As #FreeAgnes trends in Japan, why is Hong Kong activist Agnes Chow so popular there?
In Japan, politicians and the public have shown their staunch support for Hong Kong opposition activist Agnes Chow, with #FreeAgnes trending on social media and a cross-party group of Diet members condemning her arrest under the city's national security law.
After an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss the arrests of Chow and Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, the founder of local newspaper Apple Daily, the Japan Parliamentary Alliance on China issued a statement condemning Beijing and the city's government for "attempting to suppress pro-democracy movements by pressuring citizens of Hong Kong and media organisations".
The alliance also urged Tokyo to announce the denial of any requests for evidence from Beijing or Hong Kong made under the national security law, and to implement "lifeboat policies" such as extended visa exemptions for Hongkongers and companies from the city looking to relocate to Japan.
While international media has focused on the detention of Lai, Chow's Monday arrest was front-page news in Japan, while coverage of her release on bail the following day continued to be prominent on Wednesday. Lai posted bail shortly after midnight on Tuesday.
"It is political persecution and political suppression," Chow said on Tuesday after leaving the police station. "I still don't understand why I was arrested."
The 23-year-old said the latest arrest was "the most scary" of the four she had faced, adding that her passport was confiscated and bail set at HK$20,000 (US$2,580). She also had to pay a surety of HK$180,000.
A police source told the Post on Tuesday that Chow and two others were allegedly involved in an online group calling for sanctions in Hong Kong, while Lai and his two sons allegedly offered financial support to the group via overseas bank accounts.
The six were arrested under the national security law on suspicion of collusion with foreign forces. The source said the group received more than HK$1 million from overseas bank accounts after the new legislation took effect.
Chow, who is fluent in Japanese, has been dubbed "the goddess of democracy" by Japanese media, after the statue put up by protesters in Tiananmen Square before the crackdown in 1989. In Hong Kong, her supporters have taken to calling her "the real Mulan", in reference to the legendary Chinese heroine.
Chow, fellow activist Joshua Wong and former Hong Kong Legislative Council member Au Nok-hin in June urged Tokyo to rethink a state visit by China's President Xi Jinping, which was originally set for March but was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Japan Parliamentary Alliance on China holds an emergency meeting to discuss the arrests of Jimmy Lai and Agnes Chow in Hong Kong. Photo: Twitter alt=The Japan Parliamentary Alliance on China holds an emergency meeting to discuss the arrests of Jimmy Lai and Agnes Chow in Hong Kong. Photo: Twitter
Stephen Nagy, senior associate professor in the politics and international studies department at Tokyo's International Christian University, said Chow had attracted a firm following in Japan for a number of reasons.
"She is connected to Japan because she speaks the language well and can communicate her thoughts and feelings in social media messages as well," he said. "She is also young and comfortable in the spotlight, plus she has also been something of the face of the campaign for democracy in Hong Kong for quite some time now, which plays well with a Japanese audience.
"She has been pretty quiet since the new security law was passed, so it is worrying that this law is apparently being applied retroactively to things she said or wrote previously. This has to be a serious concern."
On Twitter, MP Akihisa Nagashima of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party expressed solidarity for those arrested, and referred to Chow by her local nickname. He responded to a news report on her detention by posting: "It's an illegal arrest!"
On the other side of the political spectrum, the Japanese Communist Party also released a statement condemning the arrests, with its head Kazuo Shii tweeting support from his personal account.
"China's leadership is using savage methods, but the world will not forget how they have attacked the democrats of Hong Kong," he wrote. "Speak out about this oppression of democracy."
The Japanese government was more circumspect in its criticism, with chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga on Wednesday telling reporters Japan "continues to watch the situation in Hong Kong with grave concern".
Agnes Chow and fellow activist Joshua Wong in 2019. Photo: AP alt=Agnes Chow and fellow activist Joshua Wong in 2019. Photo: AP
Suga described the city as an "extremely important partner" for Tokyo, due to its close economic ties, and reiterated that Japan had consistently emphasised the need for Hong Kong to maintain its "free and open system" and to develop in a stable and democratic manner.
Suga was not questioned about the likelihood of Xi's state visit, and an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on the issue. There is growing cross-party opposition to any such visit and it seems unlikely Xi will make the trip in the near future.
Dozens of people attended a "Stand With Hong Kong" protest in front of the National Diet Building on Wednesday night, while numerous well-known Japanese personalities have expressed their support for Chow and her campaign.
Film director Kazuya Shiraishi tweeted: "You have been arrested for speaking out for democracy. It's just like pre-war Japan. Freedom has been lost in my beloved Hong Kong."
On the same platform, author Hirotada Ototake wrote: "What we must do now is to speak out in protest. Everyone, please do not be a bystander and let's face this news."
Jun Hori, a journalist who interviewed Chow in May, wrote that Chow "spoke of the importance of raising voices out of concern for the future of Japan", and added: "This time, we should stand up for Ms Chow and for those who are continuing to raise their voices in Hong Kong."
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
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