in Japanese, and so almost by default, translation is required.

Connect − Please contact us to directly connect with the communities waging a persisitent campaign for Kazuo’s innocence and also for the liberation of the Burakumin and other oppressed peoples in Japan.

Last but not least, we need donations! (cash and in-kind both appreciated)

Contact Us!
You can keep up-to-date on the developments of the Sayama Justice campaign in the U.S. (and in English)

info @ hisabetsunikkei.org