2 Ishin lawmakers quit special panel probing Hyogo governor
Two Hyogo Prefectural Assembly members from the Nippon Ishin no Kai resigned Thursday from a special committee investigating alleged harassment by Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito.
Minoru Kishiguchi and Makoto Masuyama made the move following their questionable acts of providing information related to the allegations to Takashi Tachibana, the leader of the controversial Party to Protect the People from NHK.
Kishiguchi served as deputy leader of the committee.
The two submitted their resignations Thursday, which were accepted by the head of the assembly within the day.
Tachibana had repeatedly made defamatory comments against Hideaki Takeuchi, a former member of the assembly and the committee, who
Tachibana said he received information on Takeuchi from Kishiguchi, who on Wednesday admitted his involvement in the act.
Also on Wednesday, Masuyama said on a YouTube program that he had given Tachibana an audio recording of a closed-door session of the special committee.
The committee is compiling a report on the outcome of its probes into Saito, with the aim of releasing it in early March.
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The Mainichi
a day ago
- The Mainichi
Colleagues of Japan local ex-councilor who died after online abuse set up fund for his kids
KOBE -- Colleagues of a former Hyogo Prefectural Assembly member, who died after being severely slandered on social media and elsewhere, have set up a fund to support his two children. Hideaki Takeuchi, then 50, passed away in January. He was a member of the assembly's special committee investigating power harassment and other allegations that Gov. Motohiko Saito and others were accused of in writing. A group of Takeuchi's fellow assembly members announced the establishment of the support fund on Aug. 18. Takeuchi's widow has filed a criminal complaint against Takashi Tachibana, head of the political group "NHK Party," on suspicion of defamation for disseminating false information. The fund has already launched a dedicated website and will accept donations until Nov. 18. Hyakuo Fujimoto, a prefectural assembly member of the Liberal Democratic Party, told a press conference on Aug. 18, "We hope that his children will grow up healthy and will be eager to study." (Japanese original by Yuria Kiyama, Kobe Bureau)
The Diplomat
5 days ago
- The Diplomat
A Vietnamese Dissident Marks One Year of Unjust Imprisonment
This year, the U.S. marks the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Vietnam. It should not forget the scores of dissidents who have been deprived of their freedom. Vietnamese political activist Nguyen Chi Tuyen, aka Anh Chi, as seen in a photograph that was posted to his Facebook page on December 2, 2022. Nguyen Chi Tuyen just wanted to raise his voice. Like a citizen. Like a patriot. In doing so, he became one of Vietnam's most prominent activists. He spent years peacefully protesting China's maritime encroachment on Vietnam. After a Taiwanese factory spilled toxic waste into Vietnam's rivers, he organized people to livestream themselves banging pans together in their kitchens to demand transparency from the regime. He met with European Union delegates to tell them about unjustly detained dissidents and the regime's repression of indigenous rights, and posted videos suggesting ways that Vietnam could solve its corruption problem. His efforts have earned him five years in prison. A year ago today, on August 15, 2024, after a five-hour trial behind closed doors, Tuyen – known to many by his pen-name Anh Chi – was convicted of 'anti-state propaganda' and sentenced to half a decade behind bars. This year marks the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United States and Vietnam. Vietnam is crucial to the balance of power between democracies like the European Union and dictatorships like China. Democracies rely on Hanoi to counter Beijing's regional influence, even as China remains one of Vietnam's most important trade partners. While Vietnam has successfully balanced its relations with these countries, its harsh response to Tuyen's pro-democracy stance provides compelling insights into its geopolitical strategy – and a potent reason for democracies to advocate for Tuyen's release. Arrests of dissidents are nothing new in Vietnam. Vietnam is a one-party authoritarian regime that has been ruled by the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. Luong Cuong is its president (though Tuyen suffered repression mostly under To Lam, who served briefly as president prior to being appointed the CPV general secretary). The CPV rules with an iron fist. It has banned all opposition parties, arresting activists who criticize it and imprisoning members of minority groups who peacefully campaign for the right to practice their religion. Since 2011, Tuyen has protested against Vietnam's regime, mainly through YouTube videos and community organizing. In a country that suppresses all independent media, Tuyen amassed 100,000 followers on his YouTube account, Anh Chí Râu Đen, and introduced his viewers to core political issues in Vietnam. He also helped found the No-U movement, a soccer club that dissented against China's incursion into Vietnam-claimed regions of the South China Sea. He organized a campaign to support environmental protection after the Formosa water pollution crisis, helped build schools in rural areas, and assisted victims of natural disasters. He also spoke out against the regime's harsh treatment of pro-democracy activists. In an open letter on behalf of imprisoned Vietnamese dissidents, Tuyen wrote, 'The only thing we did was to act in accordance with our conscience, speak up our thoughts, our desire, our longing.' Vietnam has rewarded Tuyen's efforts with surveillance and police violence. In 2015, plainclothes police officers attacked him in the streets of Hanoi, injuring him so severely that he needed stitches on his face. In 2017, while he was driving his son home from school, more officers beat Tuyen unconscious. One February morning in 2024, when Tuyen was in poor health, three surveillance agents stationed themselves outside his home. They told his wife they just wanted to talk to him. When she opened the door, several plainclothes officers rushed inside, read a search-and-arrest warrant that they refused to show, and arrested Tuyen. To justify their acts, the police cited two videos he had posted on his YouTube channel. One video was about a $200 million donation made by the chairwoman of VietJet Air, Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, to Oxford University in the United Kingdom. The second video suggested that creating multiple political parties could help solve the problem of corruption in Vietnam. After five months languishing in pre-trial detention without being allowed to contact his lawyers and family, Tuyen was brought to the Hanoi People's Court last August. Although his trial was supposed to be open to the public, only Tuyen's wife and lawyers were permitted to attend. The regime accused him of violating Article 117 of the Vietnamese Penal Code, a vague law that outlaws spreading and that Vietnam has routinely weaponized against activists. Somehow, Tuyen's videos calling for democratic reform constituted such propaganda. At the end of his five-hour trial, the judge sentenced Tuyen to five years in prison without probation. Undoubtedly, the most critical part of this story is Tuyen's ongoing suffering and that of his wife and two children. While Tuyen was held incommunicado, his family didn't know his condition. They were allowed to send him supplies two times a month, but they never learned if he received them. They also did not know if he was being treated well or if he was being tortured. Now, they live without him. But Tuyen's plight also provides insights into Vietnam's geopolitical strategy. Vietnam aims to balance its relations with countries like the U.S. and the EU with its ties to countries like China. For the U.S., Vietnam plays a vital role in countering China's regional influence, while the EU sees Vietnam as a key diplomatic partner. Vietnam has entered into a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the U.S. It's poised to enter into one with the EU as well. Meanwhile, Vietnam sees China as a valuable trade partner. China is Vietnam's largest import market and second-largest export destination. In addition to forming a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with China in 2008, Vietnam has supported China's transnational repression schemes, facilitating China's arrest and repatriation of at least two dissidents. Both the U.S. and the EU have regarded human rights as foundational to their existing diplomatic partnerships with Vietnam. But as Tuyen's case demonstrates, Vietnam may say it will safeguard human rights. Still, it will unerringly persist in cracking down on dissent, imprisoning people like Tuyen, who criticize Chinese incursion and advocate for positive societal reform. Vietnam is a dictatorship at its core, more akin to China than to the U.S. and the EU. While diplomatic relations are founded on mutual respect among partner nations for each other's sovereignty and political systems, true mutual respect can only be achieved with openness and dialogue. It is vital to understand that Vietnam will only take action to promote human rights if its diplomatic partners hold it to account. This is exactly what the U.S. and the EU must do. The EU issued one statement calling for Tuyen's release when he was first sentenced to prison, which is a promising start. While the U.S. has made statements about Vietnam's arbitrary detention of prisoners in general, it hasn't specifically called for Tuyen's release. We can't know what is happening behind closed doors, but to truly hold Vietnam to account, democracies must consistently call for his release. Without an ongoing dialogue, these countries' relations with Vietnam will remain superficial and lack the foundation of trust necessary to ensure genuine strategic security in the region. Amid all the geopolitics, it's essential to keep in mind the human lives that continue to be harmed by this reticence. Tuyen, whose only crime was suggesting ways for Vietnam to reduce corruption, remains in prison. Meanwhile, his wife and two children are marking one year of his unjustifiable absence from their lives. One year is long enough. Just as Tuyen once spoke up for imprisoned activists in his open letter, it is time for democracies to speak up and call for his release. Doing so would promote meaningful dialogue with Vietnam, advance strategic security and, most importantly, enable an innocent man to return home to his family and loved ones.
Asahi Shimbun
13-08-2025
- Asahi Shimbun
Assembly faces flak over move against member who backs Kurds
The city assembly of Tsurugashima, Saitama Prefecture, adopts a resolution regarding assembly member Megumi Fukushima on Aug. 4. (Jin Naganuma) TSURUGASHIMA, Saitama Prefecture—After being pushed into a corner by online critics and her colleagues, an assembly member here who seeks to end discrimination against foreigners is gradually gaining support. Earlier this month, the city assembly of Tsurugashima in Saitama Prefecture adopted a resolution calling on member Megumi Fukushima to refrain from using her official title in posts on social media. The problem was that her posts, such as 'Oppose discrimination against foreigners,' were angering certain elements, leading to bomb and death threats. The 18-seat assembly's unusual resolution was approved in the name of ensuring safety. But reports of the resolution have now raised criticism against the assembly. Yoko Shida, a professor of constitutional law at Musashino Art University, said that for assembly members, public expression via social media and street activities 'is a crucial form of communication, and the right to explicitly state their official title falls under freedom of expression.' Shida said the Tsurugashima city assembly's request to Fukushima to refrain from using her title 'constitutes a restriction on her freedom of speech.' Whatever the case, Fukushima said she has no intention to comply with the resolution, which is not legally binding. BATTLING 'HATE SPEECH' Tsurugashima is a bedroom community of around 70,000 people located near the center of the prefecture. Fukushima, 44, who was born and raised in the city, was first elected to the assembly in 2023, running as an independent. She gained 827 votes. She is one of three female assembly members and is its second-youngest member. Fukushima has been active on social media platforms, such as X and YouTube, and identifies herself as a member of the Tsurugashima city assembly. Her posts oppose discrimination against foreigners, including the Kurdish community in the prefecture. Her content also shows herself protesting 'hate speech' sites. According to Fukushima, the backlash against her surged immediately after she posted in March about her attendance at a Kurdish festival. In mid-June, one of her critics uploaded a post on X that included the city government's phone number and urged people to 'make protest calls' against Fukushima. Over two months to late July, the city government and the city assembly secretariat received about 150 opinions regarding Fukushima's words and actions through emails and telephone calls. The majority of messages demanded her resignation or stated she 'lacks the dignity of an assembly member.' In response, Yoshihiro Uchino, 60, chairman of the city assembly, asked Fukushima on three separate occasions to refrain from posting on her social media accounts. Fukushima refused, saying, 'Local assembly members who fight against discrimination are needed.' The situation took a dark turn on the evening of July 22, when a message was delivered through the city's online contact form. It stated: 'During July, I will kidnap and stab to death Tsurugashima city assembly member Megumi Fukushima with a knife. I will bomb Tsurugashima city hall at 1 p.m. on July 25.' City officials immediately consulted with Saitama prefectural police. According to the city assembly secretariat, the assembly held an all-member meeting the following day, July 23, to discuss how to respond to the threat. But Fukushima did not attend. Citing disruptions to city hall operations and identifying Fukushima's public statements as a contributing factor, the assembly decided to issue a resolution. 'I thought the city assembly needed to take some kind of action to quell the turmoil,' said Motomitsu Yamanaka, 62, a member of the assembly's Komeito faction who proposed the resolution. Due to the threatening message, the assembly canceled an Aug. 3 event planned for elementary school students to experience and learn about the city assembly system. Tadayoshi Ota, 76, an assembly member of the Japanese Communist Party faction, said, 'I supported the submission of the resolution out of a desire to resolve (the situation).' On Aug. 4, the city assembly adopted the resolution concerning Fukushima by a vote of 14 to 1. The two-member JCP faction—consisting of Ota and Yukihiro Kojima, 73—initially supported the resolution. However, they reversed their stance before the final vote after concerns were raised from within the JCP that the resolution 'could restrict Fukushima's activities.' Ota abstained from voting while Kojima cast the only dissenting vote. 'The resolution amounts to censorship and ultimately plays into the hands of the perpetrator (who made the threat),' Kojima said. Chairman Uchino on Aug. 5 defended the assembly's move. 'There is absolutely no intention to restrict (her) political speech,' he told reporters. 'It is simply a request for a little consideration.' One assembly member who voted in favor said, 'It was a difficult decision made with the city residents in mind.' WE'RE NOT KAWASAKI The Kawasaki city assembly in Kanagawa Prefecture chose a different approach when a death threat was made against a female assembly member who had advocated the eradication of hate speech. In late July, under the chairperson's name, the Kawasaki city assembly issued a statement, stating, 'Physical or psychological attacks against freedom of speech, even if merely implied, risk creating a chilling effect and, as an act that undermines the very foundation of parliamentary democracy, are absolutely unacceptable.' Fukushima apparently brought up Kawasaki's strong stance against threats to her assembly's leaders. She held a news conference in Tokyo on Aug. 5 and said she was told by the chair and vice chair of the Tsurugashima city assembly, 'Kawasaki is Kawasaki, and we are us.' Fukushima said, 'I am disappointed with the Tsurugashima city assembly's response.' Since the resolution was reported by news media, the city government and assembly secretariat said they have received more than 140 comments. While negative views of Fukushima continue, there has also been an increase in criticism directed at the resolution itself, with some people questioning whether it impedes freedom of speech, they said. THREAT TO DEMOCRACY Professor Shida repeated the concern raised by Kojima. 'By imposing restrictions on the assembly member's speech in this instance, the city assembly has inadvertently empowered the perpetrators and caused a serious distortion in freedom of expression, a cornerstone of democracy,' Shida said. 'While the reality may be that the city assembly aimed to peacefully resolve the situation marked by an onslaught of protests and even bomb threats, by passing a resolution that catered to the intentions of a few individuals who voiced extreme opinions, it has effectively validated their views. 'It is desirable for the city assembly to voluntarily withdraw the resolution, arguing that it is inconsistent with the spirit of the Constitution."
