Kozo Okamoto
Encyclopedia
was a 24-year-old botany student from a respectable middle-class family when he was recruited to the Japanese Red Army
(JRA). He was later detained in Lebanon. During his stay in Lebanon, Okamoto converted to Islam in what was seen as an attempt to avoid being returned to Japan. As one of the perpetrators of the Lod Airport Massacre
, he is a convicted mass murderer and is still wanted by the government of Japan.
, via Air France
Flight 132 from Rome
. 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 proceeded to open fire on other passengers in the baggage claim area.
The attack was a joint operation of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
(PFLP), and the Japanese Red Army
. The idea behind the joint effort was for the Japanese to carry out attacks for the Palestinians, and vice versa, in order to reduce suspicion. The plan worked, as Okamoto and his comrades attracted little attention prior to their attack.
They killed 26 people and injured 71 others. Yasuyuki Yasuda was killed in the attack when he ran out of ammunition. Tsuyoshi Okudaira committed suicide by placing a grenade against his body. Kōzō Okamoto was wounded and captured trying to escape the terminal. The attack became known as the Lod Airport Massacre
. The victims were mostly Puerto Rican Christians on a pilgrimage
to Israel. One of the Israeli victims was scientist Aharon Katzir
, whose younger brother Ephraim
became the fourth President of Israel
in 1973.
. The letter also stated that the operation was carried out by the Squad of the Martyr Patrick Arguello. Patrick Arguello
had been shot and killed two years earlier, on September 6, 1970 on an Israeli El Al jet he had attempted to hijack
together with PFLP member Leila Khaled
.
Asked whether he regretted killing innocent people, Okamoto said, "I had no option but to shoot for the sake of armed struggle. Now I can only pray for the victims." Asked what would be the first thing he would do if he got out of prison, he replied: "I shall go around the world expressing my regret to the Jewish and Puerto Rican people."
Kōzō Okamoto was sentenced to life imprisonment in Israel. On July 23, 1973, PFLP and JRA operatives hijacked Japan Air Lines Flight 404
, demanding Okamoto's release in exchange for the hostages onboard; Israel refused to comply. Okamoto was released in 1985 after 13 years, as part of a prisoner exchange with Palestinian militant factions. 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.
detained five Red Army members, Haruo Wakō
, Masao Adachi
, Mariko Yamamoto, Kazuo Tohira and Kōzō Okamoto for using forged passports and visa violations. They were sentenced to three years in prison. The sentence was passed by Judge Soheil Abdul-Sams on 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 Kōzō Okamoto because, according to the Lebanese government, he "had participated in resistance operations against Israel and had been tortured in Israeli jails."
Kōzō Okamoto is still wanted by the Japanese government. It has been requested that he be extradited to Japan.
Japanese Red Army
The was a Communist terrorist group founded by Fusako Shigenobu early in 1971 in Lebanon. It sometimes called itself Arab-JRA after the Lod airport massacre...
(JRA). He was later detained in Lebanon. During his stay in Lebanon, Okamoto converted to Islam in what was seen as an attempt to avoid being returned to Japan. As one of the perpetrators of the Lod Airport Massacre
Lod Airport massacre
The Lod Airport massacre was a terrorist attack that occurred on May 30, 1972, in which three members of the Japanese Red Army, on behalf of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine , killed 26 people and injured 80 others at Tel Aviv's Lod airport...
, he is a convicted mass murderer and is still wanted by the government of Japan.
Participation in massacre
On May 30, 1972, Kōzō Okamoto along with Yasuyuki Yasuda, and Tsuyoshi Okudaira, arrived at Israel's Lod Airport in Tel AvivTel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, via Air France
Air France
Air France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
Flight 132 from Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. 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 proceeded to open fire on other passengers in the baggage claim area.
The attack was a joint operation of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine is a Palestinian Marxist-Leninist organisation founded in 1967. It has consistently been the second-largest of the groups forming the Palestine Liberation Organization , the largest being Fatah...
(PFLP), and the Japanese Red Army
Japanese Red Army
The was a Communist terrorist group founded by Fusako Shigenobu early in 1971 in Lebanon. It sometimes called itself Arab-JRA after the Lod airport massacre...
. The idea behind the joint effort was for the Japanese to carry out attacks for the Palestinians, and vice versa, in order to reduce suspicion. The plan worked, as Okamoto and his comrades attracted little attention prior to their attack.
They killed 26 people and injured 71 others. Yasuyuki Yasuda was killed in the attack when he ran out of ammunition. Tsuyoshi Okudaira committed suicide by placing a grenade against his body. Kōzō Okamoto was wounded and captured trying to escape the terminal. The attack became known as the Lod Airport Massacre
Lod Airport massacre
The Lod Airport massacre was a terrorist attack that occurred on May 30, 1972, in which three members of the Japanese Red Army, on behalf of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine , killed 26 people and injured 80 others at Tel Aviv's Lod airport...
. The victims were mostly Puerto Rican Christians on a pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
to Israel. One of the Israeli victims was scientist Aharon Katzir
Aharon Katzir
Aharon Katzir was an Israeli pioneer in the study of the electrochemistry of biopolymers. He was killed in the Lod Airport Massacre in 1972.-Biography:...
, whose younger brother Ephraim
Ephraim Katzir
Ephraim Katzir was an Israeli biophysicist and former Israeli Labor Party politician. He was the fourth President of Israel from 1973 until 1978.-Biography:...
became the fourth President of Israel
President of Israel
The President of the State of Israel is the head of state of Israel. The position is largely an apolitical ceremonial figurehead role, with the real executive power lying in the hands of the Prime Minister. The current president is Shimon Peres who took office on 15 July 2007...
in 1973.
Responsibility
In the letter claiming official responsibility for the attack carried out by the Japanese Red Army, the PFLP referred to it as Operation Deir Yassin. This was to portray it as revenge for the 1948 Deir Yassin massacreDeir Yassin massacre
The Deir Yassin massacre took place on April 9, 1948, when around 120 fighters from the Irgun Zevai Leumi and Lohamei Herut Israel Zionist paramilitary groups attacked Deir Yassin near Jerusalem, a Palestinian-Arab village of roughly 600 people...
. The letter also stated that the operation was carried out by the Squad of the Martyr Patrick Arguello. Patrick Arguello
Patrick Argüello
Patricio José Argüello Ryan , known as Patrick Argüello, was a Nicaraguan American who was shot and killed while attempting to hijack El Al Flight 219 in September 1970 as part of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine's Dawson's Field hijackings.-Youth:Argüello was born in San...
had been shot and killed two years earlier, on September 6, 1970 on an Israeli El Al jet he had attempted to hijack
Dawson's Field hijackings
In the Dawson's Field hijackings five jet aircraft bound for New York City were hijacked by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine...
together with PFLP member Leila Khaled
Leila Khaled
Leila Khaled is a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine . She is currently a member of the Palestinian National Council...
.
Asked whether he regretted killing innocent people, Okamoto said, "I had no option but to shoot for the sake of armed struggle. Now I can only pray for the victims." Asked what would be the first thing he would do if he got out of prison, he replied: "I shall go around the world expressing my regret to the Jewish and Puerto Rican people."
Trial and Release
The Israeli government charged Okamoto under the Defence Emergency Regulations, originally created by the British Mandatory authorities in 1945 and applied to both Israeli and Arab guerrillas. His court-appointed lawyer was Max Kritzman. Chicago-born and British-trained Kritzman had experience defending Israelis charged under the Emergency Regulations before 1948. Of Okamoto, he complained that "this man will not cooperate." Throughout the trial, Okamoto undermined his defense to guarantee a death sentence.Kōzō Okamoto was sentenced to life imprisonment in Israel. On July 23, 1973, PFLP and JRA operatives hijacked Japan Air Lines Flight 404
Japan Air Lines Flight 404
Japan Air Lines Flight 404 was an airliner hijacked by Palestinian and Japanese terrorists on July 23, 1973.The flight departed Amsterdam-Schiphol International Airport, Netherlands, on July 23, 1973, en route to Tokyo International Airport , Japan, via Anchorage International Airport, Alaska. The...
, demanding Okamoto's release in exchange for the hostages onboard; Israel refused to comply. Okamoto was released in 1985 after 13 years, as part of a prisoner exchange with Palestinian militant factions. After his release from prison in Israel, Kōzō Okamoto moved to Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
, then Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, and finally to Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
where he reunited with other members of the Japanese Red Army.
Transfer to Lebanon
On February 15, 1997, LebanonLebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
detained five Red Army members, Haruo Wakō
Haruo Wako
was a member of the armed militant group, the Japanese Red Army.Haruo Wakō and two other members of the JRA were involved in the seizure of the French Embassy in The Hague in 1974. The ambassador and ten other people were taken hostage and a Dutch policewoman, Hanke Remmerswaal, was shot in the...
, Masao Adachi
Masao Adachi
Masao Adachi is a Japanese screenwriter and director who was most active in the 1960s and 1970s.-Career:...
, Mariko Yamamoto, Kazuo Tohira and Kōzō Okamoto for using forged passports and visa violations. They were sentenced to three years in prison. The sentence was passed by Judge Soheil Abdul-Sams on 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 Kōzō Okamoto because, according to the Lebanese government, he "had participated in resistance operations against Israel and had been tortured in Israeli jails."
Kōzō Okamoto is still wanted by the Japanese government. It has been requested that he be extradited to Japan.