PRESS CONFERENCE
Why is Jumpei Yasuda Banned from Leaving Japan?

Jumpei Yasuda, Freelance journalist
Makoto Iwai, Lawyer 

August 1, Tuesday, 13:00-14:00 (Press Conference)
The speech and Q & A will be in Japanese with English interpretation.

Freelance journalist Jumpei Yasuda was famously taken hostage by militants during a reporting trip to Syria in 2015, where he spent over three years in grueling captivity before his release. Since 2019, he has been waging a different kind of battle – this time with Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

MOFA has denied Yasuda's application for a new passport to replace the one stolen while in captivity. According to Yasuda, the rejection was on the basis of a stipulation in the passport law that Japan may refuse a travel document to an applicant if a destination country denies that person entry.

Yasuda has an existing entry ban into Turkey, from where he was deported back to Japan in 2018 after his release. He has argued that Japan's refusal to issue him a passport is unconstitutional and based on an overly broad interpretation of the law, given that he has no plans to enter Turkey. 

Yasuda, who has sued MOFA, says he is fighting not just for himself but for the rights of all citizens, so that individual freedoms are not sacrificed in the interests of bureaucratic decisions made behind closed doors. Come and hear what he has to say. 

How to attend: 
Please register at front@fccj.or.jp with your name, the name of your media outlet, and FCCJ membership number. Due to space restrictions attendance will be limited. Doors open 15 minutes before the event. Please sign in, giving your name and contact details at the reception, and have your temperature taken before proceeding. 

How to watch online: https://www.youtube.com/c/FCCJchannel/live 
Livestreaming of the press events will be available and video of this event will be uploaded to our FCCJ YouTube channel. 

How to ask questions: https://forms.gle/vvzJ3fQSX2QrwRHj6　
Members watching the event online can submit questions for the speakers in advance using this submission form.

TV crew: Please make a reservation at front@fccj.or.jp. Doors open for TV crews only at 30 minutes before the event. 

Professional Activities Committee