Fusako Shigenobu, In Her Own Words

1/2 sized ⦁ 10 pages

“Fusako Shigenobu, In Her Own Words” is an English translation of Fusako Shigenobu’s newsletter written in December 2021. Fusako is the former leader of the Japanese Red Army, a communist guerrilla organization which carried out attacks against the embassies of various Western states, the US military, and multinational corporations from the 1970s until the late 1980s, in solidarity with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

During her time in prison in Japan, Fusako was supported by a small but steadfast group of comrades who called themselves “The Olive Tree.” For over twenty years, this group published a monthly newsletter that allowed Fusako to communicate her thoughts to the outside world, including her reflections on current affairs, particularly the geopolitical situation in the Middle East; daily diary entries detailing her observations from prison; original tanka poems; as well as letter exchanges she had with those who wrote her from the outside. After twenty years incarcerated, Fusako was released in May 2022.

Japanese to English translation by Lisa Hofmann-Kuroda, zine design by Roland K

All proceeds from this zine donated directly to individuals in Palestine via Gaza Mutual Aid Collective