This essay, dated November 25, 2019, responds to the news that Hong Kong’s pro-democracy camp won a landslide victory and secured a majority for the first time since the handover.
It expresses deep admiration for Hong Kong citizens fighting for liberal democracy and criticizes the silence of Japan’s so-called human-rights advocates, cultural figures, and opposition politicians.

November 25, 2019.
The news that appeared when I opened my PC a short while ago was surely news that people all over the world, except China, thought was “good!”
There must have been many people who went to bed last night while keeping in mind, from the news, that the result of the vote in Hong Kong would become clear today.
The news that appeared when I opened my PC a short while ago was surely news that people all over the world, except China, thought was “good!”
The way in which it was an overwhelming victory must have made it one of the best pieces of news in recent years.
Hong Kong District Council elections: pro-democracy camp wins landslide victory.
First majority since the handover, pro-China camp suffers crushing defeat.
Kyodo News.
The parts marked with ＊～＊ are mine.
Hong Kong, Kyodo — Vote counting in the Hong Kong District Council elections continued into the early hours of the 25th.
According to Hong Kong media, the pro-democracy camp won a landslide victory and secured a majority for the first time since Hong Kong’s return to China in 1997.
The pro-China camp suffered a crushing defeat, and the people’s will clearly said “No” to the Hong Kong government, which has taken a hard line toward the protest demonstrations, and to China’s Xi Jinping leadership.
According to Hong Kong media, in the interim count, the pro-democracy camp won 253 seats, while the pro-China camp remained at 27 seats.
Before the election, the pro-China camp held about 70 percent of the seats, and the pro-democracy camp about 30 percent.
It was the first territory-wide election in Hong Kong since the protests intensified in June.
Voter turnout exceeded the previous election by more than 20 percentage points and reached 71.2 percent, the highest since the handover.
＊There must also have been countless people around the world who were moved to tears.
Even so, there is something I have been thinking for some time.
I have been thinking about the conduct of Kenzaburo Oe, Haruki Murakami, and others, who have almost always signed or spoken out when it is a movement to demean Japan and benefit the Korean Peninsula or China; the opposition political operators who always talk about human rights; the so-called lawyers; and the so-called civic groups.
I have been thinking about how they have said nothing at all about the conduct of Hong Kong citizens, including many teenage boys and girls, who risked their lives to fight in order to defend freedom and intelligence, in other words liberal democracy.
Above all, Hong Kong citizens spent a large sum of money to appeal to the Japanese people for support, through a full-page advertisement in the Nikkei Shimbun.
In response to this action, for example, Haruki Murakami could have immediately responded by placing a full-page advertisement in the Nikkei Shimbun.
Considering the money he has accumulated as a bestselling author, he could have done it immediately without any problem.
It should have been far more important than staying at the world’s finest resorts and writing novels for shallow admirers.＊