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DESCRIPTION:11/28 12:00 Noon SF Protest/Action At Japan Consulate To Demand Freedom For 
 Fumiaki Hoshino (corrected address)\n50 Fremont St./Mission St. near Old 
 Transbay Terminal\nSan Francisco\n\nFumiaki Hoshino is one of the longest 
 political prisoners in the world. He helped organize a protest in November 
 14, 1971 against\nthe "Okinawa Reversion Agreement" which helped allow the 
 US to base nuclear weapons in Okinawa. A policeman and women 
 trade\nunionist were killed and he was framed up and charged with the 
 murder.\nHe has been in jail under repressive conditions for over 37 
 years.\nA US support committee has been organized to demand his freedom and 
 will be having a press conference and picket and will demand\nthat the 
 Japanese government release him immediately.\n\nUS Hoshino Defense 
 Committee\n\n\nAlso please send solidarity statements 
 to:\nk_kanayama19711114@yahoo.co.jp\n\n\n\n11/27 International Solidarity 
 Day For Japanese Fumiaki Hoshino/Action-Solidarity Messages 
 Requested\n\n金山克巳です。\n１１・２７星野全国集会への連帯メッセージの要請を送ります。\nスティーブさんから送れるところに送信していただけないでしょうか。\nよろしくお願いします。\n 
 \n念のために、貼り付けと添付と両方で送ります。\n 
 \nDear Friends,\nOn November 27, we will hold a National Rally to free 
 Fumiaki Hoshino in Tokyo. Please send your solidarity message to the 
 rally.\nFumiaki Hoshino is an innocent political prisoner fighting behind 
 bars for 37 years—one of the longest detained political prisoners of the 
 world. The Japanese prison system is extremely oppressive: most of his 
 friends cannot visit him.\nOn November 14, 1971, Fumiaki Hoshino led one of 
 the student contingents of the demonstration against so-called “Okinawa 
 Reversion Agreement”, which in reality helped maintain the US military 
 bases with nuclear arsenal in Okinawa. One of the riot policemen died 
 during the crash with demonstrators. Hoshino was framed as “the 
 perpetrator”; the prosecution demanded death penalty, the courts 
 sentenced to life imprisonment.\nHe is innocent. There is no physical 
 evidence whatsoever. Only the “depositions of the six demonstrators” 
 made in closed interrogation rooms in the police stations were the 
 “evidence of guilt.” Five of the eyewitnesses recanted, claiming police 
 and prosecution coercion. Remaining one refused to testify in the open 
 courts. On top of it, the police “lost” the videotape of the 
 demonstration, in which Hoshino’s contingent had participated. \nHoshino 
 filed an application for retrial based on newly discovered photos that 
 clearly contradict his alleged involvement in the death of the 
 policeman.\nA broad coalition of labor unions, other organizations and 
 individuals are now increasing their efforts to free Hoshino. 
 \nInternational solidarity is also developing. Last July, we were given an 
 opportunity to hold two events in San Francisco LaborFest: “Hoshino Art 
 Show” and “Labor & Political prisoners: From Hoshino To Mumia.”\nThe 
 National Coordinating Center of Labor Unions—an organization of militant 
 labor unions and labor activists in Japan—decided to show its solidarity 
 with Hoshino, holding its annual convention next February in Tokushima City 
 near the Tokushima Prison where Hoshino is detained. \nPlease send your 
 solidarity message to the November 27 rally. It will greatly help free 
 Hoshino. \nThank you so much in advance.\nIn Solidarity,\nHoshino Defense 
 Committee\nhttp://fhoshino.u.cnet-ta.ne.jp/pages/ayumi110811.html\nhttp://fhoshino.u.cnet-ta.ne.jp/\nSend 
 Message Of Solidarity to\nk_kanayama19711114@yahoo.co.jp\n\n\n\nAppeal from 
 “Free Hoshino Fumiaki! National Coordinating Conference for 
 Retrial”\n\nhttp://fhoshino.u.cnet-ta.ne.jp/pages/ayumi110811.html\n\nHOSHINO 
 Akiko\n\nCo-Chair of the Conference\n\nSpouse of HOSHINO Fumiaki\n\n 
 Brothers and Sisters, thank you for your struggles in your workplaces and 
 communities.\nHoshino Fumiaki is an innocent political prisoner in 
 Tokushima Prison. He has spent 36 years in detention. He appeals, 
 “Workers who produce everything and run the society have the power to 
 smash enemy attacks, transform workplaces and whole society, get back all 
 the properties from capitalists and emancipate all human beings. Get back 
 the power of labor movement, free the anger of all of workers and people! 
 Build unity of all workers and people across the borders!”\n\nOn November 
 14, 1971, Fumiaki took part in the demonstration in Shibuya, Tokyo, against 
 the ratification of the Agreement on the Reversion of Okinawa, which was 
 strengthening of war efforts, especially the reorganization and enhancement 
 of the US military bases in Okinawa. The secret pact on nuclear weapons was 
 also included in the Agreement.\n\nDuring the course of the demonstration, 
 one riot policeman died and the police framed up and charged Fumiaki on 
 criminal homicide. Also the Supreme Court sentenced him life 
 imprisonment.\n \nI married with him in 1986 while he was in prison. Since 
 then I have been living and struggling together with Fumiaki against 
 Japanese inhumane prison system, which prohibits even a minimal human 
 contact: I cannot touch his hands.\n\nFumiaki did not engaged in the death 
 of the riot policeman. He is innocent. The police framed and arrested many 
 students who had participated the demonstration and forced them to 
 “confess” the “crime” of Hoshino. In the open court five of the six 
 students who “confessed”, withdrew their “testimonies.” Remaining 
 one student refused to testify altogether. Nevertheless the court admitted 
 the “confession” in a closed interrogation room as evidence and 
 rejected the testimonies in the open court.\n\nThe first application for 
 retrial was refused. The Supreme Court, however, admitted that Fumiaki wore 
 at the time “light blue clothes” instead of “biscuit clothes” which 
 was the previous story of the framed up sentences.\n\nWe filed second 
 application for retrial on November 27, last year.\n \nThe Tokushima Prison 
 has punished Fumiaki two times, in order to obstruct our movement for 
 retrial. Seven of his friend were refused to visit him. My letters were 
 censored and partially erased four times. Even the wife of the prisoner, 
 myself was prohibited to visit him. And the prison management “consider 
 lawyers’ visits general visits and limit the time and the prison officers 
 watch on the side of the lawyers.\n\n We will file a lawsuit under national 
 redress law. Protests from around the world are surely very effective. 
 Please send protest and encouragement letters to the government and to 
 Fumiaki. He himself said that his task is to encourage everyone.\n\n \nIn 
 1971, many workers and students in mainland Japan rose up for Okinawa 
 struggle at the risk of their own lives. The life imprisonment of Fumiaki 
 was retaliation against this historic struggle. This is also an exemplary 
 punishment on Fumiaki who continues the struggles of 1970 and creates 
 today’s Okinawa and anti- Anpo (Japan US Security Alliance) struggles in 
 prison. Furthermore, the oppression against Fumiaki is meant to destroy the 
 struggles of workers and people including Doro-Chiba outside the 
 prison.\n\nSmash the divide and conquer policy! Take back Hoshino Fumiaki 
 with the power of international solidarity. Please support us to free my 
 beloved husband, Fumiaki, and to corner the Kan administration of 
 Democratic Party. Please join the national rally for free 
 Hoshino.\n\nLet’s take back political prisoners of the world, including 
 Mumia Abu Jamal, with international solidarity!\n\nAll workers, fight 
 together across borders! Fight back together against capitalists who shift 
 blames of global financial meltdown to workers! Let’s organize the 
 Nation-wide Movement of National Railway Struggle and create a perspective 
 for workers to live our own lives!\n\n\nUrgent appeal to all working people 
 of the world\nFree innocent HOSHINO Fumiaki from 35 years’ 
 imprisonment\n\nMarch 2010\n\nFree Hoshino! National Coordinating 
 Conference for Retrial\n\n\n(1) Who is brother HOSHINO Fumiaki and how he 
 has been fightingBrother HOSHINO Fumiaki, an innocent political prisoner, 
 has spent 35 years in incarceration. He has been fighting an unflinching 
 and uncompromising struggle against the state power, refusing every attempt 
 to convert him. Brother Hoshino puts the principle of his struggle as 
 follows: “Hoshino struggle is one and same as the struggle of working 
 class for emancipation” He is a revolutionary who is fighting for the 
 emancipation of working class from capitalism in death agony of the global 
 economic crisis.\n\nHe was born on April 27, 1946 in Sapporo, Hokkaido and 
 now 63 years old.\n\n\nUS military bases in Okinawa\n \nIn the great 
 Okinawa struggle on November 14, 1971, as a student of Takasaki City 
 University of Economics, he assumed a leading role in organizing 
 demonstration. During violent clashes between demonstrators and police, 313 
 demonstrators were arrested and a woman education worker of Osaka, one of 
 the demonstrators, was killed and a riot police was dead. Successively on 
 November 19, Okinawa struggle was fought across the country with over 1900 
 demonstrators arrested.\n\nAs an apparent retaliation for the explosive 
 development of Okinawa struggle, police unduly incriminated brother 
 Hoshino, who stood at the forefront of the battle with riot police, as 
 suspect of killing a policeman. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and 
 is in prison. He is now filing the second application for retrial.\n\n(2) 
 Okinawa struggle and brother Hoshino\n\nOkinawa was put under direct 
 Japanese domination in 1609 and has since been suffering under 
 discrimination and oppression by Japanese government. In World War II, as 
 an outcome of the intensified strife among imperialist powers after the 
 Great Depression in 1929, Okinawa people were brutally victimized.\n\nAfter 
 World War II, Okinawa was treated as a matter of interests of US and 
 Japanese governments and finally was delivered to US military 
 administration by Emperor Hirohito who proposed, by his letter to the US, 
 to offer Okinawa instead of his life. Thus Okinawa was forced to live under 
 US military domination for 27 years. The life in Okinawa during these years 
 was full of humiliation, deprived of sovereignty, human pride and also 
 lands to live on and sometimes even lives were threatened. \n\nFurious at 
 this situation, people in Okinawa vigorously fought against US oppression, 
 demanding, “return to Japan”. The US military base in Okinawa was 
 seriously shaken by the insistent struggle comprising the whole population 
 of Okinawa.\n\nFaced with this mounting anger of people of Okinawa, 
 Japanese and US governments decided, in 1971, to return administrative 
 right to Japan only to maintain the present situation of Okinawa as 
 “island of US bases” forever, averting the demand of the inhabitants of 
 Okinawa. People of Okinawa responded to the deceptive return of Okinawa to 
 Japan by a general strike of whole Okinawa on November 10, 
 1971.\n\nJapanese government, firmly determined to ratify the Okinawa 
 Return Agreement in the Diet, prohibited all rallies and demonstrations in 
 Tokyo to suppress protest actions against the Okinawa policy. On November 
 14, militant demonstrators headed by brother Hoshino, defying the ban, 
 crushed the cordon of the riot police that attacked demonstrators with 
 tear-gas gun and marched to join tens of thousands of sympathizing masses 
 of people in Shibuya, downtown Tokyo. The battle continued until midnight.  
 .\n\nThe Shibuya battle was a powerful struggle, carried out, in solidarity 
 with fighting people in Okinawa, by young workers and students, of whom 313 
 were arrested on the spot, against the discriminating policy of Japanese 
 government.\n\nThe government was violently shaken by the explosive 
 struggle of angry working people and feared that it would develop into a 
 serious threat to Japan-US Security Alliance. They resorted to retaliation 
 by charging brother Hoshino, one of the prominent leaders of the 
 demonstration, for allegation of killing a riot policeman, knowing very 
 well that he was innocent.\n\nThe state power demanded death sentence but 
 this attempt was crushed by the strong protest action by wide range of 
 people led by workers. After court proceedings in three instances, in which 
 the state power desperately tried to retaliate brother Hoshino, the 
 sentence of life imprisonment was determined in 1987. It is a political 
 attempt of intimidating fighting people.\n\n(3) Brother Hoshino is 
 innocent\n\nBrother Fumiaki Hoshino has been consistently insisting upon 
 his innocence for 35 years since his arrest. This is the strongest proof of 
 his innocence.\n\nOnly evidence of guilt was fabricated “affidavits” of 
 six witnesses who participated in the student demonstration, including 
 three minors. There is no physical evidence to prove him guilty. They 
 testified in the trial that their affidavits were made under the pressure 
 of the interrogators in an isolated room for a long duration and that their 
 statements were forged documents.\n\nThough all affidavits of the six 
 witnesses proved to be invalid in the trial, the Tokyo High Court sentenced 
 brother Hoshino to life imprisonment. This is an unusual and outrageous 
 deed of Japanese juridical authorities. An appeal for retrial raised by 
 brother Hoshino was dismissed on July 14, 2008 by the Supreme Court with an 
 implausible reasoning that is completely illogical. \n\nTo overturn this, 
 brother Hoshino and the defense council for the retrial filed an 
 application for retrial for the second time on November 27, 2009 with new 
 evidences including 27 items.\n\nThe statement of the second application 
 for retrial clarifies that the sentence of life imprisonment on brother 
 Hoshino is a hundred percent political frame-up by the security 
 agency.\n\nAfter the Shibuya struggle in 1971, police conducted, with a 
 presumption that overwhelming majority of the demonstrators was workers, 
 overall arrests, investigations and interrogations of workers who were 
 regarded to have participated in the demonstration of Shibuya battle for 
 more than two months in vain.\n\nThe security police, driven into a corner, 
 targeted the investigation on brother Hoshino, conspicuous leader of the 
 demonstration, and the fellow students of his university in Gunma 
 Prefecture and forced indiscriminating mass arrests of those students. 
 Finally police decided to set up brother Hoshino.\n\nThe new evidences 
 consist of three points: a) A photo taken by police during the 
 demonstration shows that the iron pipe which brother Hoshino carried after 
 the “incident” had no trace of damage (he is accused of beating the 
 policeman by the iron pipe); b) Another photo of brother Hoshino standing 
 at crossroad long away from the “spot” of the incident, c) the third 
 photo, showing a demonstrator wearing biscuit clothes, that coincides with 
 the deposition of one of the witnesses that “One of the demonstrators who 
 beat the policeman wore biscuit clothes” (brother Hoshino wore “sky 
 blue” clothes on that day, which even the Supreme Court was compelled to 
 recognize)\n\n(4) “Free Hoshino” movement\n\n“Free Hoshino” 
 movement has been developed by progressive labor unions and citizens to 
 protest against the political frame-up on brother Hoshino who was sentenced 
 to lifetime imprisonment. Now more than 20 support organizations have been 
 organized all over Japan through a devoted effort of sister Akiko, who got 
 married with brother Hoshino in prison.Brother Hoshino is calling on 
 working people all over the world to rise up for the struggle of 
 self-emancipation now. He is encouraged by the development of the struggle 
 of angry workers in face of the global economic crisis.\n\nIf we resolutely 
 rise up now, we can overturn the bitter history of defeat that working 
 people experienced in the period that started from the Great Depression in 
 1929 and ended up in the disaster of World War II. This is a voice of 
 brother Hoshino who continues his unflinching struggle in prison for 35 
 years.\n\nWe are firmly convinced that the struggle to free innocent 
 brother Hoshino and the struggle of working class of the world for 
 self-emancipation is one and the same.\n\nBrother Hoshino is watching the 
 struggle of brother Mumia Abu-Jamal and the movement to support him with 
 deep sympathy and admiration.\n\nWe call on the working people of the whole 
 world to help us take back brother Hoshino as soon as possible in our arms 
 in solidarity with the Korean workers fighting against the repression of 
 the state power and all the political prisoners against tyranny and 
 persecution.\n\nWorking people all over the world! Let’s fight together 
 to free all political prisoners as our own task!\n\n\nA short 
 biography\n\n1945 April.27: Born in Sapporo City, Hokkaido\n\n1965: Enters 
 Takasaki City University of Economics, elected as vice-president of the 
 Student Autonomous Body and fought against irregularity of the entrance 
 examination\n\n1971: Placed on the wanted list for the struggle in 
 Sanrizuka against the Narita airport construction\n\n1971 Nov.14: Joins the 
 Struggle against ratification of the Agreement on the Reversion of Okinawa 
 (the “Battle of Shibuya”). One policeman burned to death during the 
 clash with demonstrators.\n\n1975: Arrested.\n\n1979: Demanded death 
 penalty. First trial. Sentenced to 20-year imprisonment\n\n1983: Appeal 
 Court. Sentenced to life imprisonment.\n\n1986 Sep.17: Married with 
 Akiko.\n\n1987 Jul. 17: Final appeal dismissed. Life imprisonment 
 decided.\n\nOct. 30: Sent to Tokushima Prison.\n\n1996: The first 
 application for a new trial.\n\n2007: Publication of “FumiAkiko”, a 
 joint work of drawings of brother Fumiaki Hoshino and poems of sister Akiko 
 Hoshino\n\n2008 Jul.14: Supreme Court dismisses the raised special 
 complaint.\n\n2009 Nov. 27: Files second application for a new 
 trial.\nAppendex: New Evidences Clearly Show Hoshino’s Innocence\n\nNew 
 Evidence 1\n\nHis iron pipe has no trace of damage — Comrade Hoshino in 
 front of the Tokyu Head Shop.\n\nFigure 1 (Evidence for the Defense No. 16) 
 is a macro photograph of Comrade Hoshino from a picture taken shortly after 
 the demonstrators arrived in front of the Tokyu Head Shop, passing the site 
 where the policeman in question was beaten. It clearly shows that the iron 
 pipe carried by Comrade Hoshino has no trace of damage.\n\nThe iron pipe in 
 the hand of Comrade Hoshino, was wrapped by a piece of paper. If this pipe 
 had been used to beat the policeman, the paper should have been ripped or 
 torn apart. The paper rolled on the iron pipe carried by him was not at all 
 damaged — that means that it was never used to beat the policeman. The 
 accusation that comrade Hoshino beat the policeman is a complete 
 fabrication. It is evidently proved by this picture.\n\nNew Evidence 
 2\n\nHis statement of witnessing reflection of light on the windshields at 
 Kamiyama East Crossing verified\n\nComrade Hoshino has maintained for 35 
 years that he was at Kamiyama East Crossing at the moment of question, but 
 not at the site where the policeman was beaten. . “When I looked up, at 
 the crossing, toward the NHK building (standing at a certain distance from 
 there),” he said, “I saw cars running from the direction of the NHK 
 building and their windshields were shining.”\n\nThe weather was cloudy, 
 and it was an hour before the sunset. Nobody ever imagined that windshields 
 would shine, reflecting light. The defense team made an investigation at 
 the crossing following Comrade Hoshino’s demand, and did verify that the 
 windshields of cars were reflecting lights under the similar condition. 
 This fact could only be learned by a person who stood on at that particular 
 crossing, on that particular day, at that particular time; it corresponds 
 to what you call “revelation of secret.”\n\nFigure 2 (Evidence for the 
 Defense No. 7) was taken shortly before 3:23 p.m. on November 14 this year. 
 On that day it was cloudy and light rainfall in the morning had just 
 stopped; although it seemed to be cloudier than at the time of the 
 incident, the defense was able to verify the “windshields of running cars 
 were reflecting light” and took photographs of these facts.\n\nHe had to 
 be at the crossing\n\nComrade Hoshino was the commander of about 200 
 demonstrators who got off at Yoyogi-Hachiman, a nearby railway station to 
 Shibuya, the battlefield. After the first battle in front of Kamiyama 
 Police Box, he was obliged to stay at the head of demonstrators in order to 
 reorganize the ranks of demonstrators. He ran, and stopped when no other 
 demonstrator was ahead of him— it was the Kamiyama East Crossing 
 there.\n\nTo keep a lookout on every direction, watching the possible move 
 of riot police attacking from any direction, and to wait for other 
 demonstrators’ arrival to continue the battle— that was the only 
 concern of Comrade Hoshino at the crossing. He soon saw the riot police 
 approaching from the direction of NHK building. Tension mounted, and the 
 road was filled with demonstrators. “Move on!” he shouted, and left 
 there.\n\nIt was the event of 40-50 seconds from the capture of the 
 policeman in question to the departure. During that time, Comrade Hoshino 
 could not and did not leave the crossing. There he learned the approach of 
 riot police from the direction of NHK building and saw the reflected light 
 on the windshields of running cars. If he had been at the site where the 
 policeman was beaten, he could not have seen those things.\n\nNew Evidence 
 3\n\n“HE wore biscuit clothes” — Witness Kr. did not really see 
 him\n\nWitness Kr. stated that “One of the demonstrators who beat the 
 policeman wore biscuit clothes” consistently from the questioning to the 
 trial. As is evident also from the released depositions of two third 
 persons who witnessed the scene of beating the policeman — Witness Ab. 
 and Witness Fk. both witnesses referred to the man who wore “ocher work 
 suit” or “beige thin coat” as the most impressive person on the scene 
 of beating. Both expressions are close to “biscuit” color.\n\nContrary 
 to the Supreme Court, Witness Kr. did not see Comrade Hoshino who wore the 
 “washy blue” clothes and took its color into “biscuit.”\n\nFigure 3 
 (Evidence for the Defense No. 12) was taken by Photographer Ut., who 
 belonged to the Photograph Department of the Asahi Shimbun at that time, 
 and another picture taken also by him in the vicinity of Figure 3 was 
 placed in The Weekly Asahi (December 3, 1971).\n\nThis picture took from 
 the front the demonstrators who confronted riot police forming a line in 
 front of Kamiyama Police Box.\n\nThis picture clearly shows that the 
 demonstrators included a man who wore “biscuit” clothes.\n\nComrade 
 Hoshino was wearing “sky blue (washy blue)” clothes on that day, which 
 even the Supreme Court was compelled to recognize. Although the color of 
 his clothes was bright and impressive while the most other clothes were 
 dark, neither third-person witnesses — Ab. and Fk. — nor six “fellows 
 in crime” have stated that the “strikers” included a person who wore 
 the “sky blue” clothes.\n\n 
 https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/11/26/18701006.php
SUMMARY:Freedom Now For Fumiaki Hoshino-Rally At SF Japan Consulate
LOCATION:50 Fremont St. at Corner of Mission St.\nSan Francisco, CA
URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/11/26/18701006.php
DTSTART:20111128T200000Z
DTEND:20111128T210000Z
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