Kōzō Okamoto: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|Japanese communist, terrorist, and member of the Japanese Red Army}}

{{Use dmymdy dates|date=MayJuly 20222024}}

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1947|12|7|df=y}}

{{Nihongo|'''Kōzō Okamoto'''|岡本 公三|''Okamoto Kōzō''|extra=born 7 December 7, 1947}} is a Japanese [[Communism|communist]], [[Mass murder|mass murderer]], and member of the [[Japanese Red Army]] (JRA), responsible for the [[Lod Airport massacre|massacre of 26 passengers]] at [[Ben-Gurion International Airport]] in [[Israel]].

Kozo Okamoto is the youngest child of a school principal. His older brother is Takeshi Okamoto, a member of the [[Red Army Faction (Japan)|Red Army Faction]], which hijacked an airliner in [[Japan Air Lines Flight 351|March 1970]] to North Korea. He was a 24-year-old botany student when he was recruited to the Japanese Red Army.<ref>LaPierre (1999), p. 202.</ref>{{full citation needed|date=August 2024}} He was later detained in [[Lebanon]]. During his stay in Lebanon, Okamoto converted to [[Islam]].<ref>{{Cite webnews |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/681569.stm | title=Red Army guerrillas arrested |publisherwork=[[BBC.com News]] |date=18 March 18, 2000 |accessdateaccess-date=6 September 6, 2011}}</ref>

On May 30, 1972, Kōzō Okamoto along with Yasuyuki Yasuda, and [[Tsuyoshi Okudaira]], landed at Israel's [[Lod Airport]] via [[Air France]] Flight 132 from [[Rome]].<ref{{sfn|Schreiber|1996|p=215}} The name="Schreiber1996" in Okamoto's forged passport was [[Daisuke Nanba|Daisuke Namba]], Crown Prince Hirohito's would be assassin.<ref>{{citeCite news book|authordate=MarkMay 31, 2022 Schreiber|title=ShockingKozo crimesOkamoto's long life after Israel ofsuicide postwarmission Japan|url=https://bookswww.googlefrance24.com/books?id=fqFyA8_NzPwCen/live-news/20220531-kozo-okamoto-s-long-life-after-israel-suicide-mission |accessdateaccess-date=November 6, September2023 2011|yearwork=1996|publisher=Tuttle[[France 24]] Publishing|isbnlanguage=978-4-900737-34-1|page=215en}}</ref> After disembarking from the plane the three members of the JRA proceeded to the baggage claim area. Upon retrieving their luggage, they took out automatic weapons packed inside the suitcases and opened fire on other passengers in the baggage claim area.

Okamoto and his comrades killed 26 people and wounded 80 more. Seventeen of the victims were Christian pilgrims from Puerto Rico.<ref name="Kowner">[{{cite news |first=Rotem |last=Kowner |date=May 27, 2022 |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2022-05-27/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/the-strange-story-of-the-terrorists-behind-the-israel-airport-massacre/00000181-0661-dcf3-a395-3fe1d10f0000 |title=The Strange Story of the Japanese Terrorists Behind the '72 Israel Airport Massacre], |work=[[Haaretz]]}}</ref>

Yasuyuki Yasuda was accidentally shot dead by one of the other attackers. Tsuyoshi Okudaira was killed by one of his own grenades, either due to premature detonation or a suicide. Kōzō Okamoto was wounded and captured trying to escape the terminal.<ref>{{sfn|Schreiber, |1996|p. =215</ref>}}

Okamoto was triedput on trial in an Israeli military court under the 1948 Emergency Regulations. His court-appointed lawyers were Max Kritzman and David Rotlevy. Chicago-born and British-trained; Kritzman, who was chief lawyer, had experience defending Israelis charged under the Emergency Regulations. Of Okamoto, he complained that "this man will not cooperate."<ref>{{cite magazine| |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,906148-2,00.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106210438/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,906148-2,00.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=6 November 6, 2012 | magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |title=ISRAEL: Terrorist on Trial | date=July 24 July, 1972}}</ref> Okamoto pleaded guilty, ensuring that he did not get sentenced to death. He also protested his attorneys' requests for a psychiatric evaluation. In his final statement he told the court: "When I was a child, I was told that when people died they became stars...We three Red Army soldiers wanted to become Orion when we died."<ref>[https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2022-05-27/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/the-strange-story-of-the-terrorists-behind-the-israel-airport-massacre/00000181-0661-dcf3-a395-3fe1d10f0000The Strange Story of the Japanese Terrorists Behind the '72 Israel Airport Massacre], [[Haaretz]]<name="Kowner"/ref>

Okamoto was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in Israel. During the incarceration, he requested to convert to [[Judaism]] and tried to [[Circumcision|circumcise]] himself with [[nail clippers]].<ref>{{cite webnews |title=How the terrorist who attacked Israel's main airport escaped the death penalty |newspaper=[[Haaretz]] |url=http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/the-makings-of-history/how-the-terrorist-who-attacked-israel-s-main-airport-escaped-the-death-penalty.premium-1.436586 |accessdateaccess-date =24 September 24, 2012}}</ref> He stated that he was tortured during his imprisonment, being "forced to eat like a dog" and emerged from imprisonment emaciated.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Japanese militant Kozo Okamoto marks 1972 attack on Israel airport |url=https://www.arabnews.jp/en/japan/article_73115/ |access-date=November 6, 2023 |website=Arab News Japan |language=en}}</ref>

On 20 July 20, 1973, PFLP and JRA operatives hijacked [[Japan Air Lines Flight 404]],<ref>"{{cite news |title=3 seize jet with 145 aboard, order it flown to Mideast", ''|work=[[The Chicago Tribune'',]] |date=July 21, 1973, p.1-2|pages=1–2}}</ref> demanding Okamoto's release in exchange for the hostages on board; Israel refused to comply. Okamoto was released in 1985 after 13 years in prison, as part of the [[Jibril Agreement]], a prisoner exchange with Palestinian militant factions for captive Israeli soldiers. After his release from prison in Israel, Kōzō Okamoto moved to [[Libya]], then [[Syria]], and finally to [[Lebanon]] where he reunited with other members of the Japanese Red Army.

On 15 February 15, 1997, [[Lebanon]] detained five Red Army members, [[Haruo Wakō]], [[Masao Adachi]], Mariko Yamamoto, [[Kazuo Tohira]] and Okamoto for using forged passports and visa violations. They were sentenced to three years in prison. The sentence was passed by Judge Soheil Abdul-Shams on 31 July 31, 1997. After their prison term was completed, the four other members of the JRA were forcibly deported to [[Jordan]] and from [[Amman]], Jordan via a chartered Russian plane to Japan. The Lebanese government, however, granted political asylum to Okamoto because, according to the Lebanese government, he "had participated in resistance operations against Israel and had been tortured in Israeli jails."<ref name="jra">{{cite news | title =Japanese Red Army member Okamoto wants to return to Japan | publisher =Lebanonwire. | date =6 May 6, 2003 | url =http://www.lebanonwire.com/0305/03050601KDO.asp| accessdate |access-date=6 September 6, 2011 | url-status =dead| archiveurl |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111127205715/http://lebanonwire.com/0305/03050601KDO.asp| archivedate |archive-date=27 November 27, 2011}}</ref>

Okamoto is still wanted by the Japanese governmentpolice and Japan has requested his [[extradition]].<ref>Press Conference The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan 21 March 21, 2000</ref> {{as of|2016}}, he was reported to be living in a refugee camp near [[Beirut]].<ref>{{cite webnews |url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/12/25/national/crime-legal/japanese-red-army-member-okamoto-living-calmly-lebanon-refugee-camp |title=Japanese Red Army member Kozo Okamoto living quietly in Lebanon refugee camp |date=26 December 26, 2016 |work=[[The Japan Times]] |accessdateaccess-date=29 January 29, 2017}}</ref>