![]() ![]() They are run by small teams of dedicated core volunteers that may be repeated across a network of sub-groups in other regions. The groups have no legal status and are generally modest in scale. Shienkai or kyūenkai are names for certain kinds of Japanese civic activist groups that typically form a support network for someone facing trial or campaigning for retrial, as well as lobbying to promote the subject’s cause. Hoshino Fumiaki is one of the world’s longest-serving political prisoners and only the constant efforts of his supporters over decades will likely save him from dying behind bars. However, there are many other cases and some are surprisingly little known. The world’s longest-serving death row prisoner was finally freed after years of campaigning by his supporters. The release of Hakamada proves what can be done with enough determination. ![]() However, Hakamada’s case follows a spate of other high-profile wrongful convictions that were finally overturned, laying bare something very rotten in a system with a 99% conviction rate and an emphasis on extracting confessions from suspects. Wrongful convictions happen in countries around the world and no judicial system is perfect. With the recent release of Hakamada Iwao after serving over 40 years on death row, the nation’s police and prosecution have come in for intense criticism. Japan’s justice system has been in the spotlight of late and for all the wrong reasons. But the deliveries are not from any commercial service. At the risk of sounding facetious, only my mobile phone provider is as punctual and frequent. Opening it up invariably reveals a flier, newsletter or newspaper, often accompanied by a handwritten note with a tailored message. ![]() Almost every one or two weeks a large envelope arrives in my mailbox. ![]()
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