Statement in regard to the warning from Japan Federation of Bar Association to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police

28 March 2005

Japan Federation of Bar Associations (JFBA) issued a warning to the Commissioner of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Masuo Okumura, in the name of Chairman of JFBA, Tsuyoshi Kajiya on March 28th. This warning is related that JRU complained about human-rights redress through investigations of the JR Urawa Electric Train Depot case to JFBA on December 20th 2002.

In the cautionary notice:
(1) the domiciliary searched places (7 union offices of East Japan Railway Union (JREU), 3 company facilities including concoctors’ depot and residences, bodies and lockers of JREU members and officers) and seized items (14 accounting documents, 96 list-data of name, address and telephone of JREU officers, 22 documents related to monthly magazine “Shizen to Ningen”, videotapes and 33 documents of Quality Control activity and OJT) has little relation to the coercion case.
(2) This search and seizure could have aimed not to establish the allegation but to check up the complainant trade union organization and understand its activity.
(3) So this search and seizure could have possibly been a breach of Article 35 of the Constitution and Article 17-1 of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
(4) Therefore we, JFBA warn the MPD not to infringe fundamental human rights by conducting search and seizure which violates above-referenced Article 35 of the Convention and Article 17-1 of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

JRU has accused that this search and seizure aimed not to establish the allegation but to check the other matter. JFBA severely points it out, recognizes a breech of the Constitution and International Covenant, and then warns the MPD not to infringe fundamental human rights.

The MPD should take this warning seriously and end overbearing conducts like this search and seizure redressing human-rights.

We, JRU call on the MPD to reflect on its human-rights redress, and we make solidarity with people suffering from human-right abuses and fight together for peace, human rights and democracy.