We Condemn the Unreasonable Raid, “National Policy Investigation” Repeated by MPD

 

   On 15 February the Public Safety Bureau of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) conducted a domiciliary search of a JRU office and other spots which lasted over 12 hours, and confiscated 665 items of union goods. The “suspicion” of this search adduced by the police was “embezzlement in the course of business.” The newspapers ran a story as “The former chief director of the Japan Railway Welfare Association Foundation misappropriated 150 million yen from the Foundation’s fund in June, 2000.” However, the police confiscated only recent accounting books and documents for meetings used more than 5 years since the time, which provide no information related to the “suspicion”. Furthermore, the police carried away all the basic data including computer systems which are used for daily business. The Foundation was driven to the brink of suspension of business.

   Regarding transfer of the fund which the release said, however, the reality is different. The Japan Railway Welfare Association Foundation had loaned the fund to “Satsuki-kai” which is an organization for promoting mutual friendship and assistance established by members of the now-defunct union, DORO of JNR age, and then “Satsuki-kai” refunded all amount with interest by February, 2003. So there could be no place for that suspicion of embezzlement. 

   That shows the search conducted on 15 February is a very oppression of labor movement under the name of criminal investigation. The Public Safety Bureau of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department carried out a large scale of search of JRU on 12 June, 2003 and 7-10 December, 2005 and confiscated a whole mess of union goods. The Tokyo Station incident that was made a pretext for the search in June, 2003 was after all dropped. In terms of another “embezzlement” case which was used as a pretext for 2005 search, nearly 2000 of union basic documents were still remained confiscated. Despite repeated request by the presiding judge, Metropolis of Tokyo (or MPD) has yet to explain the linkage between those items and the relevant case in the trial with reference to the legal action for state liability for compensation launched by JRU. The current domiciliary search was conducted under such situation.

   It is clear for everyone that the Public Safety Bureau of MPD compulsorily investigated the case which was never even brought charge, made up new different fictitious scenarios based on the facts got in the investigation and repeated search and seizure. At the same time, it is also clear that MPD led the media reports adverse to the facts by cunning manipulation of information and aimed at damaging the reputation of JRU. We have made every effort to protect workers’ life and peace in opposition to the policies of market-oriented neo-liberalism and support for war. Accordingly, this government-controlled investigation intends to exclude JRU from society, and also undermine and crush it.

   This coming Wednesday, on 2 February, the prosecutors will make summation and recommendation regarding sentencing in the trial of JR Urawa Electric Train Depot incident. Seven members of East Japan Railway Workers’ Union were arrested in 2002 and detained for 344 long days. Signatures to ask for a fair and unprejudiced trial for JRU7 amounted to 690 thousand in as few as 4 months. This result is out of a sense of crisis growing among the public over the current situation where such investigation controlled by the politically motivated government could be widespread. We have learned what to do from the history in which people were impelled into cruel war by the silent society under the strong power of the state.

We in JRU will never give in to the oppression, and are determined to consistently fight out against the national policy investigation conducted by the police, prosecutors and courts, promoting solidarity among all of those who are worried about such existing conditions.  .

 

16 February, 2007     

Japan Confederation of Railway Workers’ Unions (JRU)