Youth of Iran killed in streets while Kishida smiles with Raisi

Youth of Iran killed in streets while Kishida smiles with Raisi

Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker

Modern Tokyo Times

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan met President Raisi of Iran on September 21 (local time; on September 22, 3:30 JST), 2022. By this time, the youth of Iran were being killed openly on the streets of many cities after the death of Mahsa Amini.

This young lady died because of the enforced dress code in Iran. Thus during the period of her brutal death – and the meeting between Kishida and Raisi – The Guardian reports, “At least 31 people are feared by rights groups to have died in six days of protests, sparked by the death on 16 September of the 22-year-old Kurdish woman.”

On the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, it says, “Prime Minister Kishida expressed his gratitude for the letter of condolence from President Raisi on the passing of former Prime Minister Abe, and expressed his intention to cooperate towards the further strengthening of the historically friendly relationship between Japan and Iran…In addition, Prime Minister Kishida emphasized the importance of ensuring maritime security and the safety of navigation and explained Japan’s efforts in the field.”

Kishida expressed the “friendly relationship” between Iran and Japan – and the need to focus on the “safety of navigation.” In other words, business as usual and no outright condemnation of the ongoing killings in Iran of females and other protesters.

Events in Iran are being shown all over the world. However, Kishida – and the Japanese Foreign Ministry – can’t connect anything. Therefore, even images of dead Iranian females and protesters being killed didn’t influence Kishida during his meeting with the leader of Iran.

Reuters reports, “Despite a growing death toll and a fierce crackdown by security forces using tear gas, clubs and, in some cases, live ammunition, videos posted on social media showed protesters calling for the fall of the clerical establishment while clashing with security forces in Tehran, Tabriz, Karaj, Qom, Yazd and many other Iranian cities.”

Kishida saw nothing wrong with smiling with the leader of Iran – while Iranians were being killed for demanding greater freedom. Thus Kishida’s lauded human rights are merely focused on the Meiji nationalist legacy that was anti-China, anti-Russia, and anti-Korea. Therefore, the Japanese Foreign Ministry had no compulsion to warn Kishida about the timing of the meeting.

If no anti-China and anti-Russia component exists, then Kishida and the Japan Foreign Ministry brush things under the carpet. Hence, ethnic massacres in Ethiopia, Azerbaijan soldiers mutilating the dead bodies of female Armenian soldiers, the occupation of North Cyprus and North Syria by Turkey, females put in prison and tortured for not covering up in Iran, the security apparatus of Indonesia persecuting Papuans in West Papua, and other important issues, are negated by the same Kishida admin that is fixated on China and Russia. Therefore, the leader of Iran feared little when meeting Kishida.

The BBC reports, “At least 76 protesters have been killed by Iranian security forces during 11 days of unrest sparked by the death of a woman in custody, activists say.”

Iran Human Rights (IHR) says, “The risk of torture and ill-treatment of protesters is serious and the use of live ammunition against protesters is an international crime… The world must defend the Iranian people’s demands for their fundamental rights.”

However, for Kishida, he simply met the leader of Iran and smiled – and talked about navigation and friendly relations.

https://www.mofa.go.jp/me_a/me2/ir/page3e_001246.html

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