October 20, 2008

Newsbrief

We have some exciting news to report concerning Kazuo Ishikawa, the buraku man whose unjust conviction of the murder of a young woman in 1963. We have reported about him in several previous newsletters. We received news that he was allowed to go to Geneva, Switzerland, to present his case to the United Nations, which is indeed a very encouraging sign. Being a convicted felon on parole since his release in 1994, he was very restricted in his movements, and was thus not even eligible to apply for a passport.

We’re still waiting for details as to how he was allowed to travel like that, but clearly the Japanese government gave him a temporary passport of some sort, or he never would have been able to travel outside of the country. He left on October 12 and returned on October 18. We expect to have a full report at the upcoming October 31 rally, which has been held every year in Tokyo on the anniversary of his sentencing to life imprisonment in 1974.

What this means in the long term is, of course, still uncertain, but it is a very encouraging sign that he will finally be granted the retrial and full disclosure of the evidence, which we feel confident will fully exonerate him. In the past, however, there have been other times when things seemed close to resolution only to have the court balk at granting a retrial. Thus, we still need to keep the pressure on. I’ve received word from a few of you that you have sent letters to the Japanese court requesting the court to grant the retrial and for the prosecutor’s office to disclose the evidence they’ve continued to withhold from the defense team, and for this I thank you. It is important that the Japanese court know that the world is watching and that their continued reluctance to grant a retrial in spite of the overwhelming evidence of Ishikawa’s innocence has a negative impact on Japan’s international reputation. I will include again the addresses below.  Let us work together to insure justice is served this time around and that our prayers are answered.

Tokyo Koto Saibansho (Tokyo High Court)
1-1-4 Kasumigaseki
Chiyoda-ku,
Tokyo, Japan 100-0013

Tokyo Koto Kensatsucho (Tokyo Public Prosecutor’s Office)
1-1-1 Kasumigaseki
Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo, Japan 100-8904

Blessings,

Tim and Juji Boyle

The 2008 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 104