Japanese 'Arab resistance fighter' Kozo Okamoto dies at 78
Japanese leftist Kozo Okamoto, who took part in a deadly attack on Lod Airport in Israel in 1972, has died in Beirut aged 78. Okamoto spent much of his life in Lebanon and was a prominent symbol of international solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
Intelligence analysis by Llama
Kozo Okamoto, a Japanese leftist who took part in a deadly attack on Lod Airport in Israel in 1972, has died in Beirut aged 78. Okamoto spent much of his life in Lebanon and was a prominent symbol of international solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
Kozo Okamoto was a Japanese man who joined a group called the Japanese Red Army. He helped plan an attack on an airport in Israel in 1972, which killed many people. Okamoto was captured and spent many years in prison. After he was released, he moved to Lebanon and became a symbol of support for the Palestinian people. He died in 2026 at the age of 78.
Analysis
A Life of Sacrifice and Solidarity
Kozo Okamoto's life was marked by immense sacrifices spanning for decades on the battlefields of struggle in support of the Palestinian cause. He never compromised nor faltered but remained steadfast to his principles.
Okamoto joined two other members of the Japanese Red Army in an attack on Lod Airport, now Ben Gurion Airport, near Tel Aviv on 30 May 1972. The three men arrived on a flight from Europe before retrieving rifles and grenades from their luggage and opening fire. Okamoto's two comrades died, while Israeli forces wounded and captured him.
The attack, organised with the PFLP, killed 26 people, including 17 Christian pilgrims from Puerto Rico, and eight Israelis. The PFLP said the operation came in response to Israel's 1968 assault on Beirut International Airport, during which Israeli commandos destroyed more than a dozen civilian aircraft resulting in widespread international condemnation.
Okamoto spent much of his sentence in solitary confinement and was forced to 'eat from the ground like a dog, with his hands cuffed behind his back,' according to the PFLP. He later reached Lebanon and received political asylum. Lebanese authorities arrested him and four other Japanese nationals in 1997 over their immigration status.
Beirut returned the other four to Japan in 2000 but allowed Okamoto to remain, repeatedly rejecting Japanese demands for his extradition. During his Lebanese trial, Okamoto described himself as 'an Arab resistance fighter'. He made a rare public appearance in May 2022 at a Beirut cemetery containing the graves of Palestinian resistance figures, marking 50 years since the airport attack.
The Japanese Red Army emerged in 1971 as an internationalist, far-left group closely connected to the Palestinian struggle. It carried out several overseas operations before eventually disbanding. Okamoto remained in Lebanon until his death, remembered by supporters across the region as a figure who left his homeland to stand with Palestinians confronting occupation.
Key points
- Kozo Okamoto, a Japanese leftist, died in Beirut aged 78.
- Okamoto took part in a deadly attack on Lod Airport in Israel in 1972.
- He spent much of his life in Lebanon and was a prominent symbol of international solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
- Okamoto was arrested and imprisoned for his role in the attack, but was released in 1985 as part of a prisoner exchange.
- He later moved to Lebanon and received political asylum, but was repeatedly rejected for extradition by Japanese authorities.
Okamoto's legacy will continue to inspire people across the region who support the Palestinian cause. His story serves as a reminder of the importance of solidarity and standing up for what one believes in.
Okamoto's death marks the end of an era for the Palestinian resistance, and his passing may be seen as a loss for those who support the cause. However, his legacy will continue to be remembered and celebrated by supporters across the region.
