On this day: Japanese terrorists kill 26 people in the Lod Airport massacre in Israel
May 30 marks the 49th anniversary of the Lod Airport massacre, when terrorists from the Japanese Red Army carried out a brutal shootout that killed 26 people and injured 80 others.
The shooting took place when three Japanese men in business suits disembarked at Lod Airport (known today as Ben-Gurion Airport) and took machine guns and grenades from their luggage, opening indiscriminate fire throughout the airport.
The incident was carried out in cooperation with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
After pleading guilty to avoiding the death penalty, Okamoto was sentenced to life imprisonment. But 13 years later, he was released in a prisoner swap with the Palestinians under what was later known as the Jibril Accord. He then moved to Lebanon and was granted refugee status due to his participation in “resistance operations against Israel”. Now 73, Okamoto still lives in Lebanon to this day, although he remains sought after by Japan.
The same interview also included quotes from Marwan Abdelal, who was the leader of the PFLP branch in Lebanon. Abdelal called Okamoto “the last samurai” and swore he would continue to enjoy protection in Lebanon.
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The incident was particularly shocking to Israel as well as to Japan, and many are said to have reacted in shock to the news of Japanese terrorism against Israel. However, the incident is perhaps most often remembered outside of Israel in Puerto Rico, where the vast majority of the victims were from.
Since 2006, Puerto Rico has celebrated Lod Airport Massacre Remembrance Day every May 30.
