Photo/Illutration Protesters march calling for democracy in Hong Kong in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward on June 11. (Emi Iwata)

Hong Kong citizens living in Japan and other protesters rallied in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward on June 11 to demand democracy for Hong Kong.

Around 150 protesters marched through Shibuya for around one hour chanting, “Free Hong Kong!”

They held the march to mark the fourth anniversary of a large-scale pro-democracy rally in Hong Kong in 2019.

The masks and umbrellas they wore and held were yellow, the symbolic color of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong.

The protest was organized by “Stand with HK@JPN,” a group of Hong Kong citizens living in Japan and others.

William Lee, a 29-year-old member of the group, said, “Hong Kong issues are relevant to Japan,” in a statement he read at the rally. “A situation where human rights are suppressed in Hong Kong will be reflected in Japan.”

Around 1 million protesters are estimated to have attended a rally in Hong Kong on June 9, 2019, to protest the Hong Kong government’s plan to revise the fugitive offenders ordinance that would allow the government to hand over suspects in criminal cases to China.

The number of participants in the demonstrations later ballooned to an estimated 2 million, equivalent to one-fourth the city’s population. 

Worried about this development, the Chinese government introduced the Hong Kong national security law in June 2020 to police anti-China actions and speeches.

The law says it covers actions and speeches made outside Hong Kong and those made by foreigners as well.

For example, when a Hong Kong student studying in Japan temporarily returned to the city in March, she was arrested for breaching the law by posting a comment about the city’s prospect for independence on the internet.

“In Japan, too, we cannot say any longer that we can safely attend a demonstration but we could become more united by not being afraid and gathering together,” Lee said.

During the march in Shibuya on June 11, protestors sang “Glory to Hong Kong,” a song that was composed at the time of the 2019 rally.

Since the Hong Kong national security law was introduced, the song has rarely been heard in public in Hong Kong and there have been moves in the city to ban it.

“I was so moved to hear the song for the first time in a while, I almost cried,” said one of the protesters, a 23-year-old student from Hong Kong.

Some protesters flew to Japan from Hong Kong just to attend the rally.

A 50-year-old Hong Kong resident was one of them.

Since the introduction of the Hong Kong national security law, the only time he can discuss critical views on politics is when he talks with his close friends.

He decided to come to Japan to participate in the rally, wanting a place where his voice could be heard.

He has uploaded posts about the rally on social media, so he is aware that he is violating the security law.

“I don’t want to be a hero,” he said, “but if no one (protests), everyone will forget the fact there was a crackdown.”

Some protesters were more conscious of the security law.

Another student from Hong Kong studying in Japan in her 20s hid her face with her hooded sweatshirt and a mask while protesting.

She said she will delete photos of the rally she took with her smartphone before returning to Hong Kong on summer vacation.

But she still participated in the demonstration because, “I want to show Japanese people that Hong Kong is still fighting.”

She also took part in the pro-democracy protest called the Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong in 2014 as well as the 2019 rally.

She has been hit by tear gas, but she said: “Hong Kong is my home. I want to protect my home.”

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