May 2026 trip to Japan

This upcoming May, our delegation will meet with grassroots communities in Japan to learn firsthand about local liberation struggles and explore paths towards genuine trans-Pacific solidarity. In doing this, our goal is to listen, build relationships, and explore common causes together — and show that we are with them in their struggle.

One of our planned stops is at a Korean school, or uri hakkyo (in Korean: “our school”). Many of these schools are currently under threat of closure by the Japanese government, continuing the violent colonial erasure of Korean cultural identity. Another is a rally demanding a reexamination of the Sayama Incident, a 1963 incident in which Kazuo Ishikawa, an innocent man of Buraku-min (lowest caste) origin, was falsely accused and convicted of the murder of a teenage girl by a desperate and incompetent police force. The failures of the police and justice system in this case are similar to many events in the history of Turtle Island, and our solidarity with the Burakumin liberation movement is part of a larger fight against state violence and injustice.

Over the period of 9 days, we will meet with queer scholars and activists, Zainichi Korean and Chinese communities, Buraku-min advocates, and others dedicated to the liberation struggle across the Kanto, Osaka, and Kobe regions. Unlike other Nikkei-targeted “birthright” trips, NDT is an anti-colonial and anti-imperialist solidarity tour that is not subsidized by any government or private interests. As we are not beholden to any governmental or economic agenda, we are free to pursue truths that the government refuses to acknowledge. In order to make this trip happen, we rely upon the generous support of our larger grassroots communities.

Your contribution will help us make this trip happen. Thank you for joining us in this important international solidarity work!