Japanese Red Army founder Shigenobu freed after 20 years in prison

Today 04:48 pm JST

Fusako Shigenobu, the 76-year-old female founder of the once-feared Japanese Red Army, walked free from prison Saturday after completing a 20-year sentence for a 1974 embassy siege.

Shigenobu was one of the world's most notorious women during the 1970s and 1980s, when her radical leftist group carried out armed attacks worldwide in support of the Palestinian cause.

Shigenobu left the prison in Tokyo in a black car with her daughter as several supporters held a banner saying "We love Fusako".

"I apologize for the inconvenience my arrest has caused to so many people," Shigenobu told reporters after the release. "It's half a century ago... but we hurt innocent people who were strangers to us by prioritizing our battle, such as by hostage-taking."

https://japantoday.com/category/crime/japanese-red-army-founder-shi...