PRESS CONFERENCE
Tiananmen 37 Years Later
Wu'er Kaixi, Former student leader of the 1989 Tiananmen Movement

13:00-14:00 Wednesday, June 3, 2026
Language: The speech and Q & A will be in English.

Wu'er Kaixi, a student leader of the 1989 Tiananmen Square democracy movement, will speak to us on the eve of the 37th anniversary of the massacre in which China's rulers snuffed out a generation's call for freedom.

Just days ago, China's current leader, Xi Jinping, used Tiananmen Square to stage welcoming ceremonies of goose-stepping soldiers and flag-waving children for U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose back-to-back visits were presented as proof of China's rise as the newest superpower. Wu'er Kaixi, long on China's most-wanted list for his role in the democracy movement, will offer the FCCJ's journalists and members an alternative perspective on the place Tiananmen holds in his nation's history.

Since fleeing China, Wu'er Kaixi has continued to speak out for the democratic aspirations that were met with bullets and tank treads on that June 4th that shook the world. He has repeatedly sought to return to China, most recently in 2010 from Japan, where he was arrested after trying to enter the Chinese embassy in Tokyo.

He has called on China to talk honestly with its people about the events of June 4th and the democratic values the movement represented. The need, he argues, is more urgent now than ever, as authorities in Hong Kong put on trial two organizers of annual Tiananmen candlelight vigils in the city that have been suppressed.

Wu'er Kaixi is based in Taiwan, where he currently serves as Chairman of the Taiwan Association for Democracy in China and sits on the Emeritus Board of Reporters Without Borders. He was also appointed Executive Deputy General Secretary of the Taiwan Parliamentary Human Rights Commission.

Please join us to hear a key figure in China's recent history speak on his nation's past, present and future.
 

How to attend
Please register by emailing front@fccj.or.jp with your name and the name of your media outlet. FCCJ members should also include their membership number. Doors will open 15 minutes before the event.

How to watch online: https://www.youtube.com/c/FCCJchannel/live  

How to ask questions:  https://forms.gle/huLVJzLdnPc9XCRf7   

TV crew: Please make a reservation at front@fccj.or.jp. Doors open for TV crews only at 30 minutes before the event. FCCJ will limit live-streaming of FCCJ-hosted press conferences to Club members only. Non-members will no longer be permitted to live-stream these events. However, non-members may still film for reporting purposes and use footage after the press conference.

Professional Activities Committee