1960年代臺獨運動者強制遣返與日本的人權運動

The Forced Repatriation of Taiwanese Independence Activists in the 1960s and Human Rights Movement in Japan

1960年代日本發生多起臺灣政治運動者遭強制遣返事件。其中，1968年柳文卿事件強制遣返過程甚為粗暴，引起日本社會高度關注。此一事件使得日本政府與臺灣威權當局合作、以臺獨犯交換重刑犯強制遣返的暗黑手段公諸於世。
本文目的有二：一、分析日華政府強制遣返臺獨運動者的談判過程，此一政治交易中各自的利益基礎與決策考量。二、從東亞人權史角度，探討臺獨運動者強制遣返事件引發日本公民社會的政治亡命者人權保護運動，以及人權運動的國際連結與擴散效應。
本文發現，戰後臺灣當局為了打壓在日本的臺獨運動，以一名臺獨犯交換三名重刑犯作為條件，希望藉此消滅臺獨運動。此種「長臂管轄」、「跨國鎮壓」模式，正顯示威權政府侵犯基本人權、威懾反對運動的特性。其次，日本作為冷戰結構下東亞僅有的民主國家，是鄰近威權國家南韓、朝鮮、臺灣的反對運動者尋求庇護之所。日本政府與臺灣威權當局合作強制遣返臺獨運動者，嚴重侵犯人權，引起日本輿論強烈反彈，公民社會發動一波波政治亡命者人權保護運動。
柳文卿事件後，臺獨運動者與日本人權運動者攜手，於1970年成立國際赦免組織日本支部，使日本的政治亡命者保護運動與國際人權運動匯流。同時，國際赦免組織日本支部關西地區成員又於1977年另組臺灣政治犯救援會，以組織化、專責化方式，為臺灣政治犯人權強力發聲、訴諸國際社會，造成臺灣威權政府極大壓力。1980年代以前，日本如同亞洲人權運動基地，也間接成為臺灣民主運動推進的可貴助力。

In the 1960s, several cases of the forced repatriation of Taiwanese independence activists occurred in Japan. Among them, the 1968 Liu Wenqing incident was particularly brutal and drew widespread public attention. It exposed covert collusion between the Japanese government and Taiwan’s authoritarian authorities, who exchanged independence activists for serious criminal offenders.
This paper has two aims. First, it analyzes the negotiation process behind these forced repatriations, focusing on the interests, decision-making, and mechanisms of exchange between the Japanese and Taiwanese governments. Second, from the perspective of East Asian human rights history, it examines how these incidents triggered civil society movements in Japan to protect political exiles, as well as their international linkages and diffusion.
The study finds that, in order to suppress the Taiwan independence movement in Japan, Taiwan’s postwar authorities agreed to exchange one activist for three serious criminals, making substantial concessions and closely cooperating with the Japanese side. This practice exemplifies“long-arm jurisdiction”and“transnational repression,”revealing how authoritarian regimes violate fundamental human rights to intimidate opposition movements.
At the same time, Cold War Japan—then the only democratic country in East Asia—served as a refuge for dissidents from neighboring authoritarian regimes, including South Korea, North Korea, and Taiwan. The forced repatriations, however, constituted a serious breach of human rights and provoked strong public backlash. In response, Japanese civil society mobilized to defend political exiles.
Following the Liu Wenqing incident, Taiwan independence activists and Japanese human rights advocates cooperated to establish the Japanese branch of Amnesty International in 1970, linking domestic activism to the global human rights movement. In 1977, members in the Kansai region further founded the Taiwan Political Prisoners Rescue Association. Through organized advocacy, they raised international awareness of political repression in Taiwan and exerted pressure on its authoritarian government. Before the 1980s, Japan thus served as a key base for human rights activism in Asia and indirectly supported Taiwan’s democratization.