The Tachikawa flyering incident: 3 years later (Summary)

On a clear and sunny Sunday earlier this month, on my way out for the day, I met a group in front of the train station gathering signatures for a petition. The large banner on display explained that the signatures were being collected for a petition demanding a not guilty verdict in the case of the Tachikawa flyering incident from a few years ago. Three years had passed since Febuary 27th, 2004, when three members of an anti-war activist group were arrested and held in jail for 75 days on tresspassing charges for distributing flyers at the Tachikawa army barracks of the Japanese Self-Defence Forces (SDF).

In the first court case, although the appeal demanding that the tresspassing charges are not applicable to the actions of the three activists was rejected, as the actions fall under Article 21 of the Japanese Constitution protecting freedom of speech, the were acquitted of charges filed against them. In response, the prosecution filed an appeal to the high court, and one year ago, in the second case, the court decided that the tresspassing charge was appropriate, the aquittal was reversed, and the three were found guilty.

(continue reading in Japanese)