By Gerry Yokota, WBW Japan Chapter Co-Coordinator, May 4, 2026
On Saturday, April 18, members of the Japan chapter of World BEYOND War participated in a 5k peace walk for Palestinian prisoners in Osaka. The walk was organized by a student group called Circles for Peace at The University of Osaka, as part of the International Palestinian Prisoners Day movement.
Circle members met on campus to make ribbons for the pilgrims to wear, with donations going to the Palestine Children’ Relief Fund. Efforts were made to identify organizations more directly involved with legal aid for detainees, but the changes in the laws for registering humanitarian organizations enacted by the Israeli government in January made it difficult to establish such a direct connection.
The walking route was designed to pass by the Osaka Detention Center at the halfway point. It also overlapped with the path used for the 40k Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimages in 2024 and 2025. Participants paused in front of the Detention Center to learn about the plight of Palestinian detainees. Information was primarily gathered from two organizations: the Commission for Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs (CDA) and Visualizing Palestine.
We were deeply impressed by the words of 17-year-old former detainee Mahmoud, who was quoted as saying, “I have never truly escaped. The prison seems to reside within me.”
The walk ended at a standing event in front of Osaka Station, where the student representative, Arisa Fukushima, was invited to give a speech. She declared:
“Detainees are not given access to basic conditions such as clean clothing, sunlight, and regular bathing, and are confined in overcrowded conditions, while suffering abuse. Due to the deplorable conditions, scabies is rampant. During the walk, I thought about what it would be like to be crammed so tightly that my skin was touching other people’s, unable to clean my body soiled with sweat, scabs, and blood, not knowing the safety of my family, and possibly never seeing my loved ones again… Such atrocities must be stopped as quickly as possible, yet the Japanese government is not only standing idly by, but is investing pension funds in Israeli government bonds and military companies, and has even purchased 24.1 billion yen’s worth of weapons. We are thus complicit in Israel’s massacres and war crimes. I demand that the Japanese government immediately reject all transactions that benefit Israel and condemn Israel’s war crimes. Furthermore, I demand that they make every effort to achieve a genuine ceasefire and peace in Palestine.”
We are now watching with deep concern the developments in the unlawful interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla. We are glad to hear of the safe release of WBW Board Member John Reuwer and continue to appeal for justice for all flotilla volunteers, especially Thiago Ávila and Saif Abukeshek. We call for the safe passage of the flotilla so that it can achieve its humanitarian mission.
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